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(https://gcaptain.com/join-the-club/?mt_source=HambugerNavigation) Sign Up (https://gcaptain.com/?memberful_endpoint=auth) Sign In   Don’t Miss Your Daily Briefing for the Maritime Industry Join the leading maritime news network — trusted by our 107,064 members  (user)   () (Enter your email)  ()  (Subscribe)        (https://www.facebook.com/gCaptain-27223368885/) (facebook)  (https://www.instagram.com/gcaptain) (instagram)  (https://twitter.com/gCaptain) (twitter)      (Cargo ships are seen from a patrol boat of Ukraine’s coast guard as they sail in the Black Sea, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, February 7, 2024. REUTERS/Thomas Peter)  Cargo ships are seen from a patrol boat of Ukraine’s coast guard as they sail in the Black Sea, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, February 7, 2024. REUTERS/Thomas Peter War in Ukraine Escalates With Drone Strikes on Cargo Ships (https://gcaptain.com/author/bloomberg/) Bloomberg Total Views: 282   October 6, 2026   (Bloomberg) — (https://gcaptain.com/tag/ukraine-war/) Attacks on commercial vessels off the Black Sea’s western coast are on the rise, threatening already-choked trade flows in the region while testing NATO’s readiness to react. Two general cargo ships were hit by air and naval drones overnight in the exclusive economic zone of Bulgaria, a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Prime Minister Rumen Radev told reporters on Tuesday. A commercial vessel loaded with rapeseed oil was also damaged by a Russian drone strike that killed one person on Tuesday, Odesa regional governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram. The overnight strikes are “absolutely unacceptable” and in violation of international law and maritime practice, Radev told reporters, without naming the source of the attack. “What is happening severely hampers shipping in the Black Sea, drives up insurance costs even further, and makes maritime operations extremely difficult.” The strikes in NATO countries’ exclusive economic zones add to previous cases of drone incursions in countries such as Poland and Romania, helping Russia to test the alliance’s readiness to protect its borders while remaining short of full-fledged attacks on its territory.  They also reflect how the Black Sea is becoming an increasingly precarious corridor for agricultural trade, raising concerns over how crops from two of the world’s biggest exporters — Russia and Ukraine — will reach global buyers.  Ports along the Romanian and Bulgarian coasts, including Constanta, Varna and Burgas, have provided important alternatives for traders navigating disruptions elsewhere in the region. Growing risks around those routes threaten to narrow those options further, with potential consequences for freight costs and grain prices. Radev said the strikes can’t trigger NATO’s protective clauses — including formal consultations and the principle that an attack against one member state is an attack against the alliance — on the ground that more serious incidents have happened in the past without such a forceful response.  He said it’s up to NATO’s leadership to to consider the nature and form of that response. “Ships are constantly being sunk in the Black Sea, and there are frequent drone strikes against vessels,” he said at an event in Sofia later on Tuesday, warning that long conflicts tend to expand geographically.  A cargo vessel also caught fire and sank Monday in Romania’s exclusive economic zone, with two crew members found dead. The ship that carried corn was Turkish-owned and hit by two Russian drones, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.  A passing Bulgarian ferry saved the 18 crew members of the ship sailing under the flag of Palau that caught fire, which Radev said was carrying wheat.  The other ship struck in the overnight attack sank with no information on its crew or its cargo. A search and rescue operation for the crew of the Togolese-flagged vessel is ongoing. “Freedom of navigation becomes meaningless if Russia can make exercising it a matter of risking a civilian crew and vessel,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said in a post on X on Tuesday. “Russia should not be allowed to impose this hidden tax on international trade through violence and insecurity,” he said. The situation in the Black Sea is increasingly concerning.Commercial ships – and innocent crews – are being targeted, with lives already lost at sea.Today, two commercial vessels were hit in Bulgaria’s economic zone in Black Sea.This comes just one day after a Turkish ship…— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) (https://x.com/vonderleyen/status/2107422435108610389?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) October 6, 2026   Bulgarian authorities are monitoring another ship drifting off the Bulgarian coast, hit in August and without crew, he said. Authorities may take action if it reaches territorial waters. President Iliana Yotova called a security council meeting to discuss on Wednesday the risks from Russia’s ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Madeleine Overgaard, senior manager for agriculture data at Kpler, said that both vessels hit in the overnight attack were sailing to or from Ukrainian ports. There’s no clear evidence of a direct threat to ships using the major Bulgarian and Romanian ports, she said. “Still, the attacks widen the high-risk area. Ships may now face greater risks as soon as they enter the Black Sea, rather than only when approaching Ukrainian ports,” Overgaard said. © 2026 Bloomberg L.P.  Tags: (https://gcaptain.com/tag/drone-attack/) drone attack  (https://gcaptain.com/tag/ukraine/) ukraine  (https://gcaptain.com/tag/ukraine-war/) Ukraine War   (logo)  Subscribe for Daily Maritime Insights Sign up for gCaptain’s newsletter and never miss an update — trusted by our 107,064 members  (user)   () (Enter your email)  ()  (Subscribe)        (https://gcaptain.com/panama-canal-expands-advance-transit-reservations-for-2027-dry-season/)  Prev (https://gcaptain.com)  Back to Main (https://gcaptain.com/gulf-oil-flows-rise-to-average-81-of-pre-war-rate-in-september/) Next      (gCaptain-logo)   Stay Informed. Stay Connected.  Get The Daily Insights That Power Maritime Professionals Worldwide Essential maritime and offshore news, insights, and updates delivered daily straight to your inbox — trusted by our 107,064 members  (user)   () (Enter your email)  ()  (Subscribe)     Have a news tip? (https://gcaptain.com/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#215548515261464240515540484f0f424e4c) Let us know.    (gc logo) Stay Ahead with Our Weekly ‘Dispatch’ Email Dive into a sea of curated content with our weekly ‘Dispatch’ email. Your personal maritime briefing awaits!  (https://gcaptain.com/join-the-club/?mt_source=ArticleSidebar) Sign Up (https://gcaptain.com/?memberful_endpoint=auth) Sign In       Related Articles   (https://gcaptain.com/turkey-and-un-broker-new-talks-on-russia-ukraine-black-sea-truce/) (Vessels are seen as they await inspection under the Black Sea Grain Initiative, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey, in the southern anchorage of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey December 11, 2022. REUTERS/Yoruk Isik/File Photo)    (https://gcaptain.com/category/news/) News  (https://gcaptain.com/turkey-and-un-broker-new-talks-on-russia-ukraine-black-sea-truce/) Turkey and UN Broker New Talks on Russia-Ukraine Black Sea Truce  (Bloomberg) — Turkey and the United Nations have set up fresh talks in Russia and Ukraine to discuss a Black Sea ceasefire, trying to coalesce scattered efforts to protect grain... October 1, 2026 Total Views: 523      (https://gcaptain.com/russia-sends-nuclear-warning-to-nato-as-tensions-rise-in-the-baltic/) (FILE PHOTO: Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Governor of the Kaliningrad region Alexei Besprozvannykh in Moscow, Russia, March 24, 2026)    (https://gcaptain.com/category/news/) News  (https://gcaptain.com/russia-sends-nuclear-warning-to-nato-as-tensions-rise-in-the-baltic/) Russia Sends Nuclear Warning to NATO as Tensions Rise in the Baltic  Russia has warned NATO it would be ready to resort to nuclear weapons if the Western alliance attempted to cut off Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave that borders the Baltic Sea. September 30, 2026 Total Views: 3738      (https://gcaptain.com/zelenskiy-says-ukraine-ready-for-maritime-truce-if-russia-agrees/) (Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy participates in a meeting with US President Donald Trump during the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York City, US, September 22, 2026)    (https://gcaptain.com/category/news/) News  (https://gcaptain.com/zelenskiy-says-ukraine-ready-for-maritime-truce-if-russia-agrees/) Zelenskiy Says Ukraine Ready for Maritime Truce if Russia Agrees  resident Volodymyr Zelenskiy told leaders at the United Nations on Wednesday that Ukraine was ready for a maritime truce in the Black Sea based on proposals by Egypt, India and Turkey and said it was now up to Russia to respond. 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