A Turkish ship, loaded with grain, was hit by a drone in the Black Sea, near the Pescăruș Platform (Platform 7).
The ship hit by a drone was abandoned by the crew and is drifting off the Black Sea, announced Ziua de Constanța and Radio Bulgaria.
The incident was reported approximately 20 nautical miles from shore, while the Coast Guard indicates a position approximately 9 nautical miles southeast of the Pescăruș Platform.
Some crew members are missing
Several crew members of the ship hit by a drone are missing. Unofficial information indicates 13 people are missing. It also seems that there are injured, including the captain of the ship. It was heading to a port in Italy.
Several Romanian ships departed in the aforementioned direction. Subsequently, it was announced that on Monday, October 5, 2026, at 10:37, the Maritime Coordination Center (MRCC) requested the intervention of the Romanian Agency for Life Saving at Sea (ARSVOM) to carry out a rescue mission to the ship ROYAD MAMMADOV, located in the area of the platforms. The mission is ongoing.
According to initial information, Naval Forces helicopters discovered a cargo ship adrift in the waters of the Black Sea, 40 km east of Cape Shabla. The mentioned position is 6 km east of the city of Shabla and 26 km from Vama Veche.
The ship was abandoned by the crew
The information, which is not officially confirmed, speaks of a motor ship EMIL that was hit by a drone. Following a fire and a malfunction of the technical systems, the ship was left without the possibility of maneuvering and was abandoned by the crew.
The ship drifted in Romania’s exclusive economic zone, moving, under the influence of sea currents, in a southerly direction, towards Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone.
The Bulgarian Naval Forces have issued a notice to ships sailing in the region regarding the presence of a dangerous, unmanned and unmanned vessel in the said area.
Surveillance of the ship continues, and the institutions are ready to take the necessary measures, the Bulgarian military authorities said in a statement.