Zim-chartered container ship sinks after drone strike in Black Sea
The Contship Jet, sailing from Israel to Romania with 421 containers, caught fire after being hit off Bulgaria’s coast. All 18 crew members were rescued, while authorities began assessing the risk of pollution from containers lost at sea.
A container ship chartered by Israeli shipping company Zim sank in the Black Sea off Bulgaria after being struck by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), according to Bulgarian authorities. The vessel, the Liberian-flagged Contship Jet, was sailing from Israel to Romania with 421 containers on board. All 18 crew members, 14 Filipinos and four Ukrainians, were rescued.
According to reports, three UAVs struck the ship approximately 16-17 nautical miles east of Cape Kaliakra, off Bulgaria’s western Black Sea coast. The vessel was bound for the Romanian port of Constanța after departing from the ports of Ashdod and Haifa.
The strike sparked a major fire, causing the ship to list. More than 20 containers fell into the sea as the crew abandoned the vessel using lifeboats and liferafts. Reports also indicated that an unmanned vessel approached the crew during the evacuation, posing a further threat.
All 18 crew members were taken to the Bulgarian port city of Varna and were reported to be in good physical condition. The Bulgarian Navy dispatched three vessels to the scene, while naval, air force, border police and maritime authority units coordinated the rescue. Bulgaria’s maritime surveillance system and a French maritime patrol aircraft also monitored the situation.
The cargo included potentially hazardous materials, including lithium-ion batteries, corrosive acids and flammable liquids. Bulgarian authorities began taking environmental samples along the coastline to assess the risk of marine pollution after containers fell into the sea. Initial inspections reportedly found no visible signs of pollution, although the extent of any environmental damage remained undetermined.
The incident occurred as the defense ministers of Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey met in Sofia to discuss maritime security in the Black Sea. The three countries condemned attacks on commercial vessels and called for them to stop.
The sinking comes amid a series of reported attacks on commercial shipping in the Black Sea as Russia’s war against Ukraine continues. Reports indicated that at least six ships had been attacked off Bulgaria during October, raising concerns about the conflict’s potential impact on regional maritime trade routes.
Zim said the vessel was chartered by the company but was not owned by it.
“A small container ship carrying a limited number of containers, chartered by ZIM but not owned by the company, was struck by a drone in the Black Sea. All crew members were evacuated safely, and, according to initial assessments, the anticipated financial damage is minimal. The company is working to secure a replacement vessel to ensure the continued provision of service to its customers. It is understood that several similar incidents involving vessels have occurred in the region over the past month,” the company said.
