A Border Police cutter immediately set out towards the drone-hit ship Chelsea 3 and brought its crew ashore within about two hours, Border Police Director Chief Commissioner Anton Zlatanov told reporters here on Tuesday.
He said the cutter had approached the stricken vessel through precise manoeuvres, allowing the crew to transfer aboard and be taken ashore for onward transport to hospitals.
Prime Minister Rumen Radev reported earlier that drone attacks had targeted ships in the Black Sea. One vessel was hit by three aerial drones 18 nautical miles east of the Bulgarian coastal town of Byala, while another was struck 17 nautical miles east of Krapets and sank.
“Our teams set out with a focus, naturally, on the safety of our own vessel and crew. A rescue operation of this kind is risky, but saving human lives is our priority,” Zlatanov said.
He noted that while the sea was calm near the port, conditions further offshore at the site of the incident were much less favourable, with sea waves reaching four degrees Douglas and above.
Zlatanov said a second alert, concerning a ship hit east of Krapets, had arrived just as the rescue cutter’s crew was due to change shifts. The vessel was immediately ordered to head towards the second ship.
Five sailors were stranded at sea, floating on various objects, while merchant ships passing nearby were assisting them, he said. The Border Police crew was preparing to reach them and bring them aboard.
Asked about the response, Zlatanov said rescuing people in distress remained the priority. “At the moment, the entire crisis headquarters and all the institutions are focused on the rescue operation,” he said, adding that interviews, investigative work and analysis would follow. Other security services were already working on those matters, he noted.
Zlatanov described the situation as unprecedented. “Until recently, the Black Sea was one of the most peaceful and calm seas. Now you can see that this is no longer the case,” he said.
He added that Border Police had prepared a concept outlining the technical equipment it needed. “These are extremely expensive and advanced systems. This technology evolves in days, not months,” he said.
Drones and counter-drone systems came in different types, requiring different countermeasures, Zlatanov explained. As with other military technologies, offensive capabilities develop faster than defensive ones, while countermeasures are more expensive and lag behind. This was a global challenge, not one specific to Bulgaria, he said.
“This is a new, relatively recent threat that everyone is working to address. At some point there will be a concept, but strategically we know very well what systems we need. They have already been identified and are being developed,” Zlatanov said.
The Tuesday drone attacks come a week after two ships were attacked by maritime and aerial drones in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea, prompting President Iliana Iotova to convene the Consultative Council on National Security.
Border Police Cutter Brings Crew of Drone-Hit Chelsea 3 Ashore in Two Hours 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-10-13 09:45:51
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