Turkey threatens legal action after drone hits cargo ship in Black Sea
Contship Jet was badly damaged in Bulgaria's economic zone, while the attacker remains unidentified.
Turkey warned Russia and Ukraine to stop attacks on merchant ships in the Black Sea after a container ship was hit by three drones in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone on Wednesday (28/10). Turkish Defense Minister Yaşar Güler said Ankara reserves the right to pursue legal action if a Turkish-flagged ship or one owned by a Turkish company is also attacked. The latest incident involved Contship Jet, a Liberia-flagged ship owned by a Greek company, sailing from Haifa, Israel, to Constanța, Rumania. Bulgarian authorities said the ship was carrying 421 containers and sustained serious damage, but the 18 crew members — 14 Filipinos and four Ukrainians — were evacuated without fatalities. Güler delivered the warning in Sofia after a meeting with Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania, amid concern over threats from drones, mines and missiles to civilian shipping and grain traffic in the region.