The search and rescue operation for sailors from the vessel HS Dignity, hit by a drone off the coast near Bulgaria's Krapets and Shabla, resumed on October 14 at 10:30 a.m. The area is to be surveyed by a Bulgarian Navy vessel, the Ministry of Transport announced.
After 16 hours of rescue and search efforts, the operation to survey the area where the ship sank was temporarily suspended at 6 p.m. on October 13 due to nightfall and rough seas. Nine vessels and two helicopters took part in the search for survivors, along with ships passing near the area.
Drone-struck ships in latest Black Sea attack were empty
All vessels transiting the area are being alerted through navigational warnings to exercise increased caution and maintain heightened vigilance.
The ABLE, sailing under the flag of Palau, left Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone shortly after 1 a.m. on October 14, approximately 33 nautical miles east of Ahtopol. The vessel was carrying 5,985 tonnes of barley from Romania to Türkiye.
The ship was struck by a drone on the night of October 6, 2026, approximately 70 nautical miles east of Cape St Athanasius. Its 18 crew members were evacuated to Varna, and since then the listing ABLE had been drifting at sea.
Drones hit two ships 80 nautical miles off the Bulgarian coast
Edited by Ivo Ivanov