Fragments of a drone that struck the cargo ship Chelsea 3 have been found on board and will be examined by Bulgarian authorities to establish the circumstances of the attack and the drone's origin, Transport Minister Georgi Peev said, according to BTA.
The Chelsea 3, a Maltese-flagged grain carrier owned by a Ukrainian company, was struck on 13 October in the Black Sea, about 18 nautical miles off the Bulgarian coast near the town of Byala, within Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone.
Peev also said shipping traffic at the ports of Varna and Burgas had not declined despite the recent attacks. Traffic had actually increased slightly over the past month, he added. The minister said the government was working to ensure that grain producers had access to export routes, including rail transport.
Amid an increase in attacks on ships off the Bulgarian and Romanian coasts, Bulgaria's Defence Ministry has announced increased drone surveillance along the Black Sea coast.
Editor: Ivo Ivanov