site.btaSofia Military Prosecution Opens Investigation into Drone Attack on Liberian-Flagged Ship in Black Sea

The Sofia Military District Prosecution Office opened a pre-trial investigation into a surface drone attack on the CONTSHIP JET, a motor vessel sailing under Liberian flag, the prosecution service announced on Thursday. The incident occurred in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea.

The incident was reported to the Sofia Military District Prosecution Office by the Regional Military Police Service in Varna. The investigation concerns an alleged violation of the Penal Code, namely the rules of international law governing the conduct of warfare.

The investigation was formally launched by a decision issued on Thursday by the supervising prosecutor at the Sofia Military District Prosecution Office. It concerns allegations that, in October 2026, within Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea, orders were given to employ prohibited methods of warfare in violation of international law applicable to armed conflicts at sea. The attack involved the use of a drone against the CONTSHIP JET, a vessel sailing under the flag of neutral state Liberia, as well as its crew and cargo, the statement said.

Given the scale and specific circumstances of the case, the investigation has been assigned to a military investigator from the Sofia Military District Prosecution Office.

In view of the emergency and the fact that the surviving crew members are foreign nationals staying temporarily in Bulgaria, urgent investigative measures have been initiated. The Regional Military Police Service in Varna has been instructed to interview the sailors immediately at the scene in the coastal city.

The investigation will seek to establish further details concerning the vessel’s ownership, the type of cargo it was carrying, the composition of its crew, its route and the full extent of the damage, the prosecution service said.

The vessel was struck on Wednesday approximately 21 nautical miles southeast of Shabla. All 18 crew members were rescued and brought to Varna. The container ship, which was hit by three maritime drones, sank shortly before or around midnight, according to the Varna Regional Administration.