The HS Dignity sinking left 11 sailors missing off Bulgaria following attacks on two merchant vessels on 13 October 2026, according to official updates reported that day. Five people survived the loss of the cargo ship, which sailed under Guinea-Bissau’s flag, while rescuers evacuated everyone aboard the second vessel, Chelsea 3.
Bulgarian authorities identified HS Dignity in subsequent announcements, replacing initial reports that did not name the sunken vessel. The search for its missing crew was continuing in the updates issued on 13 October.
The Ukrainian-owned Chelsea 3, registered in Malta, was damaged by three aerial drones, according to crew testimony released by Bulgaria’s government. The crew described impacts on the deck and the ship’s side. Its 15 seafarers comprised eight Azerbaijani nationals and seven Ukrainians; five needed medical attention, with no serious injuries reported.
The interior ministry said the border police vessel Burgas evacuated the crew despite rough conditions and a list aboard the damaged freighter. In the separate rescue operation, two merchant ships picked up five people from the vessel that sank.
Responsibility for the attacks remained unconfirmed. Prime Minister Rumen Radev told Russian ambassador Eleonora Mitrofanova during their meeting on 13 October that Bulgaria lacked definitive evidence of the drones’ origin, according to the Bulgarian government’s account of the meeting. He nevertheless argued that Russia benefited from the attacks.
Mitrofanova replied that Russia’s defence ministry had provided her with no information about the incidents and raised the possibility of a provocation by another party. Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha attributed the attacks to Russia.
Radev sought support to improve Bulgaria’s surveillance of its sea and airspace in calls with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. The government said he planned discussions with Romania and Turkey on joint measures for safer shipping and would bring the issue to the European Council on 15–16 October.
The latest incidents came one week after attacks on Alfa Watan and Able in Bulgaria’s Black Sea exclusive economic zone on 6 October. Alfa Watan sank and Able was damaged.
