By Bosphorus News Geopolitics Desk
Syria asked Bulgaria and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) on October 8 to investigate the sinking of ALFA WATAN, a Turkish-linked cargo ship struck off Bulgaria two days earlier. On the same day, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned that increased Russian and Ukrainian military operations threatened Black Sea merchant shipping.
The Togo-flagged vessel sank in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone. Syrian officials put the missing crew at 10, while Bulgarian rescue reports published a day earlier cited 12. The discrepancy is unresolved. No deaths aboard ALFA WATAN have been officially confirmed.
Syria Seeks Inquiry as Search Ends
Syrian official Mazen Aloush criticized Bulgaria's decision to suspend the search before the sailors' fate was known. He called for an independent inquiry and urged authorities to locate and examine the wreck using technical equipment.
Mazen Aloush, a Syrian official, said nine Syrians and one Egyptian were missing. Bulgarian public broadcaster BNT reported on October 7 that rescue officials were working with a figure of 12 Syrian sailors. No verified crew manifest has reconciled the accounts.
Bulgarian Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said on October 7 that his country had requested international assistance to examine the sunken vessel using an underwater drone. That proposed technical survey is separate from the suspended search for survivors.
Three Turkish-Linked Ships Lost or Damaged
On October 5, a fire broke out aboard the Turkish-owned ROYAD MAMMADOV in Romania's exclusive economic zone, about 30 nautical miles south of Sfântu Gheorghe. The Saint Kitts and Nevis-flagged vessel was carrying corn from Ukraine's Izmail port to Italy and later sank. Romania's Interior Ministry confirmed two deaths and 11 rescues. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attributed the incident to a Russian drone attack, but the Romanian ministry's rescue account did not establish its cause.
On October 6, ALFA WATAN and the Palau-flagged ABLE were attacked roughly 70 nautical miles off Bulgaria. ALFA WATAN sank. ABLE, a grain carrier operated by a Turkish company, caught fire. All 18 people aboard were rescued, two with serious injuries.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said aerial and maritime drones struck the vessels off Bulgaria. The attacks occurred in the two countries' exclusive economic zones, outside their territorial seas. All three ships had Turkish commercial connections; none flew the Turkish flag.
Ukraine Blames Russia; Bulgaria Investigates
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blamed Russia for the attacks off Bulgaria in an October 6 address. He said Ukrainian forces had not operated in the area.
Russia's embassy in Sofia denied that Russian drones struck ALFA WATAN. Bulgaria has not established who carried out the attacks. On October 7, the European Commission confirmed that Romania and Bulgaria had requested satellite imagery and that it was being delivered to improve maritime situational awareness. The European Maritime Safety Agency also offered support.
Fidan Says Shipping Proposals Remain Unresolved
At an October 8 news conference with his Hungarian counterpart, Fidan said Russia and Ukraine were stepping up military operations ahead of winter, putting merchant ships at risk. Ankara's proposals to curb attacks on commercial shipping had not produced an agreement.
In September, Türkiye sent Moscow and Kyiv a written proposal to protect Black Sea commercial shipping. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan later raised the issue with Putin and Zelenskyy. The Kremlin acknowledged the discussions, but no shipping moratorium or protected corridor has been announced.
Bulgaria Seeks Talks with Türkiye and Romania
Bulgarian President Iliana Yotova said on October 7 that the country's Consultative Council for National Security had agreed to seek urgent consultations with Türkiye and Romania on protecting merchant ships. The council also backed a diplomatic initiative for a Black Sea-wide moratorium on hostilities involving all six coastal states and a request for technical and legal assistance from the International Maritime Organization. None of these steps amounts to an agreed ceasefire or shipping protection mechanism.
Türkiye, Bulgaria and Romania already operate a mine countermeasures group, whose mission also covers protection of critical undersea infrastructure. No commercial-vessel escort mission has been announced under that arrangement.
Sources: SANA, Reuters, Associated Press, Bulgarian Council of Ministers, Bulgarian News Agency (BTA), Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs, European Commission, Office of the President of Ukraine, Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bosphorus News review and reporting.