By Bosphorus News Geopolitics Desk
On October 15, 2026, Bulgaria called for a moratorium on attacks against civilian and commercial vessels in the Black Sea, seeking European support after drone strikes on merchant ships near its coast. Sofia also wants to work with Türkiye and Romania on new maritime security proposals.
Prime Minister Rumen Radev raised the proposal in Brussels ahead of the European Council meeting. His government had already asked the European Union and NATO for technical assistance in investigating attacks on two commercial vessels in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone.
In telephone calls with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Radev pressed for stronger maritime and air surveillance. He also discussed closer coordination with Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan.
Bulgaria, Türkiye and Romania already operate a joint naval force. It was not set up to escort cargo ships under drone attack.
A naval force with a narrower mandate
Bulgaria currently holds the rotating command of the Mine Countermeasures Black Sea Task Group (MCM BLACK SEA), established with Türkiye and Romania in January 2024 to address drifting mines and protect navigation.
On July 8, 2026, the three defense ministers expanded the task group's mandate to include protection of critical undersea infrastructure, signing an amendment in Ankara.
The change gave the group a broader security role, but not a standing mandate to escort commercial shipping or defend merchant vessels against aerial attacks.
The latest strikes hit merchant ships, rather than mines or undersea installations. Their origin remains disputed.
Radev has said Bulgaria lacks conclusive evidence identifying those responsible. Sofia has sought outside technical assistance rather than publicly assigning responsibility for the latest incidents.
Unmanned weapons are also being found at sea. Maritime security company Ambrey recorded a 208 percent rise in hazardous finds across waters near Türkiye, Romania and Bulgaria. Discoveries of drifting drones, unmanned surface vessels and unexploded weapons increased from 13 to 40 between consecutive six-month periods.
The figures concern hazardous objects found at sea, not attacks on merchant ships.
Ankara has its own proposal
Türkiye has been seeking an agreement with Russia and Ukraine to protect civilian shipping in the Black Sea.
Ankara circulated a written maritime security proposal in September, drawing on the earlier Black Sea Grain Initiative. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan later raised the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The Kremlin confirmed that the initiative had been discussed with Putin and pursued through diplomatic correspondence.
Moscow has attached conditions to a broader arrangement. In early October, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a Türkiye-United Nations Black Sea initiative lacked sufficient detail. The Kremlin also raised the issue of military supplies reaching Ukraine by sea.
Bulgaria's moratorium call addresses the same danger, but Sofia has not announced that its proposal forms part of Ankara's negotiations with Moscow and Kyiv.
Sofia says it will develop joint proposals with Türkiye and Romania. Ankara has not publicly endorsed the Bulgarian moratorium, and NATO has announced no merchant-ship escort mission.
Sources: Bulgarian Council of Ministers, October 12, 13 and 15, 2026 statements; Türkiye's Ministry of National Defence, July 8, 2026; Romanian government statements; The Maritime Executive; Ambrey Analytics; Kremlin statements; Türkiye's Foreign Ministry and Presidency; Bosphorus News review and reporting.