ZIM-Chartered Container Ship Sailing From Haifa Sinks After Sea Drone Strike Off Bulgaria; All 18 Crew Rescued

A container ship chartered by the Israeli shipping company ZIM sank in the Black Sea after it was struck by unmanned surface vessels, or sea drones, off the coast of Bulgaria on Wednesday, Oct. 28, the Bulgarian government said. All 18 crew members were rescued. The Liberian-flagged Contship Jet was carrying 421 containers from Haifa to the Romanian port of Constanța when it was hit while passing through Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone, outside the country’s territorial waters, Reuters and Ynet reported.

Jewish Breaking News reported the sinking in an Instagram reel on Thursday, Oct. 29, describing the vessel as “Israeli-chartered” and writing that “three boat drones struck” it and that “all 18 crew members were safely evacuated.” The post said Russia is suspected. Bulgarian officials have not formally attributed the attack, and Moscow has denied involvement in recent attacks in the area, Reuters reported.

Source: Instagram, @jewishbreakingnews.

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The attack and the rescue

According to Bulgaria’s Ministry of Defense, as reported by the Bulgarian news site Fakti.bg, the ship was hit at around noon local time about 17 nautical miles east of Cape Kaliakra, on Bulgaria’s northern coast, and three hits were observed. Jewish Breaking News put the distance at about 21 nautical miles. Reuters said video footage it verified showed a sea drone moving alongside the vessel before turning toward its hull; a separate video showed an explosion that caused the ship to list.

The strike set off a large fire, and more than 20 containers fell into the sea as the crew abandoned ship in lifeboats and life rafts, Calcalist’s English-language site Ctech reported. The crew, 14 Filipinos and four Ukrainians, were taken to the port of Varna, the ship’s manager, Contships Management, told Reuters. The Bulgarian Navy sent three vessels to the scene. Bulgarian naval commander Kiril Mihaylov told national television that a French patrol aircraft had alerted authorities to a possible drone attack, but they were unable to prevent it, Reuters reported. The vessel sank the next day, Fakti.bg reported, citing the ministry.

The cargo included lithium-ion batteries, corrosive liquids and acids, flammable liquids and industrial components. The Bulgarian government said initial inspections on Thursday found no visible traces of pollution, Reuters reported, while Ctech said the extent of any environmental damage had not yet been determined.

Who was behind it

The identity of the attackers remains unclear. Ambrey, a maritime risk firm, analyzed footage apparently filmed by a crew member that showed a matte black unmanned boat five to six meters long. Tomas Alexa, a senior analyst at Ambrey Analytics, told Reuters the drone was likely “a variant of, or derived from, the Russian Murena-300S design” and appeared to be remotely controlled. A former senior Ukrainian navy officer, Andriy Ryzhenko, told Reuters the drone did not resemble any Ukrainian naval drone model he knew. Fakti.bg reported that the exact model, its manufacturer and who ordered the attack have not been established, and that the Sofia Military District Prosecutor’s Office has opened pre-trial proceedings.

Asked about suspicions of Russian responsibility, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said, “Logic leads there, but the problem is that we cannot prove it,” according to Fakti.bg. Reuters reported that Radev has said some of the recent attacks appear to benefit Russia.

Ynet reported that initial assessments suggest the ship was not targeted because of its connection to Israel, although investigators had not established a motive.

A string of attacks off Bulgaria

At least six ships have been attacked by drones off Bulgaria this month, and about two dozen seafarers are feared dead, according to Bulgarian government statements cited by Reuters. Bulgaria, a member of the European Union and NATO, has sought help to strengthen security off its Black Sea coast. The attack came as the defense ministers of Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey were meeting in Sofia to discuss maritime security; the three condemned attacks on commercial vessels and called for them to stop, Ctech reported.

ZIM’s response

ZIM said the vessel was chartered, not owned, by the company. “A small container ship carrying a limited number of containers, which ZIM charters but does not own, was struck by an unmanned surface vessel in the Black Sea,” the company said, according to Ynet. “All crew members were safely evacuated, and the expected financial damage, according to a preliminary assessment, is minimal.” ZIM said it was working to secure a replacement vessel to maintain service to customers.

Oren Caspi, chairman of ZIM’s workers’ union, said the attack showed why the company should remain under Israeli control. “In a reality of boycotts and security threats, in a world of political instability, we must keep ZIM Israeli,” he said, according to Ynet. The union has been protesting a planned sale of ZIM to the German carrier Hapag-Lloyd, Container News and Jewish Breaking News reported.

Sources: Jewish Breaking News on Instagram, Oct. 29, 2026; Jewish Breaking News, “Cargo Ship Goes Down! Sea Drones Strike Israeli-Chartered Vessel Off Bulgaria,” Oct. 29, 2026; Reuters (via StreetInsider), “Greek container ship sinks after drone attack off Bulgaria,” Oct. 29, 2026; Ynet News, “Naval drones sink Greek container ship sailing from Israel off Bulgaria’s coast,” Oct. 29, 2026; Ctech by Calcalist, “Zim-chartered container ship sinks after drone strike in Black Sea,” Oct. 29, 2026; Fakti.bg, “What was the drone that hit the CONTSHIP JET,” Oct. 30, 2026; AP News, “Ship sinks off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast after being hit by drones,” Oct. 29, 2026; Container News via Infomarine, “Zim workers intensify strike over $4.2B Hapag-Lloyd sale”.