Container Ship Sailing From Haifa Sinks After Black Sea Drone Attack

The Liberian-flagged container ship Contship Jet has sunk in the Black Sea after a maritime drone attack off Bulgaria while sailing from Haifa to Constanța, Romania. The sinking was reported on Thursday, October 29. All 18 crew members had evacuated into lifeboats and were rescued, with no deaths or injuries reported. The vessel was attacked on Wednesday, October 28, near Cape Kaliakra in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone. Three maritime drones struck the ship, causing a fire, serious damage to its starboard side and a heavy list. It sank overnight into Thursday despite initial hopes that it could be stabilized. The sinking followed the crew's evacuation rather than occurring with the sailors still aboard. The ship was carrying 421 containers. Oren Kaspi, chairman of ZIM's workers' committee, responded to the attack by arguing that the shipping company must remain Israeli. He cited the combination of boycotts, security threats and political instability facing shipping as reasons for his position. Kaspi also cautioned that many details of the unusual attack remained unclear and were still being examined. His comments accompanied the reports of the vessel's loss and the crew's safe evacuation. The reports place the attack on the ship's voyage from Israel to the Romanian port, off Bulgaria's northern Black Sea coast.