On October 28, 2026, an unprecedented escalation occurred in the Black Sea when the container ship CONTSHIP JET, chartered by the large Israeli company ZIM, sank as a result of a coordinated UAV attack. This incident sharply increased the risks to commercial shipping and brought international tensions in the Black Sea region to a new level. The container ship left the port of Haifa.
Entered Ashdod and headed to the Romanian port of Constanta.
The ship was attacked.
On Wednesday, October 28, around 1:00 PM in the exclusive economic zone of Bulgaria, about 21 miles from the village of Shabella. The ship was attacked by three naval drones. The captain received a warning of the threat from a French patrol plane and tried to maneuver, but to no avail. A fierce fire started on board, and on Thursday night the ship sank completely. All 18 crew members (14 Filipino citizens and 4 Ukrainian citizens) were immediately rescued by the Bulgarian Navy. Despite the fact that the ship is called "Israeli" in the media, the ship sailed under the flag of Liberia, was managed by the Greek shift management company, but was chartered by the Israeli giant Zim to the regular Levant line. Black Sea Express.
Along with the ship, 421 containers sank to the bottom. About 20 containers broke apart and are drifting on the surface of the water. According to the statement, the cargo poses a serious environmental hazard: on board were lithium-ion batteries, flammable materials, acids, ethanol solutions, as well as chemicals and household products.
The commander of the Bulgarian Navy, Rear Admiral Kirill Mikhailov, emphasized that it is not yet possible to determine the exact identity and launch point of the UAVs, as modern naval UAVs can be launched from almost anywhere.