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Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said the Maltese-flagged cargo ship Chelsea 3 was hit by three aerial drones about 18 nautical miles east of Byala, in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea, during the night of 12 to 13 October 2026. All 15 crew members were rescued.

Drone presenceConfirmed[1][2][3]

ImpactConfirmed[1][2][3]

AttributionNot established

Drones involved

The cited sources do not name the type of drone.

What we know

The Border Police rescued all 15 crew members (seven Ukrainian and eight Azerbaijani nationals) and took them to Varna; five received treatment for minor injuries, according to BTA and BNT, while Sega reports six hurt, mostly with light burns. The ship, sailing empty from Giresun (Türkiye) to Giurgiulești (Moldova), stayed afloat and was at anchor.

Drone involvement rests on the statement of Bulgaria's prime minister, whose country is not a party to the war, and on the crew, who described three strikes on the deck and side. The national news agency BTA and the public broadcaster BNT report the statement; Sega adds the ship's route and management. A distress signal reached Bulgaria's maritime rescue centre at about 01:30 (Sega: 01:57). Sources give the distance as 15 or 18 nautical miles off Byala.

What remains unknown

Who launched the drones and from where is not established. The exact time of the strike is not given in the cited sources.

Operator attribution: Not established. Not established. Radev said there was no solid, clear evidence against any party, while arguing that the outcome benefits the Russian Federation; he said he would summon Russia's ambassador for talks.

How the story changed

13 Oct 2026
A distress signal from the Chelsea 3, about 18 nautical miles east of Byala, reached Bulgaria's maritime rescue centre at about 01:30; the Border Police rescued the crew of 15 and took them to Varna. [2]
13 Oct 2026
Prime Minister Radev called the attacks absolutely unacceptable, convened the Security Council of the Council of Ministers and said he would summon the Russian ambassador. [1]

Original sources (3)

2 source families · a count of sources is not a verification score

1BTA: Prime Minister Rumen Radev reports new drone attacks on ships in the Black Sea13 Oct 2026 · source family: bulgarian-government 2BNT News: Rumen Radev: a second ship was hit and sank 17 miles east of Krapets13 Oct 2026 · source family: bulgarian-government 3Sega: Drones hit ships off Byala and Krapets13 Oct 2026 · source family: sega

Editorial changes

Revision 1 · 13 Oct 2026Curated dossier created after checking the cited sources line by line.

Cite this dossier

DroneLedger. “Drones strike cargo ship Chelsea 3 off Byala, Bulgaria; crew of 15 rescued.” Dossier chelsea-3-drone-strike-off-byala-2026-10-13, revision 1, updated 13 Oct 2026. https://droneincidents.com/incident/chelsea-3-drone-strike-off-byala-2026-10-13/

Cite the revision you used: later revisions may change evidence states.

Curated dossier · sources checked line by line on 13 Oct 2026
Dossier updated 13 Oct 2026

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BG13 Oct 2026Drones strike cargo ship Chelsea 3 off Byala, Bulgaria; crew of 15 rescuedDrone ConfirmedImpact Confirmed BG13 Oct 2026Cargo ship Azov Concord sinks off Krapets, Bulgaria, after drone attackDrone ConfirmedImpact Confirmed UA13 Oct 2026Drone wave reported in Khmelnytskyi region, UkraineDrone ReportedImpact Not establishedSingle source · unverified UA13 Oct 2026Drone report in Lviv, UkraineDrone ReportedImpact Not establishedSingle source · unverified

How to read a dossier

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Was there a drone?

Drone presence: reported by a source, confirmed by explicit evidence, inconclusive after investigation, or debunked.

ConfirmedReportedInconclusiveDebunked

What was the impact?

Closures, diversions, damage or injuries, with their own evidence state. “Not established” means no source reports an impact.

ConfirmedReportedNot established

Who is responsible?

Attribution is never inferred. A party’s claim, a charge and a court finding are shown as different things.

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