Editorial pack · DroneLedger
Drones strike cargo ship Chelsea 3 off Byala, Bulgaria; crew of 15 rescued
Current state
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.
Evidence states
| Drone presence | confirmed · sources [1], [2], [3] |
|---|---|
| Impact | confirmed · sources [1], [2], [3] |
| Attribution | none · sources none |
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.
Not established
Who launched the drones and from where is not established. The exact time of the strike is not given in the cited sources.
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.
Chronology
- 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]
Sources
- BTA: Prime Minister Rumen Radev reports new drone attacks on ships in the Black Sea (2026-10-13, source family: bulgarian-government)
https://www.bta.bg/bg/news/bulgaria/1223282-premierat-rumen-radev-saobshti-za-novi-ataki-s-dronove-sreshtu-korabi-v-cherno-m - BNT News: Rumen Radev: a second ship was hit and sank 17 miles east of Krapets (2026-10-13, source family: bulgarian-government)
https://bntnews.bg/news/rumen-radev-ima-udaren-i-vtori-korab-koito-e-potanal-na-17-mili-iztochno-ot-krapec-1416731news.html - Sega: Drones hit ships off Byala and Krapets (2026-10-13, source family: sega)
https://www.segabg.com/hot/category-bulgaria/dronove-udariha-korabi-kray-byala-i-krapec
How to cite
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/v1/
Editorial changes
- Revision 1 (2026-10-13): Curated dossier created after checking the cited sources line by line.
Evidence states: confirmed = established by the cited evidence; reported = stated by a source, not independently established; inconclusive; debunked; unknown. A claim by a party to a conflict remains a claim. Methodology: https://droneincidents.com/methodology/