A LIBERIA-flagged containership has been left seriously damaged and listing after being struck by three unmanned surface vessels off Bulgaria, in the latest attack to underline the escalating risks facing commercial shipping in the Black Sea.

The 1,267 teu Contship Jet (IMO: 9348625) was hit on Wednesday while sailing about 16 nautical miles southeast of Cape Kaliakra, according to casualty reports and its Greece-based manager Contships Management.

All 18 crew abandoned ship in liferafts after the master determined that the vessel’s severe list, coupled with the possibility of further attacks, posed a risk of capsizing or sinking.

The crew, comprising 14 Filipino and four Ukrainian seafarers, were subsequently rescued and were reported safe ashore, a spokesperson from Contships told Lloyd's List. No injuries were initially reported.

The 2007-built vessel has suffered structural damage and lost several containers overboard, while separate reports indicated fires had broken out on board. It was reported adrift following the attack.

Bulgarian authorities dispatched naval and police vessels to the scene and restricted access to waters around the casualty as emergency teams assessed the ship’s condition.

Contship Jet was sailing from Haifa, Israel, to Constanța, Romania, and was subsequently due to call at Varna.

Responsibility for the attack was not immediately clear.

The incident is the latest in a widening series of attacks on merchant shipping off Bulgaria that has raised concerns over the geographic expansion of maritime risk from the Russia-Ukraine war.

At least six merchant vessels have been attacked in the area in recent weeks, according to reports citing government statements, with around two dozen international seafarers believed to have been killed or remain missing.

Maritime security company Ambrey said vessels were diverting away from the area following Wednesday’s strike and assessed the incident as ongoing.

The attack coincided with one of Türkiye’s strongest warnings yet over the mounting threat to commercial shipping.

Speaking in Sofia following a meeting with Bulgarian and Romanian defence officials, Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler called on Russia and Ukraine to halt attacks affecting civilian vessels and said Ankara reserved its legal rights over strikes against Turkish-owned or Turkish-flagged shipping, according to Reuters reporting.

Türkiye has maintained relations with both Moscow and Kyiv and has been pushing for measures to protect commercial navigation as attacks using drones, missiles and mines increasingly affect shipping.

Ankara, Bucharest and Sofia already operate a joint mine-countermeasures initiative in the Black Sea. Guler said the three states had also agreed on the importance of protecting critical subsea infrastructure.

The latest casualty adds to mounting industry concerns that merchant vessels trading to Black Sea ports are increasingly exposed to direct attack even when operating well beyond the immediate Ukrainian and Russian coastal conflict zones.