EUROPE / FOREIGN DRONE EVENTS

Strike · Bulgaria

HS Dignity identified as ship sunk off Krapets; eleven sailors missing

· HS Dignity off Krapets · Drone strike and sinking

Reported drone attack and sinking; HS Dignity identified; operator unresolved

The merchant ship reported struck by a drone and sunk off Krapets on 13 October 2026 has been identified as HS Dignity, sailing under the Guinea-Bissau flag. The reported location, about 17 nautical miles east of Krapets, is in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone, outside territorial waters. The exact strike and sinking times remain unpublished.

Later reporting gives five sailors rescued and eleven missing, replacing the initial account of one rescue. Search-and-rescue operations continued at the time of that reporting. The missing sailors are not counted as confirmed dead. The identification and rescue update concern the same sinking, not another attack.

The drone’s type and operator remain unresolved. Ukraine accused Russia, but Bulgarian authorities have not established responsibility conclusively. The vessel’s flag does not identify its crew’s nationalities. This incident remains separate from the CHELSEA 3 attack near Byala and the 6 October attacks on ALFA WATAN and ABLE.

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Attribution and uncertainty

Origin / operator / attribution
Operator and nationality unresolved by Bulgarian authorities. Ukraine’s foreign minister accused Russia; this remains an attributed allegation, not a conclusive Bulgarian finding. Radev said evidence was insufficient to accuse either belligerent.
Investigation / uncertainty
Vessel identification, sinking and updated rescue figures are supported by the reviewed reporting. Drone type, physical evidence and definitive operator attribution remain unresolved. Search status and casualty figures are a reporting-time snapshot, not a final outcome.

Sources · 4

  1. Bulgarian National Radio / Radio Varna ↗CHELSEA 3 crew rescued and brought to Varna; another vessel sinks off Krapets13 October 2026, 08:07
  2. BgVesti / Kardzhali, citing FrogNews ↗Radev announces two new ship attacks off Bulgaria and diplomatic consultations13 October 2026, 08:56
  3. Reuters ↗Drone sinks ship off Bulgaria coast; HS Dignity identification and rescue update13 October 2026
  4. Helsinki Times ↗Two ships struck by drones in Black Sea off Bulgaria13 October 2026

Full record

Strike

Strike: reported damaging drone attack, shown in red. This classification does not infer an explosion, drone crash or sovereign-territory incursion.

Rounded editorial estimate east of coastal Krapets in Dobrich Province, not a verified wreck position or maritime-boundary determination. Offshore jurisdiction follows the reporting.

Map positions are approximate anchors for the named place, not verified incident coordinates.

Reported date
2026-10-13
Record type
reported_offshore_drone_strike
Date basis
Reported on the morning of 13 October during the emergency Security Council meeting; exact strike and sinking times were not disclosed.
Location / jurisdiction
Black Sea, reportedly 17 nautical miles east of Krapets, Dobrich Province; Bulgarian EEZ, outside territorial waters.
Event categories
Reported merchant-vessel drone attack; sinking; rescue
What was reported
Radev initially announced that a second vessel had been struck east of Krapets and had sunk. Later reporting identified it as HS Dignity and updated the rescue and missing-person figures. The strike, sinking and rescue concern the same 13 October occurrence.
Aircraft / vessel / quantity
Merchant vessel HS Dignity, sailing under the Guinea-Bissau flag. Drone number, model and aerial-versus-maritime type unconfirmed. The vessel’s flag does not establish crew nationality or ownership.
Origin / operator / attribution
Operator and nationality unresolved by Bulgarian authorities. Ukraine’s foreign minister accused Russia; this remains an attributed allegation, not a conclusive Bulgarian finding. Radev said evidence was insufficient to accuse either belligerent.
Damage / casualties / disruption
Vessel sank. Updated reporting gives five sailors rescued and eleven missing, superseding the initial report of one rescued. Missing sailors are not recorded as confirmed dead; no confirmed death total or injury count is established in the reviewed update.
Response / outcome
Search-and-rescue operations continued at the time of the 13 October follow-up. Five sailors were reported rescued. No interception, drone wreckage recovery or EOD information established in the reviewed reports.
Investigation / uncertainty
Vessel identification, sinking and updated rescue figures are supported by the reviewed reporting. Drone type, physical evidence and definitive operator attribution remain unresolved. Search status and casualty figures are a reporting-time snapshot, not a final outcome.
Route / entry mechanism
Weapon approach and vessel route unknown. The reported offshore strike is not a confirmed incursion into sovereign territory.
Explosive payload
Weapon model and payload unestablished; no explicit explosion finding in the reviewed reports.
Counting / links
One strike-and-sinking record, now identified as HS Dignity. The vessel name and updated rescue figures amend N080 in place; its ID, date and permanent URL remain unchanged. Distinct from CHELSEA 3 (N079) and the 6 October ALFA WATAN / ABLE attack (N073).
Research provenance
Added 2026-10-13 from the initial BNR / BgVesti accounts (U050–U051), which reported an unidentified ship and one rescue. Reviewed 2026-10-14 using the supplied Reuters follow-up (U054; direct retrieval unavailable) and the accessible Helsinki Times report (U055). Retains the initial account as dated history and replaces the current figures with five rescued and eleven missing. This review falls within the supplied 13 October 08:58–14 October 08:52 EEST watch window.

Record N080 · reviewed 14 October 2026. Record fields keep the register’s original wording.