Egyptian Captain Among Five Saved After Cargo Ship Sinks Off Bulgarian Coast

Rescue and announcement

Egyptian officials said five seafarers were rescued on Tuesday after the merchant vessel HS Dignity sank in the Black Sea off the Bulgarian coast. The update came that same day from Captain Al‑Sayed al‑Shazly al‑Naggar, who heads the Egyptian Maritime System and represents the International Transport Workers’ Federation in Egypt.

Ship information and crew

He explained that the ship had been sailing from Algeria to the Romanian port of Braila, carrying a total crew of sixteen. Among them were fourteen Syrian nationals and two Egyptians.

Search results and attack description

The head of the Marine Officers’ Syndicate said that eleven crew members are still unaccounted for, with search teams continuing intensive efforts. He confirmed that Captain Ashraf Mamdouh survived the incident, while Captain Mustafa al‑Ghazy remains missing. According to his account, the vessel was hit by drones and bombs in the Black Sea, which caused it to go down. He stressed that this strike is distinct from the earlier attack on the ship Chelsea 3, noting that both vessels were targeted at the same time in the same area—one sank, the other stayed afloat.

International response

Captain al‑Naggar added that the Bulgarian Prime Minister denounced the assaults as “absolutely unacceptable” and said his government would seek help from NATO and the European Union. The President of the European Commission warned that the Black Sea has turned into a “new front” in the ongoing conflict and condemned the attacks on civilian shipping.