Attacks hit at least nine cargo ships off Romania and Bulgaria last month, with deadly consequences for their crews. Brussels now wants a joint maritime security hub watching the Black Sea by next year. It has pledged up to €50m for the project, plus €10m for rescue operations in each country.
“Drones are sinking commercial ships, setting vessels ablaze and killing civilians,” Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said during Tuesday’s visit to Varna. Disrupted navigation and rising insurance costs are putting pressure on a route vital to European trade, Ukraine’s economy, and global food supplies.
Several sailors were killed and others remain missing following last month’s attacks. On 13 October, 11 sailors were reported missing after the cargo ship HS Dignity sank off Bulgaria following a drone strike. Another ship, Chelsea-3, was hit that night, but rescuers brought all 15 crew members ashore.
A shared hub across two Black Sea ports
The project would use coastal and naval facilities in Varna, Bulgaria, and Constanța, Romania, a Commission spokesperson told reporters. It would also integrate a Romanian airbase. “This hub is co-hosted by Bulgaria and Romania,” the spokesperson said, without specifying whether civilian or military personnel would staff it.
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The EU first proposed the hub in its Black Sea strategy last year. It aims to improve surveillance and help authorities identify threats across the region. During Monday’s visit to Bucharest, Ms von der Leyen announced an agreement to accelerate work. She repeated that commitment in Varna, welcoming closer maritime cooperation between Romania, Bulgaria, and Türkiye.
A joint working group will prepare “a very clear work plan with concrete deliverables and deadlines”, the spokesperson said, confirming the aim of opening in 2027. The Commission did not identify the group’s members or explain which EU programme would supply the funding.
Surveillance support is already available through the EU’s Copernicus satellite programme. Ms von der Leyen said downloads of its imagery had doubled since September. She also announced closer cooperation with Bulgarian authorities to detect and counter information manipulation.
Rescue funds as sailors remain missing
“I commend the courage and swift action of the Bulgarian rescue teams, who helped to save lives as ships were sinking,” Ms von der Leyen said in Varna. She announced an additional €10m for Bulgarian search-and-rescue operations. Together with Monday’s Romanian allocation, the pledges would provide €20m for maritime emergencies, separate from the hub’s funding.
I commend the courage and swift action of the Bulgarian rescue teams, who helped to save lives as ships were sinking. — Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission
Ms von der Leyen blamed Russia for trying to intimidate Europe, although responsibility for individual attacks remains contested. Romania has accused Moscow of targeting civilian shipping but says forensic evidence is needed to attribute specific incidents. Bulgaria has stopped short of blaming Russia, which denies involvement.
NATO has also said it will strengthen its Black Sea presence with patrol aircraft, radars, and drones. Those measures would expand surveillance while Romania and Bulgaria prepare the shared hub, whose staffing and detailed timetable remain unsettled.
