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Chelsea 3 — AI-generated illustration

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Chelsea 3

Malta-flagged, Ukrainian-owned cargo ship hit by drones off Bulgaria in October 2026.

Chelsea 3 is a Malta-flagged cargo vessel with Ukrainian ownership, identified in October 2026 Black Sea shipping reports.

Last refreshed: 22 October 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic

Key Question

Why were drones targeting a Ukrainian-owned cargo ship off Bulgaria?

Timeline for Chelsea 3

#30 20 Oct

Kallas counts €60m a day in lost exports

Russia-Ukraine War 2026

#29 13 Oct

Drones sink HS Dignity off Bulgaria

Russia-Ukraine War 2026

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Background

Chelsea 3 is a Ukrainian-owned commercial cargo vessel registered under Malta's flag.

Bulgarian maritime authorities also use the name Chelsea-3 in notices about the vessel's Black Sea operations. Bulgarian transport ministry

Common Questions

What happened to the Chelsea 3?

Three drones hit the Malta-flagged, Ukrainian-owned cargo ship about 18 nautical miles off Byala, Bulgaria, overnight on 12-13 October 2026. All 15 crew were rescued.Source: https://meduza.io/en/news/2026/10/13/drones-attack-two-cargo-ships-off-bulgaria-s-coast-one-ukrainian-owned-sofia-plans-to-summon-russian-ambassador

Who was on board the Chelsea 3?

Fifteen crew: seven Ukrainians and eight Azerbaijanis, all rescued.Source: https://militarnyi.com/en/news/drones-attack-two-vessels-off-bulgaria-s-coast-including-a-ukrainian-ship/

Source Material

Bulgarian transport ministry Bulgaria Asks NATO for Air Defense After Ship Attack Drones Attack Two Vessels off Bulgaria's Coast, Including a Ukrainian Ship

How the World Sees Them

South Korean foreign ministry

the absence of any constructive steps by the Ukrainian side

Alexander Lukashenko

We would very much like the Americans to fulfil the agreements one hundred per cent

as long as it merely transits the country, there would be no obstacle

Poland does not allow operations to be conducted on or over our territory without the explicit consent of the Polish state

Mindaugas Sinkevičius

there is no doubt it carried explosives

Alexander Stubb

Peace requires patience, but war doesn't wait. It is our duty to do what we can to bring Russia's war of aggression to an end.

a dangerous and unacceptable escalation

Sanctions aren't just on Russia. They are on anyone who does business with Russia.

Chinese foreign ministry (Mao Ning)

I have no information on that at the moment.

Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 22 October 2026. Editorial standards.