All 18 crew members from a Greek-controlled container ship, which was hit by drones in the Black Sea, have been rescued without any fatalities, Bulgarian authorities said. The attack occurred while defense ministers from Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey met in Sofia for trilateral Black Sea security talks.
The Liberian-flagged ship (2007-built) was sailing from Haifa, Israel, to Constanța, Romania, which it was hit by sea drones about 17 nautical miles east of Cape Kaliakra.
The incident was reported to the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Constanța at 12:01 p.m. on October 28.
According to the crew, it was carrying 421 containers.
At 12:13 p.m., the crew abandoned the vessel, prompting an immediate search and rescue operation.
Three vessels of the Bulgarian Navy and one of Border Police were sent to the area. At 12:53 p.m., eight crew members were taken aboard a Bulgarian Navy boat, while the remaining ten were in the container ship’s lifeboat.
The entire crew was rescued and is on its way to Varna aboard a Naval vessel. Border Police officers and medical teams are waiting for them, the Bulgarian Transport and Communications Ministry said.
The rescue operation was carried out through coordinated efforts by the ministry of transport and communications, the ministry of defence (naval and air forces), and the ministry of interior (border police).
Minister of Transport and Communications, Georgi Peev, expressed gratitude to the teams involved in the operation for their professionalism and swift response in rescuing the seafarers.
