A tanker struck by an “external impact” causing a fire approximately 28 nautical miles off the Turkish coast last month will be towed to a safe place, officials in Sofia said.
Earlier this month, Bulgarian authorities reported that the ship entered Bulgaria’s territorial waters, but the mission to tow the vessel was abruptly abandoned due to meteorological conditions.
The ministry of transport and communications confirms the vessel is in a stable condition and an operation to tow it to a safe place is underway.
There are currently three crew members aboard who monitor the tanker’s condition daily and no oil pollution is detected.
Bulgarian maritime authorities launched an operation, earlier this month, to safely evacuate most of the ten-crew members aboard the oil tanker.
Since then, Bulgarian authorities have coordinated rescue operations: Navy Panther helicopters have delivered food, water and communications equipment to the ship, and evacuated most of the crew in stages, while three seafarers have remained on board at the shipowner’s request.
Earlier this week, inspectors from the maritime administration executive agency and a team of border police boarded the ship for an initial inspection.
Maritime authorities say the tanker, which is empty of cargo, is stable and there is no oil pollution, and plans are being made to tow it to an anchorage once technical problems are resolved.
“The ship has been under continuous surveillance for five days now and no leak has been observed,” officials stressed.
After solving the technical issues on the ship, the plan is to tow the tanker to a safer point in the Burgas Bay.
Last month, the vessel reported a fire approximately 28 nautical miles off the Turkish coast. After the blast, the crew sent a mayday. Turkish rescue vessels and tugs responded, evacuated around 25 seafarers and brought them ashore.
Initially, Turkish authorities spoke more cautiously and described the incident as an “external impact,” leaving the cause open to possibilities. As more information came out, Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke out against Ukraine’s drone attack on two tankers, saying it signalled a “worrying escalation” in the Russia-Ukraine war.
The story did not end off Turkey. Earlier this month, Bulgaria’s transport ministry and communications said the ship had entered Bulgarian territorial waters and that the maritime administration, border police and navy had started a rescue operation. Strong winds then forced them to suspend the operation and keep the ship under constant surveillance.
The ministry identified the vessel as the one previously hit off the Turkish coast and confirmed that 10 people remained on board and had requested evacuation.
Bulgarian authorities evacuated seven crew, leaving three on board, at the shipowner’s request.
