No crew members of the sunken ship have been found after the attack on two commercial vessels in the Black Sea. The rescue operation is taking place 70 miles east of Byala, in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone.
This was stated by Prime Minister Rumen Radev after an emergency meeting of the Council of Ministers.
At around 3:00 a.m., the two ships were attacked with sea and air drones. According to Prime Minister Rumen Radev, the damage was confirmed by the crews of the vessels. One ship - ALFA WATAN, flying the flag of Togo, has sunk. An overturned boat and life jackets were found on it, but no people. The search for survivors continues.
The second ship - ABLE - was hit, after which a fire broke out on board. Its crew was evacuated and rescued by the Bulgarian ro-ro ship “Dioscuria“, which was in the area. The vessel was carrying wheat and was sailing south, while the sunken ship was heading north. There is no information about the cargo of the ALFA WATAN.
Two injured sailors travel to Varna
After “Dioscuria“ reached ABLE, a fast vessel of the Navy was sent to the scene. Two injured sailors were taken from the board - one with burns and the other with a head injury. They are expected to arrive at the port of Varna, where medical teams from the Navy and the Military Medical Academy have been mobilized.
The remaining crew members are being transported by a patrol boat of the “Border Police“. The information provided indicates that they are 16 people, but at the same time 11 Turkish and 7 Indian citizens are listed – a total of 18 people. The number of sailors transported remains unspecified in the statement.
Radev: The attack is a gross violation of maritime law
Rumen Radev described the attack as “absolutely unacceptable“ and as a gross violation of international and maritime law. According to him, the incident further complicates navigation in the Black Sea, increases insurance costs and increases the risk for civilian vessels.
„We will not allow the Bulgarian coast to be threatened by a third or more ships“, Radev said.The rescue operation is being led by the Maritime Rescue Center in Varna. Bulgarian teams continue to search for people from the sunken ship and check for possible spills and pollution.
The authorities are also monitoring another vessel that was left without a crew in August due to a problem with the control system. In case of a possible targeting of the Bulgarian coast, the „Maritime Administration“, the Navy and Air Force, and the Special Operations Forces are on standby.
Sources: btvnovinite.bg, bntnews.bg