An underwater drone will investigate the site in the Black Sea where the merchant ship ALFA WATAN sank after an attack. Bulgaria has requested assistance from international organizations for the operation, Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov announced after the meeting of the National Security Advisory Council.
According to initial data, the ship was transporting wheat, and there was a 12-member Syrian crew on board. ALFA WATAN sank in about three minutes. The other stricken vessel - ABLE, which is still above water, was transporting barley.
“In three minutes, for this ship to sink, the damage must be really huge. Or in combination with the cargo being transported, which is explosive“, Stoyanov told NOVA. He explained that the great depth in the area makes the use of an underwater drone more appropriate than sending divers.
No evidence of the origin of the drones
The Defense Minister pointed out that at the moment there is no definitive evidence as to which side the drones used in the attack on the two ships are from.
„The services are working on several hypotheses. And these hypotheses are two: whether the drones are Russian, or whether the drones are Ukrainian. As the Defense Minister, I cannot work with hypotheses. I work with evidence“, said Dimitar Stoyanov.According to him, to establish the origin, evidence will be needed, not just assumptions.
The search for the crew has been suspended
The rescue operation for the missing sailors from the ALFA WATAN has been suspended. Three life rafts and one lifeboat were observed from the air.
Stoyanov emphasized that the life rafts are activated automatically when the ship sinks. “It had already sunk within 3 minutes. How many people were awake, how many were not – most likely we would have difficulty finding such survivors“, the minister said.
The ABLE ship was also hit in the drone attacks, but remained afloat. Its crew was evacuated, and the injured sailors received medical assistance.
Five more IRIS-T complexes are planned
The meeting also discussed the protection of Bulgarian airspace. Bulgaria already has a contract for one IRIS-T SLM anti-aircraft missile complex, and the Ministry of Defense plans to purchase five more through the SAFE mechanism.
The project includes not only the complexes themselves, but also anti-aircraft missiles, logistics and training of military personnel. According to Stoyanov, a draft investment expenditure has been adopted, which must be coordinated with the National Assembly.
The minister said that within one or two weeks a "government-to-government" agreement with Germany could be prepared.