No one can say whether the ship "Able", which was hit by a drone, will sink. This was stated by the Commander of the Navy, Rear Admiral Kiril Mihaylov, after inspecting the merchant vessel in the Black Sea.
„No one can say whether it will sink, there is a hole in the stern, the ship is currently in a stable condition. There is no spill. We are monitoring the situation“, said Mihaylov.
According to data presented by the military, the ship is located about 40 nautical miles east of the Bulgarian coast. The Navy continues to monitor its condition.
No drone remains found
The inspection was carried out by two servicemen who boarded the ship after an operation with the frigate “Verni“ and the helicopter “Kugar“. The inspection lasted more than 30 minutes.
The military did not find any drone debris that would help determine its origin. The interior of the vessel was badly burned, and the cargo was wheat. It was found that the crew used emergency rescue equipment to leave the ship.
Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said that without concrete evidence it is impossible to say whether the drone is Russian or Ukrainian. “Talking in hypotheses is not correct when it comes to national security“, he pointed out.
Two ships were attacked in the Bulgarian economic zone
The strike against the “Able“ was carried out on the night of October 6, when two merchant ships were attacked in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone. A fire broke out on the “Able“ and its crew was evacuated.
The other vessel - “Alpha Watan“, sank. The Navy found its remains, but the sailors on board were not found. The search operation for them was terminated.
On October 9, the Bulgarian Navy also destroyed a drone about 15 nautical miles east of Sinemorets. The origin of the device and the perpetrator of the attacks on the merchant ships remain unknown.
Sources: bntnews.bg, bgnes.bg, bgonair.bg