Syria has demanded an independent and transparent investigation into the sinking of the cargo ship “Alpha Watan“ in the Black Sea and demanded an explanation for why the search for the crew was suspended before the fate of the sailors was established.
The Syrian authorities have sent official memoranda to the International Maritime Organization and the Bulgarian authorities. This was announced by Mazen Alloush, director of the international relations and cooperation department at the Syrian General Directorate of Ports and Customs.
“Their fate is still unknown“, said Alloush. He demanded an explanation for why the search and rescue operation was suspended after no survivors were found from the ten-member crew. Among the missing are nine Syrian citizens and one Egyptian citizen.
The ship sank after being hit in the Bulgarian economic zone
The Togolese-flagged “Alpha Vatan“ was attacked early in the morning of October 6 in the Bulgarian exclusive economic zone, about 70 nautical miles from the coast. After the critical damage, the ship sank, and contact with the crew was lost.
The Palauan-flagged “Able“ was also hit in the same area. A fire broke out on board, but all 18 sailors were rescued and taken to Varna. Two of them received medical treatment for injuries.
Bulgarian authorities called off the search for the crew of the “Alpha Vatan“ on October 7. An overturned lifeboat, three empty life rafts and parts of the ship's equipment were found in the area.
Vice Admiral Rumen Nikolov from the Executive Agency “Maritime Administration“ said that the ship sank extremely quickly at night, when most of the sailors were probably below the waterline. According to him, the analysis does not give grounds to expect that there are survivors.
Damascus insists on examining the wreckage
The Syrian side has requested that technical means be used to discover and examine the wreckage of “Alpha Watan“. According to Alush, this is necessary to establish the exact cause of the sinking and the circumstances surrounding the attack.
Damascus described the strike on a civilian merchant ship as a serious violation of international maritime law and a threat to the safety of sailors and trade routes.
The perpetrator of the attack has not yet been officially identified. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russian forces were behind the strikes, while the Russian embassy in Sofia denied that the ships were among the targets of the Russian armed forces. Bulgarian authorities continue to clarify the origin of the drones.
Sources: aljazeera.com, apnews.com, bntnews.bg