The drifting motor ship EMIL is located 40 nautical miles east of Cape Shabla, the Ministry of Defense announced. The vessel is without crew and without the ability to maneuver, and its movement is monitored by Bulgarian institutions.
The area was surveyed between 11:30 and 13:10 by Air Force crews with two “Cougar“ helicopters, together with specialists from the Navy. The aim was to establish the condition of the ship and its exact location.
The ship was abandoned after a drone strike
On August 5, the vessel was hit by a drone in the Odessa region. After the strike, a fire broke out on board, and the technical systems failed. The ship was left without control and abandoned by the crew, the Ministry of Defense said.
Since then, the EMIL has been drifting in the exclusive economic zone of Romania. Under the influence of sea currents, it is moving southward towards the exclusive economic zone of Bulgaria. At the moment, there is no information that the ship is in Bulgarian territorial waters.
A warning has been issued to ships
The Navy has issued a notice to mariners about a ship without control and without a crew in the area. “The vessel continues to be monitored by the competent institutions, which maintain readiness to take the necessary actions in case of a change in the situation“, the Ministry of Defense said in a statement.
The publicly announced information does not specify a deadline for starting an operation to tow, secure or change the course of EMIL. No data has been reported on people injured in the incident near Odessa or on a spill from the ship.
Sources: BTA, bTV, Nova TV