Data from shipping tracking systems provide a more detailed picture of the movement of the two vessels before the drone attack off the Bulgarian coast, summarized news.bg.
The attack caused critical structural damage to the Alfa Watan and the ship sank about 70 nautical miles east of Byala. The fate of the crew is currently unknown.
A serious fire broke out on board the Able as a result of the impact and the entire 18-member crew was forced to abandon the vessel. All sailors were successfully evacuated and accepted aboard the Dioscuria. Among them are the injured, who were provided with first aid directly on the Bulgarian ferry.
The crew of Dioscuria and the on-duty rescue units are coordinating their further emergency medical evacuation to shore hospitals. The rescued sailors will be transported to shore by the "Border Police" cutter "Burgas" (MMSI: 207451400).
The Saint Kitts and Nevis-flagged general cargo ship Mercy (IMO 1033822) has also been diverted to the area, and has already left the scene. The circumstances surrounding the origin of the drones remain under investigation.
ALFA WATAN comes from Egypt
ALFA WATAN (IMO 7510884) is an old cargo ship, built in 1975 and flying the flag of Togo.
Its last announced voyage was from the Egyptian port of Al Arish to Sulina in Romania.
The ship arrived in Al Arish on September 19 and departed on September 21. Before that, it had visited Alexandria twice - on September 13 and between September 15 and 17.
The data shows that after leaving Egypt, ALFA WATAN passed through the Mediterranean Sea and the Turkish Straits. On September 29, its AIS position was recorded in the Sea of Marmara, and its declared destination was Sulina.
This means that, at least according to the available data, the ship did not come from a Ukrainian port, but entered the Black Sea from the Mediterranean and was moving north.
ABLE sailed from Galati
ABLE (IMO 9001136) is a 114-meter cargo ship built in 1991 and flying the flag of Palau.
The latest available VesselFinder data shows Galati in Romania as its last port of call. The ship sailed from there on September 24.
Earlier AIS records show it sailing through the Bosphorus to Galati. However, ABLE has an established history of visiting Ukrainian Black Sea ports.
On June 15 of this year, the ship was inspected in Odessa, and on January 22 - in Chernomorsk. Between these two visits, there were also inspections in Izmir and Galati.
The ABLE has indeed operated in routes that included Ukrainian ports, but the available data does not indicate that it had sailed from Ukraine immediately before today's incident.
A day earlier, a ship carrying Ukrainian corn sank off Romania
Today's events come just a day after a serious incident involving the ROYAD MAMMADOV in the Romanian exclusive economic zone.
The ship, flying the flag of St. Kitts and Nevis and operated by Turkish companies, was transporting corn from the Ukrainian Danube port of Izmail to Ravenna in Italy.
The fire broke out about 30 nautical miles south of the Romanian village of Sfantu Gheorghe and in the area of OMV Petrom's Pescăruș offshore platform. After the fire, the ship sank.
Of the 13-member crew, 11 were rescued, and two died. Three of the rescued were injured.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the ROYAD MAMMADOV was hit by two Russian drones. Romanian authorities confirmed the fire, the sinking and the rescue operation, but have not yet officially announced who caused the incident.
Shipping data confirms that the ROYAD MAMMADOV set sail from Izmail and was traveling to Ravenna, where it was due to arrive on October 12.
Thus, in less than 24 hours, three merchant ships were affected in serious incidents in the western part of the Black Sea - one in the Romanian and two in the Bulgarian exclusive economic zone.