A collision with another vessel, an attack with a drone or underwater weapon and an explosion of a mine on board are the three main hypotheses for the sinking of a merchant ship in the Bulgarian economic zone of the Black Sea. This was stated to Nova News by long-distance captain Hristo Papukchiev.
The captain, who years ago worked in a unit for investigating maritime accidents at the Ministry of Transport, called for not making definitive conclusions before sufficient evidence is collected.
„All hypotheses must be considered“, said Hristo Papukchiev.Among the options for attack discussed are a strike with a drone, a torpedo or an underwater drone. According to Papukchiev, however, this version must be supported by concrete facts, and not just by witness assumptions.
He pointed out that the incident occurred at around 3:30 a.m., when the crew was probably sleeping, and called for the investigation to be conducted objectively. Papukchiev did not rule out the possibility that there was a mine on board that was detonated remotely.
“Anything is possible“, he said regarding this hypothesis.The key to clarifying the case may be the information from another Bulgarian ship that was in the area of the incident. According to Papukchiev, technical data from the vessels should also be analyzed, as well as records related to the sending of the distress signal.
The captain questioned the claim that the ship sank in exactly three minutes. According to him, this interval may have been calculated between the moment the emergency floating transmitter was activated and the signal was received by the rescue centers. There may have been a technological delay between the two events.
The emergency floating transmitter is the last opportunity for the ship to send a distress signal. Data about the probable location of the accident can be recovered through it.
Papukchiev also drew attention to the cargo of the sunken vessel. According to him, it is still unclear what exactly the ship was carrying, and this is an important part of the investigation.
„I cannot claim that the ship was carrying weapons, because sometimes no one on board knows what is on board“, said the captain.According to the information he has, the ship was traveling from Turkey north to Ukraine. It is the route that Ukrainian politicians and media use to support the version of a Russian attack.
Papukchiev stressed that the risk assessment and the choice of route are the responsibility of the ship commanders.
„Neither Putin nor Erdogan will make a decision instead of the ship captains“, said Hristo Papukchiev.Sources: nova.bg, eurocom.bg, dw.com