The ship "Emil", which was drifting in the Black Sea after a drone strike near Odessa, is now outside the Bulgarian exclusive economic zone. The vessel has been taken under tow by a Turkish company and is being towed towards the Bosphorus.
Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Peev announced that at 8:30 a.m. the ship was located 65 miles from the Bosphorus. "A Turkish company and a tugboat provided this service and the ship is now 65 miles from the Bosphorus," Peev said. In his words, "Emil" has never been in Bulgarian territorial waters, and has been removed from both the economic zone and the search and rescue zone.
The vessel's movements continue to be monitored by the Coastal Center in Burgas. In the meantime, authorities are also monitoring the ship “Able“ – one of the two vessels hit by drones in the Bulgarian economic zone. It remains about 60 nautical miles from the Bulgarian coast, out of radar range.
The chief expert at the Coastal Center – Burgas, Evgeni Mavrodiev, said that the location of “Able“ was confirmed by a ship that passed near the point. “The ship “Able“ continues to stand there“, said Mavrodiev.
According to Georgi Peev, the currents are currently moving “Able“ away from Bulgarian waters. “We have a plan according to which, if it approaches our waters, we will react“, the minister pointed out.
Peev also announced that talks are underway to purchase a specialized ship for rescue operations. A specific deadline for its acquisition was not specified.
Sources: bntnews.bg, nova.bg, bnrnews.bg