Six sailors were injured after the ship “Chelsea“ was hit by a drone about 15 nautical miles off the coast opposite Byala. All 15 crew members were rescued, Varna Regional Governor Mario Smrkov announced. Five have minor injuries and one has minor burns.
The incident was reported at around 2 a.m. The crew was evacuated by a “Border Police“ boat and arrived at the Varna Marine Station at around 7:30 a.m. The sailor with burns was transported to the Naval Hospital, and other injured were taken for examination and treatment to the “St. Anna“ Hospital. According to the regional governor, there were no serious injuries.
The ship remained afloat
There were seven Ukrainian and eight Azerbaijani citizens on board the “Chelsea“. The vessel was traveling without cargo from Turkey to Moldova, after previously transporting grain from Ukraine to Turkey.
According to Mario Smrkov, the ship remained afloat, but there is no assessment of the damage yet. There is no evidence of fuel leakage or sea pollution.
Second incident near Krapets
The regional governor also reported a second incident north of Varna, in the Krapets region. According to initial and incomplete information, the ship sank, and some of the sailors managed to get on life rafts.
There was a vessel nearby that participated in the rescue operation. At the time of the announcement, there was information about at least four rescued sailors, but there is no confirmed data on their condition or the total number of people on board.
Both cases are being investigated. So far, there is no official confirmation whether the incidents are related.
Sources: btvnovinite.bg