The NOVA team managed to contact representatives of the companies that own and manage the two attacked ships in the Black Sea, as well as the shipowners of one of the vessels that came to the rescue after the attacks. The manager of the company that manages the sunken HS Dignity spoke to the media about the rescue operation and confirmed that the ship was sailing without cargo.
According to him, five of the 16 sailors on board have been rescued, and the search for the rest continues. The relatives of the crew are already being notified of what happened, and the company remains hopeful that the missing will be found alive.
„We don't know much yet. Five of our crew have been rescued, but the search for the rest continues. "There are six boats and two helicopters on site, which continue to search for the rest of the crew," Captain Mahmoud Adam told NOVA. He also specified who the rescued sailors were. "There were 16 people on board. The chief mate, the chief engineer, the ship's second engineer, one sailor and one engine sailor are among those rescued," Adam explained.
Despite the adverse weather conditions, the rescue teams continue the operation. "Despite the very bad weather, the search for them continues. Everyone should be wearing life jackets and it is only a matter of time before they are rescued," he expressed hope.
It is still unclear why the two merchant ships in particular were targeted by the attacks. The HS Dignity was traveling from the Algerian port of Mostaganem to the Romanian city of Braila. According to the company representative, there was no cargo or equipment related to the war on board.
When asked by NOVA what the ship was carrying, Mahmoud Adam replied: “It was empty. There was nothing important inside. The ship was heading to Braila“. Asked if there was anything on board that could provoke an attack by Russia or Ukraine, he categorically denied it.
Immediately after the attack, the Azov Concord ship headed for the hit HS Dignity, which was among the first to assist the survivors. Representatives of the Azov Concord owner company explained to NOVA that they are providing full cooperation to the competent authorities. It is expected that the crew members who witnessed the incident and participated in the rescue operations will be questioned.
Bulgarian authorities continue the search for the sailors who remain missing after the explosions. One of the affected vessels - CHELSEA-3, is 123 meters long and was built in 2006. Its maximum mass is 5827 tons. The ship is currently sailing under the Maltese flag. It was attacked by drones in the immediate vicinity of the border of Bulgarian territorial waters. Representatives of the companies that own and operate CHELSEA-3 refused to provide additional information to NOVA.
The second ship - HS Dignity, which sank after the attack, is 136 meters long and has a carrying capacity of over 8600 tons. It was built in 2009 and sails under the flag of Guinea-Bissau.
According to the Ministry of Transport and Communications, CHELSEA-3 was attacked at 01:15, 15 nautical miles east of Byala, and HS Dignity was hit five minutes later - at 01:20, 17 nautical miles east of Shabla.
After the attack, CHELSEA-3 dropped anchor, and all 15 of its crew were rescued. The ship was traveling without cargo from the Turkish port of Giresun to Giurgiuleşti.
HS Dignity sank, with the initial information about the incident being submitted by a rescued sailor and coinciding with the disappearance of the ship's signal from the automatic identification system AIS. In addition to the Azov Concord, the SCANDI ASSERTER has also been involved in providing assistance to survivors of the sunken vessel. The reasons for the attacks and the origin of the drones are still being clarified.