Bulgaria needs better preparedness for maritime rescue operations amid the increased frequency of drone attacks in the Black Sea. This was warned to BNT by long-distance captain Dimitar Dimitrov, president of the European Confederation of Sea Captains' Associations.
The latest incidents off the Bulgarian coast have once again raised the question of the country's ability to respond quickly and effectively to emergencies at sea.
The general cargo ship “HS Dignity“ sank 17 nautical miles east of Krapets after a drone attack. According to the information presented in the material, 11 sailors are missing, and five have been rescued. The other attacked ship — “Chelsea 3“, was hit 18 nautical miles east of Byala. All 15 of its crew were rescued.
The rescue operation took place in extremely difficult weather conditions - rough seas, strong winds and rainfall. Despite the difficulties, the teams managed to evacuate the sailors from “Chelsea 3“.
According to Captain Dimitrov, the successful completion of the rescue operation should not hide the limitations in the available resources. According to him, in the past Bulgaria had specialized rescue ships, while today in similar incidents it relies on vessels and employees from various institutions.
He believes that the country should mobilize the capabilities of the Navy, “Border Police“ and the search and rescue service at the “Maritime Administration“.
“All forces and means must be mobilized in order to adequately respond to the increased risk“, emphasizes Dimitrov.
As a possible solution, he points to the provision of one or two specialized rescue ships, located in the Varna and Burgas regions, respectively. Such an organization would allow for a faster response to incidents and would reduce dependence on the resources of other services.
In addition to additional equipment, Bulgaria also needs better monitoring of the marine environment. According to Captain Dimitrov, it is important to build capabilities for earlier detection of drones and for timely identification of incidents.
The need for an improved surveillance system becomes even greater against the backdrop of the military risk in the Black Sea and the increasing number of incidents with commercial vessels.
Due to the dangers in the Black Sea, a large part of commercial ships operate in the territorial waters of Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey. This redirection of traffic to coastal areas creates additional risks and increases the requirements for surveillance and response systems.
Captain Dimitrov warns that as long as the military conflict continues, the likelihood of new incidents remains high.
The winter period is particularly worrying. Low sea water temperatures shorten the time a person can survive in the water, which makes the speed of rescue operations a decisive factor.
Against this background, the increasing number of attacks on merchant ships poses before Bulgaria not only the issue of the security of maritime traffic, but also the readiness of institutions to protect human life in emergency situations.
According to the latest information cited in the original article, no pollution of the sea in the areas of Byala and Krapets has been detected.