The storm has broken away from the anchor of the commercial ship "CHELSEA 3" that was hit by drones. The vessel, which is without a crew, is moving south and, according to the latest published data, is expected to enter the Turkish sea sector.
The ship was hit on October 13, about 17 nautical miles east of Byala. It flies under the Maltese flag, is registered in Odessa and is owned by a company based in Ukraine. There were 15 sailors on board - seven Ukrainians and eight citizens of Azerbaijan.
The crew was evacuated in severe weather conditions by the border police ship 514 "Burgas". According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the operation was carried out in waves of more than 3 points. At 04:43, all sailors were taken aboard the rescue ship, and at 07:15 they were taken ashore.
Three of the injured were admitted to the Naval Hospital in Varna with second-degree thermal burns. One of them also has a mild head injury, and their lives are not in danger. Five other sailors were examined at the “St. Anna“ hospital and were released.
The ship began to drift after dropping anchor
After the attack, “CHELSEA 3“ dropped anchor in Bulgarian waters. However, on the evening of October 13, strong winds and sea currents tore it away from the anchorage. The vessel began an uncontrolled movement in a south-southwest direction and traveled over 27 kilometers in a straight line from its initial position.
The last reported AIS position is from October 14 at 15:14 – 42.590817 degrees north latitude and 28.196200 degrees east longitude. The data were used in a model developed by the team of the civil association “Let's keep Coral“.
According to the calculations cited by Maritime.bg, the vessel is moving mainly to the south. The forecast indicates that after 24 hours it may have moved about 54 kilometers from the last reported position, and after 48 hours – about 100 kilometers away, entering the Turkish sector of the Black Sea.
The owner of the ship, Evgeni Zoltikov, said after the attack: „The main priority remains the safety of the crew.“ The institutions continue to monitor the situation with the abandoned vessel.
According to the latest confirmed data, there is no information that „CHELSEA 3“ has reached the coast near Primorsko. Published information indicates a drift south in the open sea, and not the ship being thrown onto the Bulgarian coast.
Sources: maritime.bg, trud.bg, bnrnews.bg