The cargo ship ABLE, which was attacked by a drone in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone on October 6, has sunk off the coast of Turkey. The Palau-flagged vessel disappeared from radar late last night.
The ship was seriously damaged in the attack about 70 nautical miles east of the town of Byala. After the strike, a fire broke out on board and the engine room began to fill with water. Despite the damage, the vessel remained afloat, but listed and drifted for some time without control in the Black Sea.
On October 14, ABLE left Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone. According to the Ministry of Transport, this happened at around 01:10, when the ship was approximately 33 nautical miles east of Ahtopol.
The vessel is 110 meters long and 17 meters wide. At the time of the attack, it was transporting 5,985 tons of barley from Romania to Turkey.
We recall that a rescue operation was organized immediately after the attack. All 18 crew members of the ABLE - 11 Turkish and seven Indian citizens - were evacuated. Nearby vessels participated in their rescue. The sailors were taken aboard the ship DIOSCURIA, which transported them to the port of Varna.
The ABLE was one of two merchant ships attacked by drones off the Bulgarian coast on October 6. The other vessel – The Togolese-flagged ALFA WATAN suffered severe structural damage and sank shortly after the attack. The incidents prompted a large-scale rescue operation and an emergency meeting of security services with Prime Minister Rumen Radev.