„We conducted our investigation and collected photos that prove that there was no intent in the incident in the Baltic Sea”. This was stated by the executive director of the State Shipping Company „Bulgarian Maritime Fleet“ Capt. Alexander Kalchev.
We recall that the Bulgarian ship „Vezhen”, sailing under the Maltese flag, was detained by the Swedish authorities on charges of sabotage. The reason - a broken optical cable on the seabed.
Capt. Kalchev made a demonstration to journalists, showing data from systems that sailors use to monitor weather conditions. “The waves were not a meter or a meter and a half, and the wind was not with a force of 10-12 m/sec”, he emphasized. According to BMF data, the waves on the ill-fated night were between 2.5 and 3 m high.
“Our view is that due to the impact of the wave, the safety elements gave way. The stopper of the so-called “guillotine” was damaged”, emphasized Capt. Kalchev. He is categorical that “the political coloring of what happened has an extremely negative impact not only on the company, but also on the whole of Bulgaria”.
There are 10 Bulgarian officers on board the ship, revealed the executive director of the State Shipping Company “Bulgarian Navy”. "There is probably an investigation underway, but so far no investigators have boarded the vessel and the crew has not been questioned," he stressed.