The Russian tanker Kairos, part of the "shadow fleet" for illegal oil trade, ran aground near the Bulgarian city of Ahtopol. There are 10 crew members on board, but due to a strong storm, evacuation is not yet possible. This is reported by UNN with reference to the Bulgarian online publication Svobodna Evropa.
Details
The vessel, registered in China, was intercepted by Bulgarian border police around 12:45 on Friday. Border Police Director Anton Zlatanov told Nova TV that the crew initially did not respond, but later confirmed the presence of 10 people on board and expressed a desire to evacuate.
In the first hours, the crew did not contact the Bulgarian authorities. However, later the crew began to respond, stating that there were 10 people on board and they wanted to evacuate.
In late November, Turkey stated that the tanker was heading to Novorossiysk and suffered an "external impact" that caused a fire. After that, the Turkish tugboat left the vessel in Bulgarian waters. According to AIS data, there are seven Chinese citizens on the tanker, as well as sailors from Indonesia, Myanmar, and Vietnam.
Rumen Nikolov, head of the rescue operations department of the Maritime Administration, stated that the reasons for bringing the vessel to Bulgarian waters are being investigated: "It is necessary to establish through diplomatic channels why the tanker was brought into our territorial waters."
He also added that radio contact is maintained with the people on board, and food and water supplies should last them at least three days.
"The captain is gone, as are the officers. The people on board are in good condition, they have food and water for about three days," Nikolov said.
Currently, the rescue operation is ongoing.
Recall
The oil tanker "Kairos", attacked by Ukrainian drones near Turkey, ended up near Bulgaria and needs help. The vessel, without cargo, with signs of significant fire, did not respond to requests, but later requested the evacuation of 10 people on board.