Bulgarian maritime authorities launched efforts on Saturday to evacuate the crew of the oil tanker Kairos, which is stranded off the Black Sea port of Ahtopol. The vessel is believed to be part of the so-called “shadow fleet” used by Russia to evade international sanctions linked to its war in Ukraine.
The Gambian-flagged, 274-metre tanker caught fire last week after an alleged attack by Ukrainian naval drones near the Turkish coast. It was sailing empty from Egypt towards the Russian port of Novorossiysk. The 149,000-tonne Kairos, built in 2002, was sanctioned by the EU in July, followed by the UK and Switzerland.
The ship entered Bulgarian territorial waters on Friday under tow by a Turkish vessel, but the mission was abruptly abandoned, leaving the tanker to drift without power before stranding less than a nautical mile off the shore. Rumen Nikolov, in charge of rescue operations at the Bulgarian Maritime Agency, said diplomatic channels must establish why the tanker was brought into Bulgarian waters.
Nikolov stated that the empty tanker is stable despite bad weather, with no danger to the crew or environment. All ten crew members, of various nationalities, are in good condition and have enough food and water for about three days. “When the weather calms down, the ship will be towed to a safe place,” he added.
Anton Zlatanov, head of border police, told Nova TV that communication was established with the crew, who complied with orders and dropped anchor. “The crew expressed their desire to be evacuated, but this must be done in the safest way possible,” Zlatanov said. The tanker is being monitored by radio, thermal cameras, and radar.
