Sanctioned oil tanker is stranded off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast after suspected Ukrainian strike

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SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgarian maritime authorities on Saturday launched efforts to evacuate the crew of the oil tanker Kairos stranded off the Black Sea port of Ahtopol and believed to be part of the “ shadow fleet ” used by Russia to evade international sanctions linked to its war in Ukraine.

Last week, the Gambian-flagged 274-meter Kairos caught fire after an alleged attack with Ukrainian naval drones in the Black Sea near the Turkish coast. It was sailing empty from Egypt toward the Russian port of Novorossiysk.

The 149,000-ton Kairos, formerly flagged as Panamanian, Greek and Liberian, was built in 2002. It was sanctioned by the EU in July this year, followed by the U.K. and Switzerland.

The ship entered Bulgaria’s territorial waters on Friday under tow by a Turkish vessel, but the mission was abruptly abandoned, leaving the tanker to drift across the sea without power like a ghost ship before stranding less than a nautical mile off the shore.

On Saturday, Rumen Nikolov, in charge of rescue operations at the Bulgarian Maritime Agency, said that it must be established through diplomatic channels why the tanker was brought into Bulgaria’s territorial waters.

Nikolov explained that the empty tanker is stable despite the bad weather, adding that there is no danger to either the crew or the environment. He said that all 10 crew members, of different 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.

The head of border police, Anton Zlatanov, told the Nova TV channel, that communication was established with the crew, who had complied with orders and dropped anchor, and the ship is currently stable in a position off Ahtopol. “The crew expressed their desire to be evacuated, but this must be done in the safest way possible,” Zlatanov added.

Zlatanov noted that the tanker is being monitored by a radio communication system, thermal cameras from the shore, and a radar system, while communication with the crew is being maintained.