Drone-hit freighter Chelsea 3 towed into Burgas with three holes in its hull
After drifting for days, the cargo ship struck by drones in the Black Sea has reached the port of Burgas. Transport Minister Peev called the rescue operation unprecedented.
Archive image · Photo: Burgas_Juni2012_Hafen_und_der_Burgas-See.JPG: Vammpi derivative work: Vammpi / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped and resized)
The Maltese-flagged cargo ship Chelsea 3 reached the port of Burgas early on Saturday. The vessel was struck by drones on Oct. 13 about 17 nautical miles east of Byala and drifted out of control off the Bulgarian coast for several days. All 15 crew members had been rescued. The tow succeeded only on the second attempt: its main phase began at 8:25 p.m. on Friday, the Transport Ministry said, involving two Border Police vessels, a Burgas tug, the Maritime Administration and the navy.
Port master Zhivko Petrov, who led the operation, said the combination of bad weather and heavy damage was the biggest challenge. The hull has three visible holes, on the port side, the starboard side and the stern. There was a risk the ship could sink under tow, and boarding it was the most dangerous part. Chelsea 3 is to berth at the West terminal, where expert inspections will follow.
Transport Minister Georgi Peev called the operation "unprecedented." He said the attack "most likely" came from Russia but that this must be proven. Bulgaria is gathering evidence for an independent investigation whose findings will be published and shared with European partners. The Sofia military prosecutor's office opened pre-trial proceedings on Friday.