The “Black Sea Region“ Basin Directorate will take samples from the sea near Kaliakra on October 29 after the attack with three sea drones against a container ship in the area. The director of the directorate, Yavor Dimitrov, denied that any hazardous substances were found in the containers of the stricken ship.
The sampling will be carried out near Kaliakra, where seawater is regularly tested. The scope of the monitoring also includes the Durankulak region.
Earlier, Maritime.bg reported that about 20 containers were scattered in the area of the ship and that there were flammable gases and hazardous substances among the cargo. This information has not been confirmed by the Basin Directorate. The Ministry of Transport reported that the vessel was carrying 421 containers, without specifying their contents.
The ship was hit 16 nautical miles from Kaliakra, outside Bulgarian territorial waters. It was sailing under the flag of Liberia on a route from Haifa, Israel, to Constanta, Romania.
All 18 crew members were rescued in an operation by the Bulgarian Navy and the “Border Police“. Upcoming tests should show whether there are traces of pollution in the seawater off the Bulgarian coast.
Sources: bnrnews.bg, maritime.bg