The commercial vessel Chelsea 3, which came under attack by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), has been towed to the Bulgarian port of Burgas.
Globalinfo.az reports that Bulgaria’s Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Peev announced this at a briefing.
The minister said the rescue operation was successfully completed despite difficult weather conditions.
According to the operation’s head, Captain Jivko Petrov, the UAVs struck the vessel from both sides and from the stern. The attacks caused serious holes in the ship’s hull.
Petrov said specialists were able to board the vessel and secure the towing lines only on their second attempt. Damage to the hull, which created a risk of water entering the ship and causing it to sink, also complicated the towing operation.
The incident occurred on the night of October 13, about 18 nautical miles east of the Bulgarian town of Byala. The Malta-flagged commercial vessel Chelsea 3 came under attack by UAVs.
All 15 crew members were evacuated. Seven were Ukrainian citizens and eight were Azerbaijani citizens.
Five of the injured were taken to St. Anna Hospital in Varna, while the sixth was taken to the Military Medical Academy.
Despite the incident, the vessel remained afloat and was later towed to the port of Burgas. (modern.az)
Read also
