Final Reports: 2019

At about 13:30 on 9 March 2018, a fire broke out on the first bridge deck of m/v "Geroite na Sevastopol". The ship was en route from Chernomorsk, Ukraine to Poti, Georgia. The place of fire was localized in the messmen’ cabin. The fire spread rapidly in the adjacent cabins and in the corridor. At 1332 the ship’s “General alarm”  sounded and the crew gathered at the "Muster station" to fight the fire.

A check for availability of the crewmembers revealed the absence of the ship's cook and one of the messmen. A reconnaissance group equipped with ASE was sent to bring the cook from his cabin to a safe place. They did not manage to enter the messmen’ cabin, due to the high temperature and the heavy smoke. At 1405 the fire was under control and the missing messman was found dead in his cabin. At 1410 the fire was finally extinguished.

At about 1030 on 3 April 2017, as a result of welding works on the s/b side of m/t "VF Tanker 7", moored in the port "Terem- KRZ Flotski Arsenal - Varna ", a fire occured in the space between the ship and the adjacent pier.

Vapors from spillage of oil products on the water surface ignited. The fire spreaded quickly from the nose to the stern. Approx. 1 minute after the start of the fire, an explosion occurred in the s/b side ballast tank № 7. The fire was extinguished with the help of the crew and the shore fire brigade.

There were no injuries to crew members and shipyard workers. As a result of the explosion, the hull of the ship in the area of s/b ballast tank № 7 was heavily deformed. A subsequent underwater inspection found 3 holes under the waterline. A floating boom was deployed around the ship.

The tanker has arrived in the port on 2 April 2017, under a ballast, empty and gas-free cargo tanks.

On 05.11.2016, at 1400, a port worker was found in a severe condition at cargo hold № 2 bottom of m/v “Santana”. Immediately before the accident, the worker was seen going down the ladder in the hold to resume work after a lunch break. There was no direct eyewitness to the accident. The injuries on the body indicated about a falling from a big height onto the metal floor of the hold. As a result of the received injuries, the suffered worker died on the way to the hospital. The worker was a part of a brigade, employees of "NMB Port Burgas" SJC - "Burgas West" Terminal, unloading billets/metal profiles/ from the ship.

On 08.11.2015, the m/v "Indra II" left Odessa, Ukraine, with a course to the port of  Burgas, Bulgaria. The next day, 09.11.2015, the ship approached the area of Burgas port and started maneuvering for mooring to the quay. The main engine of the vessel stopped due to the activation of low oil pressure protection. The ship remained temporarily on a drift. The chief engineer informed the captain that the engine room staff would try to fix the problem in a short time. The routine actions for such cases were undertaken - cleaning the luboil system filters. The oil pump had been stopped before each filter opening. When attempting to dismantle the filter element from the left section of the main luboil filter, the cover of the section remained attached to the body of the filter box, although the retaining nuts were unscrewed. By his own initiative, the 3rd engineer climbed onto the filter housing and attempted to release it by a hammer. The suddenly released cover was ejected vertically, hitting the 3rd engineer in the area of the chest. The 3rd engineer had been given first aid by the crew. Despite all the measures taken, the injured person subsequently died as a result of injuries.

On 07.03.2013, about 9 miles SSW of Cape Kaliakra the general cargo ship m/v "Lady Gul", flying the flag of Panama, collided with the general cargo ship m/v "St. Catrien", flying the flag of Union of Comoros. This area falls within the territorial sea of the Republic of Bulgaria. After examining the facts reported by MRCC-Varna, the Maritime Accident Investigation Unit classified the accident as a "serious casualty" in accordance with the circular letter MSC-MEPC.3/Circ.3 of 18.12.2008, a collision led to serious structural damage -  hull bending of the  m/v "St. Catrien".

On January 3, 2008, at about 0215, m/v "Vanessa" sunk into the Azov Sea during a passage from the port of Berdyansk to port of Burgas under heavy hydrometeorological conditions. As a result, there were human sacrifices, loss of the ship and the cargo. No environmental damages had been reported.

On 14.08.2018, at about 1730 m/v„Karadeniz 5“ sailed from Constanta, Romania. By 2110, the ship's captain and watchkeeping engineer from 20-00 hrs. shift(chief engineer) were in the messroom, and after a while they separated. Around 2130 a power problem(blackout) occured on the ship and the main engine stopped. Crew members heard a muffled blast and saw smoke and flames coming out of the engine room. The fixed CO2 fire extinguishing system was triggered by the command of the captain. After the fire weakened and extincted a check of the crew availability showed the lack of the chief engineer. He was found at the bottom of the engine room in a helpless condition and a little later he died.