The ten-member crew of the motor vessel Kairos, located in Bulgaria's territorial waters near Ahtopol, is well. They have food and water for several days, and Bulgarian authorities are in contact with them. The ship, sailing under the flag of Benin, is empty and has no cargo on board. The ship does not pose a danger to the environment. This was announced by Rumen Nikolov, Director General of the Directorate for Emergency and Rescue Activities at the Executive Agency "Maritime Administration," at a briefing earlier today.
The ship's crew does not wish to be evacuated but wants the vessel to be towed to a safe zone.
At present, a towing operation cannot be carried out due to meteorological conditions — winds reaching over 15 m/s and wave heights of 4–5 on the Douglas scale.
The situation is constantly monitored by the Executive Agency "Maritime Administration," the General Directorate "Border Police," the Navy, and local authorities. A cutter from the General Directorate "Border Police" set off this morning towards the vessel, but adverse weather conditions did not allow it to reach the ship. The General Directorate "Border Police" is performing constant surveillance of the vessel with thermal imaging cameras.
Bulgarian authorities remain in readiness, and the operation will be performed at the first opportunity.
The reasons for the ship's entry into Bulgaria's territorial waters are yet to be clarified.