Monday, December 15th saw Bulgaria announce it had started moving a damaged oil tanker that was abandoned in its waters after being hit by a drone near the Turkish coast last month.
The tanker, Kairos—alleged to be used to move Russian oil shipments banned under sanctions—was towed into Bulgarian waters by a Turkish ship earlier this month and then abandoned. Bulgarian authorities warned the vessel could run aground or break apart, raising concerns about a possible fuel spill and environmental damage.
The Kairos was one of two Gambian-flagged tankers damaged by explosions in the Black Sea on November 28th while sailing toward the Russian port of Novorossiysk. Both ships are under Western sanctions for being part of Russia’s so-called “ghost fleet,” which is used to export oil despite sanctions linked to the war in Ukraine.
Bulgaria’s transport ministry said the ship is being moved under international maritime rules after the owner failed to remove it. Officials added that the owner will only be allowed to take back the vessel after covering the costs paid by the increasingly dysfunctional Bulgarian state.
