Final Stage of "Operation Kairos" Underway to Secure and Tow Stranded Tanker Off the Coast of Bulgaria

At 9:45 this morning, December 15, the tanker Kairo, damaged by Ukrainian drones and anchored off Bulgaria's coast, successfully set off towards Burgas Bay. The distance to be covered is 28 nautical miles, at a speed of between two and three knots. The towing operation to Burgas Bay is expected to take several hours.

Three tugboats are towing the 80,000-tonne tanker. Earlier, with the help of a fishing vessel carrying a five-tonne emergency marine generator, power supply to the tanker was successfully restored and the hydraulic system was brought back into operation.

Both the port and starboard anchors were also successfully released.

The three tugboats travelled throughout the night to reach Ahtopol, with two arriving from Varna and the third from Burgas. The towing to Burgas Bay will take several hours. According to information from BNT News, the operation is expected to be completed late this evening.

The tanker Kairos had remained at anchor off Ahtopol for more than a week. To ensure its safe towing, the government allocated 1.2 million leva, with the costs to be recovered from the shipowner.