Rescue Operation in the Black Sea: Search for the Crew of 'Alfa Watan' Ship Has Been Called Off

Footage from the rescue operation for the merchant ships struck by drones in the Black Sea. The search operation for survivors from the 'Alfa Watan' was called off. Experts confirmed that the vessel sank within three minutes of being hit.

The condition of the Indian engineer from the 'Able' remains critical, with no change reported. He is being treated at the Military Medical Academy in Varna.

It also emerged today, October 7, that the 'Able' is also likely to sink. An inspection found that the vessel was listing towards the stern, its engine room was almost completely flooded, and water reaching its grain cargo would accelerate the sinking.

It is still not known what the other vessel, the 'Alfa Watan', was carrying. According to experts, establishing its cargo will be extremely difficult because goods are often declared as one type of cargo while something else is actually transported on board.

• The search operation for the crew of the sunken ship “Alfa Watan” has been called off

Footage from the first minutes of the rescue operation shows sailors from the Able boarding the Bulgarian passenger vessel 'Dioscuria', which came to their aid. Thanks to the swift and effective actions of Captain Anatoli Zlatarov and his crew, all 18 people were rescued.

The footage shows the burning Able after it was hit by a drone. The 'Alfa Watan' had already sunk. The search for its crew was called off at 17:00 yesterday, October 6.

Rumen Nikolov, Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC): “The operation will not be resumed because this is a search-and-rescue operation for people and vessels in distress. There will be no underwater inspection because this is not an obligation of our country.”

According to Bulgarian authorities, there were 12 Syrian sailors on board the sunken vessel. There has been no sign of survivors.

Rumen Nikolov, Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC): “The incident occurred at night, when most likely one or two people were awake while the others were in compartments below the waterline. The drone strike was extremely powerful, as a result of which the vessel sank almost instantly, so the basis of the analysis is that there is no possibility of people having survived.”

• Sailors rescued from the merchant ships attacked by drones are now in Varna

Every effort has been made to rescue the sailors from the second stricken ship and transport them to Varna.

Flotilla Admiral Vanyo Musinski, Deputy Commander of the Bulgarian Navy: “The ship that rescued them, the ‘Dioscuria’, headed towards them, the boat went over and managed to bring them aboard in a very short time. As far as I understand from the doctors, one of them has suffered serious injuries and it was critical for him to reach hospital as quickly as possible.”

According to Hristo Raev, a maritime law lawyer, Bulgaria must take immediate action in response to attacks on commercial vessels.

Hristo Raev, maritime law lawyer: “The Bulgarian state, of course, on the basis of its membership in such a major alliance as NATO, must seek assistance together with the other Black Sea states. As you can see, these are not just economic losses – there have also been human casualties.”

Photos: BTA

According to the Maritime Administration, the presence of a small oil-product slick following the attacks on the ships is not expected to have an environmental impact.