site.btaBulgaria Asks Shipowner to Reimburse Costs for Moving Stranded Tanker Kairos

Bulgaria's Maritime Administration has requested that the owner of the oil tanker Kairos reimburse all costs incurred by the Bulgarian government for moving the vessel from the shores of Ahtopol to the Bay of Burgas, the Ministry of Transport and Communications reported on Wednesday. The agency has delivered a notarized notice to the Bulgarian agent of the Chinese shipowner through a private bailiff.

The shipowner is asked to reimburse the Bulgarian government the amount of EUR 270,371 by January 12.

The ministerial press release recalled that on December 12, 2025, the government allocated BGN 1.2 million (EUR 614,000) for towing the vessel to a safe location. The operation, carried out on December 15, involved three tugboats and a specialized generator needed to activate the hydraulic system and lift the ship’s anchor. All actions for securing and towing the tanker were conducted under the constant supervision of the Maritime Administration.

The Gambian-flagged oil tanker Kairos, owned by a Chinese company, was stranded off the Bulgarian Black Sea town of Ahtopol on December 5, 2025, with a ten-member crew on board, after the Turkish tugboat Timur Bey, which had been towing it, detached from the vessel in Bulgarian territorial waters and returned south. Bulgaria conducted a rescue operation coordinated by the Defence Ministry, the Transport and Communications Ministry and the Maritime Administration, with naval helicopters delivering food, water, communications equipment and a generator to the ship and evacuating most of the crew in stages, while several seafarers remained on board at the shipowner’s request.