site.btaKairos Tanker to Be Towed to Bay of Burgas on Monday

The hydraulic system of the oil tanker Kairos, which ran aground off the coast of Ahtopol, has been successfully restored to working order, and the vessel has been prepared for towing to a safe location in the Bay of Burgas. The operation is scheduled for Monday, the Transport Ministry said.

The activities were carried out on Sunday in accordance with the approved plan to secure the vessel and under the supervision of the Executive Agency Maritime Administration.

“Today’s plan was to restore the ship’s power supply and hydraulics, check the anchoring equipment, and prepare the anchors for tomorrow’s towing. All of this has been accomplished and ensures the safety of the operation,” said Zhivko Petrov, Director of the Maritime Administration Directorate in Burgas.

On Sunday, the anchoring systems were inspected and tested. The left anchor has been restored as a backup, and the right anchor has been prepared for its upcoming lifting tomorrow. The attachment points for the ropes and steel lines required for the towing operation have also been determined.

The actual towing operation is planned for Monday morning. Three tugboats will arrive near the Kairos at 7:30 am to begin towing the tanker to a previously designated location in the Bay of Burgas.

A work boat equipped with a power generator will also be on site to ensure the maintenance of the onboard power supply during the lifting of the anchoring equipment.

On Saturday, the Transport Ministry said that the implementation of the approved operational plan for securing and subsequently towing the tanker Kairos had begun. The plan was drawn up jointly by the Executive Agency Maritime Administration and the contractor for the operation, BMF TUG Service.

On Saturday morning, an emergency marine generator with a capacity of 150 kW was delivered to the port of Burgas, intended to restore the operation of the tanker’s anchoring equipment.

For the execution of the activities under the operation, the government has approved BGN 1.2 million. Last Friday, the tanker Kairos, sailing under a foreign flag, ran aground off the coast of Ahtopol. Following a meeting of the regional crisis task force, the Regional Administration in Burgas announced that there was no data indicating environmental consequences related to the situation.

Foreign Minister Georg Georgie, and the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdan Karadjov requested clarification from the Turkish Ambassador to Bulgaria, Mehmet Uyanık, regarding the reasons and the manner in which the vessel entered Bulgarian territorial waters. The Turkish diplomat said that the operation involving the tanker Kairos had been carried out by a private Turkish company without prior notification of the Turkish state. According to him, Turkish institutions have already launched an investigation into the case and will provide full information to the Bulgarian authorities.