The crew of a cargo ship sailing under the flag of Cameroon with 10 Ukrainian sailors on board was rescued in an operation led by the Maritime Coordination Center in Varna, its head Rumen Nikolov announced. The ship "EILEEN" sank rapidly after a breach in its hull 140 miles east of Varna.

The signal was received at the maritime center in Varna at 1:14 p.m. on Sunday, October 12. A patrol ship from Bulgaria, a vessel from Romania, a ship from Turkey located nearby, as well as a helicopter from the Bulgarian Navy were sent to the scene of the incident, the Ministry of Transport reported. The crew left the ship with two life rafts and by 7:31 p.m. were onboard the nearest Turkish ship "Murat Ilhan". Later, the rescued sailors were evacuated by helicopter to Turkey. There is no danger to the environment, Radio Varna reports.

Editor: Ivo Ivanov

Publication in English: Al. Markov

Photo: Bulgarian Navy