Tanker Carrying 11,000 Tonnes Of Sunflower Oil Drifts off Bulgaria After Tow Line Snaps In Storm

A tanker loaded with 11,000 tonnes of sunflower oil, broke free from its tow line and is currently drifting off Bulgaria. An operation to secure the vessel and bring it to safety had begun from the Port of Constanta, Romania but had to be called off due to bad weather.

The tugboat Ramazan Bey was towing it when the line broke, after which the crew of the tug reported the incident. Another tug reached the scene to assist. The tanker had been attacked previously off Odessa while it was en route to Turkiye.

Weather conditions became worse when the tugs began to tow the vessel, and although they were able to restore the line, one of the tugs collided with the tanker during the process.

The tug issued a distress call on November 4, 2026, at 4:20, and Romanian port authorities sent boats to rescue the 7 crew members.

After the incident reached the media, Romania’s Internal Affairs Ministry said that the search and rescue was carried out in difficult circumstances amid heavy rains, powerful winds and rough seas.

Helicopter rescue was also not possible in such weather conditions. A Dutch-flagged tug operating nearby saved 3 crew members and took them to the Port of Mangalia, while the other 4 crew members refused to evacuate, stating they did not need assistance.

Due to their efforts, the tug was safely brought to an anchorage. The tanker is still drifting in the Shabla region in Bulgaria. The authorities have contacted the tanker’s owner, the press office of the Bulgarian Ministry of Transport and Communications confirmed.

A few days back, the Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Rumen Radev, told the media that the only way to prevent increased ship attacks off the country’s coast is to end the war through a permanent ceasefire declaration that can be achieved through negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.

He also said that Bulgaria is doing whatever it can at the global as well as the national level to handle such cases of abandoned ships off its coast or rescue seafarers whenever required.

Radev mentioned that the issue has been discussed with the Secretaries-General of the United Nations and NATO and the presidents of the European Commission and the European Council.