Sunflower Oil Tanker Drifts off Bulgaria After Tow Line Snaps
A tanker carrying 11,000 tonnes of sunflower oil is drifting off Bulgaria after its tow line snapped during a storm in the Black Sea, raising concerns over maritime safety, shipping security and emergency response operations. An operation to secure the vessel and tow it to safety from Romania’s Port of Constanta was suspended due to worsening weather conditions.
The tugboat Ramazan Bey was towing the tanker when the line broke, prompting its crew to report the incident. Another tugboat subsequently reached the scene to provide assistance. The tanker had previously been attacked off Odessa while travelling towards Türkiye.
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Weather conditions deteriorated as the tugs attempted to tow the vessel. Although the tow line was restored, one of the assisting tugboats collided with the tanker during the operation.
At 4:20 on November 4, 2026, the tug issued a distress call, prompting Romanian port authorities to dispatch boats to rescue the tanker’s seven crew members.
Romania’s Ministry of Internal Affairs said the search and rescue operation was conducted under difficult conditions, with heavy rainfall, powerful winds and rough seas complicating the response.
Helicopter evacuation was also impossible due to the severe weather. A nearby Dutch-flagged tug rescued three crew members and transported them to the Port of Mangalia. The remaining four crew members declined evacuation, stating that they did not require assistance.
Following the operation, the tug was safely brought to an anchorage. However, the tanker remains adrift in the Shabla region off Bulgaria. The Bulgarian Ministry of Transport and Communications confirmed that authorities had contacted the vessel’s owner.
Black Sea Shipping Faces Continued Security Concerns
The incident highlights the challenges of maritime emergency response and commercial shipping safety in the Black Sea, where adverse weather and previous attacks on vessels have complicated maritime operations. The drifting tanker also presents a situation requiring coordination between coastal authorities, vessel owners and rescue services.
A few days before the incident, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev told the media that preventing an increase in ship attacks off the country’s coast would require an end to the war through a permanent ceasefire, achieved through negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
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Radev said Bulgaria was taking measures at both national and international levels to address cases involving abandoned ships off its coast and to rescue seafarers whenever necessary.
He also said the issue had been discussed with the Secretaries-General of the United Nations and NATO, as well as the presidents of the European Commission and the European Council.
