Russian vessel with liquefied natural gas suffers breach near Bulgarian coast
Illustrative photo (Getty Images)
The ferry Slavyanin, sailing under the Russian flag, suffered a hull breach in the Black Sea near the Bulgarian Cape Shabla, informs the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine.
The vessel was transporting railroad tank cars with liquefied gas.
It is noted that the Russian vessel sustained hull damage after a collision with another vessel, the New Raouf, flying the flag of the Republic of Palau. Following the accident, the ship continued its course towards Türkiye and is currently near the entrance to the Bosporus.
According to Bulgarian media, Slavyanin is owned by Liberian company New Raouf Shipping Ltd, with Romanian company Daytona Management as the operator.
The Russian vessel started listing and got three ballast tanks flooded. It returned to the Bulgarian port of Varna for inspection.
The ferry Slavyanin has been operating for about 10 years on the Varna - Caucasus route, transporting railroad tank cars.
It is unclear why the Russian vessel was near Shabla/Tyulenovo, as the direct route to the Caucasus port lies more to the east, while it was moving slightly to the north.
