Ukrainian cargo ship sinks off coast of Bulgaria: crew rescued
Illustrative photo: 10 Ukrainian sailors on board, all of whom were evacuated (Getty Images)
On Sunday, October 12, a Ukrainian cargo ship sank in the Black Sea off the coast of Bulgaria. Rescue teams from three countries evacuated the entire crew, according to Maritime.
According to the outlet, the incident occurred about 140 nautical miles east of the city of Varna.
At around 01:00 PM local time, the crew of the vessel EILEEN, which included ten Ukrainian sailors, sent out a distress signal. It was later determined that a breach had formed in the hull, causing the ship to take on water rapidly.
Rescue efforts involved forces from three countries: a Bulgarian border patrol boat, a Romanian vessel, a Turkish support ship, and a Bulgarian Navy helicopter.
The first to locate the Ukrainian sailors was the crew of the Turkish vessel MURAT ILHAN, which was operating near the Sakarya gas field. They discovered two life rafts carrying all ten crew members. The sailors were taken aboard, all alive, with their condition reported as satisfactory.
Preliminary information indicates that the EILEEN, owned by a Ukrainian company, was built more than 30 years ago. Throughout 2025, it had already been stopped three times for technical inspections at different ports. The most recent inspection in Izmail revealed several malfunctions. Specialists are now investigating the exact cause of the accident.
Other incidents
In late August 2025, Russian forces struck the Ukrainian Navy’s medium reconnaissance ship Simferopol. One crew member was killed and several others were injured in the attack.
In addition, in May, a container ship sank off the coast of India, with Ukrainians among its crew.
