The hydraulic system of the tanker "Kairos", stranded off the coast of Ahtopol, has been successfully put into operation and the vessel is prepared for towing to a safe place in Burgas Bay, with the operation planned for tomorrow morning.
This was announced by the press center of the Ministry of Transport and Communications.
The activities were carried out today in implementation of the approved plan for securing the ship and under the control of the Maritime Administration Agency.
"The plan for today was to restore the power supply and hydraulics of the ship, to check the anchoring device and to prepare the anchors for tomorrow's towing. All this has been achieved and guarantees the safe continuation of the operation," said Zhivko Petrov, Director of the "Maritime Administration" Directorate – Burgas.
Today, the anchoring systems were checked and tested. The left anchor has been restored as a spare, and the right one is prepared for its upcoming lifting tomorrow. The attachment points for the ropes and steel lines required for towing have also been determined.
The actual towing operations are planned for tomorrow morning. Three tugboats will arrive near "Kairos" tomorrow morning at 7:30 am to begin towing the tanker to a pre-determined location in Burgas Bay.
The work boat with a power supply generator will also be on site to ensure the maintenance of the power supply on board during the lifting of the anchoring device, the announcement said.
Yesterday, the Ministry of Transport announced that the implementation of the approved operational plan for securing and subsequent towing of the tanker "Kairos", stranded in the Ahtopol area, has begun, BTA recalls. The plan was prepared jointly by the Executive Agency "Maritime Administration" and the operator of the operation "BMF TUG Service" (BMF TUG Service). Yesterday morning, an emergency marine generator with a capacity of 150 kW, designed to restore the operation of the tanker's anchoring device, was delivered to the port of Burgas.
The government has approved a decision to provide 1.2 million leva for the implementation of the operation's activities. Last Friday, the tanker "Kairos", sailing under a foreign flag, ran aground off the coast of Ahtopol. After a meeting of the Regional Crisis Staff for Disasters and Accidents, the Regional Administration in Burgas announced that there was no evidence of environmental consequences in connection with the situation.
Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdan Karadzhov requested clarification from the Turkish Ambassador to Bulgaria Mehmet Uyanık regarding the reasons and the way in which the vessel entered Bulgarian territorial waters. The Turkish diplomat stated that the operation with the tanker "Kairos" off the Bulgarian coast was carried out by a private Turkish company without prior notification of the Turkish state. According to him, the Turkish institutions have already started an investigation into the case and will provide timely full information to the Bulgarian authorities.