The cargo ship MENTOR is drifting in Bulgarian waters with no crew and no one steering it, Romania's maritime authority and interior ministry said. They said it followed an overnight incident in the Black Sea, off the resort of Neptun, north of Shabla and close to the Bulgarian border.
A Turkish tug that was towing the ship hit it and was in danger of sinking. The tug's seven Turkish crew are safe. No one died.
MENTOR sails under the flag of Antigua and Barbuda. It was damaged earlier in Ukrainian waters, near the port of Odesa, and two tugs were towing it to Turkey. They are AYAZ BEY, which flies the Turkish flag, and RAMAZAN BEY. In its statement, the maritime authority spells the names "MT MENTOR", AYASBEY and RAZAMAN BEY.
The trouble began overnight in bad weather. The tow lines snapped and the current carried MENTOR for a time with no one steering it. The lines were then reattached.
The maritime authority said AYAZ BEY then had an engine problem and hit the ship it was towing. At about 04:20 on Wednesday, 4 November, the tug sent an international MAYDAY distress call.
The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Constanta got the first call on Tuesday, 3 November, at 23:20. The centre ran the rescue operation on Wednesday morning.
Two interior ministry ships, from the Border Police (Coast Guard) and the Emergency Situations Inspectorate, took part. The rescue ship SAR ARES of the Romanian Agency for Rescue of Human Life at Sea (ARSVOM) joined them.
The Romanian interior ministry said strong wind and very rough seas ruled out the use of aircraft. It said saving lives was the priority for all services.
The Dutch-flagged tug "Odin" picked up three of the sailors and took them to the port of Mangalia to go ashore. Four stayed on board AYAZ BEY and refused an emergency evacuation. They told the Romanian authorities they did not need more medical help.
At first, reports on the tug's fate did not match. In its morning statement, Romania's interior ministry said it had "sunk". Later, both the ministry and the maritime authority said the tug was stable and anchored in a safe place in Mangalia.