Ukrainian-owned ship sinks near Bulgaria
A Ukrainian cargo ship Eileen sank in the Black Sea near Bulgaria.
This was reported by The Maritime Executive, CE Report quotes Ukrinform.
The cargo ship Eileen sent out a distress signal at midday on Sunday, October 12, reporting that the vessel was taking on water.
According to the Bulgarian Maritime Rescue Coordination Center, the crew stated that the ship was listing and they were unable to control the flooding. The crew decided to abandon the vessel, deploying two life rafts.
The Bulgarian Navy coordinated the rescue operation, successfully saving all 10 crew members.
Bulgarian authorities also dismissed fears that the ship might have struck a mine, stating that the incident occurred due to “a structural weakness,” confirmed by the vessel’s poor maintenance condition.
The ship, which sailed under the flag of Cameroon, was built in 1993 and had been owned by a Ukrainian company since 2020. In June 2025, the vessel was detained for 15 days following an inspection in Greece, during which inspectors found issues including with stability instruments, fire pumps and piping, emergency lighting, crew training, and documentation. Although these deficiencies were not grounds for detention, the report noted deck corrosion and structural problems.
The ship was released for repairs at a shipyard, but the Paris Memorandum of Understanding (Paris MOU) imposed a three-month ban due to multiple detentions.
“The breach was definitely not caused by an external source. A Bulgarian helicopter flew over the vessel and inspected it carefully to confirm this. Most likely, the incident was due to a structural weakness,” said Grozdan Karadzhov, Bulgaria’s Minister of Transport and Communications.
The ship was carrying a cargo of bagged gypsum and was en route to Chornomorsk when the incident occurred.
As previously reported, a new large tugboat Captain Ushakov sank near the quay wall of the Baltic Shipyard in St. Petersburg while in the final stages of construction.
