Stranded Kairos oil tanker off Bulgarian coast sparks rescue, pollution alert

The oil tanker Kairos, reportedly linked to Russia’s so-called "shadow fleet," has remained stranded off the Bulgarian coast near the Black Sea port of Ahtopol for a fourth day, prompting a helicopter evacuation of crew members and raising concerns among local authorities and residents.

Amid stormy weather, three crew members were evacuated by helicopter due to deteriorating health, while Bulgaria and Türkiye prepare to discuss the incident at an intergovernmental level, Caliber.Az reports, citing the Bulgarian National Television (BNT) news portal.

Officials from the foreign ministries of Bulgaria and Türkiye will meet to clarify the circumstances of the vessel, which was left in Bulgarian territorial waters by a Turkish tug. Despite rough seas and adverse weather conditions, the Bulgarian Navy carried out a complex air evacuation of three crew members.

According to the Maritime Administration, the Navy helicopter “Pantera” initially delivered water, food, and a generator to the crew, but a decision was later made for an urgent evacuation. Due to heavy rolling, the operation was conducted with the helicopter hovering, and a rescuer was lowered directly onto the ship’s deck to evacuate the sailors one by one.

The evacuees were taken to Chayka Naval Air Base, where border police and medical teams received them. Their documents were reportedly lost during a drone attack last week, but their identities will be verified using the surviving ship manifest.

Evacuation of the crew is expected to continue, though at least three people may remain on board under orders from the Chinese shipowner to monitor the vessel.

Meanwhile, uncertainty over the tanker's fate has alarmed residents and fishermen, who fear that if the storm worsens, the ship could run aground on rocks, causing oil pollution. Bulgaria’s Ministry of Environment and Water has launched emergency monitoring of the waters near Ahtopol.

Specialists have installed measuring devices and are collecting water samples between Sozopol and Rezovo to assess and prevent potential environmental contamination.

The Kairos is described as part of Russia’s so‑called “shadow fleet,” a network of tankers previously under various flags (Gambia, Panama, Greece, Liberia) used to ship Russian oil while trying to evade Western sanctions.

On November 28, 2025, the tanker reportedly suffered a drone strike, attributed to forces of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), in the Black Sea near the Turkish coast; at the time, it was sailing empty from Egypt toward Russia’s Novorossiysk port.

Following the strike and fire, the tanker was taken under tow by a Turkish vessel, but the tow was later abandoned once the ship entered Bulgarian waters — leaving Kairos adrift.

As of early December 2025, the vessel lay grounded roughly 700–800 metres off Ahtopol, with a 10‑person multinational crew aboard, still alive and in communication, and authorities monitoring the situation while preparing a safe evacuation and possible tow to a secure port.

By Jeyhun Aghazada