SOFIA, December 7. /TASS/. The rescue operation continues at Russia’s general cargo vessel Elga-1 stranded in the Black Sea near the city of Balchik, Bulgaria’s sea rescue authorities told TASS on Sunday.
Two tows go along the vessel, water is being pumped from the cargo ship’s engine room, but the situation remains complicated, the rescuers say.
The vessel carrying coal left Russia’s Temryuk (Krasnodar territory) for Varna. On December 3, the ship, which was about 160 kilometres to the east of Varna, gave a distress signal, saying that into its engine room began flowing water, and the main pump was out of service. The Sea Spayder ship, which was carrying pipes for the South Stream gas pipeline, the local media say, came to assist the Elga-1 and took the Russian crew on board. By that time the crew were on an inflatable raft. All the 13 people were safe.
Russian sailors, who were evacuated from the Elga-1 cargo ship in the Black Sea, were taken to Varna and now they are at a hotel there, Russia’s consulate general in Varna told TASS on Saturday.
“They all feel fine, their documents are safe,” Russian Consul in Varna Maxim Aleshim told TASS.
Cargo ship Elga-1 was built in 1991. Its length is 140 meters, displacement - 6,277 tons. From 2008 to 2011, the ship under a different name carried the flag of Liberia. Currently, its home port is Russia’s Astrakhan.