The Ukrainian cargo ship Eileen sank in the Black Sea near Bulgaria. All ten crew members, who are citizens of Ukraine, were saved by the joint efforts of rescuers from Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey. This was reported by Maritime publication.
The ship was carrying bags of plaster and headed for Chornomorsk. Around 1:00 p.m. local time, the crew issued a distress signal when a hole appeared in the hull and the ship began to take on water rapidly. The accident occurred approximately 140 nautical miles from Varna.
A Bulgarian border boat, a Romanian vessel, a Turkish auxiliary vessel and a helicopter of the Bulgarian Navy were involved in the rescue operation. The crew of the Turkish vessel Murat Ilhan, which was near the Sakarya gas field, was the first to notice the Ukrainian sailors on the life rafts. All crew members were brought on board, their condition was assessed as satisfactory.
The ship sailed under the flag of Cameroon, was built in 1993 and since 2020 belonged to a Ukrainian company.
In June 2025, the ship was detained for 15 days after an inspection in Greece revealed problems with stability devices, fire pumps, piping, emergency lighting, crew training and documentation. Although this did not warrant a lengthy arrest, the report did mention deck corrosion and “structural issues”. After that, the ship was released for repairs. The causes of the accident are currently being investigated.
