A giant tanker from Vladimir Putin’s covert ‘shadow fleet’ is drifting in the Black Sea following a Ukrainian drone strike.
Rescue efforts are underway after the 149,000-tonne ship, Kairos, entered Bulgaria’s territorial waters on Friday.
It was attacked off the coast of Turkey a week ago, on Saturday, November 29, by a Sea Baby drone.
Russia uses the Gambian-flagged, 899ft-long vessel to evade oil sanctions.
Kairos had been under tow by a Turkish vessel, Timur Bey, but the rescue mission was abruptly abandoned in a move that maritime officials said was ‘deeply mysterious’.
Without power, Kairos drifted across the Black Sea like a ghost ship – and straight into Nato waters.
It appeared near the Bulgarian resort town of Ahtopol, failing to respond to any radio contact.
Border guards, naval forces and the Maritime Administration scrambled to assess the danger as residents posted videos of the looming hulk some 900 yards offshore.
The ship’s bow was rising and dropping in violent waves as a winter storm rolled in.
A Bulgarian Navy helicopter was dispatched overhead, while an emergency maritime centre was activated on land.
As many as 10 crew members were still aboard the stricken tanker – all wearing protective gear. They eventually requested evacuation.
Authorities said there was ‘no immediate threat to life’ but sea conditions were so brutal that rescue teams halted attempts until weather improved.
The crew managed to drop the starboard anchor in a desperate bid to stop the drift and were working to release the second anchor as the giant vessel pitched in 13ft waves.
Kairos is one of dozens of tankers that make up Russia’s shadow fleet used to shuttle Kremlin oil around the world while dodging Western restrictions.
The ship is believed to be owned through Chinese-linked intermediaries – with its so-called Gambian registration considered fictitious by maritime trackers.
It was heading empty toward the Russian port of Novorossiysk when the Ukrainian drone struck it, sparking a fire and forcing Turkey to evacuate 25 crewmembers.
The attack was the work of the Security Service of Ukraine, which has claimed responsibility for sabotaging two Russian shadow-fleet tankers, Kairos and Virat, in the Black Sea.
Before its appearance off Bulgaria, Kairos was last seen drifting north of Turkey under tow.
Unconfirmed reports suggest the vessel began a new tow on Wednesday, December 3, destined for shipyards in Tuzla, Turkey — but then the tanker turned north and made a beeline for Bulgaria.
The whereabouts of the towing vessel remain unknown.
Bulgaria’s Maritime Administration said Kairos is now under round-the-clock surveillance, though rough seas are delaying attempts to extract the remaining crew or stabilise the tanker.
Environmental groups have warned that a giant oil tanker stranded close to Bulgaria’s tourist coast is a ‘nightmare scenario’ – but officials said there is ‘no immediate environmental danger’.
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