A Cameroon-flagged general cargo ship, Eileen, sank on Sunday, 12 October, about 140 nautical miles east of Varna, Bulgaria, after reporting flooding and a heavy list.
Bulgaria’s Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC Varna) received the distress call at 13:14 local time and launched a joint rescue operation involving units from Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey.
A Bulgarian Navy helicopter was deployed, and corvette Bodri was placed on standby.
The nearby Turkish offshore support vessel Murat Ilhan located two life rafts and rescued all 10 crew members, all Ukrainian nationals, in good condition.
Medical checks confirmed that air evacuation was unnecessary. The last sailor was transferred aboard Murat Ilhan at 19:31, and the vessel transported the crew to Turkey.
On Monday, 13 October, the sailors were landed at Filyos Port in Zonguldak.
Eileen is a 1993-built mini bulker with a deadweight of about 3,092 tons, sailing under the flag of Cameroon. The ship has faced compliance issues in recent years. The Paris MoU confirmed in April 2025 that it lifted a previous refusal-of-access order for the vessel (then listed as Haksa). In June 2025, Eileen was detained again in Astakos, Greece.
