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Tanker under tow again
After the damaged 'Mentor', carrying approximately 11,000 tonnes of sunflower oil, broke free during a towing operation from Constanța to Turkey in the Black Sea, and went adrift off the Bulgarian coast near Shabla amid severe weather on Nov 4, the replacement tug 'Athletic' managed to take over the towing operation on Nov 5, attempting to move the 'Mentor' southwards again towards Turkey. Report with photo: https://www.maritime.bg/157737/
Drone damaged tanker collided with tug
On Nov 4, 2026, at 4.20 a.m. UTC, the tug 'Ayaz Bey' issued a distress signal in Romanian waters, northeast of Shabla. Together with the the tug 'Ramazan Bey' (IMO: 7210824), it was towing the 'Mentor'. Hurricane-force winds caused the tow lines to break. The crews carried out a hazardous manoeuvre in darkness to reconnect the lines. Although the connection was successfully restored, the 'Ayaz Bey' subsequently lost control and collided head-on with the tanker's hull. The impact caused significant damage to 'Ayaz Bey', which was at risk of sinking. Following the distress call, two vessels—operated by the Border Police, the Coast Guard, and the Emergency Inspectorate of the Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA)—along with the SAR vessel 'ARES' of ARSVOM, were dispatched to the scene. Three injured crew members from the 'Ayaz Bey' were transferred aboard the Dutch-flagged tug 'Odin' and taken to the port of Mangalia, while the remaining four crew members stayed on board the tug, stating that they did not require assistance. It was stabilised in the anchorage area off Mangalia, and an investigation has been initiated. The tanker remained unmanned and adrift off Mangalia. On Sep 23, it had been struck by a Russian drone near Odesa. According to Ukrainian authorities, a fire broke out during the attack, and the 63-year-old Ukrainian captain was killed. The remaining 15 crew members were evacuated. There was no confirmed information regarding a leak of sunflower oil from the tanker, nor of any new damage to its hull resulting from the collision with the tug 'Ayaz Bey'. It was unclear when the towing operation would be resumed. Bulgarian authorities continued to monitor the situation. Report with photo: https://clubz.bg/181446?fbclid=Iwb21leAVZf3xjbGNrBVl99mV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHBkb2YFc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMzUwNjg1NTMxNzI4AAEfPMO1BDtbT-vJh6cRBfvEkffDiyTLwmPUDGSq3Zea_jPRLkZ_DbJwiLW_R8Q_aem_Gj5G-f9T9IjCGXOsxEatBQ
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