Two Bulgarian Sailors Disappeared in the Norwegian Sea

They are part of the crew of the ship Stara Planina

Two Bulgarian sailors have fallen overboard the cargo ship Stara Planina, which is currently located in the Norwegian Sea. Our embassy in Oslo was notified today by the Norwegian MFA of the incident.

Hours later, the Norwegian Coast Guard terminated the search operation for the two sailors because of the chances that the victims survived due to weather conditions in the area are close to zero, Navibulgar told NOVA.

The Stara Planina ship was taking a regular course when this morning a 9-meter wave pushed the two sailors overboard. The incident occurred in extremely severe weather conditions - winds exceeding 20 meters per second and stormy sea, said Alexander Kalchev, executive director of BMF: The relatives of the sailors have been notified of the incident.

The captain of the ship immediately signaled to the Norwegian Rescue Coordination Center. Helicopters were sent there immediately by the Naval Service. The ship itself was 65 miles offshore. Bypass activities continue.

“According to the Norwegian Joint Rescue Coordination Center, under the current climatic conditions there is no chance for those who have fallen into the water to survive for such a long time,” the ministry said in a statement.

Our Oslo ambassador, Vera Shatilova, is in contact with local authorities and is assisting on the case.

A total of 19 people sailed aboard the Stara Planina cargo ship - 18 Bulgarian citizens and one Ukrainian, NOVA reported.