A cargo ship with no crew has been found drifting in the Black Sea today, the defence ministry said. It is about 40 nautical miles east of Cape Shabla and cannot manoeuvre. The air force and navy found the vessel, the motor ship EMIL, in a joint operation.
The search ran from 11:30 to 13:10. The air force sent up two Cougar helicopters with navy specialists on board alongside the crews. Their task was to locate the ship and check its condition.
A drone struck the EMIL near Odesa on 5 August. A fire broke out on board, the ship's systems failed and the crew abandoned it.
Currents have been pushing the EMIL south ever since. It is still in Romania's exclusive economic zone but is heading towards Bulgaria's.
The navy has issued a notice to mariners that a ship with no steering and no crew is in the area. The defence ministry said the relevant agencies are still tracking the vessel and are ready to act if the situation changes.