"A damaged oil tanker Kairos, that spent nearly ten days drifting near Bulgaria's southern Black Sea coast after being struck by a Ukrainian drone, has been towed to safety in the Gulf of Burgas. The vessel was taken to a designated offshore area used for ship-to-ship operations, around eight nautical miles from Pomorie and Sozopol. Footage filmed on Monday, shows tanker standing after it was previously moved by the three tugboats and a specialised generator to restore power for onboard hydraulics and raise its anchor. "My order has already detained the ship, because it is in the area of responsibility of my directorate. Inspections of the shipowner are pending, to whom we will file claims for the costs. We need to calculate them accurately," captain Zhivko Petrov, Director of the Maritime Administration in Burgas, explained. In the days leading up to the towing operation, parts of the crew were disembarked onto Bulgarian territory, and inspections were carried out. The operation was monitored from shore by Border Police and Frontex officers, as well as residents of the nearby town of Ahtopol. Locals said the prolonged presence of the visibly damaged and rusted tanker close to the shoreline caused anxiety, particularly over the risk of pollution. 'There are fears because there could be some kind of environmental disaster,' local resident Krasimir said, pointing out that tankers typically carry fuel oil and diesel. Some residents also voiced anger over how the vessel ended up in Bulgarian waters, after being abandoned near Ahtopol by a Turkish tugboat following the damage. "You saw the condition of the ship. Two-thirds of it was burned. This is the result of an arrogant terrorist attack from Ukraine, carried out in the territorial waters of Turkey. This is unacceptable. After all, this is a ship of the merchant navy and in no way is it a military threat to Ukraine," local resident Zdravko claimed. A complex maritime operation to relocate damaged vessel cost around 1.2 million levs (€0.6 million), according to Bulgarian authorities."