The cargo ship BABEK MAHMUDLU prompted an alert off Bulgaria’s northern Black Sea coast overnight into 24 October after leaving the designated shipping route and failing to respond to repeated VHF radio calls.
The course was corrected
At about 03:00, the ship left the traffic separation scheme near Varna and came within roughly five nautical miles of the coast off Balchik. Radio contact with the watch officer was established at 04:01. The vessel was told to change course and return to the designated route. A Border Police patrol boat had been directed towards its position.
Why the silence mattered
The vessel sails under the flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis and was travelling from Italy towards Giurgiulesti in Moldova. Traffic separation schemes organise ships moving in different directions; coastal radio contact allows operators to clarify intentions and issue navigational instructions.
The cause remains unclear
The available report does not establish why the watch failed to answer. Suggestions that someone fell asleep remain a hypothesis. The loss of contact and the course deviation should not be presented as evidence of a deliberate security threat.
