What's going on: Maritime Office in Gdynia reported that The merchant ship “Sofia” is being towed towards Sweden. However, the captain of the tugboat believes that the unit will not sail through the Baltic Sea in this condition may sink. Magdalena Kierzkowska from the Maritime Office in Gdynia claims that the situation is constantly monitored in terms of safety and there are no disturbing information.
Previously, the unit was picked up by a tug: However, she was not allowed to enter the Port of Gdynia because the shipowner did not comply with the formalities. Among other things, he did not send an official letter to the director of the Maritime Office in Gdynia asking for permission to enter the port. Sebastian Kluska, director of the Maritime Search and Rescue Service SAR, said that the shipowner was informed that the ship was to be towed to Sweden.
What is the background: On Thursday, November 28, the “Sofia” unit entered Ustka without cargo. At around 9 p.m., the Danes informed the services that the ship was on fire and was probably taking on water. Therefore, it was carried out evacuation of the five-person crew. As it turned out, there was not only a fire in the bow part, but also explosion. After the fire extinguished itself, the ship was tilted to the port side and began to drift towards Poland.
More: You can read about the ship fire in the article: “The ship is drifting in the Polish Baltic Sea. A fire broke out. Units have been dispatched“.
Source: IAR