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Search and rescue operations are underway after a fishing vessel disappeared from the radar off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast.

The search for the fishing vessel that disappeared on 18 February east of Cape Maslen Nos with three people on board resumed with intensified efforts. According to local news reports, in addition to the official rescue teams, eight volunteer groups have joined the operation, combing the coastline between Sozopol and Primorsko.

 

A drone is also being deployed to survey areas that are difficult to access on foot. The vessel had set out the previous day despite severe weather conditions, when the vessel’s signal suddenly disappeared from radar.

Authorities launched a large-scale search involving rescue services, the Border Police and the military, however the operation was suspended in the evening due to darkness.

Experienced mariners have described the circumstances surrounding the disappearance as deeply concerning. A sailor noted in a television interview that there is a two- to three-minute discrepancy between data from the AIS tracking system and coastal radar.

He further commented that such an abrupt loss of signal is highly unusual, but expressed hope that, if an accident occurred, the crew may have had enough time to deploy a life raft.

The sailor added that strong winds could have carried the crew far offshore and urged authorities to conduct an aerial search and called on the Maritime Administration to also issue a missing persons alert as soon as possible.

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Below you will find a weekly report dated 18 February 2026, covering the period of 12 to 18 February, where the following incidents were reported:

  • 0 maritime security incidents in West Africa in the last 7 days
  • 1 maritime security incident in the Indian Ocean/Middle East in the last 7 days.

Full advisory at the following link.

https://britanniapandi.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/ARC-Weekly-Report-18.02.26.pdf

19.2.26

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Russia’s Black Sea port of Taman, a key hub for oil products, grain, coal, and other commodities, has suffered damage from a Ukrainian drone attack, the governor of Russia’s Krasnodar region, Veniamin Kondratyev, reported on 15 February.

According to Reuters, separate strikes were reported in the resort city of Sochi and the village of Yurovka, near the seaside town of Anapa, though damage in those locations was less severe, the governor added. Veniamin Kondratyev said in a post on Telegram that two people were injured when an oil storage tank, warehouse, and port terminals were hit in Volna village, the site of the Taman port complex.

Ukraine’s general staff confirmed it had carried out strikes on the port complex, Reuters reports. The attacks mark a resumption of Ukrainian operations targeting Russian energy infrastructure. 

Russia, in turn, has repeatedly targeted Ukrainian energy and utility infrastructure, leaving hundreds of thousands of residents without heat and electricity during an unusually cold winter.

Industry sources noted that approximately 4.16 million metric tons of oil products were shipped through Taman last year, highlighting the port’s strategic importance, Reuters notes.