IZMAIL

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Ship moved in port of Burgas, disobeying captain still on board

The fate of Captain Anatoli Bohatirov, who was in charge of the 'Izmail', owned by the Ukrainian state company Ukrainskoe Danube Steamship, was in doubt after he “hijacked” the ship to avoid complying with the order to suspend a scheduled trip to Turkey and return in the short term to Ukraine, which would be due to his fear of being sent to the battle front. If the Captain ever returns to Ukraine, he could be court-martialed for disobeying an order issued by a state-owned company under Martial Law. On the other hand, if Bohatirov decides to stay in Bulgaria and ask for political asylum, he will most likely be denied, because Ukraine is not a dictatorship, but a democratic country that maintains a multi-party system and freedom of expression even in times of war. Bokhatirov can take advantage of the fact that his Ukrainian passport is still valid and abandon the ship to escape to another country, but the probability of being granted asylum in the West is also small. Bohatirov expressed his concern about sailing to Ukrainian territorial waters, which are constantly targeted by Russian bombers, responding to his boss that he is willing to take a course towards any place except his native country. To date, the' Izmail' and its captain remained in the port area. Initially, the ship was located at berth number 12, intended for loading and unloading activities. But when it became clear that the ship was already a fugitive and most of her crew had deserted, the aritime Administration arrested the 'Izmail' as unseaworthy. She has moved so as not to interfere with work in the main part of the port and is currently in the second berth in the open part of the port area. The 'Izmail' accumulates Ukraine's daily debt with the Port of Burgas. For each 24-hour stay, the ship owes USD 1,845 in tonnage and docking fees. On Oct 28 the debt already exceeded 11.000 dollars. The Ukrainian state has made it clear that it will soon send a new crew to Burgas to take charge of the ship. Report with photo: https://portalportuario.cl/capitan-secuestra-buque-ucraniano-por-temor-de-ser-enviado-al-frente-de-batalla/

Captain disobeyed order to sail to Ukraine, crew left

After the 'Izmail', which had arrived at Burgas anchorage on Oct 18, 2023, from Istanbul, offloaded its cargo of salt since Oct 22, the ship was to sail back to Turkey to undergo planned repairs, but then a new order from owner came, to sail to Ukraine. The Captain, Anatoly Bokhatirov, fearing his crew of Ukrainian nationality would be mobilized and sent to war, refused to obey the order, saying that he’s ready to take ship anywhere but Ukraine. All but one crew didn’t side with the Captain, disobeyed him and left the ship, returing to Ukraine. The Captain and one his follower remained on board, not sure what to do, unable totake the ship anywhere, which could not even shift the berth. As of Oct 29, the ship remained berthed at Burgas, and new crew from Ukraine was to arrive soon in order to take the ship over and return to Ukraine.