Greenpeace “Marks” Abandoned Leaking Tanker Launching Black Sea Campaign
Activists with the group Greenpeace “marked” the hull of the abandoned tanker Kairos anchored off Bulgaria as they launched a new campaign to protect the Black Sea. The group has been asserting for weeks that the tanker, which was damaged in November 2025 in a Ukrainian attack, is leaking residual oil off the port of Burgas.
Organized by the Bulgarian chapter of the group, activists from Bulgaria, Ukraine, Spain, the United States, and the Philippines took part in the demonstration. Using small boats launched from the group’s flagship Arctic Sunrise, they went alongside the tanker, which has been anchored off Burgas for months. They painted a message, “No Gas + Oil,” on the hull of the abandoned ship.
The group released pictures in late July, reporting that it had documented oil slicks around the tanker. They used images from the Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2, and PlanetScope platforms and reported they had identified oil slicks on April 26, May 14, 15, 17, and 19, and again on July 21. They also reported that three days ago, the Arctic Sunrise had also documented a leak from the Kairos.
Activists marked the hull to draw attention to their calls for an investigation into the oil slicks and to launch their new campaign for the Black Sea (Greenpeace Bulgaria)
The tanker has been off Burgas since it was attacked in the Black Sea by a Ukrainian drone. The sanctioned tanker was bound for Novorossiysk, Russia, to load a cargo when it was struck. A large fire engulfed the aft section of the vessel, and with the assistance of the Turkish authorities, the crew was evacuated. However, days later, it was being towed and then suddenly washed ashore in Bulgaria with assertions that a Turkish tug had abandoned the ship. The Bulgarian Navy assisted the skeleton crew aboard the tanker, and it was later towed to a safer anchorage off Burgas.
The Bulgarian maritime authorities said in July that they had surveyed the ship and denied the reports of an oil leak. They said they were in contact with the owners of the vessel.
Greenpeace, however, continues to assert that the Kairos is “the most likely source” for the oil slicks. It continues to call for further surveys to establish the origin of the oil, as well as chemical analysis of the fuel stains.
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Last month, Bulgaria’s Transportation Ministry reported it was informed the hulk had been sold to a cash buyer for dismantling in Turkey.
The Arctic Sunrise, which has been operating with the organization since 1995, arrived in Bulgaria for the new campaign. The vessel has been used for expeditions and campaigns around the world, including the Arctic, Antarctic, Amazon, and Africa. The vessel was opened for public inspection in Varna, Bulgaria, and a press event was held last week for the new campaign “A Living Black Sea Without Oil and Gas.” They are launching an initiative called “Cities Without Gas” to encourage investments in new energy-efficient and renewable sources of energy instead of new gas infrastructure.
