The underwater inspections of the ship Vera SU, which has been stranded near the protected area Yailata, north of Kaliakra, continue for the second day.

The ship ran aground on the rocky bottom near Yailata at around 1.30 am on Monday during a crossing from Ukraine to Varna.

According to the data recorded by the automatic tracking system (AIS), the ship took a course that took her directly to the rocky shore and shoal.

The same data showed that for more than two hours the ship's duty officers did not take any action to change course to avoid the hit. The ship crashed into the rocks at a speed of about 7 knots (13 km per hour).

No sailors from the 9-member crew, made up of Turkish and Azerbaijani nationals, were injured.

The captain of the ship is also a Turk. According to the specialized edition Maritime.bg, the first diving inspection of the ship, which ended around 9 pm last night, showed holes in its hull, but without a fuel leak.

The information published by the same publication claims that the tanks of the vessel built 32 years ago contain about 20 tons of light marine fuel.

The operation to withdraw the ship from the shoal will most likely be carried out in the coming days.

During the first underwater inspection, numerous holes were found in the bow of the ship. According to the Bulgarian authorities  the cause of the incident was the inadequate condition of the crew on duty.

Prosecutors' office in Dobrich is investigating the case for possible crime.