There were only 7 merchant vessels in the Sea of Azov, as of 5:00 pm of March 4, 2012, including 2 inbound and 5 outbound ships. Three of them are en route, two stricken and 2 ships awaiting icebreaker assistance, the Ice Ops headquarters said.
The Rosmorport owned icebreakers Kapitan Demidov and Kapitan Chudinov having escorted all vessels to the ports of destination, are now being charged with bunker fuel and undergoing maintenance.
Meanwhile, the icebreaker Kapitan Moshkin is clearing an open water passage for a convoy of 3 vessels departing from the port of Taganrog. Then the icebreaker will sail to the Don River to assist four ships.
The Kapitan Krutov also undergoes maintenance and is being refueled.