Icebreakers of Rosmorport the Kapitan Demidov and the Kapitan Chudinov are escorting a convoy of 21 cargo ships to the ports of Eisk, Taganrog, Azov and Rostov-on-Don, the Azov Sea Ice Ops Headquarters said.
The icebreakers Kapitan Moshkin has approached the site of the stricken ship Kapitan Ivan Vikulov and commence cutting a path for the vessel to guide her to the Kerch Strait with the icebreaking tug Pluton.
The icebreaker Kapitan Krutov had guided a caravan of five ships to the offshore anchorage of the port Temryuk cut an open water passage in the harbor and then escorted the convoy to the port. Then the icebreaker will lead a 11-ship convoy to the Kerch Strait.
As of 5:00 pm March 9, there were 39 ships in the Sea of Azov, 38 of them were en route and 1 damaged vessel. 83 ships in the Azov Sea-based ports are ready to depart (9 had ice class). There are also 63 ships in the Black Sea ready to pass the Kerch Strait, 14 of them with ice-class hulls.