Two men responsible for sinking cargo worth RUB 25m get off cheap (photo release)
Russia’s supervising authority for safety of sea and river shipping Gosmorrechnadzor has conducted the investigation into an accident with the M/V GT-56 and a barge MP-285 (owned by LLC Yamalgeoflot) on the Taz River (the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District (YNAD). The investigators established the motor vessel / barge that departed the Tazovsky port with gross violations of the navigation safety regulations, a regional Rosmorrechnadzor’s official told PortNews.
The deputy chief of Rosmorrechnadzor’s Ob-Irtysh Safety of Navigation Supervising Department Mikhail Burian said that the ship has no valid documents of the Russian River Register (RRR), which determine the vessel’s seaworthiness. Besides, there were no captain and some crew members on board the ship and the vessel’s draft did satisfy the actual dimensions of the channel at the river stretch.
On September 11, 2012 the M/V GT-56 towing the MP-285 barge loaded with the cargo of construction materials and vehicles was bound for the village of Tolka. While passing the 334-km stretch of river, the ship deviated from her course, the barge hit the rocks, sustained a breach in her hull and partially sank. As a result, the cargo worth RUB 25 million was completely damaged.
Noteworthy, the head of LLC Yamalgeoflot (shipowner) and the M/V GT-56 chief mate were slapped with a fine of only $48 and $32, respectively.