A towboat "GAL 1" owned by Rostov-on-Don based LLC "MA River-Sea", Rostov-on-Don) caught fire on the 2802 km stretch of the Volga in Astrakhan region then ran aground on the 2803rd km outside the shipping channel. The ship stern submerged, her deck cabin has been been destroyed by fire.
The Russian Transport Minsitry's Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre said there is a long oil slick of sheen (about 2 km) seen on the water with the smell of diesel fuel.
The rescue centre said the incident response was poorly handled as there were no oil containment booms deployed. The amount of oil leak is not yet established.
The incident occurred on July 14 while the towboat with 11 crew on board was en route Astrakhan – Port of Kavkaz. In the area of Buoy No 156 the stern of the boat caught fire. Nine crew members were rescued to the MV "Puteiskiy-506", one of them sustained burns of hands and face and was hospitalized. Two crew members are still unaccounted for. The cause of the fire is being established.