A dry cargo ship carrying more than 2,000 tonnes of sulfur sank at the Port of Kavkaz in Russia today, RF Emergency Ministry reports according to Vesti information channel. According to PortNews IAA, the vessel is owned by Volgotanker OJSC. Some 1,300 metric tons of fuel oil have spilled into the sea.
“The shipwreck could be caused by specific classification of the vessel unable to survive such a storm,” Elena Vilikova, chief officer of Krasnodar region’s transport prosecutor’s office says.
RF Emergency Ministry says the crew managed to get onto the raft. Their lives are out of danger. According to the source, the Mercury vessel was sent to evacuate the crew of 9 members.
According to preliminary information, there is no ecological threat for the Black Sea or the Sea of Azov, Southern Regional Center of the Emergency Ministry says. Some 50 vessels were drawn out of the Kerch Strait to safer areas.
It is the second shipwreck near the port in the past 24 hours. Earlier, RF Transport Ministry representative informed that at 04:45 a.m. Moscow time (01:45 a.m. GMT), the tanker Volganeft-139 loaded with 4,000 metric tons of fuel oil broke apart during a storm to the south of the port of Kavkaz. According to the Ministry, there were 13 crewmembers on board the vessel.
The crew members were drifting aboard the ship's stern until it ran aground three miles from the front part. The rescuers are not able to save the people now as efforts to reach them were hampered by the storm. According to information provided by RF Emergency Ministry a helicopter of RF Emergency Ministry and a plane of Ukrainian Emergency Ministry will be sent to the site as soon as the weather allows.
According to preliminary information, there is no ecological threat for the Black Sea or the Sea of Azov, Southern Regional Center of the Emergency Ministry says. Some 50 vessels were drawn out of the Kerch Strait to safer areas.
It is the second shipwreck near the port in the past 24 hours. Earlier, RF Transport Ministry representative informed that at 04:45 a.m. Moscow time (01:45 a.m. GMT), the tanker Volganeft-139 loaded with 4,000 metric tons of fuel oil broke apart during a storm to the south of the port of Kavkaz. According to the Ministry, there were 13 crewmembers on board the vessel.
The crew members were drifting aboard the ship's stern until it ran aground three miles from the front part. The rescuers are not able to save the people now as efforts to reach them were hampered by the storm. According to information provided by RF Emergency Ministry a helicopter of RF Emergency Ministry and a plane of Ukrainian Emergency Ministry will be sent to the site as soon as the weather allows.