An oil tanker has split in half after the ship ran aground in stormy weather as a desperate rescue mission is launched to save the crew.
Two Russian cargo ships carrying oil products were severely damaged due to bad weather in the Kerch Strait between mainland Russia and annexed Crimea and have now requested assistance, the country’s Emergency Services Ministry said on Sunday.
There were 13 people aboard the oil tanker Volgoneft 212, which was destroyed and ran aground, and 14 people on a second ship, the Volgoneft 239, which was adrift after being damaged, the ministry added.
The 212 is believed to have broken in half amid large waves near the shores of Kerch and, according to Russian outlet Mash, the ship began to sink rapidly.
Russian newspaper Kommersant reported that the tanker Volgoneft 212 was carrying around 4,300 tons of fuel oil.
The emergency services ministry said more than 50 people and equipment, including an Mi-8 helicopter and a rescue tug, had been deployed for the rescue mission.
Rescuers aboard the tugboat were reportedly attempting to pull the stranded crew members from the sea. They had reportedly been waiting for rescue for up to four hours.
“There is a crew of 13 people on board,” the Russian Emergencies Ministry for the disputed Republic of Crimea reported.
Two Russian cargo ships carrying oil products were severely damaged due to bad weather in the Kerch Strait between mainland Russia and annexed Crimea.
Russian newspaper Kommersant reported that the tanker Volgoneft 212 was carrying around 4,300 tons of fuel oil.
A rescue operation was launched to save the crew members who fell into the water.
The Ministry of Emergency Services said more than 50 people and equipment, including a Mi-8 helicopter and a rescue tug, had been deployed for the rescue mission.
“There are also petroleum products on the ship, information about the spill is being clarified.”
Later, media outlet Mash said that ten sailors had been rescued but that 13 were “still at sea.”
There are fears for the lives of four others who were “in the hold” when one of the ships broke up, according to the report, which expressed concern they may have drowned.
“All those who cannot be found worked as mechanics.”
The report said: ‘The Volgoneft-212 and the Volgoneft-239 are new vessels of the river-sea type.
‘In the 1990s, they were cut in half and ‘stitched’ to meet class standards for this type of boat.
‘During all this time, they did not receive adequate service.
‘Today, during a storm, the waves hit them on the side and ‘broke’ the weld.
“Each had 4,000 tons of fuel oil in the tanks; some leaked from the tanks, forming black spots in the sea.”
Readovka media outlet reported: “According to preliminary data, due to strong waves a hole formed in the hull, after which the ship broke in half and began to sink.”
An unconfirmed report said: ‘Volgoneft-212 was built 55 years ago.
‘It was originally a normal tanker, and in the 1990s it was downgraded to ‘river-sea’ standards (meaning it could operate in both rivers and sea).
‘Everything was done in a hurry… They cut out the center (of the ship) and then welded the stern and bow together, forming a huge seam in the middle.
“Today this seam broke after a powerful wave hit.”
It comes after Ukraine’s armed forces shot down a £55m Russian warship using kamikaze attack drones in February in a formidable attack off the coast of Crimea.
Footage shared by Ukraine’s Defense Ministry showed its unmanned maritime vessels bearing down on the Black Sea missile ship Ivanovets.
The 184-foot warship was hit by multiple drones off annexed Crimea and reportedly sank after suffering massive hull damage.
At least 33 people are feared dead in the sinking.