wp.arcticportal.org

Tag: Sea of Okhotsk

  • Tragedy after oil rig sinks

    Tragedy after oil rig sinks

    The tug boat and the Kolskoya before the accident

    An oil rig sunk yesterday in the Sea of Okhotsk where 14 people lost their lives. Many are still missing but 67 were on the rig.

    The wind was blowing at 25 m/s and the waves were 5 to 6 metres high. The rig overturned and started taking in water. It sank in only 20 minutes and the temperature of the ocean was around 1°.

    14 people were rescued. They were on duty on deck during the towing and were wearing survival suits and life-jackets.

    The Russian Media is criticising rescue operators because the whole crew was in the oil rig when it was being towed.

    According to Russian instructions for safety at sea, only a required minimum of personnel should be onboard a vessel that is being towed. The Russian Agency for Transport Supervision has started investigation of the accident.

    “Kolskaya” belongs to the Murmansk-based company Arktikmorneftegazrazvedka and had just finished work under a contract with energy giant Gazprom in the Sea of Okhotsk.

    The weather conditions are thought to be the reason for the accident, not any other problems have been found.

    Source: Barents Observer

  • Trapped in Ice since New Year’s Eve

    Trapped in Ice since New Year’s Eve

    Russian Icebreaker - Sodruzhestvo

    The Sodruzhestvo mother fishery ship has been stuck in thick ice in Russia’s Far East Sea of Okhotsk since 31st of December. The Bereg Nadezhdy ship and the Professor Kizevetter research vessel, got also stuck in two-meter-thick ice in the Sea of Okhotsk on the same day, but have been rescued.

    Two other ships, the Mys Yelizavety and the Anton Gurin, became trapped later. The Icebreaker, Admiral Makarov released the Professor Kizevetter and the Mys Yelizavety vessels from the ice trap, while the ship Anton Gurin managed to cope on its own. The Bereg Nadezhdy has also been successfully towed to clear water.

    Russian Icebreaker - Admiral Makarov and the Krasin

    Russian icebreakers the Krasin and the Admiral Makarov resumed their operation to rescue the ice-trapped mother fishery ship Sodruzhestvo, which was the hardest to tow due to its wide body. The icebreakers have to coordinate their efforts to clear a wide enough canal in the thick ice for the vessel to finally reach open waters. The two icebreakers had encountered problems on the way due to harsh conditions. At one point, the ships only moved 1,8 nautical miles in 24 hours. The icebreakers have reached the Sodruzhestvo and started towing the vessel into safe waters. The Krasin icebreaker is towing the mother ship, while the Admiral Makarov is leading the convoy forcing its way through the ice.