Russian fleets in crisis: Another vessel sinks amidst ice storm
At the entrance to the port in Novorossiysk, the icebound Russian research vessel Ashamba sank, as reported by the Ukrainian Shipping Magazine.
The small research vessel Ashamba, belonging to the Russian Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, docked in Novorossiysk last weekend during a severe ice storm. The crew was unable to remove the accumulating layers of ice quickly enough, which led to the ship gradually tilting to the port side. On Monday, the ice-laden vessel sank. The Nexta channel published two short videos on the X platform, purportedly showing the sinking Ashamba:
Another vessel is also in trouble
At the same time, on the opposite side of the Kerch Strait, in the northern part of the Sea of Azov, another Russian vessel, the 46-year-old freighter Pavel Grabovsky, registered under the Panamanian flag, had been taking on water through a hull breach for several days. The first reports of its difficulties appeared on 16 February, when the ship got stranded near the port of Azov, where it was refused refuge.
A few days ago, Russian authorities reported that tugs were dispatched to assist and the situation is stable.
On Monday, Petro Andryushchenko, head of the Ukrainian Research Centre on the Occupation of Mariupol, told Channel 24 that the freighter "remains stranded at sea." This is supported by MarineTraffic data, showing real-time ship movements. According to it, the vessel is still immobilised in the northern part of the Sea of Azov.
- Apparently, the situation is much more serious, but they are attempting to keep it undisclosed, considering the recent tanker incidents in the Black Sea - commented Andryushchenko.
Three ships sank in a month
Russia lost at least three cargo ships in December of last year alone. First, in the Kerch Strait, two tankers, Volgoneft 212 and Volgoneft 239, sank, and at the end of December, the container ship Ursa Major sank in the Mediterranean Sea, with Russia accusing Ukrainian military intelligence of damaging it.
According to the Occupation Research Centre head, this is merely the beginning of large-scale issues for the entire Russian civilian fleet, most of which was built in the 1950s and 1960s. - Some of these are German ships captured after the Second World War. In reality, they are scrap that manages to stay afloat by miracle. Russia has no funds to renew its fleet - explained Andryushchenko.
