Russian maritime turmoil: Ashamba sinks amid icy chaos
The Russian research vessel "Ashamba," trapped in ice, sank at the entrance to the port of Novorossiysk. According to the Ukrainian Shipping Magazine, the tragedy was caused by the crew's failure to remove the ice. In December, Russia lost at least three cargo ships.
Last weekend, during a severe ice storm, the small Russian research vessel "Ashamba", belonging to the Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, was docked at the port in Novorossiysk.
According to the Ukrainian Shipping Magazine, the ship's crew was unable to remove the accumulating layers of ice quickly enough, which caused the vessel to tilt to the port side gradually. On Monday, the ice-laden ship sank.
Simultaneously, on the other side of the Kerch Strait, in the northern part of the Sea of Azov, another Russian ship was experiencing serious issues. It was sailing under the Panamanian flag and began taking on water through a hole in the hull.
The first reports of problems with this vessel appeared on 16 February when the freighter became stuck near the port of Azov, where it was denied shelter. Russian authorities announced that tugs had been dispatched to assist and the situation was meant to be stable. However, according to the MarineTraffic portal, the freighter remains immobilised in the northern part of the Sea of Azov.
Russia lost at least three cargo ships in December of last year alone. In the Kerch Strait, two tankers sank—Volgoneft 212 and Volgoneft 239. Towards the end of December, the container ship "Ursa Major" sank in the Mediterranean Sea. In the case of this last incident, Russians accused Ukrainian military intelligence of damaging the vessel.
The series of incidents involving Russian maritime vessels suggests serious problems with fleet management and maintaining ship safety, which raises concerns about future incidents in waters controlled by Russia.
