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"Stepan Razin"

"Stepan Razin" @ the port of Antwerp, Belgium.

Date: 11-08-2004

 

Loa/Bm/Dft:	162.10 x 22.90 x 9.90
Builder:	Warnow Werft
Yard number:	109
Year:	1980
GT:	13572
NT:	6365
DWT:	19590
Eng make:	MAN
Speed:	15.0

On October 23rd 2004, the bulk carrier ship Stepan Razin from Murmansk Shipping Company was wrenched free from anchor by strong winds, and was thrown onto rocks at the mouth of the Kola Bay where it eventually sank. It was heading for Finland, carrying 18 000 tons apatite concentrate, with 287 tons of fuel in the tanks. According to the Department of Emergency Situations of the Murmansk Region, the ship sank because of the severe storm, with wind forces of 5-6. The ship was anchored, awaiting improved weather. It was wrenched free from the anchor and thrown onto the rocks in the area of the Cape of Bolshoe Lodeynoe, and as a result of this, the ship got a split in the hull near the engine room. The rescue operation started immediately after the alert about the disaster was sent to the traffic control centre. Helicopters carried out the rescue operation. One Ka-27 from the regional Rescue base of the Aviation Safety Committee picked up 18 crewmembers, and a second helicopter evacuated five more sailors. “As the weather improves, the divers will examine the ship for damage to make a decision about the salvage action,” said the regional Department of Emergency Situations. The Department stated that it believed that no major harm was done to the environment. “The engine-room, where the main damage occurred, is located rather far from the holds with apatite concentrate, and for this reason the cargo must be intact,” it said. On October 27th, media reported that fuel from the wrecked bulk carrier Stepan Razin covered a large part of the Kola Bay. The Murmansk Basin Emergency and Salvage Department (MBESD) had the main responsibility for the clean-up, and environmental organisations observed with great interest how the local authorities dealt with the operation. On November 3rd, 60 tons of diesel fuel were pumped into the ice breaker Vladimir Ignatyuk from the fuel tanks of the bulk carrier Stepan Razin. According to information from the regional Department of Emergency Situations, 200 tons of fuel oil still remained in the tanks of the ship at the time. The remaining fuel was to be pumped out of the sunken ship to the tanker Don in the nearest future. The oil spill response unit installed oil protection booms around Stepan Razin to prevent oil from spreading out, in case of leakage to the Kola Bay. Two boom-setting ships, Markab and UMOB-20F, as well as the tug Taymyr and the salvage ship Mikula kept watch near Stepan Razin. At that time, there was no leakage of oil from the ship, the Department informed. Salvage operations were then suspended because of bad weather conditions. Murmansk Shipping Company and the Department of Emergency Situations then started preparing the operation to pull the ship off.

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Last updated: January 14, 2009 .