Waves smash two Russian tankers off the coast of Crimea: one of them was carrying more than 4 tons of fuel oil
Kyiv • UNN
In the Kerch Strait, two Volgoneft vessels were severely damaged by strong waves. There are crew members on board each ship waiting to be rescued.
Two Russian vessels, Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239, were smashed by waves off the coast of occupied Crimea. According to Russian Telegram channels, people have been "waiting for help" on the decks of the ships for about 4 hours, UNN reports.
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According to Shot, the ships were in distress in the Kerch Strait, a few kilometers from the coast.
According to eyewitnesses, powerful waves broke through the vessels.
Currently, the rescue boat is heading towards Volgoneft-239. Each vessel has 13 crew members on board. The Volgoneft-212, which was carrying more than 4 tons of fuel oil, was hit first, followed by the Volgoneft-239 an hour later.
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In turn, Mash reports that this is the second time that a Kama Shipping cargo ship has sank due to a hull failure. The previous one was the Volgoneft-139 tanker, which went under in a few minutes. In both cases, the waves crashed into the hull and made a hole, then a crack followed, the tanker literally split into two sides and sank.
A rescue operation is currently underway in the waters. A tugboat has arrived at the crash site and is trying to get the sailors on board. As Mash has learned, Volgoneft-212 was built 55 years ago. It was originally a conventional tanker, and in the 1990s it was shortened to river-to-sea standards. Everything was done in a hurry, like this: they cut out the center, threw it away, and then welded the stern and bow, forming a huge seam in the middle. Today, this seam has been "parted" after a powerful wave hit.
