Russian Cargo Vessel Suffering From Hull Damage In Sea of Azov Awaits Icebreaker Rescue

The Russian Cargo Ship Pavel Grabovskiy is waiting to be rescued in the Sea of Azov after suffering a hull breach on February 16. While the cause of the damage remains unknown, the vessel was sailing in broken sea ice at that time.

The 3,147 DWT ship was loaded with approximately 3000 tonnes of corn and was sailing from Rostov, Russia, to Samsun, Turkiye.

After the hull breach, the crew members tried to reach the Azov port to get repairs done, however as of February 21, the ship is stranded about 5 nautical miles offshore. Satellite images showed that the sea ice situation improved and the ship is in open water.

Russian authorities sent 2 river icebreakers, the Kapitan Demidoc and Kapitan Chudinov to the site to assist the vessel. However, it remains unclear whether it is afloat now or has run aground in shallow waters of the eastern Sea of Azov.

The 46-year-old ship has a history of violations including several related to safety equipment as recent as Jan 25, per the Equasis database.

This incident is the latest among many involving Russian ships. Cargo Ship Ursa Major sank in the western Mediterranean close to Gibraltar in December 2024, while carrying parts for Russia’s newest nuclear icebreaker.

The Volgoneft 212 tanker also broke in the Kerch Strait in the middle of December, spilling thousands of tonnes of oil products.

Due to the strongest Western sanctions against Russia, its merchant fleet is struggling to secure supplies and spare parts.

Russia’s Arc7 ice-class LNG Carrier, the Christophe de Margerie has been out of service since 2024 as it couldn’t get the much-needed maintenance from shipyards in the west.

References: Hindustan Times, Safety4sea

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