Russia: Three Missing after Explosion on Oil Tanker
Three people were reported missing after an explosion took place on a Russian oil tanker travelling through the Kerch Strait towards the port of Rostov-on-Don on Saturday, the Russian federal maritime agency said.The General Hazi Aslanov was not carrying any oil, and the explosion was likely triggered by leftover fumes, the Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transport said.A rescue operation was underway, the emergencies ministry said, adding that the emergency services had sent three vessels to help.There were 13 people on board, of whom six had been rescued and three were missing overboard. Four remained on deck, the ministry said. (Reporting by Gleb Stolyarov; Writing by Polina Ivanova; Editing by Matthias Williams and Alison Williams)
Russia: 3 Killed in Volzhsky Shipyard Explosion
A gas explosion has taken place at the Volzhsky Ship Repair Yard in Russia’s Volgograd Region, Tass reported quoting a source in the regional head office of the Russian Emergencies Ministry.The report said quoting unnamed sources said at least three had been killed and another two had suffered injuries. "we have fatalities and casualties," they said.According to the report sources in the regional disaster medicine center confirmed that three had been killed and another two had suffered injuries.The explosion occurred during the recycling of a barge though it did not cause fire. Fire fighters, rescue workers and doctors are working on the site.
Water in Lena River in Yakutia to Reach Critical Level
Russian Emergency Situations Ministry predicts rise in water level to critical levels of 92 rivers in all regions of the Far East. The most unfavorable situation may arise on the Lena River in Yakutia. "After analyzing the information about the state of the ice in the rivers of the Far East and the amount of snow cover, the specialists of the Far Eastern Center for Monitoring and Forecasting Emergency Situations Ministry predict the possibility of raising the water level to the achievement of critical levels of 92 rivers in all regions of the Far East. In connection with the probability of flooding of low-lying terrain, populated areas, farmland and roads during the spring flood is not excluded on the whole territory of the region ", - reported in the Far Eastern Regional Emergency Center.
Russian Submarine Fire 'Put Out' in Dock
Firefighters at Zvyozdochka shipyard in Russia's northern province of Arkhangelsk partially flooded a nuclear-powered submarine to extinguish a blaze that started aboard the vessel. The vessel - classified as Oscar-II by NATO - is a cruise missile type sub which carries nuclear material and has two reactors aboard. There were no weapons on board of 949 Antei submarine, the vessel's nuclear reactor had been shut down prior to the blaze and nobody was hurt, said the state-owned United Shipbuilding Corporation which runs the Zvyozdochka shipyard where the 155-metre (500 ft) 949 Antei submarine was being repaired. Initial efforts to put…
Russian Atomic Submarine Catches Fire in Shipyard
A nuclear submarine caught fire in a shipyard in Russia's northern province of Arkhangelsk on Tuesday but there were no weapons on board, Russian news agencies reported. The Emergencies Ministry declined comment on the reports of the fire at the Zvyozdochka shipyard, where the agencies said the 155-metre-long (just over 500 feet) 949 Antei submarine was being repaired. There was no word of any casualties. "There is a fire on the submarine. We are fighting the fire now," a shipyard source told Interfax news agency. RIA quoted a spokesperson at the shipyard as saying there were no weapons on board the submarine. A source told TASS news agency the submarine's nuclear reactor had been shut down prior to the blaze.
56 Dead as Russian trawler Sinks
Trawler with 132 crew sinks in freezing waters; rescue operation seeks missing crew. MOSCOW, April 2 (Reuters) - A Russian trawler sank in icy seas off Russia's far eastern Kamchatka peninsula on Thursday, killing at least 56 of the 132 crew, the emergencies ministry said on Thursday. Sixty-three people were rescued but 13 were still unaccounted for, hours after the Dalniy Vostok fishing vessel sank in the Sea of Okhotsk so quickly that its captain, who drowned, did not manage to send a distress signal. It was not immediately clear why the 26-year-old ship had sunk but a local official said the crew may have violated safety rules by overloading it, affecting its balance. Russia has a long history of road, air and sea disasters, many caused by negligence or violation of safety regulations.
Pipeline Spills into Black Sea From Russian Source
A leak on a major Russian oil pipeline caused a spill in the Black Sea near the port of Tuapse on Wednesday where officials said stormy weather was hampering efforts to assess and respond to the mishap. "Some quantity of oil has spilled into the sea," Sergei Proskurin, first deputy captain of the port of Tuapse, told Reuters. He said the size of the spill was unclear and that emergencies services were working to deploy temporary floating barriers to contain the spill but were being delayed by the stormy conditions. Tuapse is a busy industrial and oil port but is located close to many Russian Black Sea resorts. It is just 118 km (73 miles) from the town of Sochi which hosted the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Another Ship Captain Arrested
Ukrainian prosecutors arrested the captain of a ship which sank en route from Istanbul to Ukraine's Crimean peninsula and charged him with breaking transport safety laws. The Pamyat Mercuria (Memory of Mercury) sank during a storm on Friday, killing 14 people. Rescuers plucked 32 survivors from lifeboats and rafts in the Black Sea on Sunday and Monday, after days spent floating in the cold waters. Ships and aircraft were still searching the sea off the southern tip of the peninsula on Tuesday for five people still missing. "The captain of the ship Leonid Ponomarenko is currently in custody," Volodymyr Rebrov, Crimea's deputy public prosecutor, told reporters. If found guilty Ponomarenko could face up to 15 years in prison.
Look Out Ice, Bombs Away!
Russian warplanes bombed an 80-km (50 mile) wide river ice floe on Thursday in an attempt to unblock a build-up of meltwater which has forced thousands of people from flooded homes in eastern Siberia, the Emergencies Ministry said. But spokeswoman Marina Ryklina said the water level remained critically high around the town of Lensk. Helicopters were still evacuating residents and delivering vital supplies to remote settlements along the Lena river. "Fighter planes have dropped another six bombs on the ice blockage, but the water level has not fallen," Ryklina said. "They've got generators to keep the hospitals running and there have not been any casualties. But the situation is bad, it is worrying," she said.
