Chinese Bulk Carrier Damaged by Ice Sinks Off Russia

A Chinese bulker has sunk in Strait of Tartary near the Russian port of Vanino after being damaged in a collision with heavy ice flows.

The vessel, Yong Xing 56, had been caught in the ice since February 19 and issued a distress call on February 23, prompting a rescue operation. Reporting indicates the the 33,000 DWT ship was carrying a cargo of alumina.

All 21 crew members abandoned ship and were rescued by a Russian ferry and taken to Vonino.

“The crew of 21 citizens of the People’s Republic of China got onto the ice and was then taken on board of an approaching ship,” Russia’s Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transport told state-owned press service TASS on Wednesday.

Salvage teams attempted to seal a hole in the vessel and control the ingress of water, but flooding continued and the decision was made to remove the pumps and cut the mooring lines.

The vessel sank on March 1, and an investigation has been launched.

There were no injuries to the crew.

The Yong Xing 56 was built in 2008 and sails under the Chinese flag.

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