Russian Cargo Ship Suffers Hull Breach in Sea of Azov, Awaiting Icebreaker Rescue

The 3,147 dwt Russian cargo vessel Pavel Grabovskiy is awaiting rescue in the Sea of Azov. The vessel suffered a hull breach on February 16. The cause of the damage remains unknown, but the vessel was navigating in broken sea ice at the time. 

The 114 meter-long vessel is carrying 3,000 tons of corn from Rostov en route to Samsun, Turkey.

Following the hull breach the crew reportedly tried to reach the port of Azov to make repairs, but as of February 21 it remains stranded around 5 nautical miles offshore. Satellite images show the sea ice situation improving since February 16 with the vessel currently in open water.

Russian authorities dispatched two shallow-draught river icebreakers, Kapitan Chudinov and Kapitan Demidov, to render assistance. Both have arrived on scene. It remains unclear if the vessel remains afloat or has run aground in the shallow waters of the eastern Sea of Azov.

The Panama-flagged 46-year old Pavel Grabovskiy has a long history of safety violations, registering eight deficiencies, including several related to safety equipment as recently as January 2025, according to the Equasis database.

The vessel becomes the latest in a string of incidents for Russian cargo vessels, including several hull losses.

Cargo vessel Ursa Major sank in the western Mediterranean near Gibraltar in December 2024 carrying parts for Russia’s latest nuclear icebreaker. 

The 56-year old Volgoneft 212 tanker broke apart in the Kerch Strait in mid-December spilling thousands of tons of oil products. 

With expansive Western sanctions Russia’s merchant fleet increasingly struggles to secure supplies and spare parts. Its Arc7 ice-class LNG carrier Christophe de Margerie has been out of commission since mid-2024 due to its inability to receive maintenance in Western shipyards.

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