Russian tankers collide in the Arctic
Two Russian tankers carrying diesel-fuel collided late last Friday in the North East Passage, according to local news sources.
No leakages of diesel or oil were reported. Both vessels were owned by Murmansk Shipping Company.
The exact position of the tankers was not given. The collision happened on Friday evening/Saturday morning, reported the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta.
Last week, the Barents Observer reported that the two tankers Indiga and Varzuga recently sailed from Murmansk loaded with 13,300 tonnes of diesel fuel for Chukotka in Russias Far East.
The tankers were sailing in the partly ice-covered Northern Sea Route and were accompanied by the two nuclear powered icebreakers Rossia and Taimyr, according to the Murmansk based web-portal MBNews.
According to Novaya Gazeta, the collision happened in difficult ice conditions, exacerbated by poor visibility. It was thought that Varzuga had hit the stern quarter of the Indiga.
The Indigos hull was damaged, but the vessel did not lose seaworthiness, the sources said.
According to the original schedule, Indiga and Varzuga were due to arrive in the port of Pevek in Chukotka on 27th July. There were no reports of any delays due to the collision last weekend.
Although the two tankers were the first to sail the North East Passage this summer, they are not the only ones earmarked for a passage.
Sovcomflot intends to carry out the first major oil shipment from the Varandey terminal on the coast of the Pechora Sea through the North East Passage to Japan later this summer.
The shipping company will use one of its purpose-built 70,000 dwt ice-classed shuttle tankers.
If the trial is successful, the vessel will be the first ever oil tanker to sail the entire Northern Sea route from Northwest Russia to Asia.
Source: MBNews
