Murmansk Branch News

Murmansk Branch prevents an emergency in Kola Bay

The KOM bulk carrier (registered under the flag of Malta) with 10,200 tons in displacement, 143 meters in length and over 22 meters in breadth headed for the seaport of Murmansk from the seaport of Nordenham (Germany) and turned out to be dead in the water near Brandvakhta Island at 2:52 a.m. November 11, 2017 due to the failure of main engines.

The vessel started easting to the coast line with the speed of two nautical knots amid unfavorable weather conditions with the wind gusting to 15-16 m/s.

Pilot of the Murmansk Branch Yuri Grishchuk, who was aboard the vessel, timely informed the Kola Bay VTMS duty shift about the incident. The nearest free tug boat was requested for by an operator of the Kola Bay VTMS duty shift.

The KOM bulk carrier vessel dropped anchor at the northernmost tip of the Gulf of Antonov. In order to provide urgent assistance, the Svyatoi Nikolay pilot boat timely held the vessel to prevent it from turning into stones until the Nerd tugboat, which had arrived at 3:46 a.m., came aboard.  

Moreover, another three tugboats left the port to lend support to the vessel in coordination with the information post of the Northern Fleet.

Two hours after the emergency engine failure crew members of the vessel were able to start engines, the vessel heaved up the anchor and moved to Anchoring Berth No 2 of the anchoring station in the seaport of Murmansk with the support of the Nerd and RB-367 tugboats.

By virtue of timely and professional actions taken by the pilot of the Murmansk Branch Yuri Grishchuk, duty operator of the Kola Bay VTMS Yuri Kislyi and captain of the Svyatoi Nikolay pilot boat Oleg Khasikov we managed to prevent the vessel, which had been dead in the water, from crashing into cliffs of the northernmost tip of the Gulf of Antonov of Kola Bay.