The trawler "Far East" sank in the Sea of ​​Okhotsk

Causes of tragedy

According to preliminary data, the ship sank in 15 minutes, not having time to send a distress signal. No fuel spill threat. Presumably the cause of the crash was the collision of the ship with an obstacle; according to another version, the ship tilted too much when an 80-ton trawl was pulled out of the water. Representatives of the Investigative Committee are now figuring out what actually happened - as part of a criminal investigation, they intend to interview the survivors.

“At the scene of the incident, an investigative and operational group is working, consisting of investigators and forensic investigators of the Far Eastern Investigative Department for Transport of the RF IC. Documentation is being seized from the shipowner's company, in the port of registration of the vessel in Nevelsk, as well as in the seaport of Vladivostok, since, according to the investigation, it was from there that on January 3 the vessel departed for the voyage, ”said the official representative of the RF IC Vladimir Markin. In total, the investigation is considering about 10 reasons for the death of the ship.

Salvaged and lost

The doctors of Sakhalin, Magadan and Kamchatka are ready to provide assistance to the victims, but, most likely, first, both the survivors and the dead will be delivered to the port of Korsakov on the Andromeda ship belonging to Magellan, the shipowner of the Far East. The identification of bodies will be carried out here and the first medical aid will be provided to the victims.

The journey from the crash site to Korsakov can take about 3 days, while those in serious condition can be taken to hospitals by Mi-8 helicopter.

Without insurance and in good condition

According to Vasily Sokolov, deputy head of the Federal Agency for Fishery, the trawler was insured only against oil spills, and there was also insurance for the entire crew - a mandatory set. At the same time, in his opinion, the ship was in good working order. “The trawler was in good condition, built in 1989. I have never heard the BATM roll over. This is a quality vessel. The investigation will find out what caused the crash. But we suspect that there was a human factor, ”Sokolov said. According to some reports, a vessel of this type and year of construction, which has undergone modernization of freezing equipment, is estimated on the market at no less than $ 30 million. This vessel belongs to the most common type among Russian fishing companies.

Condolences to the relatives of the victims were expressed by the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, the head of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevičius and the President of Kyrgyzstan Almazbek Atambayev, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the French Foreign Ministry. Representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Vladimir Nosov said that the agency is ready to provide all the necessary assistance to relatives of foreigners who were injured and killed in the wreck, including admission to relatives in Russia and the transfer of bodies of the deceased. 6 April on Sakhalin will be declared mourning for the dead, RIA Novosti reported citing a representative of the government of the region.