A major environmental disaster has been averted after a tanker carrying tons of oil through Russia’s fragile arctic after it was rescued by a nuclear icebreaker Yamal.
What happened?
The tanker ‘Chukotka Plus’ loaded with several thousand tons of oil was making its way through the Northern Sea Route in ice as thick as two meters without an icebreaker escort. Eventhough, the vessel had its ice class certification, it is rare for all but the most fortified vessels to attempt the icy journey during winter months without at least some accompaniment from icebreakers – a requirement usually enforced by the Northern Sea Route Administration, which Russia oversees.
Tanker runs into trouble:
On October 30, the tanker was entering the 6,000 kilometer-long Arctic sea corridor via Murmansk bound for points east. Several days into its voyage, the tanker reportedly ran into trouble while travelling through six time zones east of Moscow, while passing from the Laptev Sea to the East Siberian Sea via the Sannikov Strait, the Chukotka Plus became mired in ice and was unable to break free.
The crew reportedly lost control of the vessel and started to drift and was trapped in ice until it ran aground on a sand bar.
Rescued by icebreaker:
On November 22, the tanker was discovered by an icebreaker ‘Yamal’ and coordinated a rescue operation to free the tanker. The vessel was reported to have not suffered any damages and no leakage of oil was found.
The tanker was finally rescued and it continued towards its destination port with the help of an intermittent icebreaker support.
Tanker on correct route:
As of December 1, the Northern Sea Route Administration reported that the vessel was approaching the Bering Strait via the Chukotka Sea, and was apparently out of icy conditions.
According to navigational data, which offers real-time positions for most of the world’s commercial freighters, confirmed that the Chukotka Plus was indeed steaming between Chukotka and Alaska.
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Source: Bellona
