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15 seamen survive in shipwreck off Russia’s Primorye

Captain Vladimir Pavlov, his two mates, three mechanical engineers, a head foreman, a bosun and three seafarers are Russians
Photo ITAR-TASS
Photo ITAR-TASS

VLADIVOSTOK, January 28 (Itar-Tass) – Eleven Russian and four Indonesian fishermen have survived after the crab boat Shans-101 sank off the Russian coast, the fish farm Vostok-1 that owns the ship reported on Monday.

Captain Vladimir Pavlov, his two mates, three mechanical engineers, a head foreman, a bosun and three seafarers are Russians, and all rescued Indonesian nationals are seafarers.

According to the fish farm, on Sunday the ship owner failed to receive the daily report from the crab boat. Right after that the search for the Shans-101 began. Four ships belonging to the fish farm as well as an An-26 plane were sent to the area. Ten hours later the fishing boat was found overturned. Within the following 30 minutes information came that a life raft with ten survivors from the ship had been found. Their condition was satisfactory.

On Monday, the Talan fishing boat found another life raft with five people on it. Their condition was also satisfactory.

The crab boat was technically in order, and it underwent repairs in April 2012. It had all necessary rescue and signal equipment on board, but as the ship remained afloat the automatic warning system could not be activated.

Ten rescued fishermen were brought to the Sakhalin port of Kholmsk and immediately hospitalized. They all have frostbites of legs and hands. Five other seamen are on the Talan fishing boat which heads for the Nakhodka port in Primorye.

Investigators have questioned crewmen in Kholmsk. They found out that there was place for 18 people on the life raft, and ten of them died of hypothermia and their bodies were let into the ocean for the sake of the survivors. The fate of seven more crewmembers is still unclear. The search operation continues.