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Motorship Melody refloated after two weeks of lying aground

The motorship was cast ashore by a storm way back on December 7 when its was on its way from Vladivostok to the Sakhalin port of Korsakov

VLADIVOSTOK, December 19 (Itar-Tass) — The motorship Melody, which ran aground off the Sakhalin Island shores, was refloated at night. The dry cargo ship, which has been sitting deep in the sand, was pulled to the open water by the rescue boat Atlas of the Sakhalin basin emergency rescue department and the high-powered shelf tugboat Saturn. The Melody is being towed to the Morzh (walrus) Bay near Cape Krilyon where scuba divers will inspect the vessel, the sea rescue coordinating subcenter "Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk" reported.

The motorship was cast ashore by a storm way back on December 7 when its was on its way with a cargo of containers and various equipment from Vladivostok to the Sakhalin port of Korsakov.

The ship lacked enough engine power to resist the wind and rough sea when entering La Perouse Strait. The transport was carried away by the wind to the coastal strip of Sakhlain north-west of Cape Krilyon and driven into the sand 50 metres from the shore.

The motorship's crew consists of nine seamen. None of them has been hurt, and noone is in need of medical aid. The crew are having food and drinking water, and the ship's equipment is serviceable.