MOSCOW, September 26. /TASS/. Russia’s Bukhta Nayezdnik fishing trawler, which had been on fire for 22 hours in the Norwegian city of Tromso, sank on Thursday, capsizing near the berth, NRK TV channel has reported.
"The vessel lies on the bottom. The smoke has become less intense, but there is still a threat of contamination by diesel fuel. The port service and coastal guards are working on the scene and are on alert amid a possible explosion threat," a police spokesman said.
Smoke onboard the trawler was first reported at around 11 a.m. on Wednesday. The Bukhta Nayezdnik fishing trawler caught fire in the Norwegian port of Tromso during maintenance works and planned rotation of the crew, the ship-owner company Murmansk Trawl Fleet informed TASS earlier. Norway’s NRK channel reported, citing the Tromso County police, that hydraulic oil had caught fire onboard the vessel.
Norwegian authorities had warned about the threat of an explosion as the trawler was carrying 200,000 liters of diesel fuel and an ammonia tanker. Overnight to Thursday, the firefighters set up a security zone around the vessel, evacuating more than 90 people within the radius of 300 meters from the berth. Local authorities blocked traffic in the city over smoke and a blast threat.
According to the Russian consulate-general in Kirkenes, no Russian sailors were injured. All 29 crew members of the trawler have been evacuated. Only two of them remained under doctor’s care in a local hospital.
Bukhta Nayezdnik is a medium-sized fishing trawler built in 1991 in Norway. The vessel is used for haddock and tuna fishing in the North-East Atlantic.