Russia's fish trawler Onega that sank in the Barents Sea was fully operational when leaving port, all the necessary procedures were implemented, the All-Russian Association of Fisheries Enterprises, Entrepreneurs and Exporters said on Monday, citing the ship owner
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th December, 2020) Russia's fish trawler Onega that sank in the Barents Sea was fully operational when leaving port, all the necessary procedures were implemented, the All-Russian Association of Fisheries Enterprises, Entrepreneurs and Exporters said on Monday, citing the ship owner.
According to the emergencies ministry, the vessel capsized and sank due to formation of ice. There were 19 people on board, two of them were saved. The search and rescue operation continues, and a criminal case was launched over violation of water transport safety rules.
"Andrey Zaika, the head of the collective fishery named after Kalinin, said that the vessel was fully operational, technical maintenance works were conducted in due time and in full. All the necessary procedures and coordination were implemented before the vessel left the port for fishing," the association said in a statement.
"According to preliminary information, the incident was caused by bad weather conditions, storm was observed in the area where the vessel disappeared. Despite the crew's effort to prevent formation of ice on the hull, the vessel could be affected by icing amid the strong storm, and inclination could lead to sinking," the statement read on.
