Indiga and Varzuga
With the onset of limited trans-arctic navigation environmentalists have voiced concern about the potential for pollution due to increased ship traffic. The recent collision between two arctic tankers, the Indiga and Varzuga, on the Russian Northern Sea route, demonstrates the basis for these concerns. Fortunately it appears that no oil was spilled.
Arctic oil tankers collided
Two Russian tankers carrying diesel-fuel collided with each-other late Friday somewhere along the North East Passage. No leakages of diesel or oil are reported.
The exact position of the tankers is not given. The collision happened on Friday evening or the night to Saturday, reports Novaya Gazeta. The tankers are belongs to Murmansk Shipping Company.
BarentsObserver reported last week that the two tankers Indiga and Varzuga recently sailed from Murmansk loaded with 13,300 tons of diesel-fuel each on their way to Chukotka in Russia’s Far East.
The tankers are sailing the partly ice-covered Northern Sea Route and are accompanied by the two nuclear powered icebreakers Rossia and Taimyr, according to the Murmansk based web-portal MBNews.
According to Novaya Gazeta, the collision happened in difficult ice conditions, exacerbated by poor visibility. It was the tanker Varzuga that crashed into the rear stern side of Indiga. The hull of Indigo was damaged, but the vessel did not lose its seaworthy.
BarentsObserver reported last week that the two tankers hold the ice-classification 1A Super with double hull.
Sounds like a scary incident, but its good to hear that no oil actually spilled. That’s the last thing the world’s ecosystem needs right now!
interesting stuff–scary–that doesn’t make the news