Overloaded Russian Cargo Ship Capsizes, Four Crew Members Missing
Three crew members have been rescued from a small general cargo ship that sank near the port of Korsakov on the southern tip of easternmost Sakhalin Island. Still, four others are missing, Russian authorities report.
The Grigory Lovtsov cargo ship was built in Japan in 2002 and has been sailing to Russia since 2010. The 200-ton ship is 135 feet (41 m) long, has a total crew of seven, and is reportedly carrying a cargo of construction materials.
The region’s governor wrote in a telegram that he believed the ship was overloaded. The ship was carrying a cargo of sand and gravel, which authorities said may have shifted, causing the ship to lose stability on the afternoon of Friday, October 18.
Three crew members were thrown overboard when the ship capsized. A search and rescue operation was launched, and the hypothermic sailors were successfully pulled from the water. One of them was discharged from hospital over the weekend, the other is in very serious condition. Interfax has an unconfirmed report that two bodies were later found during the search.
Governor Valery Lemarenko reported on Telegram that the crew secured the capsized vessel. It was towed to shore, and he said they would begin to salvage it for a full investigation.
There are allegations that safety measures were neglected. Officials said the ship had a previous accident in 2022 when it got stuck in ice near Sakhalin Island, and the crew had to be evacuated.
