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Aid comes to wrecked Northern Sea Route tanker

The "Nordvik" has been emptied of diesel oil and is now escorted to its home port of Khatanga

The “Nordvik”, which has been drifting in remote Arctic waters following a collision with an ice floe, is now being accompanied by icebreakers to its home port.

Location

According to the Russian Sea and River Transport Agency, a total of 1800 tons of diesel oil was on Wednesday reloaded from the “Nordvik” into the tanker “Boris Vilkitsky”. The two vessels are now accompanied by two nuclear-powered icebreakers, the “Taymyr” and the “Vaigach”, out of the Matisen strait, the agency informs. The escort started early Thursday and the wrecked “Nordvik” will be taken to its home port of Khatanga.

There has been no leakage of oil from the vessel, the agency informs. The Murmansk-based “Boris Vilkitsky” is expected to bring the “Nordvik” oil to Murmansk.

Data from the Northern Sea Route Administration shows that the “Nordvik” now is moving forward at 3,1 knots in the Kara Sea. Two days ago, the Sea Route Administration informed that the vessel was anchored up in the more eastern Matisen Strait.

According to the Sea and River Transport Agency, it was the rescue center in Dikson which the coordinated the support operation.

As previously reported by BarentsObserver, the 138 meter long, 6403 dwt tanker “Nordvik” was struck by ice while sailing in the Matisen Strait to the north of the Taimyr Peninsula on September 4. The tanker soon started taking in water in one of its ballast tanks. According to Russian authorities, the “Nordvik” tanker acted in violation of the permit given by the NSR administration by entering waters with medium ice conditions without being escorted by an icebreaker. The permit, granted to the vessel by the Northern Sea Route Administration, allowed the vessel to sail only in the Kara Sea and the Laptev Sea and only in light ice conditions and with icebreaker escort.