It was in the evening of the 18th of November that the Norwegian fishing boat “Fløygunn” crashed with a Russian vessel. The small Norwegian boat sank after an hour, but all three crew members were saved.
East-Finnmark Police District write in a press release that the Norwegian fishermen heard a sudden crash and that the boat started to shake heavily. Then they registered a large vessel with Russian letters on the side passing by, according to the Police report.
The Norwegian Coast Guard vessel KV Farm wanted to meet the Russian vessel and sent them coordinates for the meeting. Via radio communication the Captain of the Russian vessel denied to have anything to do with the crash and continued into Russian waters. The ship was originally on it’s way to Arkhangelsk when it crashed off the coast of Finnmark.
According to NRK it is the Northern Shipping Company owned boat “Vladimir Timofeyev” which the Police believe was involved in the accident. The vessel was built in 1973 and is 150 meters long. The normal cargo of the “Vladimir Timofeyev” is timber.
On request by the Norwegian Coast Guard, the Russian Coast Guard is escorting the Russian vessel to its planned destination in Arkhangelsk. The Russian Coast Guard will also assist Norwegian Police Authorities in the investigation of the boat crash, according to the press release.
