A Russian Panama-flagged cargo ship carrying 3,000 tons of corn is sinking in the Azov Sea after suffering a hull breach near the port of Azov in Russia’s Rostov region, Russian media outlet Baza reported on February 20.
The vessel, Pavlo Grabovsky, measuring 114 meters in length and 14 meters in width, departed from Rostov en route to Samsun, Turkey, when it sustained serious hull damage on February 16, causing it to take on water.
Despite the severe situation, the crew did not send a distress signal, instead requesting permission to dock at the port of Azov for emergency repairs. However, the vessel remains stranded, as shallow waters make it too risky to move without the threat of running aground.
In response, Russian authorities dispatched two icebreakers, Kapitan Demidov and Kapitan Chudinov, to assist the struggling ship. The full extent of the damage is still unknown, and it remains unclear whether the Pavlo Grabovsky can be salvaged.
This latest maritime emergency follows the sinking of another Russian cargo ship, Ursa Major, which went down in international waters on December 23 after an engine room explosion.
The incident occurred between Águilas, Spain (Murcia), and Oran, Algeria.
