Russian Cargo Ship & Crew Disappear in Sea of Okhotsk

[UPDATE]

The missing freighter was carrying about 700 tons of golden ore that belonged to Russian gold miner, Polymetal International. The company has stated that the freight carrier is now responsible for the precious cargo.

According to Bloomberg BusinessWeek, the ship was heading to Okhotsk from the port of Kiran with nine people on board when it disappeared near the Shantar Islands. The authorities deployed aircraft and ships for a search operation that has had no results thus far.

The lost cargo contained gold worth an estimated $800,000, but will not cause any financial distress for Polymetal, says analysts. 

No commenta on what cargo and ship insurance was in effect have been made.

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On Sunday, 8 to 11 crewmembers from a Russian cargo ship were reported missing in the turbulent waters of the Sea of Okhotsk. An intense storm made the rescue operation extremely difficult.

The Amurskaya freighter was carrying ore from a mine in Okhotsk when emergency services received a distress signal emitted by its radio buoy, reported Reuters. Communication with the crew was then cut off due to a lack of electricity on board the ship.

Again, rainstorms and snow in the northern part of the Okhotsk Sea are complicating search and rescue efforts.

Updates to this story will be posted as they are made available.

Photo (thumb) Credit: ShipSpotting.com; Savitskiy Igor