Ship Missing in Russias Frozen Sea

On Monday Russia’s Federal Fisheries Agency said that the Cambodian-flagged PARTNYOR may have sunk. The fishing trawler was last heard from on Friday when it sent a distress signal while off the coast of Sakhalin Island. A search turned up no trace of the ship.

Russia’s Federal Fisheries Agency spent the last week freeing ships north of Sakhalin in the Sea of Okhotsk. Two trawlers were finally freed by an icebreaker after being stuck since last month. By early Tuesday the agency also expects to have the BEREG NADEZHDY, a refrigerated freighter, freed. Following this, rescue crews will move on to a trapped fish processing ship, whose ship and cargo are worth an estimated 1 billion rubles ($32 million).

The vessels that are stuck have plenty of food and water onboard to sustain for several months if need be.

The Federal Fisheries Agency also pointed out that the missing PARTNYOR may have sent a false distress call in order to escape from the region. The ship was caught poaching last year and may have been trying to avoid being caught again.