Chinese Bulker Runs Aground in a Storm Off Sakhalin
A Chinese bulker has gone aground on the shores of Sakhalin Island in the Russian Far East, and first responders have not yet been able to reach the scene.
Videos released by state media show that the Chinese bulker An Yang 2 is hard aground on a rocky shore just south of the port of Nevelsk, on the southwestern end of Sakhalin. The vessel is exposed to heavy wave action and is broadside to the surf zone.
Because of rough conditions from a winter storm, salvors have not yet been able to reach the ship to evaluate its condition, said regional governor Valery Limarenko in a statement on the Russian social media application Telegram. "A high alert regime has been introduced in the district," he said.
??A municipal state of emergency has been declared in the Nevelsky district of the ????????Sakhalin region after the ????????Chinese tanker Ang Yang-2 ran aground. pic.twitter.com/emqDiIXW8f
— ????MilitaryNewsUA???????? (@front_ukrainian) February 9, 2025
Last night, the Chinese tanker Ang Yang-2 ran aground near Sakhalin. It carries 56 tonnes of diesel, 706 tonnes of fuel oil, 1,000 tonnes of coal, and 20 crew. The vessel has a leak, but no spillage. Russian authorities struggled to communicate with the Chinese crew for a long… pic.twitter.com/iLiEsw9BGf
— WarTranslated (@wartranslated) February 9, 2025
Bystander photos show that the vessel's starboard anchor is deployed. The crew are still aboard and are reportedly safe, and local authorities are in contact with them as they discuss next steps.
According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, An Yang 2 has 1,000 tonnes of coal in her holds, along with 56 tonnes of diesel and 700 tonnes of fuel oil. No pollution has been reported.
"The main task now is to eliminate environmental risks. All necessary measures are already being taken," said Limarenko. "This is not the first case: in 2021, another Chinese ship ran aground in the Kholmsky District. Then its owners refused to solve the problem, shifting all costs to the region."
An Yang 2 is a 2010-built bulker of 56,000 dwt tonnes, owned and managed by a shipping company in Hainan.
It is the second major casualty in Russia in two days. On Sunday, a tanker partially sank at the pier after an engine room explosion at the port of Ust-Luga, near St. Petersburg.