Poland Orders Removal of Derelict Russian Tanker from Port of Gdynia

 

The Polish Ministry of Infrastructure reports that an order was issued for the removal of a derelict Russian product tanker that has been in the Port of Gdynia for more than seven years. The story of the Khatanga (23,000 dwt) has drawn new attention with the increased concerns of Russian-related espionage in addition to the safety issues for a vessel that has not been operated or maintained for years.

Arkadiusz Marchewka, Poland’s State Secretary and Ministry of Infrastructure, announced the order in a posting on social media on Thursday, February 6. “We are removing Russian scrap from our port. The state acts and ensures the safety of Polish infrastructure,” he wrote announcing the decision of the Ministry.

Port officials said they have been trying for months to gain the authority to act to remove the tanker which was detained in the port in October 2017 after a failed Port State inspection. The owners, Murmansk Shipping Company, promised repairs to address structural issues identified during the inspection and to take steps to correct issues identified regarding the training and competence of the crew. Instead, the tanker has languished in the port while the owner declared bankruptcy in 2020.

The media says the tanker recently twice broke away from its moorings. Port officials said tugs were able to secure the vessel but they too raised concerns about port safety. The vessel appears to be unnamed, but the port said since a trustee was named in the bankruptcy and has occasionally checked on the vessel, it can not be officially listed as abandoned. 

Port and government officials raised concerns about the lack of maintenance. They noted that the fuel cargo tanks have not been properly vented raising the concern of a buildup of explosive vapors. Media speculation in January also asked if the Russians might be using the vessel as a base of operations to spy on NATO. They noted the use of the port for military equipment including shipments into Ukraine of equipment from the West while also speculating if listening or recording devices might be aboard the ship. 

The Maritime Directorate in Gdynia has now issued an official order for the removal of the tanker. It instructed the port to have the Khatanga removed from the port as quickly as possible but set a deadline of three months. 

“The vessel poses a threat to the safety of navigation and is withdrawn from service,” the Directorate writes. “In accordance with the decision, the Port of Gdynia Authority has been obliged to remove the Russian ship Khatanga."

It is expected that the port will attempt to sell or auction the vessel, but it is noted that it is incapable of navigation under its own power. The expectation is that it will be sold for scrap.

The Directorate also authorized the port to seek from the Russian shipowner reimbursement of costs for the entire period of the vessel's mooring in the port. A spokesperson for the port told the local media that the port authority would use the proceeds from the sale of the vessel to cover some of the costs and unpaid dockage fees.
 

(Top photo in Gdynia harbor in July 2020 by Braveheart - CC BY-SA 4.0)