Reefer Ship Collides with Russian Frigate off Denmark

A reefer ship sailing between Russia and Sweden collided with a Russian navy frigate in fog off the coast of Denmark. The full extent of damage to the ships is unclear, but there are no reports of injuries aboard either vessel.

The 14,500 dwt Ice Rose, a Marshall Island flagged reefer ship operating for Maestro Shipping, was sailing in the Oresund channel when contact was made with the Russian vessel. The Danish Defense Force’s Joint Operations Center issued a brief statement confirming the contact between the two vessels. There were reports of limited visibility due to the fog in the area at the time.

The Ice Rose, which was sailing from St. Petersburg, Russia to Gothenburg, Sweden, reportedly anchored and was under the supervision of the Danish authorities that had responded to the reports of the accident. Swedish vessels had also responded to the accident. The Danes said that the vessel was being detained while an inspection was ongoing to confirm the seaworthiness of the reefer.

Initially, the identity of the Russian naval vessel was unknown and according to media reports, the vessel both moved away from the scene of the accident and had its AIS identity system turned off. The Russian News Agency TASS later reported that Russia’s Baltic Fleet confirmed the incident and identified the vessel as the Kazanets, a small anti-submarine ship.

The Russian authorities reported that no sailors had been injured. They however said that the vessel had suffered a breach above the waterline and was on its way to its home base. The Baltic Fleet reported that it would investigate the cause of the accident.

A spokesperson for the Danish Operations Center told Reuters that the cause of the accident was under investigation but that the Russian vessel had permission to be in the area. They said the Russians had notified them of their presence in Danish waters.