Mystery Surrounds Reports of Cargo Ship in Distress in Sea of Azov
Russian authorities are denying media reports that another one of the decrepit fleet of ancient cargo ships operating on the Sea of Azov is in distress. The media is saying the vessel was taking on water while the authorities insist the vessel was in port and repaired.
The general cargo ship Pavel Grabovsky, built in 1979, loaded a cargo of 3,000 tons of corn and departed Rostov-on-Don bound for Turkey. After passing the city of Azov, the vessel reportedly encountered ice and was damaged on February 16 without issuing a distress call.
The media indicated the vessel struck ice and the crew was attempting to control the flooding with its pumps. However, at some point during the week, the crew realized they were not able to control the flooding and asked for permission to return to Azov.
The reports vary from here with the media saying the ship had too deep a draft and due to water levels was unable to reach the port and went aground. The icebreakers Kapitan Demidov and Kapitan Chudinnov were reported to be making their way to assist the vessel.
TASS issued an official report denying the media accounts and saying the vessel had reached Azov and repairs were made. They however are admitting the vessel went aground but said it was due to weather conditions as the cargo ship was departing Azov to resume its trip to Turkey. Citing the Ministry of Transport, TASS indicates that when the weather improves and sea levels rise, the vessel will be removed from the roadstead and the owner will make further repairs.
The vessel is registered in Panama and 3,100 dwt. Equasis indicates it has been under the management of a Turkish company since 2013. The Pavel Grabovsky had a similar incident in 2013 when it had to be rescued after stranding. At the time, it was registered in Sierra Leone. There was a crew of 14 aboard and they had loaded a cargo of wheat. The ship went aground in the port of Azov.
Records show the vessel was inspected at the end of January 2025 in Georgia. The report lists eight deficiencies but no detention order was issued. The issues ranged from problems with the life saving equipment to piping, electrical, safety of the pilot ladders, and documentation.
After two incidents at the end of 2024 involving Russian sea-river tankers near the Kerch Strait at the exit from the Sea of Azov, the Russian Ministry of Transport reportedly issued an inspection order for all the old vessels operating in the region. Officials indicated as many as 500 shipping companies and their vessels would be subject to the inspections as part of an effort to improve the image of shipping and the response to the oil spill from one of the tankers lost in December.