The crewmembers of the Maltese-flagged cargo ship on fire off Crimea in the Sea of Azov are Russian nationals, the Ukrainian Emergencies Ministry said on Sunday.
The Ivan Vikulov dry cargo ship, which was sailing from Turkey to Rostov-on-Don in south Russia, became stranded in ice in late January some 60 kilometers (37 miles) off Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula. Early on Sunday, a fire broke out aboard the ship.
Of the 14 crewmembers, ten have been evacuated from the ship while the remaining four, including the captain, are staying aboard as an emergency team, the ministry said.
The fire aboard the ship could ignite fuel in fuel tanks, Vladimir Ivanov, the head of the Crimean branch of the Ukrainian Emergencies Ministry, said.
“So far, they are unable to extinguish the fire. There are 100 tons of fuel oil and 40 tons of diesel fuel aboard the ship. In 30-40 minutes, the Captain Moshkin ice breaker will approach the vessel to help extinguish the fire,” he said.
The Ivan Vikulov cargo ship, which is 140 meters long and 16 meters wide, was made in 1992.
