| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | Volgoneft-139 |
| Owner | Volgotanker |
| Port of registry |
|
| Builder | SSRZ "Ivan Dimitrov", Ruse |
| Yard number | 74 |
| Completed | 1978 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | broke in two, 11 November 2007 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Project 550A tanker |
| Tonnage | 3,463 GT, 4,190 DWT |
| Displacement | 6,513 tonnes |
| Length | 132.6 m (435 ft) |
| Beam | 16.9 m (55 ft) |
| Draught | 3.62 m (11.9 ft) laden |
| Depth | 5.5 m (18 ft) |
| Decks | 1 |
| Installed power | 2 × diesel engines; 2 × 736 kW |
| Propulsion | 2 × screws |
| Speed | 11 knots (20 km/h) |
| Crew | 22 or 23 |
MV Volgoneft-139 (Волгонефть-139) was a Project 550A tanker that was owned and operated by Volgotanker. She was built in Bulgaria for the Soviet Union in 1978. A storm in the Kerch Strait in 2007 broke her in two, spilling her cargo into the sea. Her bow sank, and her stern section was later scrapped. Her spilt cargo caused a major pollution incident.
Description
Project 550A is a Soviet design of tanker that was intended for use on the USSR's large, navigable rivers. The "Ivan Dimitrov" shipyard in Ruse, Bulgaria built many of them. Volgoneft-139 was built as yard number 74, and completed in 1978. Her length was 132.6 m (435 ft); her beam 16.9 m (55 ft); and her depth 5.5 m (18 ft). When laden with a full cargo of 4,875 tonnes of kerosene, her draught was 3.62 m (11.9 ft), and she displaced 6,513 tonnes. She had two fixed-pitch screws, each driven by a 8NVD48A diesel engine rated at 736 kW. Her twin engines gave her a speed of 11 knots (20 km/h). She also had twin rudders. She had berths for 22 or 23 crew.
Volgoneft-139 was registered in Astrakhan, on the Volga river. Her IMO number was 8849608; her Soviet registration number was 161690; and her call sign was UHWV.
Loss
Project 550A was designed only for river use, but Volgotanker later used them at sea. On 11 November 2007, a storm hit the Black Sea. In the Kerch Strait, it sank four ships, ran six aground, and damaged two tankers. Volgoneft-139 was in the Kerch Strait. Her bow was broken off and sank, and 2,000 tonnes of her cargo of fuel oil spilled into the sea, causing a major pollution incident. Her stern section stayed afloat, and was later towed to port.
Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations led the clean-up operation. It deployed 17 ships, 227 "technical units", and more than 1,000 staff. On 28 November 2007 the ministry stated that it had cleaned 46.3 kilometres (28.8 miles) of beaches: collecting 33,214 tonnes of waste, including 2,450 tonnes of oil. Volunteers had collected 5,156 dead birds; 332 litres of emulsified oil and water; and 1,476 tonnes of oil waste.
See also
- MV Volgoneft-248, a Volgotanker ship that broke in two in the Sea of Marmara in 1999.
References
- ^ "Волгонефть type, design 550А". FleetPhoto (in Russian). Retrieved 25 December 2024.
- "Rousse Shipyard". FleetPhoto (in Russian). Retrieved 25 December 2024.
- ^ "Волгонефть-139". FleetPhoto (in Russian). Retrieved 25 December 2024.
- ^ "Marée noire: plus de 33.000 t de déchets pétroliers ramassés sur les plages du détroit de Kertch" (in French). Sputnik. 28 November 2007. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
External links
- "Volgoneft 139 – IMO 8849608". Ship Spotting. – includes two photographs of the ship in service, and one photograph of each of her sections after she broke in two.
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