Chinese vessel grounded off Russian coast

Russian rescuers evacuated crew from the Chinese ship Xing Yuan on 7 December 2021, after the vessel went ground off the coast of Kholmsk in Russia’s Sakhalin region.

The captain of Xing Yuan asked for the crew to be evacuated. Staff from the regional Emergencies Ministry and the Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing were working in the area.

The government also reported that the divers had already begun to examine the hull of the vessel.

On 6 December Xing Yuan, which was built in 1993 and reached Kholmsk from Japan, went aground, after the main engine failed.

There was no visible damage to the hull, fuel leaks, or any threat to the lives of 12 crew members, and there was no cargo on board.

The Sakhalin Region Transport Prosecutor Office has launched an inspection.

Thanks to Wim Plokker