On December 18, a tender vessel transporting 30 passengers ran aground in the Southern Ocean just offshore of Kangaroo Island, South Australia. The tender was transporting 30 passengers from the cruise ship Crown Princess to the island when it experienced engine problems. The tender went adrift and ran aground a short distance off Penneshaw beach. No reports of damage or pollution released.
All the passengers on board would disembark and wade through the shallow waters to shore. No reports of injuries. Reports state a local company was able pull the tender free and tow it back to the cruise ship.
On the morning of December 16, the 223 meter long bulk carrier Tim S. Dool (IMO: 6800919) was refloated on the St. Lawrence River. The Tim S. Dool proceeded to Wilson Hill, New York where it went under a full inspection. Reports state the Tim S. Dool was allowed to proceed and locked through the Eisenhower Locks on December 17.
The bulk carrier had been aground since November 23 when it stranded on the Crysler Island Shoal. Initial attempts to refloat the vessel using tugs were not successful as the vessel was full aground from stem to stern. The vessel would required to be lightered of its cargo of wheat be completed before any additional refloating attempts could be made. Reports state the lightering was completed by December 12th. Authorities have stated there was no environmental pollution from the incident.
On the morning December 15, the 132 meter long tanker Volgoneft 212 (MMSI: 273333930) and 132 tanker tanker Volgoneft 239 (MMSI: 273354600) would meet disaster in Kerch Strait off the Taman peninsula, Russia. Both tankers were loaded with 4300 tons of mazut, a low grade fuel oil, when stormy conditions caused damage to both vessels.
The Volgoneft 212 would break in two amidships with the bow drifting away and eventually sinking. The stern of the tanker would remain afloat a bit longer allowing the crew to abandon ship. Reports state that 12 of the 13 crew on the Volgoneft 212 were rescued by two tugboats and a helicopter. Two of the crew rescued had suffered severe hypothermia and were taken to hospital in serious condition. One crew man had lost his life during the incident. With the hull failure of the Volgoneft 212, the majority of the cargo of mazut fuel was released into the sea. Due to the stormy conditions and location of the incident, there were no efforts to contain the pollution.
Nearby the Volgoneft 239 sustained damage by the same stormy conditions. The tanker had suffered damage and had gone adrift in the storm. The tanker continued to drift until it ran aground just 80 meters off Volna, Russia. All 14 crew on the Volgoneft 239 were later rescued by authorities. Reports state the tanker sustained hull damage and there had been some pollution released.
Volgoneft 212
Volgoneft 239
Current theories on cause of the incident
Some reports blame the cause of the incidents due to the tankers age. The Volgoneft 212 was built in 1969 while the Volgoneft 239 was built in 1973. Both tankers were built for the inland river/canal waterways during the Soviet era. Neither vessel was designed for heavy seas, but to navigate shallow waters. The Volgoneft 212 had been refitted with it length being altered and welded back together. Several have suggested the Volgoneft 212 broke apart at the welded seam from the refit.
Other reports state there was a large wave the caused the damage to both vessels. That the wave smashed into both tankers causing one to break apart and the other to lose steering/power. This theory has some merit as a third vessel had sunk of Crimea. A floating crane was being towed off Crimea when strong winds caused the crane to roll over and sink.
An unsubstantiated theory states that an Ukrainian sea drones were used to attack the tankers. The lack of explosion or fire along with no sightings of the drones have debunked this theory.
The last theory is that the tanker Voloneft 212 had been caught between waves and broke apart similar to the fate of the cargo vessel Arvin. The Arvin had been at anchor in the Black Sea in January 2021 when it broke apart in rolling seas resulting in the loss of 6 of the vessel’s 12 crew.
Due to the amount of misinformation provided by Russian authorities, the cause of the incident may never be released to the public. Several sources state these vessels were engaged as part of the Russian shadow fleet and engaged in bypassing sanctions placed by the United States and the European Union.
