The Bikin Incident
On the morning of July 1, the 28.5 meter long, 161 dwt tugboat Bikin (IMO: 9402134) allided in the Sea of Japan with the 56 meter long, 594 dwt fishing vessel Solveiga (IMO: 85220173) at Nakhodka, Russia. The Bikin was proceeding at full speed in the port of Nakhodka and struck head on into the moored Solveiga. The port side of the Solveiga was severely damaged with a large section of the hull stoved in above the waterline. The Bikin then immediately proceeded to back away from the Solveiga and departed from the area. There were no reports of injuries and no pollution was released.
This unusual “hit and run” incident was caught on video and presented to Russian authorities. The prosecutor in Nakhodka has launched a criminal investigation into the incident. Initial reports state the master of the Bikin had lost consciousness while at the wheel and there were no one else in the pilothouse at the time of the incident. The master stated he was exhausted from work as he had been working over a month without a single day off. However, Russian authorities did not disclose the reason for the tugboat to immediately turn and leave the scene after the allision. Nor there was any explanation why the crew on the Bikin didn’t check to see if anyone had been injured by the allision.
A “hit and run” allision typically occurs in anchorages and rarely if ever in a harbor. These incidents usually involve larger vessels who have failed to keep a proper watch and strike an other vessel at anchor. Depending on the size of the vessel, there are many cases where large container ships, bulkers and tankers have struck smaller fishing vessels and were completely unaware the incident took place. However, there are only a few examples of a tugboat striking a moored vessel then leaving the site with someone at command.
