Tanker Saint Petersburg of Navigator shipping company has blocked Volga-Don Canal for three days
On September 20, 2006, in the course of sluicing procedure with participation of tanker Saint Petersburg owned by Navigator LLC at the lock gate No 10 of Volga-Don Canal, an accident took place resulting with failure of the gate lock. This information has been provided by the press service of the Ministry of Transport of RF. Tanker Saint Petersburg was on its way from the port of Caucasus to the port of Saratov. The vessel entered the lock chamber from below and unmoored at 07:17. Working gates of the lock’s downstream end closed and flooding of the lock chamber. In 3 minutes after flooding started, water level at the chamber reached 2-2.5 meters. At 07: 20 technical failure caused spontaneous opening of the lift-and-drop gate. The tanker was torn off mooring because of water overflowing the gate. The vessel’s stern hit the gate of the lock’s downstream end and damaged its pivot devices. After that return wave threw the tanker to the upper-stream end and the vessel’s stem-post hit reinforced concrete damper of the lock’s upper-stream end.
The accident caused no casualties or spills. Vessel’s damage is not critical. The repair works will take about 3 days. Precise time of repair to become clear today after drying of the lock and estimation of damage scope. The facilities necessary for repair have come already. Ship-owners have been warned about the accident. They will suspend ship traffic in order to prevent their congestion.
Alexander Davydenko, head of the Federal Agency of Sea and River Transport under the Ministry of Transport of RF should come to the accident site today, on September 21.
