Owner of the sunken trawler Onega sends two of its vessels for SaR operation in the Barents Sea
Two vessels Kapelan and Antias (Arkhangelsk) have been sent to the area of sinking the trawler, the regional Ministry of Information Policy said. Andrey Chibis, Governor of the Murmansk Region, ordered the regional authorities to provide assistance to the families of sailors from the Onega trawler that sank in the Barents Sea.
“A top executive of shipowner company based in Arkhangelsk - Collective Fishery Farm named after Mikhail Kalinin, has already departed for Murmansk. Two of its other ships have left for the area, a search and rescue operation has been underway. A helpline is open for their relatives, psychologists are working. According to preliminary information, the majority of the crew (16) are residents of Murmansk. All necessary assistance will be provided to families”, the governor said.
A body of one seafarer was recovered from icy water and was taken aboard the "Voikovo". The search for other crew members continues, TASS reported citing Eduard Bezukladov, Murmansk port harbourmaster. “According to the Murmansk Maritime Rescue Coordination Center, the Voikovo vessel is currently engaged in search and rescue. One of the rescued seafarers said the vessel lost stability and capsized while hauling the line, Bezukladov said.
The EMERCOM Main Office for Murmansk Region reported that on December 28, 2020 its Crises Management Centre received an initial notification on the sinking of the fishing boat Onega (No. MK 0331, homeported in Murmansk) in the Barents Sea near Novaya Zemlya, Arkhangelsk Region. According to preliminary data, there were 19 people on board: 16 from the Murmansk region, one seafarer from Arkhangelsk, one — from Kursk region, one from Rostov region. Two were rescued by the Voikovo fishing trawler.
The Marine Rescue Coordination Center cooperates and manages the operation with the Northern Fleet, and the North-Western Air SaR Team.
The Northern Fleet air force remains in a state of preparedness. The air crafts participation in the SaR operation delayed due to short daylight hours and severe weather conditions.
There is one ship on the scene with three more en route to join the operation soon.
