Russian warship returning from Syria collides with cargo ship in Aegean Sea
On December 30, the Yamal, a large Russian landing ship, collided with a dry cargo vessel from Sierra Leone in the Aegean Sea, Interfax reports, quoting the Russian Defense Ministry.
The Yamal was sailing from the Mediterranean Sea to occupied Sevastopol, and the Orka-2 cargo ship was headed to Turkey from Egypt. No one was hurt, and the Russian ship received only minor damage.
Photos taken of the Russian Navy ship after it arrived at port were posted on the social site VKontakte. The Yamal delivered cargo to Syria at the end of December. It was returning when it collided with the dry cargo ship.
The incident was caused by the dry cargo ship, said Vyacheslav Trukhachev, the head of the press service of the Black Sea Fleet. “The incident occurred due to an error on the part of the Orka-2 cargo ship, which, in violation of the International Rules for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREG-72), followed a parallel course and, overtaking the Russian ship on the port side, dramatically changed course to the right without making sure that it had completely passed the Russian ship,” Trukhachev said.
After the incident with the cargo ship, Russia drafted a notarized statement of maritime protest, which described the details of the collision. It is assumed that Sierra Leone will pay for the damages done to the Russian ship.