Two product tankers have reportedly collided in ice in the Laptev Sea, north of Russia, while proceeding in an ice convoy through the Northern Sea Route on Thursday at around 22:34hrs (Moscow time).
The two small clean product tankers are Svyatoy Petr and Svyatoy Pavel (both 11,000, built 1992), both operated by Russia’s Morskoy Standart, according to reports.
The vessels were following the nuclear icebreaker Vaygach through heavy ice. Svyatoy Petr was en route from Arkhangelsk to Kotelny Island, located between the Laptev and East Siberian seas and home to a Russian naval base. Svyatoy Pavel had departed Murmansk for Pevek in northeast Siberia.
Svyatoy Petr suffered 20 metres of damage along its bulwark on the portside stern. Svyatoy Pavel‘s starboard bow suffered a five-metre-long crack, between 20 to 50 centimetres wide, located around four metres above waterline.
The first vessel has left the collision site; latest AIS data shows it has arrived at Kotelny Island. The latter has been towed by the icebreaker to Temp Bay.
The crews did not suffer. There was no pollution.