Russian tanker Valeriy Gorchakov hit by drones slowly sinking
Photo: Russian tanker Valeriy Gorchakov (Krymskyi Viter)
The Russian oil tanker Valeriy Gorchakov, which was hit in Rostov-on-Don on December 18, is sinking, according to the channel Krymskyi Viter.
The channel published several photos showing the tanker’s current condition.
The images indicate that the vessel’s stern has almost completely sunk underwater.
The post also states that the drone attack on the vessel resulted in fatalities and injuries.
According to the report, two crew members - the cook and one mechanic - were killed, while the chief mate and two sailors were injured.
Drone attack on tanker
As reported earlier, the tanker Valeriy Gorchakov was attacked by drones on December 18. At the time of the strike, the vessel was located near the maritime terminal of the Novoshakhtinsk Oil Products Plant, where it was hit by a drone and began taking on water.
By morning, the stern had sunk almost up to the superstructure. Photos show no visible rescue operations near the tanker; the damaged vessel was only quickly surrounded by protective booms.
As of the evening of December 17, the tanker had been spotted near berth No. 69 at the port of Rostov-on-Don, which belongs to Rosmorrechflot Terminal handling oil product transshipment.
The vessel was built in 1969 as a dry cargo ship and converted in 2004 into an oil tanker capable of transporting petroleum products of all classes.
Rostov-on-Don also came under a drone attack on the night of December 15. Russian air defense claimed to have destroyed dozens of drones, and an air alert was declared in Rostov Oblast due to the drone threat.
