Cargo Ship’s Hull Damaged in Antarctica

The 10,500 dwt cargo ship Ivan Papanin has damaged its hull in an ice field in Antarctica, according to Russian Antarctic Expedition.

The vessel, which was departing the Indian station Bharati in difficult weather conditions, ran into trouble on February 6. While exiting the station in reverse, the ship reportedly touched underwater obstacles. The extent of the damage is currently not known.

At the time of the incident, the 1990-built ship had some 100 passengers aboard. The people were immediately evacuated onto the Bharati station.

Russian Antarctic Expedition said that all scheduled ship operations around the station were completed on February 7, and the vessel departed for Mirny station, where it is scheduled to arrive on February 10.

The ship is operated by Russia’s shipping company Murmansk Shipping. Local media reports indicate that there was no danger for the vessel nor the environment following the incident.

World Maritime News Staff