The fishing trawler Novoulyanovsk caught fire in engine room after explosion of main engine crankcase. Following the accident one crew died and two were seriously injured, while the fishing vessel with 84 crew remained disabled and adrift on 250 nautical miles southwest off Magadan in Okhotsk sea. The accident was reported to the local authorities and the management of rescue was handled by South Sakhalin MRCC. The crew succeeded to extinguish the flames and did not allowed spreading to the main deck and other compartments. To the fishing trawler Novoulyanovsk headed five fishing boats and will evacuate the injured people. The salvage of the fishing trawler is not yet contracted, but weather is fresh and there is no immediate danger for her seaworthiness.

“All of the approaching vessels belong to the same shipowner are responded to the the emergency of trawler Novoulyanovsk. Very soon the injured people will be evacuated”, said the captain of duty maritime rescue sub-center South Sakhalin. “The weather has improved in the area of ​​the accident. The wind speed is now up to 9 m/s, the wave height is decreased from 3.50 to 2.50 m”, added he.

The local authorities together with the Far East Transport Prosecutor’s Office started investigation for the root cause of the accident. The case was opened under Part 2 of Article 143 of the Criminal Code for violation of safety rules, which negligently caused human death.

The fishing trawler Novoulyanovsk (IMO: 7932757) has length of 101.50 m, beam of 15.20 m and maximum draft of 5.40 m. The deadweight of the vessel is 2,117 DWT and the gross tonnage is 3,916 GRT. The trawler was built in 1979 by PS Werften Stralsung shipyard in Germany. The owner of the ship is Pacific Marine, while the manager is Dalmoreprodukt, both Russian companies from Vladivostok.