Chinese cargo ship sinks off Sakhalin coast

A cargo ship flying the Chinese flag sank in the Strait of Tartary off the coast of Sakhalin, said the Russian Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transportation, Report informs via TASS.

"On March 1, in the waters of the Strait of Tartary, 42 miles south-southwest of the seaport of Vanino, the dry cargo ship Yong Xing 56, under the flag of the PRC, sank. The crew of 21 citizens of the People's Republic of China landed on the ice and then was taken on board the approaching vessel. Everyone is healthy, no one was injured," said the federal agency.

The ship, carrying 21 tons of alumina, ran into the ice on February 23. Water began to flow on board, and the crew gave a distress signal. The next day, the ship "Otto Schmidt" of the Russian Marine Rescue Service arrived at the site, the rescuers examined the ship and found a hole measuring 2 by 1.5 m. The following days they tried to repair it by pumping out water. However, the flooding of the interior continued.

Despite the help of a second rescue vessel, the cargo ship sank to a depth of 253 m.