OIL SPILLS OF VERSIONS

The terrible news of the January 2nd tragedy in the Sea of Japan circumnavigated the entire world on the same day. Caught in a gale, Russian tanker Nakhodka split in two on her way from China to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy carrying 19000 tons of fuel oil.Early morning, Master Mel'nikov informed the ship owner via a wireless that at 3.41 am the oncoming sea tore off the fore section of the tanker splitting her in half approximately amidships. He also reported strong wind (20--25 m/sec) and rough sea (5--6 m).The first signal came into the Japanese Department of Sea Safety at about 3 am. Immediately, two planes of the Japanese Coast Guard were rushed to the site. They found six liferafts, two of which were capsized. The planes provided the exact point coordinates for the rest of the rescuing effort: helicopters and rescue boats, which were there soon to pull to safety 31 crews of the doomed tanker and rush them to Japanese hospitals.By the close of January 8th, Master Valeriy Mel'nikov, 46, still was nowhere to be found.Upon arrival in Maidzura, Japan, the Second Engineer, was reported to have stated that the command to abandon the tanker was issued at 8.45 am, and the stern part of the tanker sunk at 9.15 am. During the half hour interval, the crews in the liferafts saw the Master trying to lower the life boat. The crews supposedly got into the liferafts using the ship's ladder. Every one said that was accomplished in the most orderly manner. Naturally, the Master was to have been the last one to leave the ship. What circumstances prevented him from doing this is a mystery.The technical condition of the Russian vessels is a very big problem. Kamchatka is not exception in this regard. Even the largest companies cutting down the ships maintenance costs get used to nothing less than compromising the safety of their crews. Let alone the numerous smaller companies who take this practice well-nigh as a rule of thumb.The ill fate of the tanker and her crew became a subject for many heated discussions among seamen of Primorskiy Administrative Region. Many experienced navigators argued that a 170 meter vessel, with a beam of 20 meters, and a draft of 20 meters, could not have been broken in two even by the fiercest squall. Others suggested things unimaginable: was it a rock popping out of the water? When the Japanese rescuers heard of this allegation they stated they would not reject this one. The damage might have been caused by a collision with a sunk ship debris (Nakhodka sunk nearly in the same area as Kargat 2851, Russian fishing seine-boat, which was caught on fire) or an explosive device. For example, Kamchatka fishermen sometimes land on deck old mines dating back to the World War Two.