The crew of Nibulon-11 was awarded for saving the ship in the Black Sea

As a result of the explosion of the vessel on a mine, a rescue operation was started, in which the Nibulon-11 thruster team took part.

The team helped to safely moor the bulk carrier “Vyssos” to the berth of the Izmail Port after the ship blew up on an enemy mine in the Black Sea, the press service of the Nibulon company reported.

The captain of the Nibulon-11 Ilya Torgashev noted that the “Vyssos” bulk carrier lost the ability to maneuver after the detonation.

“And this means that later it could be taken to the open sea and the consequences for the team, among which there were wounded, could be tragic,” the captain added.

The pusher’s crew, consisting of assistant captain Maksym Khlybov, mechanic Oleksandr Strashevskii, motorman Serhiy Borysenko, senior sailor Stanislav Smetanenko and sailor Ivan Kramarenko, worked quickly, and on the order set out for a rescue operation.

The team worked through the night, pumping out water and doing everything possible and impossible to get the ship off the ground.

“Despite the difficulties and difficult conditions, the team did a good job and eventually Vyssos and the crew were brought to Izmail. With their coordinated actions, the team saved the bulk carrier, and its wounded sailors were able to receive medical help in time,” the message reads.

The head of the rescue operation, the captain of the Izmail Sea Port, Serhiy Tkachenko, awarded the team with an award for professional and coordinated work.

As previously reported by USM, the Panamanian-flagged “Vyssos” dry cargo ship, en route to the port of Izmail to load grain, encountered a Russian mine in the Bystre estuary in late December 2023.