UDS helped a ship that was blown up by a mine in the Bystre estuary

The UDS told how they helped the dry cargo “Vyssos” under the flag of Panama, which ran into a mine at the end of December.

“UDS helped save the dry cargo ship “Vyssos”, which at the end of December 2023 was blown up by a mine in the mouth of Bystre. The vessel was heading to the port of Izmail to load grain,” the press service of the Ukrainian Danube Shipping Company said.

Then the ship lost speed and control, a fire broke out on the upper deck. To avoid flooding, the captain anchored the ship aground. Boats of the Maritime Border Guard and Search and Rescue Service immediately assisted the crew and brought medics on board.

Also, tugboats were sent to the ship to remove it from the ground and deliver it to the port. One of these tugs was the UDS motor ship “Zvezdnyi”, engaged in port works. After the successful completion of the operation, the ship was moored in the Izmail Sea Port.

On Monday, February 19, the captain of the port Izmail Serhiy Tkachenko presented the crew of the “Zvezdny” ship with a certificate of honor from the Russian Federation for professional and coordinated work during the rescue operation of the bulk carrier “Vyssos”.

The captain of “Zvezdnyi” Anatoly Kolesnyk recalls that after arriving at the site, they waited for the divers to pump out the water, then with joint efforts they removed the bulk carrier from the shallows and towed it into the bay. Some difficulties arose when entering the bay, because it is narrow. The passage depth is about 6.80 meters, and the draft of the vessel that took on water is 6 m. But as a result, the vessel was pushed through,” said the UDS.

As previously reported by USM, the captain of the bulk carrier “Vyssos”, which encountered a Russian sea mine near the Danube Bystre estuary, appealed to the ITF with a complaint against the shipowner.