Norwegian company clarifies why their vessel did not assist Russian crew
Oslo-based shipping company Bulkship Management has rejected any blame for failing to retrieve Russian sailors from a distressed vessel. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
A Spanish maritime authority made the decision for the sailors to stay in their lifeboat, according to a statement from the company.
A Norwegian maritime company has refuted claims of responsibility for preventing sailors from a distressed Russian freighter from boarding one of its ships. Moscow officials have labeled the incident as "outrageous" and potentially a violation of international law.
The Russian vessel Ursa Major sank on Monday in the waters between Algeria and Spain, following what its operator, the state-owned Oboronlogistics, described as a suspected terrorist attack. On Tuesday evening, the company reported that a Norwegian ship, Oslo Carrier 3, had been nearby but did not permit 14 Russian sailors who had escaped the sinking ship in a lifeboat to come aboard.
Bulkship Management AS, the owner of the Norwegian vessel, asserted on Friday that it had complied with instructions from the MRCC Cartagena, the Spanish maritime authority responsible for rescue missions in the area of the Ursa Major incident.
“MRCC ordered the Master not to take crew from vessel in distress on board as their rescue boat was on the way to the scene,” the company stated. “In the meantime, the lifeboat was secured alongside our vessel until the rescue boat arrived.”
“The weather was good, none of the crew in the lifeboat were injured and there was no imminent danger to them,” it added.
Oboronlogistics, which is a subsidiary of the Russian Defense Ministry, accused the Norwegian firm of violating international maritime law by blocking the sailors from boarding the ship. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov indicated on Friday that if the claim is substantiated, the shipmaster’s actions would warrant “universal condemnation.”
At the time of the incident, the 142-meter Ursa Major was en route from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok. As of Friday, two crew members remain missing.
Anna Muller contributed to this report for TROIB News
A Norwegian maritime company has refuted claims of responsibility for preventing sailors from a distressed Russian freighter from boarding one of its ships. Moscow officials have labeled the incident as "outrageous" and potentially a violation of international law.
The Russian vessel Ursa Major sank on Monday in the waters between Algeria and Spain, following what its operator, the state-owned Oboronlogistics, described as a suspected terrorist attack. On Tuesday evening, the company reported that a Norwegian ship, Oslo Carrier 3, had been nearby but did not permit 14 Russian sailors who had escaped the sinking ship in a lifeboat to come aboard.
Bulkship Management AS, the owner of the Norwegian vessel, asserted on Friday that it had complied with instructions from the MRCC Cartagena, the Spanish maritime authority responsible for rescue missions in the area of the Ursa Major incident.
“MRCC ordered the Master not to take crew from vessel in distress on board as their rescue boat was on the way to the scene,” the company stated. “In the meantime, the lifeboat was secured alongside our vessel until the rescue boat arrived.”
“The weather was good, none of the crew in the lifeboat were injured and there was no imminent danger to them,” it added.
Oboronlogistics, which is a subsidiary of the Russian Defense Ministry, accused the Norwegian firm of violating international maritime law by blocking the sailors from boarding the ship. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov indicated on Friday that if the claim is substantiated, the shipmaster’s actions would warrant “universal condemnation.”
At the time of the incident, the 142-meter Ursa Major was en route from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok. As of Friday, two crew members remain missing.
Anna Muller contributed to this report for TROIB News
