Part of Sakhalin, Russia, is on high alert after Chinese cargo ships are stranded
MOSCOW, Russia (AP) – The governor of the Russian Pacific Islands region of Sakhalin declares an emergency after Chinese cargo ships stranded on its southwestern coast.
Governor Valery Limarenko said in an article in Sunday’s telegram that there is no danger to the crew of An Yang 2 who are carrying coal and heavy fuel. Russia’s emergency ministry said there were 20 crew members on board.
Limarenko said fuel spills were not recorded, but preparations must be made for any situation. He added that bad weather prevented rescue teams from entering the bulk carrier, which was stranded in shallow water near the Nevelsky district of Sakhalin.
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Regional authorities said they were preparing to pull fuel from damaged ships about 200 meters (650 feet) at sea.
Earlier this year, hundreds of volunteers in southwestern Russia spent weeks trying to build up large-scale oil spills in two troubled tankers in the Strait of Kirsh near Crimea.
The Sakhalin region, located in the Russian Far East, includes a large island of the same name and four Currill Islands, the subject of decades-long territorial disputes between Russia and Japan, ending the Second World War.
At the end of the war, Soviet troops occupied the islands, known as the northern region in Japan, and Russia has maintained control since then.
