Inquiry into loss of trawler in Sea of Okhotsk begins

PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY (Itar-Tass) - Kamchatka's
transport prosecutor begins the inquiry into the loss of Russia's trawler
Amethyst in the Sea of Okhotsk off Kamchatka, the prosecutor's office told
Itar-Tass on Monday.
There are 23 crewmembers onboard. The trawler is owned by the
Kamchatka Fisheries and Oceanography Research Institute (KamchatNIRO). The
trawler registered in the port of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky went crab
fishing.
Communication was lost with the ship on February 12. It stopped to
transmit daily position reports through the satellite navigation system.
The trawler's last reported position was at 58 degrees 30 minutes of
northern latitude and 155 degrees and 32 minutes of eastern longitude.
The trawler sent no SOS signals and the emergency beacon lights were
not registered.
A rescue operation is underway. Eight different vessels are engaged in
the rescue operation. Later on Monday an Il-38 military plane and a
helicopter will join.
The location of the trawler has not been found. The fate of the crew
has not been known yet.
According to Kamchatka's hydrometeorological centre, snowstorm with
wind gusts of up to 20 meters per second is expected in the Shelekhov Bay,
where the rescue operation is continuing.