20 ships continue search for Amethyst trawler in Sea of Okhotsk

PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY, February 19 (Itar-Tass) -- Twenty fishing
vessels in the Sea of Okhotsk continue the search for the Amethyst trawler
that went missing on February 11, but so far in vain, a source in the
Kamchatka territory government told Itar-Tass on Saturday after a meeting
of an emergencies commission.
The Anadyr border patrol ship is coordinating the search in the area.
So far, it is impossible to employ aircraft because of unfavourable
weather.
Rescuers have surveyed a total of 140,000 square miles of the Sea of
Okhotsk in the search for the missing trawler Amethyst, a territory eight
times as big as the ship might be traced, even with account of her
possible leeway. However, they have found neither the ship no traces of
her wreck.
The rescue operation has been recognized unprecedented in its scale.
Over the last week, almost all the ships sailing the accident area were
involved in search operations. Aerial surveys were conducted by Pacific
Fleet and Federal Security Service aircraft, and by helicopters of the
Russian Emergencies Ministry and Kamchatka Airlines.
The search for the missing trawler is coordinated by the response
headquarters, created under the captain of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky port.
The Kamchatka territory governor Alexei Kuzmitsky has taken the situation
under personal control.
Amethyst belongs to the Kamchatka Institute of Fisheries and
Oceanography (KamchatNIRO), her home port is Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. The
vessel was engaged in crab fishery at sea. The last radio contact with the
ship took place on February 10. On February 11, the ship for the last time
transmitted location. There has been no communication with the ship since
then. The ship's whereabouts and the fate of the crew are unknown.
The Kamchatka transport prosecutor's has launched a check into the
observance of the maritime safety legislation during the operation of the
Amethyst.