Three cargo vessels operated by the Kent Shipping company (Istanbul, Turkey) are in distress, the Maritime Bulletin publication reports.
The Rodonit vessel has been anchored off the Ilyichevsk port for 17 days. It is presumably to be returned to its owner, the Fedkominvest company, from Kent Shipping, which had the vessel under bareboat charter. Fresh water and food supplies on the vessel were expected to run out on February 24.
"It was to proceed to Kherson for repairs at the Kherson ship repair yard, but it cannot sail to Kherson because the agent – the Poseidon company – is doing nothing, and it has simply not been making contact recently. It has a 13-person crew, the captain and the chief engineer are citizens of Russia, and the rest are citizens of Ukraine. The crew is on the verge of rebellion, and it is preparing to hijack the vessel to an unclear destination. The chief engineer, who has a heart problem, has run out of the necessary heart medicine," said Maritime Bulletin’s Editor-in-chief Mikhail Voitenko.
"For some reason unknown to me, entry of the Rodonit cargo vessel into Kherson depends on Ogryum Georgy Mikhailovich, a person who is quite well known in the regional shipping industry," said Voitenko .
Another cargo ship, the Evgenia Z, is in the same situation near Ilyichevsk. In addition, the Volga-Don 5021 general cargo vessel has been docked at the Kherson ship repair yard for two months, with its crew and captain on strike, demanding payment of wages.
According to the available information, Kent Shipping simply has no money at present.
The Rodonit general cargo vessel with a deadweight of 4,903 tons was built in 1971; the Volgo-Don 5021 general cargo vessel with a deadweight of 3,960 tons was built in 1971; the Evgenia Z general cargo vessel with a deadweight of 4,903 tons was built in 1970. They all fly the flag of Belize.
