MOSCOW, JANUARY 9, RIA NOVOSTI - The "Balkhash", a suction dredge, sank in the Baltic, three miles southwest of Cape Taran, while towed from the Vysotsk port to Pionerskoye, Saturday last.
The danger of fuel and engine lubricant leak made the federal Ministry for Emergency and Calamity Relief dispatch divers to the site. Thorough monitoring of the sea surface and the dredge, at a 19 metre depth, did not reveal any leak, reassure ministerial PR. Luckily, the "Balkhash" had its fuel tanks sealed tight while en route.
The dredge owner, Podvodtruboprovodstroi underwater pipe-laying company, is getting ready to lift the "Balkhash"-tentatively, January 11. It is negotiating with the Baltic Fleet top to secure assistance.
