MOSCOW, November 17 (RIA Novosti) - A sea rescue center in Astrakhan, in southern Russia, has launched a search-and-rescue operation to answer a distress call from a Russian vessel that has disappeared in the Caspian Sea, the Transportation Ministry said Saturday.
"The Kamyust-1 ship, sailing under the Russian flag and registered at the Taganrog port, was on its way from Astrakhan to the Iranian port of Enzeli, but failed to arrive to its destination on schedule," a ministry spokesperson said.
After a distress call that came at about 11:00 a.m. Moscow time (8 a.m. GMT), all contacts with the ship have been lost, the source said.
There are 12 crew members on board the ship carrying 2,200 metric tons of steel feed.
The ministry said rescue teams from Russia, Kazakhstan and Iran would join efforts in the search for the missing vessel.
