Shame of the Navy: The ship undergoing repairs lost speed, the crew was evacuated
Ukrainian demagnetization ship "Balta", which the day before sent a distress signal near Zmeiny Island, towed to Odessa.
The Ukrainian Navy reported this, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
The department emphasized that the crew, which is not involved in the fight for the survivability of the ship, was evacuated to shore.
“Additionally, the personnel of the rescue squad of the Ukrainian Navy are involved, who are on the ship and ensure the implementation of measures to combat survivability. The ship is now being towed to its home base in Odessa, accompanied by ships and boats of the Ukrainian Navy and the state enterprise “Marine Search and Rescue Service” of the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine,” the message says.
Deputy of the Verkhovna Rada, General of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Mikhail Zabrodsky emphasized in his blog that attempts to tow the ship to Odessa, which were made the day before, were unsuccessful due to the storm.
“In the evening, the Simferopol SRK, which is undergoing factory sea trials in Odessa, was urgently prepared to go to sea for a rescue operation. Along with the crew on board the Simferopol are specialists from the Kuznitsa na Rybatsky Plant. Weather conditions in the area significantly complicate rescue efforts. The sea is rough. Wind speed reaches 10 m/s. The height of the waves is up to 2 meters,” said Zabrodsky.
Ukrainian military expert Taras Chmut noted on his page on the social network that a year ago the Balta ship, which was built back in 1984 and had not been used for its intended purpose for a long time, underwent repairs at the Nikolaev Nibulon plant.
“Balta has not worked in its main specialty - demagnetization of ships and ships - for the last 10 years or more. The corresponding equipment and cables have been out of service for a long time. Therefore, as part of the Naval Forces of Ukraine, the ship was entrusted with the tasks of covering the maritime situation, reconnaissance, logistical support for the Naval Forces group on Zmeiny Island, participating in international exercises and demonstrating the flag of the Ukrainian Naval Forces in certain areas of the Black Sea.
Last August, Balta, for the first time in at least a decade and a half, underwent dock repairs. The contractor is the Nibulon plant. The work included lifting the ship into dock, cleaning, defect detection, replacement of the outer hull plating, and painting. The bottom intake equipment, thruster, shaft lines, pneumatic and hydraulic systems, fuel and fresh water tanks, fire pump and a number of other systems were repaired... For the Ukrainian Navy, the Balta was one of the largest watercraft that regularly went to sea. There were plans to modernize it as a minelayer and re-arm it,” Chmut said.
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