Posted on 11/28/2020 6:51:08 PM PST by texas booster
Time is running out for delivery of 5,000 tons of containers and modules for the Vostok station to Antarctica. Sevmporput had an estimated arrival at Prydz Bay on the eastern shores of the continent on November 20. However, since mid-October the giant nuclear-powered container carrier has sailed zigzag outside the Angolan coast in the South-Atlantic with a broken propeller.
Rosatomflot, the operator of Russia’s state-owned fleet of civilian nuclear-powered vessels, chose to keep silent about the trouble and has not answered any questions on the issue from The Barents Observer. Social media sites, however, had a lively debate about the reasons for the breakdown. As previously reported, it became clear that a propeller blade had fallen off. Divers flew to Angola to assist in cutting off a second blade in hope of restoring the balance.
Since the ship is nuclear-powered it couldn’t make port call, but had to stay outside the 12-nautical miles off the coast.
Now, newspaper Kommersant can inform that the divers’ repair attempts were unsuccessful and as the time-window for reaching the Antarctica summer season is about to close, it is decided to call Sevmorput home.
The giant ship will sail to St. Petersburg to unload the modules and containers, before entering dry-dock for repairs.
Icebreaker Kapitan Dranitsyn, which left Murmansk on September 27th and teamed up with Sevmorput in the Atlantic the second week of October, has set sail for home. The icebreaker waited a few days when Sevmorput got troubled outside Angola but soon continued lonely on the voyage south to King Håkon VII Sea, off the coast of Queen Maud Land in Antarctica two weeks ago. Onboard are 98 specialists and construction workers for the Vostok station. On Thursday, however, the ship is outside Cape Town with a northbound course and the destination is no longer Antarctica, but St. Petersburg according to MarineTraffic.com.
Port call to St. Petersburg is set to be December 31, much longer than such a voyage from South Africa normally would take. It is likely because the icebreaker will assist Sevmorput, which has reduced speed and maneuverability.
Hey, Your UP !
The Shaft or the entire Ship ???
I spent a few seconds in confused thought about why an aircraft carrier would be delivering supplies to Antarctica.
I thought the same thing. But since it appears the ship was to deliver an entire research station that would take a while to assemble delivering it late scrubs the mission for this season?
Must have been built with improperly cured Chinese steel. BO was having a problem with parts falling off of their oil tankers in the Gulf of Alaska after building new tankers with parts made in China.
Row, row, row your boat
Gently back to Russia
Ya got Me. Never been there and too old, impaired and grumpy to go now.
thx, makes sense
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