Unity tanker drifts in storm with main engine out of action

The detained tanker Unity, carrying 22 crew members, has weathered a severe storm off India, with the vessel continuing to drift despite being secured by two anchors.

As Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media, some 21 crew members were on board during the storm. There is currently no threat to the sailors’ lives.

“There are 22 crew members on the vessel in total. Two sailors are from Egypt, but they have Russian residence permits, and one person is from Kazakhstan. All the others are Russian,” a crew member said.

He added that one Russian crew member remains under medical supervision in a hospital.

The sailor said that despite being secured by two anchors, the tanker was nevertheless being dragged off position by the severe weather conditions. This creates a risk of collision with other vessels that are also anchored nearby.

According to the crew member, the entire crew is working to keep the tanker in position, while the vessel’s main engine remains inoperative.

The crew requires spare parts to repair the engine, but the necessary components are not available on board.

By Vafa Guliyeva