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CEO of OOO Sakhmorflot on Sakhalin charged with breach of safe operation of Paramushir ship killing four

The investigating bodies of the Far Eastern Transport Investigations Directorate of the Russia’s Investigative Committee continue investigation into wreck of freight lighter the Paramushir opened in a crime under part 3 of article 263 of the RF Penal Code (violation of safety rules for traffic and operation of a vessel entailing death of 4 people).

On 17 October 2015, the Paramushir freight vessel wrecked off Sumsu island of the Kurils killing 4 crew members aboard it.

At the first stage of the preliminary investigation, a number of initial investigative operations were carried out to find out the details of the incident and to gather and consolidate the evidence.

It was revealed that on 17 October 2015, the ship left the port of Severo-Kurilsk to the port of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky carrying a cargo: a 1.8-ton container, a 9-ton drilling rig, a 25-ton excavator, 81 tons of metal scrap.

In accordance with “The rules of marine cargo transportation” large-size and heavy cargo should be placed and fixed according to individual projects designed by ship owners or on their instructions by competent organizations, with necessary documents and suitability test of the vessel.

The owner of the Paramushir – CEO of OOO Sakhmorflot had failed to meet all those requirements. He let the vessel be loaded while there were no individual plans of fixing the drilling rig or the declaration on the metal scrap cargo.

According to the main version of investigators, the ship lost stability and tipped over because of the breach of loading rules.

This way, the ship owner’s wrongdoings are in direct cause-and-effect connection with the impact.

At present, the CEO of OOO Sakhmorflot is charged with a crime under part 3 of article 263 of the RF Penal Code (violation of rules for safe traffic and operation of water transport means, entailing death of 4).

Today, following the request of investigators, a court has ruled to put the accused under house arrest.

The investigation is ongoing.