MV SMP Novodvinsk is a Russian general cargo ship which ran aground and was detained in Szczecin, Poland, following the outbreak of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
| History | |
|---|---|
 Russian | |
| Name |
|
| Owner | Joint Stock Company Northern Shipping Company |
| Port of registry |  Arkhangelsk, Russia |
| Laid down | 27 June 2002 |
| Launched | 27 May 2008 |
| Identification |
|
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | General cargo ship |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 118.4 m (388 ft 5 in) |
| Beam | 33.4 m (109 ft 7 in) |
| Draft | 4.1 m (13 ft 5 in) |
| Crew | 9 |
Description
editNovodvinsk is a general cargo ship with a tonnage of 6,500 DWT and a gross tonnage of 4,106 GT, a length of 118.4 metres (388 ft 5 in), a beam of 33.4 metres (109 ft 7 in), and a draft of 4.1 metres (13 ft 5 in).[1] The ship's main engine provides 2,040 kW of power, allowing for a maximum speed of 11.5 kn unloaded and 10 kn loaded. It has two holds with a total capacity of 7,923 cubic metres (279,800 cu ft) or 256 twenty-foot equivalent units.[2]
Novodvinsk was built with the same specifications as SMP Severodvinsk which was constructed the year prior.[2]
History
editNovodvinsk was first laid down on 27 June 2002, and was launched on 27 May 2008.[3]
Grounding
editOn 12 January 2022, Novodvinsk ran aground in Szczecin, Poland, while approaching the port with a cargo of scrap metal.[4] According to the Szczecin Maritime Office, the ship ran aground away from the main line of traffic into the port, and was not an obstacle to other maritime traffic. None of the nine Russian crewmembers were injured in the incident.[5]
After two weeks, the vessel was still grounded, with no plans to remove it from its location. Only one attempt by the tug Centaur II from the port was made to dislodge Novodvinsk shortly after the incident. However, the shipowner claimed that the ship was being unloaded in an attempt to refloat it, and that the crew had ample food, water, and the ship was stable.[4] By 11 February, enough tonnage had been removed from the ship that it dislodged and refloated. It was accompanied by two tugs into the port of Szczecin, where it continued to unload and was inspected for environmental hazards. With none found, it continued to the Gryfia Marine Repair Shipyard, which it reached on 18 February.[6]
While Novodvinsk was still undergoing repairs, on 8 March, the Gryfia shipyard announced that the ship was being detained in response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Reportedly, Ukrainian workers refused to unload the ship, and Polish workers were also reluctant.[7] Work stopped on the ship, but it was released ten days later, on 18 March, and allowed to sail for St. Petersburg.[8]
Sanctions
editOn 8 May, 2022, the United States Department of State designated several Russian maritime companies and the ships they operated as a part of the Department of the Treasury's List of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons, sanctioning them for their involvement in transporting war materiel during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Novodvinsk, one of 27 ships owned by the Joint Stock Company Northern Shipping Company, was among those designated by the Department of State and sanctioned as a part of those actions.[9][10]
References
edit- ^ "SMP Novodvinsk". Marine Traffic. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
- ^ a b "Type "SMP Novodvinsk"". ansc.ru. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
- ^ "SMP Novodvinsk RS: 020964 IMO:9398046". Russian Maritime Register of Shipping. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
- ^ a b Skarul, Bogna (4 February 2022). "Na Zalewie Szczecińskim utknęła na mieliźnie rosyjska jednostka. Nadal czeka na odholowanie" [A Russian ship stranded in the Zalew Szczeciński. Still waiting to be towed away]. Police Naszemiasto (in Polish). Retrieved 20 June 2022.
- ^ Kubowska, Elżbieta (31 January 2022). "When will they tow him away? The Russian ship got stuck in the Szczecin Lagoon". 24 Kurier. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
- ^ "Teraz remont i kontrola statku pod rosyjską banderą ściągniętego z mielizny" [Now the repair and inspection of a ship under the Russian flag, pulled from the shoal]. 24 Kurier (in Polish). 23 February 2022. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
- ^ ""SMP Novodvinsk" zatrzymany. Kiedy UE nałoży sankcje na rosyjskie statki?" ["SMP Novodvinsk" detained. When will the EU impose sanctions on Russian ships?]. 24 Kurier (in Polish). 9 March 2022. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
- ^ "The ship SMP Novodvinsk under the Russian flag left the Szczecin shipyard". Polish News. 18 March 2022. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
- ^ Office of the Spokesperson (8 May 2022). "State Department Actions to Promote Accountability and Impose Costs on the Russian Government for Putin's Aggression against Ukraine". U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Poland. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
- ^ "Sanctions Alert: U.S. Imposes a Range of Additional Sanctions, Export Controls and Other Measures Against Russia". Seward & Kissel Lip. 12 May 2022. Retrieved 20 June 2022.