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Bulgaria (ship)

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History
 Soviet UnionUSSR
NameUkraina
History
malformed flag imageRussia
NameBulgaria
Launched1955
Out of service10 July 2011
FateSunk
General characteristics
Class and type785/OL800 (in Slovakia)
TypeRiver cruise ship
Tonnage1,003
Length80.2 metres (263 ft)
Beam12.5 metres (41 ft)
Draught1.9 metres (6.2 ft)
Decks2
Installed power273 kilowatts (366 hp)
Speed20.5 kilometres per hour (12.7 mph; 11.1 kn)
Capacity233

Bulgaria (Russian: Булгария, romanized: Bulgariya) was a class 785/OL800 [1] Soviet/Russian river cruise ship (built in Czechoslovakia, Komarno) which operated in the Volga-Don basin. On 10 July 2011, Bulgaria sank in the Kuybyshev Reservoir of the Volga River near Syukeyevo, Kamsko-Ustyinsky District, Tatarstan, Russia,[2] with 208 passengers and crew aboard[3] when sailing from the town of Bolgar to the regional capital, Kazan.[4] The catastrophe led to at least 98 confirmed deaths.[5][6]

The sinking of Bulgaria is the largest Russian non-military ship disaster since 1986 when the SS Admiral Nakhimov crashed into a cargo ship and 423 people died.[7]

Sinking

On 10 July 2011, Bulgaria was traveling in Tatarstan on the Volga River when she was caught in a storm and sank in several minutes at about 13:58 Moscow time (09:58 UTC), several hours after beginning her cruise.[8]

Survivors say that during the cruise, Bulgaria encountered stormy weather, and listed sharply to starboard. This was apparently compounded by the captain trying to turn the boat around, and soon water rushed into the vessel through portholes that had been opened because the ship had no air conditioning. According to a survivor, the sinking came without warning, and the vessel "listed to starboard (right-hand side of ship) and capsized and sank."[4] The boat sank within minutes, plunging nearly 20 metres (66 ft) to the river bed.[9][10] The sinking occurred about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from shore, in the Kamsko-Ustyinsky District.[11]

Casualties

As of 12 July 2011, the officially confirmed death toll is at 116, with 98 bodies having been recovered.[12] On the previous day, a government official from the Ministry of Emergency Situations said that the likelihood of finding additional survivors was slim, leaving a presumed total of up to 129 dead.[13][14] Among the dead were believed to be at least 50 children.[3] On 12 July 2011, the divers recovered bodies of Bulgaria's captain Alexander Ostrovsky and his spouse.[15]

Seventy-nine people (56 passengers and 23 crew members) were reported to have survived the sinking.[2] Of those, 76 were rescued by the cruise ship Arabella, a few others were saved by other boats, and one survivor managed to swim to the shore.[16] At the time of the incident, Bulgaria passenger's count is estimated to have been at 208, though she was only rated to carry 120.[8]

Passed ships

According to survivors' accounts, two ships (the oil tanker Volgoneft-104 and the freighter Arbat) were passing by after Bulgaria had sunk. These ships did not stop to help and the ICRF has launched an official investigation into these claims.[17] In accordance with Russian law[18] the captain of a ship that refuses to help in disaster should be sentenced to up to two years in prison. However it may also be that these ships, being heavy freight barges with minimal crews, were not technically capable of stopping while passing or of turning back in acceptable time. The barge owners refused to comment.[19] Assistance from a third freighter, Dunaijskij 66, was refused by Arabella's captain assuming that the ship could not have provided help above what Arabella had already provided.

Dead and injured by country[20]
Nationality Dead Injured
Russia Russian 97 13
Belarus Belarusian 1 1
Total 98 14

Cause

On 11 July, an anonymous source close to the committee investigating the sinking said that the likely cause was portholes that were opened because of the lack of air conditioning on the vessel, which allowed water to enter Bulgaria when the captain attempted to turn the ship during stormy weather.[9][14]

Evidence suggested that a number of safety violations could have caused or compounded the disaster. According to one survivor, emergency exit doors on the boat had been sealed or locked shut. Investigators also suggested that the boat set sail with a list to the right, possibly due to full sewage or fuel tanks on that side, and with one of its engines not properly functioning.[9] Some survivors told Russian news agencies that they begged the captain to turn round because of the list, but were ignored. There were conflicting reports about whether the boat and the cruise operator were properly licensed for passenger cruises.[9]

Government reaction

President Dmitry Medvedev on 11 July ordered "a complete check on all means of passenger transport" in Russia in response to the sinking of Bulgaria, and also declared 12 July a national day of mourning for those killed in the incident.[3]

Ship

Bulgaria was built at Slovenské Lodenice in Komárno, Czechoslovakia, in 1955 as Ukraina, and was renamed in February 2010 to Bulgaria after the Volga Bulgaria.[1] Her length was 80.2 metres (263 ft), her beam was 12.5 metres (41 ft), her draft was 1.9 metres (6.2 ft), and her power output was 273 kilowatts (366 hp). She had two engines and two decks.[1] Her cruising speed was 20.5 kilometres per hour (12.7 mph; 11.1 kn), and her original passenger capacity was 233 (then reduced after overhaul).[1]

At the time of the sinking, Bulgaria was owned by Kamskoye Rechnoye Parokhodstvo, which leased the ship to OOO Briz, which in turn subleased it to OOO Argorechtur, which operated it, according to media reports, on a bareboat charter. That means OOO Agrorechtur accepted sole liability for technical maintenance and crew placement. Investigators claim that Argorechtur was operating the cruise ship without a proper licence, and the director of OOO Agrorechtur was arrested on 12 July 2011.[21]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Теплоход проекта 785 "Булгария". Справка" (in Russian). RBC.ru. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  2. ^ a b "Death toll in Volga boat tragedy reaches 54, over 50 missing". RIA Novosti. 11 July 2011. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  3. ^ a b c "Russia Volga boat tragedy: Medvedev orders review". BBC News. 11 July 2011. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  4. ^ a b "Russia fears 110 dead as boat sinks on Volga River". BBC News. 11 July 2011. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  5. ^ Director of a company holding lease for Bulgaria arrested. (In Russian). Lenta.ru on 12 July 2011
  6. ^ (In Russian). By Tatarstan branch of EMERCOM on 12 July 2011
  7. ^ Крупнейшие катастрофы кораблей стран бывшего СССР :: Чрезвычайные происшествия :: Top.rbc.ru
  8. ^ a b "Sunken cruise ship left port listing with broken engine". RIA Novosti. 11 July 2011. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  9. ^ a b c d "Cruise deaths likely to top 100 as safety violations emerge". The Independent. UK. 11 July 2011. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 12 July 2011. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  10. ^ "100 missing after cruiser sinks on river Volga". The Independent. UK. 11 July 2011. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2011. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  11. ^ "According to preliminary data 84 people have been rescued from 173 on board of the sunk ship in Volga River. One woman died." Ministry of Emergency Situations. Retrieved on 12 July 2011.
  12. ^ [(In Russian). By Tatarstan branch of EMERCOM on 12 July 2011
  13. ^ "Volga river boat sinking: rescuers give up hope of finding more survivors". The Guardian. UK. 11 July 2011. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2011. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  14. ^ a b "At Least 129 Dead in Volga River Tragedy". The Moscow Times. 11 July 2011. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  15. ^ "Спасатели обнаружили тело капитана 'Булгарии'" (in Russian). Lenta.ru. 12 July 2011. Retrieved 12 July 2011.
  16. ^ "Неисправный и без лицензии". Lenta.ru. 11 July 2011. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 12 July 2011.
  17. ^ "На двух капитанов заведут дела за неоказание помощи "Булгарии"" (in Russian). Lenta.ru. 12 July 2011. Retrieved 12 July 2011. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |title_trans= ignored (help)
  18. ^ Captains that refused to help become figurants of criminal investigation (in Russian)
  19. ^ Could tanker pass by the sinking people? (in Russian)
  20. ^ "Родственники опознали белоруску среди погибших на теплоходе 'Булгария'" (in Russian). 12 July 2011. Retrieved 12 July 2011.
  21. ^ Leaseholder's company director detained. (In Russian). By Lenta.ru on 12 July 2011

See also

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