Medvedev Hurls Accusations at Norwegian Vessel; Photos Suggest Otherwise
A Norwegian shipping company rejected an accusation from Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, that it refused to rescue sailors from a sinking Russian cargo ship in the Mediterranean Sea.
Medvedev accused the Norwegian-flagged Oslo Carrier 3 of not coming to the aid of sailors on board the Ursa Major cargo ship, which carries out missions for the Russian Defence Ministry's military construction arm. The Ursa Major ran into trouble on Monday and then sank between Spain and Algeria with 14 of its crew of 16 taking to a lifeboat.
Allegedly three explosions tore through the vessel breaching the hull in "an act of terrorism", the ship's owner, Oboronlogistika, told state news agency RIA on Wednesday.
Spain's Maritime Rescue Service said on Tuesday it had received a distress signal from the Ursa Major on Monday and that two vessels and a helicopter had been sent to the scene.
Medvedev accused the Oslo Carrier 3 of refusing to help when the ship was sinking.
"A Norwegian-flagged vessel, Oslo Carrier 3, refused to take aboard distressed Russian sailors from Ursa Major as it was sinking in the Mediterranean. What more is there to explain? That cannot be forgiven!," Medvedev wrote on his official Telegram channel.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also weighed in, saying: "If indeed no assistance was rendered to those in distress at sea, this was contrary to all maritime laws and was an outrageous case that deserves total condemnation."
But Oslo-based Bulkship Management AS, which lists the Oslo Carrier 3 as part of its fleet, rejected Medvedev's accusation and said it did provide assistance. In fact, the company posted it's own version of the event with visual proof on its website's news section earlier today:
- "The MRCC (Spain's Maritime Rescue Coordinating Center) ordered the Master not to take crew from vessel in distress on board as their rescue boat was on the way," it said in a statement on Friday.
"In the meantime, the lifeboat was secured alongside our vessel until the rescue boat arrived. The weather was good, none of the crew in the lifeboat were injured and there was no imminent danger to them."
Bulkship Management AS published two photographs of the lifeboat alongside the Oslo Carrier 3 in what looked like calm waters and a Spanish vessel then towing it away.
(Reuters + Press)