Russia Launches $40M Port Inspection Drive After Suspected Tanker Bombings

Russian state port operator FSUE Rosmorport has issued a new tender worth $39.5 million to hire teams for inspecting vessels at its Baltic Sea ports.

The inspections will focus on the underwater parts of arriving ships, including below the waterline and under the hull, to look for unknown objects and possible explosives.

This comes after several unexplained incidents at Russian ports in the Baltic region. According to The Moscow Times, Rosmorport launched the tender following a recent case involving the LPG carrier Eco Wizard.

Two weeks ago, while the vessel was loading cargo, officials reported a minor ammonia leak. However, a Telegram channel named Baza reported that the incident was actually caused by an explosion.

According to their report, there were two holes in the ship’s hull, and the metal was bent inward, indicating that the damage came from an external blast.

In February, another ship was damaged while docked at the Ust-Luga terminal. Although official reports attempted to downplay the situation, local authorities were quick to label it as an act of sabotage.

In total, at least seven vessels that were carrying Russian cargo have reportedly been damaged in incidents that are being linked to a suspected Ukrainian sabotage campaign.

Rosmorport is offering four separate contracts for these underwater inspections. The contracts are divided by port locations: one covers St. Petersburg; another includes Ust-Luga and Primorsk; the third is for Vysotsk and Vyborg; and the fourth covers Kaliningrad.

The selected companies will be required to use sonar systems, unmanned underwater vehicles, and other inspection tools. They will check important underwater areas such as the propeller and rudder systems, thrusters, sea chests, bow bulbs, and other parts of the ship below the surface.

The teams will also need to analyse the images and data to look for any possible explosives. Interested companies have until July 24 to submit their bids for the tender. Rosmorport is expected to announce the winning contractors on August 4.

Reference: worldports

Source: Maritime Shipping News