August 9, 2019
An Iranian cargo ship has sunk in the Caspian Sea after it started taking on water, according to Iran’s state-run news agency IRNA.
The Azerbaijan State Maritime Administration said it received a distress signal from an Iranian cargo ship off its port of Lankaran after it had been involved in some kind of an accident July 26. No other ship was involved.
It wasn’t clear if the Iranian ship struck a rock or if poor maintenance meant its hull broke open. But a Gilan province official said the vessel had been fighting waves as high as three meters (10 feet) before the sinking.
A photo showed the ship split in two and sinking. The photo did not show abnormal waves.
The crew of the Shabahang radioed for help, saying, “We are sinking; we are sinking,” according to IRNA.
The Shabahang, carrying a shipment of tiles, was en route from Anzali port, in Iran, to Makhachkala, in Russia, when it sank about 23 nautical miles off Azerbaijan. The Mehr news agency said the ship was launched in 1993 and spent most of its time since then hauling cargo between the same two ports.
Two Azerbaijan helicopters and the country’s coast guard rescued all nine crew members, who were still on board the vessel. The crew consisted of seven Iranians and two Indians.
Last year, an Iranian Navy destroyer, the largest Iranian warship in the Caspian, sank during a storm as it attempted to dock.
