On January 21, an accident occurred in the Kerch Strait: two vessels flying the flag of Tanzania caught fire after an explosion the cause of which has not been determined yet.
Vessels of Volga Shipping Company, VF Tanker-5, VF Tanker-8 and Konstruktor Zhivotovsky, were close to the accident site. The tankers’ crews guided by Marine Rescue and Coordination Center of Novorossiysk took and active part in the operations to rescue people from ships in distress.
The crew of MV Konstruktor Zhivotovsky succeeded in saving two crewmembers of the Maestro tanker: a seaman (India national born in 1995) and a ship's cook (Turkey national born in 1981). They were provided with first aid and dry clothes. On January 22 morning, the rescued were taken ashore by the Zaliv tugboat.