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Photo: Vladimir Iliukhin.
Governor of Kamchatka Vladimir Iliukhin addressed to Eastern Military District Commander Konstantin Sidenko asking to carry out additional identification of an object detected in the Sea of Okhotsk in order to find out whether it is trawler Ametist lost in Feb, reported RIA Novosti referring to the regional government's press service.
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Kamchatka governor asks Navy to identify an underwater object
07.06.2011
The vessel belonging to Kamchatka Fishery Institute carried out commercial crabbing in the Sea of Okhotsk. As of the last radio contact on Feb 11, the vessel was expecting for bunkerage. There were 23 crewmembers on board Ametist. Since May 25 the search operation had been conducted by Pacific Fleet (PF) hydrographic vessel GS-296.
The PF ship found 45x9-meter large underwater object resembling Ametist in the Sea of Okhotsk 11 km away from the trawler's last positioning point. Special deep-water equipment is needed for detailed study and identification of the object.
"Vladimir Iliukhin expressed sincere gratitude to the Eastern Military District Commander for assistance in the searching operation", said the interviewee.
Active search had been conducted during one month since Feb 12. About 200 sq km of the Sea of Okhotsk and adjacent Kamchatka coast were checked. During the search operation rescuers found two Ametist's life rafts and eight crab trap buoys. No crewmen were detected so far. After the active phase was over, all ships working in that part of the Sea of Okhotsk carry out underway search.
Relatives of the Ametist crewmembers still hope for seeing them alive; in March they started fund-raising campaign to continue search operation. Kamchatka Governor Vladimir Iliukhin addressed a letter to Konstantin Sidenko, Eastern Military District Commander asking to use a Pacific Fleet rescue ship in search operation. Iliukhin's request was met. Regional administration and a ship-owning company have already paid RUR 325,000 material aid to families of Ametist sailors. If crewmembers are recognized dead, each of their families will receive RUR 550,000 insurance compensation.
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