Turkish crew of ship that collided into incomplete Russian bridge refuses to apologize
The crew of a Turkish ship, which has been kept in Russia since March 19 for colliding into an ongoing Russian bridge construction planned to connect Crimea with the Russian mainland, refused to apologize for the incident.
Russian Sputnik news reported that the crew of the "Lira" cargo ship registered in Panama said that the collision to the ongoing bridge construction over the Kerch Strait was not on purpose; and a Crimean officer was responsible for the incident.
The chief engineer of the ship told Russian broadcaster LifeNews that the abutments of the bridge were invisible and they still could not understand how the collision took place.
Ship owners reportedly told the ship's captain that the reparations of the incident can cost up to $500,000 and threatened him with a monetary fine. Following the collision, the ship was towed to Port of Taganrog in the Sea of Azov for the damages to be covered.
MarineTraffic.com website shows the last position of the ship as off the coast of Taganrog. The bridge bears strategic importance for Russia as it will provide the only land connection between the Russian mainland and Crimean peninsula, which was invaded by Russian special and paramilitary forces in February 2014 and unilaterally annexed by Russia following a referendum in March 2014.
The international community does not recognize the legality of these actions, and thus the status of the bridge also remains in question. Shortly before the accident, Russian President Vladimir Putin was in the area for inspection on March 18; and said in any case of delays in the construction, responsible people would be taken into account with their lives.
The bridge, which will connect the Kerch and Taman peninsula over the strait that connects the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea, is planned to have four lanes for car traffic and two lanes for rail.
The crew of a Turkish ship, which has been kept in Russia since March 19 for colliding into an ongoing Russian bridge construction planned to connect Crimea with the Russian mainland, refused to apologize for the incident.
Russian Sputnik news reported that the crew of the "Lira" cargo ship registered in Panama said that the collision to the ongoing bridge construction over the Kerch Strait was not on purpose; and a Crimean officer was responsible for the incident.
The chief engineer of the ship told Russian broadcaster LifeNews that the abutments of the bridge were invisible and they still could not understand how the collision took place.
Ship owners reportedly told the ship's captain that the reparations of the incident can cost up to $500,000 and threatened him with a monetary fine. Following the collision, the ship was towed to Port of Taganrog in the Sea of Azov for the damages to be covered.
MarineTraffic.com website shows the last position of the ship as off the coast of Taganrog. The bridge bears strategic importance for Russia as it will provide the only land connection between the Russian mainland and Crimean peninsula, which was invaded by Russian special and paramilitary forces in February 2014 and unilaterally annexed by Russia following a referendum in March 2014.
The international community does not recognize the legality of these actions, and thus the status of the bridge also remains in question. Shortly before the accident, Russian President Vladimir Putin was in the area for inspection on March 18; and said in any case of delays in the construction, responsible people would be taken into account with their lives.
The bridge, which will connect the Kerch and Taman peninsula over the strait that connects the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea, is planned to have four lanes for car traffic and two lanes for rail.