A fishing vessel from Russia to Bangladesh lost its way due to bad weather and drifted in Myanmar waters, and was towed by a Myanmar Navy vessel to a place for repairs, the Russian Embassy in Myanmar said in a statement on September 30.
The fishing vessel, named Bilene, is captained by A.I. Murzin. The vessel sent a letter to the Russian Embassy in Myanmar on September 18 expressing its gratitude to all involved, including the Myanmar Navy and the Myanmar Coast Guard, for their assistance in rescuing the vessel, the embassy said.
The fishing vessel Bilene was sailing from Vladivostok, Russia, to Chittagong, Bangladesh. The vessel reported on September 13 that it lost its course and drifted into Myanmar’s territorial waters due to a sudden change in weather conditions.
The fishing vessel’s drifting towards rocks posed a high risk of damage to the vessel and the lives of the seven Russian crew members on board and the captain and owner of the fishing vessel requested assistance from the Myanmar Coast Guard on September 17.
The crew then informed the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Myanmar about the incident and the Myanmar Navy’s UMS 566 warship was sent to the place to tow the Russian fishing vessel to a repair site in stormy weather conditions.
After the vessel was repaired, the vessel was able to leave Myanmar’s territorial waters.
The Russian embassy said the captain and crew of the Russian fishing vessel Bilene expressed their sincere gratitude to the Myanmar Coast Guard, the Myanmar Navy and everyone involved in their rescue, the embassy said.
