Update: Oleg Naydenov Sinks off Canary Islands

zoom A Russian trawler Oleg Naydenov sank some 15 miles off Punta Maspalomas, the Canary Islands, at around 22:45 local time Tuesday, Spains Salvamento Maritimo reports. As World Maritime News previously reported, the trawler had been burning for days after a fire that started in the engine room April 11 spread throughout the vessel which was at the time loaded with cardboard. At the time of the incident, Oleg Naydenov was docked at the port of Las Palmas. After failed attempts to contain the fire, the authorities decided early Sunday to tow the burning trawler some 20 miles offshore, fearing that the ship’s fuel tanks might explode or that the vessel might sink in the port due to the large amounts of water used to contain the fire. The trawler sank with around with 1,409 tons of fuel inside the tanks to a depth of 2,400 meters. Salvamento Maritimo said that the tug Punta Salinas has remained at the location of the sinking, and has reported no signs of contamination in the area yet. All 72 crew members aboard the trawler at the time of the incident disembarked the vessel safely on Saturday. The reports from yesterday hinted at the possibility of the vessel pulling through the incident without sinking. The fire had been put out, with some residual smoke coming from onboard the ship, and the initial list of 11 degrees had been reported as unchanged. World Maritime News Staff, Image: Salvamento Maritimo