Sharks drowned the Russian Ocean Way circumnavigation catamaran in the Pacific Ocean, the crew was rescued

The catamaran of the members of the Russian Ocean Way expedition Evgeny Kovalevsky, Stanislav Beryozkin and a temporary crew member of the Frenchman Vincent Thomas Etienne were attacked by sharks in the Pacific Ocean, about 835 kilometers southeast of Cairns. This is reported on the project website.

“The first attack of sharks by cookicutters happened on September 4, when the rear left balloon of the catamaran was damaged. As a result, he was completely submerged under water. In an emergency condition, the travelers lasted about a day, they managed to walk about a hundred miles. On September 5, at 23:00, the ship was attacked by sharks again, and the right balloon had already been bitten through. The catamaran lost its balance and began to sink. The crew gave an SOS signal," the message says.

The head of the Coastal Headquarters, Yulia Kalyuzhnaya, contacted the Australian rescue service, and after 45 minutes, the dry cargo ship Dugong Ace, bound for Shanghai, approached the catamaran. The crew loaded all personal belongings onto the rescue ship, but it was not possible to evacuate the catamaran, since there were no devices on board to load it on board. As a result, it was decided to leave the catamaran in the ocean.

The rescue ship will take travelers to Brisbane. Yulia Kalyuzhnaya urgently flies to Australia to solve problems for the further continuation of the expedition.

The round-the-world expedition Russian Ocean Way started on July 1, 2021 from St. Petersburg. The finish line is scheduled for July 2024.

Siberian travelers Yevgeny Kovalevsky and Stanislav Beryozkin, who set off along the route of the first Russian round-the-world expeditions of the 19th century, participate in the expedition. The route passes through 40 countries.

The international project is dedicated to the 250th anniversary of the birth of Krusenstern and the 200th anniversary of the discovery of Antarctica by Russian sailors.