After almost eight years in a Polish port, the Russian ghost ship ‘Khatanga’ has now ended up in Esbjerg
The tale of the Russian ghost ship ‘Khatanga’ is nearing its end in Esbjerg, where Smedegaarden A/S is currently in the process of scrapping the 23,000-ton product tanker, reports Esbjerg Liv.
According to Maritime Executive, the tanker was detained in the port of Gdynia, Poland, in October 2017 following a failed inspection. The authorities found both serious structural problems and raised doubts about the crew’s training and competencies. The owner, Murmansk Shipping Company, promised repairs but instead ended up filing for bankruptcy in 2020.
Since then, the ship has been at the center of several dramas. In January of this year, the Polish radio station Radio ZET reported that the country’s military counterintelligence service (SKW) and the internal security service (ABW) were investigating the circumstances surrounding the abandoned Russian tanker.
Safety was also an issue. Twice this winter, the Khatanga broke its moorings, first on December 15th and again on January 12th, highlighting the risk of letting the ship remain in the port.
After a prolonged tug-of-war, the necessary approvals came through, and on June 19th, the ‘Khatanga’ finally left Gdynia bound for Denmark. Before departure, the tanker was emptied of oil and chemicals, and the hull was sealed, writes Maritime Executive.
According to Baltic Shipping, the tanker was originally built in 1987 at the Kockums shipyard in Malmö.
