After a series of tragic shipwrecks in the Kerch Strait Chief of the Russian Federal Agency for Sea and Inland Water Transport Alexander Davydenko has set a 25-year deadline for use of ships, banning ships built earlier and ships with restricted use from navigation at sea, the press service of the Russian Transport Ministry told Tass on Monday. The ban will remain in effect until the causes of the shipwrecks are established, the press service said. All ships will be checked for navigation safety in open sea with rough waves, a representative of the Federal agency said.
Most of the ships wrecked during a sea storm on November 11 belonged to the Sea-River class capable to remain afloat with waves up to two meters only, while on November 11 rough waves in the Kerch Strait were no lower than six meters high.
At present, 20 ships remain afloat in the strait. In two-three days time normal navigation will be ensured in the Kerch Strait, the source said. Captains of seaports will regulate navigation in the Kerch Strait. Permissions will be issued to Russian and foreign ships.
Earlier, ships registered in the River Register only had been banned from navigation at sea.
Thirteen ships of the River-Sea class were damaged during a sea storm in the Kerch Strait on November 11.
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