Iranian Vessel Suffers Damage of “Unknown Origin” in the Caspian Sea

The Iranian vessel Caspian Shiva suffered damage of “unknown origin” in the Caspian Sea.

The ship, which was heading for the port of Makhachkala, ran aground and started to sink, according to sources on the Telegram channel MNS.

According to their information, there were no casualties among the crew members. Two tugboats were dispatched to assist the ship.

The MNS Telegram channel claims that the tanker suffered a hole for reasons that are still unknown, causing water to enter the engine room and hold.

There are currently 10 crew members on board.

The source notes that the rescue operation is currently complicated by unfavorable weather conditions, with waves reaching two meters in height.

At the same time, several Russian tugboats have been put on standby.

The ship is 116 meters long, 13 meters wide, and has a carrying capacity of 3,344 tons.

The registered owner of the Caspian Shiva is the Iranian freight company PARS OBOUR PARS TRANS SHPG.

This year, the Iranian-flagged dry cargo ship RONA has already sunk in the Caspian Sea.

The RONA regularly sailed between Iranian ports and Astrakhan, Makhachkala, and Azov. This route coincides with the main sea supply route for Iranian weapons to Russia.

Last year, Ukrainian naval drones attacked two sanctioned oil tankers of the Russian “shadow fleet” — KAIRO and VIRAT — in the Black Sea.