Blue Shark cargo ship runs aground during 'storm of the century' in Southern Russia

The Blue Shark cargo ship, flying the flag of Belize, ran aground off the city of Anapa on the Black Sea Coast in Southern Russia.

There are 21 crew members on board, no one was injured, Rosmorrechflot Federal Agency for Sea and River Traffic said.

There are citizens of Syria, India and Egypt among the crew. The rescue operation to refloat the vessel will begin when weather conditions improve.

The owner of the cargo ship has not contacted coastal services yet.

The condition of the ship, which was transporting about 3,000 tons of barley, appears to be normal. The 'storm of the century' that hit Crimea and Southern Russia on November 26-27 affected the cargo ship at the time of loading in the seaport of Taman. The crew decided to berth the vessel.

The Blue Shark cargo ship may become a local sightseeing similarly to Turkey's Rio bulk carrier that also ran aground off the resort city of Gelendzhik as a result of a storm in 2018.