Russian scuba divers come across shipwrecked vessel with gold cargo
November 8, 2012
Russian scuba divers recently came across a sunken cargo ship, which was loaded with 700 tons of gold ore that is owned by Polymetal International Plc, according to Reuters. The shipwreck was found in Russia's Far East coast.
The dry-cargo freighter Amurskaya, which was carrying cargo worth $230,000, went missing earlier this month, and these scuba divers were able to find the remains of the vessel, according to the news source.
"Scuba divers investigated the sunken object - it is the Amurskaya freighter," the Transport Ministry cited state lifeguard services said in a statement. "We plan to continue work by penetrating inside the vessel."
The boat had a nine-member crew on board earlier this month, but there have not been any bodies found on the vessel as of yet, the media outlet reports.
It is believed that the ship capsized after the 700 tons of gold ore was displaced due to rolling and high seas. The shipwreck was found 82 feet into the ocean. Since it seems to have been such a fast-moving event, it was expected that the crew got out of there as quick as possible, and this was later confirmed.
"A ladder, the lack of people on the bridge, the open door to the room below the bridge deck and the lack of lifeboats on board confirms with a high likelihood that the crew attempted an emergency evacuation," the ministry statement said.
According to The Guardian, gold has been on an all-time high above 1,795 an ounce in October. Gold is usually seen as something that goes against inflation.
Those who want to talk about the recent finding can make calls to Russia using international calling cards.