Turkish cargo vessel crashes into bridge construction in Crimea

Nerdun Hacıoğlu – MOSCOW

A Turkish registered dry cargo vessel crashed into the supporting legs of a bridge construction on the Azov Sea, causing major damage on a project aiming to link Crimea to mainland Russia through a railway and a highway.

“Lira,” a vessel owned by the Turkuaz Shipping Company, hit the construction on the Kerch Strait after drifting off course on March 19, Russia’s İTAR-TASS news agency has reported.  

The ship was taken to Russia’s Taganrog harbor as a safety measure after that one pole of the construction was completely destroyed and two other poles were severely damaged. It is reported that the company Krimskiy Most, which operates the bridge construction, is preparing a loss invoice.

The project has been closely monitored by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who previously visited the site and stated that if construction was halted for any reason, those responsible would “pay the price.”

Former Ukrainian territory Crimea was annexed by Russia in 2014, after becoming contested by Moscow during the Russian-Ukrainian conflict that erupted in the same year.