vlad.tribnet.com / Issue #149 / Special reports / Reading article...

To the relief of Vladivostok residents, a ship carrying 40 tons of oil and sitting on the bottom of Zolotoy Rog Bay began its resurrection from the polluted waters Aug. 29.

The Pallada, which was transporting timber, sank May 11, 1996. Scientists worried that the fuel it carried to power itself could cause an ecological disaster if the ship’s body were ever punctured.

But funding was scarce: No one could find the estimated 3 billion rubles ($517,000) required to raise the ship from the already polluted bay.

Epron, a local company specializing in ship lifting and repair, decided to proceed with the project, even though the director says he stands to make no profit.

“It’s just timber, and since it’s been sitting there for 15 months already, it’s not worth anything,” said Yevgeny Beryokov. “I don’t know why I’m doing it, I guess for my children and because I grew up here.” Dispelling rumors that he intended to sell the ship’s fuel, Beryokov said the oil belonged to ship owner Russkaya Sudokhodnaya Company. And he said the project consumed so much time that Epron had to turn down a 90 million ruble project to raise another ship.

On Sept. 2, the director said the lifting could take at least another week. The project is not for the weak-hearted: Scuba divers told Mestnoye Vremya TV that the waters of Zolotoy Rog are so dirty that their wet suits were disintegrating.

In all, Epron has lifted eight ships from the waters around Vladivostok. But this is the most-watched project, since it is in the center of town and highly risky. Epron used a floating barge to lift the Pallada from the bay.