Russian seaman to be extradited to Malta over 2006 maritime tragedy

Cypriot police have arrested Russian national Vasiliy Ogarkov, on the strength of a European Arrest Warrant issued by the Maltese courts, which also issued a request for his extradition to face criminal proceedings over his responsibility as a first officer on board a Malta-flagged ship, which collided with a French trawler in the English Channel in 2006, killing five.

Ogarkov is one out of two men, sought by Maltese authorities over the incident. A second man, Able Seaman Alexandrs Belikovs, is still being sought.

The two were officers on board the Malta-registered  tanker Sichem Pandora, which had collided with the French fishing vessel Kleinne Familie, killing five of its French crew.

A magisterial inquiry conducted in Malta by then Magistrate Jacquline Padovani Grima,  ordered that criminal proceedings should be instituted against Chief Officer Vasiliy Ogarkov and Alexandrs Belikovs, of the Sichem Pandora.

The Kleinne Familie sank on January 5, 2006, leading to the deaths of Franck and Ludovic Heroville, Frederic Terpereau, Olivier Brusa and Thierry Gouselain.

The 103-page magisterial inquiry report said the two crewmen should be held criminally liable for breach of obligation to help vessels in distress, breach of duty to give assistance to people in danger at sea and breach of mandatory duty to report accidents.

The inquiry included the testimony from the sole survivor of the 'Kleinne Familie,' Jean Michel Gueno, who said he was asleep when the collision took place.

He heard a "tremendous noise", was thrown out of his bunk, reached out for the ladder and was engulfed by the currents. When he surfaced, there was a life raft floating by and another crewmember hanging on to a fishing buoy.

After climbing on to the raft, Gueno said he tried to reach his colleague who did not want to let go of the fishing buoy, but did not manage it.

Magistrate Padovani noted that the French fishing vessel "suffered catastrophic damage" that resulted in its immediate sinking.

The report concluded that the Klein Famillie failed to keep a proper lookout, failed to assess risk of collision, take appropriate action or give way according to law.

The 'Sichem Pandora' too failed to keep a proper lookout or assess the risk of collision, the report said. It also listed the poor health of the Klein Famille's master and poor radar signal as contributing factors.

The inquiry, which Captain Mario Grech, Captain Joseph Degabriele and chief engineer Joseph Amato helped compile, was released by the Transport Ministry last April which said the report "has been forwarded to the Attorney General for any action he may deem appropriate".