Russian Ocean Road Shark Attack and Expedition Update

The circumnavigation project called Russian Ocean Road, undertaken by the Tomsk branch of the Russian Geographical Society, faced a shark attack ordeal. The crew escaped when a nearby dry cargo vessel happened to pass by. This update comes from Yulia Kalyuzhnaya, the general director of Interfax Tomsk, representing the regional branch of the society.

“Last night at 19:00 Moscow time, the catamaran endured several shark strikes. The impact caused cylinders to swell and the vessel to list, initiating a slow sink. SOS was sent, and a rescue ship arrived to bring the reconnaissance members to Brisbane, Australia,” Kalyuzhnaya reported.

The expedition, organized by the Tomsk branch of the Russian Geographical Society, traces the routes of historic Russian sailors such as Ivan Kruzenshtern and Thaddeus Bellingshausen. The project aims to follow their world circumnavigation, with a start in St. Petersburg on July 1, 2021, and a planned finish on July 1, 2024.

According to Kalyuzhnaya, the expedition leader Evgeny Kovalevsky was aboard a French catamaran named Trimaran, captained by Stanislav Berezkin and Vincent. The catamaran itself was lost in the incident and sank, but no other damage was reported.

Despite the loss of the vessel, Kovalevsky and Berezkin intend to press on with the voyage. The French participant will remain in Australia, and Kalyuzhnaya said a new vessel would be sought once in Australia. The expedition’s leadership confirmed the plan to continue the journey, even after the setback, and to explore options for a replacement ship.

During a conversation with Socialbites.ca, the expedition leader emphasized the resolve to persevere.

“We will do everything possible to continue the journey. I am confident we will reach Australia to seek alternatives. Funding is tight. The catamaran sank, but it carried its engine, chartplotter, generator, solar panels, tools, sleeping bags, food and water. The mission remains clear,” Kovalevsky explained.

At this stage, the team has already lost two ships. The original plan to set a new Guinness record and circumnavigate the globe on an inflatable craft is no longer feasible. Kovalevsky noted that building a new catamaran is costly and purchasing one may not be possible.

“Today we understand that there is no inflatable vessel capable of circumnavigating the planet without posing risks to the crew. Yet the core objective remains intact: to traverse the globe along the historic routes of the 19th century Russian world voyage,” he said.

How the catamaran sank

In the Pacific Ocean, about 835 kilometers southeast of Australia, on September 4, the crew faced their first aggressive attack from glow-bearing cigar sharks, which damaged the vessel’s port cylinder.

“On the night of September 4–5, and the early hours of September 5, efforts managed to seal a serious hole in the left tank, while the stern of the left balloon began to submerge. The attacks persisted. By September 5–6 the hole proved critical, shifting the damage to the stern of the right balloon. The stern started to sink and there was little chance of recovery by morning,” Kovalevsky recalled.

After the second attack, the crew signaled SOS, and the expedition’s coastal headquarters coordinated with Australian rescuers. About 45 minutes later, a dry cargo ship bound for Shanghai departed with the catamaran in tow.

“The catamaran sank before our eyes. Had the cargo ship not arrived so quickly, we might have faced catastrophe similar to Titanic’s tragic upright moment,” the expedition leader observed in a conversation with Socialbites.ca.

In March 2023, the inflatable trimaran left Concepción Bay to sail the Pacific toward Easter Island. On board were Kovalevsky, Berezkin, sailor Yegor Muzileev, and his dog, Pasoka. Weather deteriorated on March 16, control was lost, and SOS was sent. A Panamanian-flagged cargo ship rescued the crew, and the trimaran, moored to the vessel, later sank with all its equipment and belongings.

Subsequently, Kovalevsky and Berezkin travelled to Easter Island and inspected Dmitry Trubitsin’s catamaran, stored there since eight years earlier after a transoceanic journey. The vessel was relaunched under the name Russian Ocean Road – TION. Equipment was acquired, and preparations for continuing the expedition resumed. Later, Russian Andrey Cherepanov and Chilean diver Caleb Hara Garate joined the crew, with Vincent replacing Cherepanov on April 25 when the ship set to sea, followed by changes in the team.

The itinerary includes stops in French Polynesia, Tahiti, the Cook Islands, Fiji, Samoa, New Caledonia, Australia, Madagascar, and parts of Africa.

On August 18, Geographers Day, Socialbites.ca published a diary from Kovalevsky that mentions the people the crew met on the islands and references the earlier shark incident.