You're reading: Russian ship with 700 tons of gold ore missing

MOSCOW — A vessel with a nine-person crew and 700 tons of gold ore onboard has gone missing in stormy seas off Russia's Pacific Coast.

The
ship sent a distress call on Sunday as it was sailing from the coastal
town of Neran to Feklistov Island in the Sea of Okhotsk.

The
vessel, hired by mining company Polymetal, was carrying 700 tons of gold
ore from one deposit to another where it was to be processed. Gold ore
is the material from which gold is extracted and contains only a small
percentage of the precious metal.

Polymetal’s spokesman on Monday would not estimate the value of the cargo.

The company said it has shipped ore via that route before, and there was nothing unusual in shipping it by the sea.