The Iranian-flagged cargo ship Caspian Shiva was brought into the port of Makhachkala on the western shore of the Caspian Sea after the vessel issued a distress call following an unknown hull breach that caused flooding and subsequent grounding off the Russian coast, maritime officials reported.
The general cargo ship Caspian Shiva, 3,344 dwt and 116 m long, was built in 1986 and has sailed under various flags throughout its history, returning to the Iranian registry in July 2024.
The vessel was underway to the Port of Makhachkala in Dagestan, Russia, when the hull was breached for reasons not yet determined. Following the breach, seawater entered both the engine room and cargo hold, and the ship ran aground approximately 7–8 km from Makhachkala’s harbour entrance amid two-metre waves and challenging weather conditions in the Caspian Sea.
After the Caspian Shiva activated its distress beacon, two Russian tugboats were dispatched to the scene. The crew – all 10 seafarers aboard – were reported uninjured throughout the incident. The tugs secured the vessel and escorted her into Makhachkala port, where she was moored without further complications. Authorities confirmed the rescue operation was successfully completed and that the crew were in good condition ashore.
The Caspian Shiva began life as a Soviet-flagged cargo ship and has sailed under flags including Togo, Mongolia, Moldova and Belize before her current Iranian registration. Her last inspection in 2023 in Georgia reportedly identified several deficiencies, though details of recent maintenance or repairs have not been disclosed.
At the time of the incident, the vessel was conducting routine commercial operations between Iran and Russia, a route regularly used for general cargo shipments across the Caspian.
The Caspian Sea has recently seen multiple distress cases involving Iranian vessels, including the earlier loss of the cargo ship Rona in mid-January 2026, where all 14 crew members were rescued by the Turkmenistan Coast Guard before that vessel ultimately sank.
This was the second major incident involving an Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea in January 2026; the cargo ship Rona also encountered distress and was rescued by Turkmenistan’s coast guard on January 14.
