A Russian navy spy ship sank Thursday in the Black Sea off the coast of Turkey after hitting another vessel, but coastguards rescued all of its crew. 

 

The Russian military said the Liman -- a former research ship re-fitted as an intelligence vessel -- had a hole torn in its hull after crashing at around 0900GMT about 40 kilometers from the Bosphorus Strait.

 

Turkish media said the second ship, a cargo boat carrying cattle, suffered minor damage and went on its way after the incident that occurred in poor visibility.

 

"The Russian ship sank after the collision. All of the crew on board were rescued," the Turkish coastguard official told AFP, requesting anonymity.

 

The Russian defense ministry confirmed the ship had gone down and said the crew would soon be picked up from the coastguards.  

 

"All members of the Black Sea fleet research vessel Liman are alive and well and currently are preparing for evacuation from the Turkish rescue vessel onto a Russian ship," said the ministry in a statement to Russian news agencies.

 

Turkish media said about 78 people were on the Liman and had to be evacuated. 

 

The Turkish news agency Dogan said the area where the ships collided was shrouded in thick fog at the time, suggesting that the incident was accidental.

 

Russia's government said in a statement that Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev could hold phone talks to discuss the incident with his Turkish counterpart Binali Yildirim, agencies reported. 

 

It was not known where the Liman was sailing from or its destination.

 

The ship was built as a hydrography research vessel in 1970 but turned into a spy ship in 1989 and armed with an Igla missile launcher, according to public records.

 

Russian warships have traveled frequently through the Bosphorus Strait to and from the Syrian coast, where a navy presence has been deployed to bolster Russia's air campaign in support of President Bashar al-Assad. 

 

In February, military sources told Russian media that Liman would be observing NATO's Sea Shield exercise in the Black Sea.