Under construction

The Hong Kong container vessel M/V OOCL AMERICA (66.047 gt, built 1995) sustained heavy weather damage on a voyage Long Beach for Kaohsiung on Jan. 29. There is major cargo damage. The vessel encountered severe weather Jan 31 in the Pacific Ocean and lost a large number of containers overboard. OOCL put the figure at around 300, but could not confirm exactly, as the vessel is still underway and is not expected to dock in Kaohsiung until Feb 8. The company said it will survey the damage then. A maritime attorney for cargo interests who had been contacted about the incident put the figure at 350 containers lost overboard & 217 still on board but crushed or bent out of usable condition.

ARIS, (m.bulk) (PAN) build 1976, 8.372 grt. Immobilised with engine trouble 150 nm. SW of Socotra Island. LOF signed. Towed to Berbera by tug SB-408, where arrived ¾. Cargo discharge completed 13/04. Detained due shortage/damage to cargo. Still anchored at Berbera 23/04

BABUR KAPTAN (tm.chemtank) (TUR) build 1974, 5.153 grt. Had fire in kitchen/accommodation while berthed at shipyard at Saat Tuzla / Istanbul. Fire extinguished and crew rescued safely.

BEAR G. (m.bulk/oil) (BHS) build 1981, 43.487 grt. Had explosion in engine-room about 130 miles ESE of Kingston, Jamaica. 1 dead and 4 crew injured. Towed to Kingston. Sailed Kingston in tow 13/03 bound for N. Europe for repairs. Repairs in Genoa.

ANA MERCEDES (m.general cargo) (VCT) build 1964, 1.002 grt. Taking water in 14°15’N & 68°46’W. Tug SMIT CURACAO evacueted 6 crew and escorting to Curacao. Sank in 13°53’5”N & 68°48’2“W the same day. Remaining crew all rescued safely.

CHEM RUNNER ex: HAEJIN VENUS-00 (m.chemtank) (PAN) build 1978, 3.106 grt. Had main engine problems off Mauritius. Towed to Port Louis, Mauritius by ref m.v. HECTOR and arrived port 10/4 for repair.

BADER III (m.livestockcarrier) (BHS) build 1978, 36.387 grt. Had fire in auxiliary generator in 28°40’S & 104°09’E. Towed by tug WAMBIRI to Freemantle, where arrived 01/05. Repairs belived to be finished abt. 23/06.

CONTI ROSE (m.general cargo) (STP) build 1973, 6.911 grt. Contacted a house situated near to sea shore and the shore in the Bosporus, while transitting into the Black Sea. Detained by Maritime Police at Sariyer Anchorage for investigation.

AIN OUSSERA (M.bulk) (DZA) build 1983, 18.784 grt. Anchored with No. 1 main engine cylinder damage in Ponta Delgada outer roads. Berthed at inner quay for repairs 09/05. Arrived Ponta Delgada outer roads 16/5. Sailed 18/5 for Cadiz for repairs.

CONAN (m.general cargo) (KHM) build 1976, 6.870 grt. In Collision with m.v. RUBIN FOREST off Nantong, between Nanjing and Shanghai. Subsequently sank 04/05. All crew safe. Salvage crane proceeding from China.

ACONCAGUA (m.reef) (DEU) build 1992, 9.074 grt. Grounded on sand in 55°52’4”N &10°51’05”E. Refloated with tug assistance 08/05. Sustained light hull damage. Anchored Kalundborg Fjord, where divers effecting repairs. Sailed 09/05 for Gdynia for repairs. Arrived Gdynia 10/05.

APTMARINER, (m.bulk) (HKG) build 1979, 17.677 grt. Struck navigational aids in fog and grounded near entrance to Neebish Rock Cut, St. Marys River. Reflated same day. Sustained water ingress & damages to starboard hull & ballast tank. Sailed in tow 07/05 to Quebec for repairs. Entered dock 14/05.

ARTEMIS SB. (m.bulk) (CYP) build 1979, 23.369 grt. Grounded at Beira port. Refloated 15/05 and removed from access channel. Reported to be inspected at a South African port 24/05

CAPTAIN P. (m.container) (LBR) build 1980, 10.225 grt. Arrived Falmouth for routine inspection, which revealed rudder defects. To be escorted to Rotterdam for drydocking. Arrived Rotterdam 16/05.

BAO JI SAN (m.general cargo) (PAN) build 1984, 3.957 grt. Grounded on reef just off entrance to Port Moresby harbour. Attempt to refloat same day failed. N danger of breaking up. Surveyors ect. Have been on board. 12 crew have jumped ship.

BROTHER GLORY (m.bulk) (PAN) build 1998, 27.105 grt. In Collision with m.bulk carrier PING HAI about 40 miles off Dalian, sustaining bow damage. Proceeded to Qinghuangdao

ALVINA M. (m.general cargo) (EST) build 1969, 1.427 grt. Reported hed main engine trouble in Baltic Sea and anchored until towed to Ronne, where inspection found broken prop. Shaft. Subsequently towed to Loksa for repairs.

The Russian nuclear submarine Kursk and its 118-man crew were lost during naval exercises in the Barents Sea

At 22.20 the Greek ferry Express Samina hit a rocky islet and sank with the loss of 82 of the 550 passengers, 2 km off the coast of Paros. Her captain and mate have been arrested and charged with manslaughter amid allegations that at the time of the collision the crew had left the bridge to watch the replay on one of the ship's TVs of a goal in an important local soccer match.

SEA QUEEN 7,248/72. Declared a constructive total loss and sold to Indian breakers. Arrived Alang 16/10/2000.

IEVOLI SUN (Gennaro Ievoli -00), 4,189/89 - chemical tanker, owned by Marnavi S.p.A., Italy Encountered heavy seas and started taking water through a hole in the double bottom tanks. The crew of 13 were taken off by helicopter and she was taken in tow for Cherbourg by the French tug ABEILLE LANGUEDOC. Subsequently sank the following day in 70 metres of water in position 49.52N, 02.24W She was on passage from Fawley for Bar, Yugoslavia with a cargo of toxic chemicals.

SEA WOLF 1 (Sangatta -99, Phileas -99, Spyros -93, Romy -88, Northeastern Star No.5- 87, Esso Yoshino Manu -84), 1,207/84 - tanker, owned by Silver Sword Shipping Co. S.A., Panama. Fire broke out in the engine-room when anchored south of Atanatli Isle, Piraeus. It was extinguished quickly but substantial damage is reported to the engine-room and accommodation. She was on passage from Port Sudan for Livorno with 2,000 tons of refined oil.

APOLLO DELAPAN 6,369/95 - general cargo, owned by Suntree Shipping S.A. (Thome Ship Management Pte. Ltd.), Panama. In collision in position 34.33.1N, 139.11.2E, with the Panama flag container ship EVER DAINTY q.v  She sustained serious damage to her bow and proceeded to Chiba for inspection. She was on passage from Shimizu for Chiba. Damage to EVER DAINTY was confined to cracking and denting to the port side No.5 fuel oil tank. She was on passage from Tokyo for Osaka with containers.

FAROS (Lubeca -88), 2.038/78 - bulk carrier, owned by J-P Boehe, Antigua & Barbuda. Reported adrift in position 56.25.5N, 07.29.7E with a heavy list to starboard and much of her timber deck cargo washed overboard. The crew of seven were taken off and she was taken in tow by the tug SKULD. Towed into Tennis Bay off Skagen where she sank by the stern 3/11 in position 57.42.36N, 10.20.42E. She was on passage from Amsterdam for Vesteras with timber

HOUSTON (Houston Express -97, Sea Premier -94, CGM Paris -94, Maersk Paris -90, Maersk Tacoma -88, C.R. Paris -87), 37,814/85 - container ship, owned by Royal Arrow Navigation Co. Ltd. (Ofer Brothers (Management) Ltd.), Malta. An explosion in an oil tank when about 100 miles north-east north of Muscat killed three crew members and injured three others. No damage was caused to the vessel. She was on passage from Salalah for Mumbai with containers.

DERYOUNG STAR (Amur No.1 -95), 3,952/84 - general cargo, owned by Deryoung Maritime Co. S.A. (D & S Co. Ltd.), Panama. Reported to be leaking and in need of assistance in position 25.09.6N, 121.46.3E during typhoon 'Xangsane'. She subsequently grounded and the crew were taken off the following day. She was on passage from Hong Kong for Mawan.

MANILA SPIRIT (Cement Hope -99, Yung Ho -90, Oxford -88), 5,927/82 - cement carrier, owned by Goodtime Shipping Inc. (LMS Manila Inc.), Panama. Grounded during typhoon 'Xangsane' and subsequently broke up and sank in position 25.04.4 N, 121.53.1 E. One crew member was able to swim ashore but 23 are still missing. She was on passage from Manila for Hualien.

PUMA MAX 25,900/00 - container ship, owned by Bahamas flag interests associated with Enterprises Shipping & Trading SA., Athens. While fitting out at CSBC, broke her moorings at Keelung Harbour and drifted, coming to rest at berth East 1. She is thought to have made contact with other vessels and damage is reported to be extensive.

TOWA (Utopia -97, Miki Manu -95), 1,202/73 - asphalt tanker, owned by Towa International Shipping Corp., Panama. Reported to have sunk in position 24.38.5N, 119.1 8.4E. The crew of twelve were picked up from a lifeboat.

BUNGA TERATAI SATU 21,339/98 - container vessel. owned by Malaysia International Shipping Corporation Berhad, Malaysia. Grounded on Sudbury Reef in position 17.00S, 146.06E, about 10 miles off Cairns. She was reported to have a list of 50 and the forward ballast tank was ruptured. The hull however was sound. Refloated 14/11/2000 at the third attempt after part of the reef had been destroyed with explosives. Damage to the hull is reported to be minimal. She was on passage from Singapore for Sydney, NSW.

ORIENTAL PRINCESS (Sheringham -00, Valerya Barsova -96, Athenian Zoe -86, Athenian Anna -84), 11,854/82 - general cargo, owned by Clipper International Ltd. (Mansour Shipping), St.Vincent & the Grenadines. Reported to have sustained serious bottom damage after sailing from Sao Francisco do Sul. She berthed at Paranagua Roads for inspection.

PETER MADSEN 147/68 - sand suction dredger, owned by A/S Peter Madsen Rederi, Denmark (DIS). Started taking water while the crew were undertaking repair work and quickly sank in position 54.30.2N, 12.05.2E. Raised 15/11 by the heavy lift vessel SAMSON and transported to Gedser where she will be repaired.

RYAZAN 4,937/75 - general cargo, owned by Far-Eastern Shipping Co. (FESCO), Russia. Began listing when her cargo shifted in a severe storm in the Bering Sea. The crew of 25 were taken off by fishing vessels and she sank 6/11 in position 62.24N, 178.25E. She was on passage from Vladivostok for Anadyr with containers.

PROFESSOR KOLESNIKOV (Aytodor -83), 998/62 - passenger/ferry, owned by Gess & Co. Trading House, Ukraine. Reported to be adrift in heavy seas off the southern Italian coast. Boarded by the Coast Guard, the helm was found to be dismantled and she was towed to Otranto and then to Brindisi. She was reported to be carrying over 1,200 illegal immigrants.

CHERAMIE BO-TRUC No.26 198/77 - supply ship, owned by L & M Bo-Truc Rental Inc., U.S.A. Sank in bad weather off Marshall Island in position 22.06N, 91.40W. Four crew were rescued but two are reported missing.

OLCAY S (Quality Carrier -97, Lady Augusta -92, Stainless Warrior -76), 1766/70 chemical tanker, owned by Egemed Denizcilik ve Ticaret A.S., Turkey Reported an explosion in a cargo tank when about 70 miles west-south-west of Crete. One crew member was killed and two injured. She was on passage from Istanbul for Libya in ballast.

ASAHI HOPE (Eastern Hope 91, Pioneer Lima -91), 2,818/84 - general cargo, owned by Yoshida Trading Corp. (K.K. Marine Co. Ltd.), Panama. Blown aground onto a stone ridge during storm force winds in Shakhtersk Harbour in position 49.08.95N, 142.02.18E. The crew were taken off safely and surveys show that she has sustained serious hull damage. Although salvage is contemplated, it is likely that she will break up in winter gales. She was carrying a cargo of coal.

ELENA (Itaka -00, Omega 11 -99, Itaka -99, Volgo-Balt 175 -97, Anna -93, Volgo-Balt 175 -93), 2,457/73 - general cargo, owned by unspecified Russian flag interests. Sustained a hole in her hull and sank near Bandar Anzali in the Caspian Sea. The crew of 15 were rescued. She was carrying some 4,000 tons in goods and containers.

XL (Cape Horn -99, Portland Star -98, El Tenaz -93, Sea Esperanza -91, Bencruachan-86), 80,624/83 - bulk carrier, owned by Superb Shipping Ltd. (Brave Maritime Corp. Inc.), Malta. Reported an engine-room fire when about 90 miles off Port Hedland in position 18.48.5 S, 118.11.6 E. It was extinguished by the crew and she was taken in tow 19/11 by the tug HUA AN bound for Singapore. Two crew members were killed. She was bound for Port Hedland to load iron ore.

TABOTI (Aegeon -96, Lairis -92, Captain Nicos -91, Scorpios -91, Unicorn 1-90, Unicorn Daniel -89, Bolbodi -77), 1,058/68 - tanker, owned by unspecified Nigerian (?) flag interests. Sank following an explosion while undergoing repairs afloat at Tin-Can Island, Badagry Creek, Lagos. Ten crew were rescued but others are believed missing.

KAPTEN KONGA (Yuriy Klementyev -91), 2,120/81 - general cargo, owned by Estonian Shipping Co. (ESCO), Estonia. Lost stability when water entered the engine-room and grounded in the Irbenskiy Strait in position 57.46.3N, 22.31.5E. The crew abandoned the vessel. She was on passage from Riga for the Tyne with timber.

SPARK (Wespe -85), 425/68 - tanker, owned by Hydronave Maritime Co. (Hydrodotiki Ltd.), Greece. Grounded in position 38.19N, 23.51E and is thought to have sustained damage. Refloated 18/11 and 19/11 towed to Eleusis.

NORDLANDIA 1,130/80 - refrigerated cargo, owned by Giros Co., Russia. In collision at the Kronshtadt Naval Base off St.Petersburg with EW McKINLEY q.v. She sustained serious hull damage and sank near Kotlin Island the same day. The crew were rescued. She was on passage from St.Petersburg for Europe in ballast. EW McKINLEY only sustained minor damage and was able to proceed to her berth. She was inward bound from Norway with a cargo of frozen fish.

Pal Line's ODIN aground in the Upper Humber above Brough, on route from Sweden via Hull to Goole.

In the severe weather on the North Sea the Faros started listing, dropped its deck cargo and began taking in water. Apparantly, the vessel was floating on the remaining cargo of timber, and on Wednesday a towing cable could be connected. On Thursday afternoon, the vessel had not yet reached port. The towage was slowed by an anchor dragging from the Faros. The crew of seven was take off the ship on Tuesday, but in the process a Danish rescuer got caught under his boat when it capsized while trying to board the Faros, and he was drowned. The vessel sank off the north western Jutland in shallow waters. The bow and stern are still showing.

LAGIK is stranded across the river at Sutton Bridge and has broken in two just forward of her bridge. She is Sietas 775, 76/1721 as OSTEMAAT and at one time LAI DA TOMA.

The Honduran-registered Kathleen D, sank in the Gulf of Mexico, killing eight of nine crew members. The U.S. Coast Guard required its owner to make repairs, but rough seas, poor crew training, commercial pressures and possible misloading proved ruinous. Capt. Nikolajus Melnicenko, left, on the deck of his Miami-based Viking Trader, says the Kathleen D lacked deck openings, like the ones behind him, designed to secure containers. Instead, containers were lashed directly to the Kathleen D's deck and may have made the vessel unstable.

The Ecuadorean-registered tanker Jessica ran aground in a bay on San Cristobal Island and began leaking oil on Jan. 19, 2001. So far almost 600,000 litres of fuel have seeped out the tanker.

Dutch mv MISSISSIPPIBORG (6,540 gt, built 2000), bound Brevik, was reported adrift in lat 57 47N, long 08 39E, following a fire in her engine-room. Vessel is awaiting arrival of a tug.

Syrian mv HAJ ABDOULLAH, YKGK (499 gt, built 1962), Beirut for Varna with 1,000 tonnes of soya, had engine blackout and grounded on the island of Mytilene, in lat 39 01N, long 26 09.5E, in the early hours. Vessel has sustained damage and remains aground at present. No injuries or pollution.

French M tanker ILES DU PONANT (227 gt, 1976 built), a small coaster operating between St.Nazaire and Belle Ile, five crew on board, capsized near La Turballe in lat 47 20.20N long 02 30.46W.

A press report dated Jan 26 states: Efforts to move Ecuador m.tanker JESSICA aground on rocks off the Galapagos Islands were hampered by lack of equipment, but the threat from the oil spill was fading.

HOLLY TRADER reported sunk on night of 28/29 Jan. in position 38.05N 9.28W on voyage Gabes to Gunness, she is 83/1518 Peters Wewelsfelth (587) ex: KIEBITZBERG/CLIFF.

Submarine USS Greeneville sinks Japanese school ship Ehime Maru while surfacing off Honolulu.

The 81 metre long, 2169 gross ton, Singapore-registered, LPG tanker Kilgas Centurion with 12 people on board had indeed run aground on a sandy beach 300 metres south of Horsey Gap, north of Yarmouth. The vessel is carrying 1,026 metric tonnes of liquid propane gas, 155 metric tonnes of diesel fuel, and 45.7 metric tonnes of gas/oil. The master confirmed that she was on passage from Teesport to the Thames when the grounding occurred and that she was moving at about 11 knots when she ran aground.

The Danish ship Gert Hansen went down on the east side of Håøya in the Oslofjord. The ship was on a journey towards Sjursøya in Oslo with a cargo of salt when the ship went down close by Langebåt on the east side of Håøya and sank. Onboard Gert Hansen there were a crew of four men, and the only survivors were two Polish men. The captain on the ship was after the accident found perished in the water, while the accidents other victim was brought up by divers on the 9th of April. The crew is thought to have been experienced, and it is still not known what the cause of the accident was.

The wreck of the Japanese fishing vessel, Ehime Maru was towed to shallow waters a mile offshore, on Sunday. Divers will search for the bodies of the students and crew that drowned after the US Navy submarine, Greeneville, rammed the fishing vessel on 9 Feb off the coast of Diamond Head, Hawaii. A diving support barge is to be positioned above the wreck which now lies at a depth of 115 feet. The search is expected to get underway tomorrow. Five to seven bodies should be recovered, Navy reports said. Personal items will be removed and given to the families of the victims. The wreck will then be towed out to sea and sunk.

Three sailors where injured yesterday at Belfast Docks as they carried out a safety test on a lifeboat on the Gulser Ana. The men fell from the ship when one of the hooks on the locking mechanism attached to the lifeboat released, plunging the men into 40 feet of water. The men were rescued by the Harbour Pilot boat and taken to hospital. One of the sailors received head injuries, while the other two are thought to be being treated for hypothermia. A fourth man was later taken to hospital suffering from shock. The Turkish 23,000 gross tonne bulk carrier was unloading coal when it was detained with 38 items involving deficiencies with fire equipment, lifeboats and ISM (International Safety Management) Code. Captain Bill Bennett, who detained the vessel commented: "This is the third time that Gulser Ana has been detained in ten months. The deficiencies are serious and if this vessel had been allowed to sail there could have been serious implications for both the crew and the vessel. We are concerned to hear that this incident has happened on board Gulser Ana, and would like to wish both crewmen a full and speedy recovery. This incident demonstrates the importance and thoroughness of Port State Control." Officials from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency are investigating the cause of the accident.

A Petrobras tanker ran aground off the coast of Brazil yesterday, after hitting underwater rocks, spilling highly inflammable naphtha into the ocean. Brazil’s state oil group, Petrobras, said it was not clear how much naphtha had actually leaked into the Paranagua Bay from the damaged hull. However, officials estimated 7,000 people in and around the port were in the risk area. Naphtha is an oil product lighter than gasoline used as raw material for making plastics by the petrochemical industry. Due to its high inflammability all air traffic about the port of Paranagua Bay was banned. The tanker, Norma, had been carrying 22 million liters of naphtha in 5 compartments, one of which was punctured. According to Lloyds Casualty Reporting Service about 5 million liters of naphtha had leaked.

Repair ship HMCS Cape Breton (ex-HMS Flamborough Head) sunk as an artificial diving reef off Snake Island, Nanaimo BC.

US Navy divers recovered the remains of a sixth individual from the Japanese fishing vessel Ehime Maru on Saturday. A Navy spokesman stated that a lengthy DNA investigation might be required to determine the identity of the individual due to the poor condition of the recovered body. At present dental records have identified five other sets of remains. Officials are expecting to retrieve seven bodies in total from the wreck, which has been towed to 35-metre deep shallows to enable divers to enter the vessel. The search is expected to take up to a month to conclude after which the Ehime Maru will be towed out to sea and sunk.

Investigators are to begin the task of recovering the bodies of the crew on board the Russian Kursk nuclear submarine, which sank in the Barents Sea 14 months ago. The Kursk was brought into the Russia port of Roslynakovo on Sunday, after being towed from the Barents Sea by a huge barge. Forty Russian military investigators and forensic experts, led by Prosecutor-General Vladimir Ustinov, will began an inspection of the vessel which exploded and sank in August last year, a navy spokesman said. Radiation specialists are to enter the submarine’s hull to examine the nuclear reactors, and eventually dismantle the nuclear reactors and 22 cruise missiles, which were the Kursk’s main armament.

Officials in China have reported that six people have been killed and at least 15 others are missing following an explosion on board the Tong Hui cargo ship late Sunday night. The Tong Hui was heading from Lushum in the northeastern province of Liaoning to Longkou in Shandong when the explosion occurred, leading to the sinking of the vessel. According to official news agency Xinhua the ship was carrying six liquefied petroleum gas tanker trucks, one or more of which may have been ignited during a storm on Sunday morning. Rescue efforts have pulled 11 people alive from the wreck. Meanwhile Navy vessels and helicopters continue to aid authorities in the search for more casualties.

Two crewmembers and a US Customs Inspector died in the cargo hold of a Panamanian vessel yesterday. The men entered the vessel’s cargo hold at the port of Gramercy on the Mississippi River and their deaths were discovered in Louisiana. At present it has not been determined if cause of death was a lack of oxygen, fumes or another cause, according to the US Customs Service. A second customs inspector was hospitalized.

At 02.30 LT, on inbound leg to Zeebrugge, M/V Heinrich Behrmann had engine trouble & called help from tugs.  Weather very bad with N- NW stormy winds -- force 9 & peaks up to force 11. Three attempts were made to secure the vessel by Tugs, but each time the tow lines snapped. Driven by wind M/V Heinrich Behrmann grounded at the Blankenberge resort beach. 3 tugboat crew injured while trying to tow M/V Heinrich Behrmann back to open sea. With NW storm blowing inland, tide was higher than usual (HW at around 06.00 LT) ---- coming less than 10 meters from seafront, so the vessel grounded very close to it. At low tide around 12.00 LT & with a difference of about 4.5 meters between high & low tide, vessel ended up on dry land

Two women died and 160 people were rescued after asylum seekers set their boat ablaze after being intercepted by an Australian patrol boat near Ashmore Island, the Australian navy reported. The Navy found the Indonesian-flagged vessel 34 nautical miles north of Ashmore. Fire erupted onboard after HMAS Wollongong intercepted the vessel around 1700 (AEST) yesterday. Officers from the Wollongong noticed the fire, which was deliberately lit, on the Sumbar Lestari after boarding the boat. Terrified passengers started diving overboard after a drum exploded setting the hold alight. During the rescue operation two women drowned, one aged in her 70s and the other mid 40s, reports said. "In the course of recovering the presumed illegal immigrants two women were recovered from the water unconscious with no pulse," a report on the incident said. "Both received CPR for about 30 minutes before being declared deceased on medical advice by commanding officer of HMAS Wollongong." The group was taken to Ashmore Islands and arrangements made for removal of the bodies, Commodore Warwick Gately of the ADF's Northern Command said. Yesterday's tragedy follows the deaths of over 350 asylum seekers when their boat sank off Java last month. The navy report on this incident said it seemed the vessel had been deliberately set alight to avoid the return of the boatload to Indonesia. "The fire was deliberately lit and the exploding drum is indicative of an attempt to prevent the boarding party from extinguishing the fire," it said. Prime Minister Howard said he released a report on the incident to prevent any confusion following the dispute over whether the asylum seekers threw the children overboard. "What I'm going to do on this occasion is I am going to require that the report that I have received be made public so that if there are any subsequent corrections then people can't come around and accuse me or any of my ministers of manipulating the facts," he said.

Nineteen Filipino crewmen from the 5,800-ton cargo vessel Ho Feng 8 that sank in tropical storm Lingling last week have been found alive. The coast guard reported that a passing ferry rescued the men yesterday. The Ho Feng had departed Indonesia bound for Hong Kong. Rough seas in stormy weather sank the vessel off the northern Philippine province of Pangasinan last Thursday. Rescuers experienced problems reaching the area, but the 19 were found alive near Scarborough Shoal off the north-western province of Bataan. 'The coast guard centre received a report this morning that a passing ferry rescued the 19 Filipino crew who have been missing since Nov 8. They were found near Scarborough Shoal,' coast guard spokesman Lieutenant Armand Balilo reported.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority’s search and rescue division AusSAR has coordinated the rescue of three men from a fishing vessel run down on Saturday morning by a merchant ship near Byron Bay. AusSAR detected a distress beacon by satellite at 3.40am (AEST) from the Rainbow Warrior about 6 nautical miles (11kms) offshore and an alert issued to all shipping in the area. The merchant ship Australian Bridge and a nearby fishing boat both reported a red flare sighting and within an hour three men had been rescued by the crew of the fishing vessel Santina. Weather in the area at the time of the collision was poor with heavy rain and low visibility. The Rainbow Warrior is a 16 metre aft wheelhouse tuna longliner from Mooloolaba, Queensland. The survivors from the vessel reported being hit by a northbound ship and had about a minute to abandon. All three men have been taken to Byron Bay hospital and local police are investigating. An investigation into the collision will be conducted by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority and details provided to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau and the Federal Police.

The 9,650 ton container vessel, Melbridge Bilbao ran aground off the coast of Brittany early on Monday morning, Brest maritime authorities said. The ship registered in Antigua and Barbuda, departed Bilbao en route to Rotterdam when she ran aground on rocks, authorities said. The cargo did not present any danger, officials said. The ship sent a distress message at 0624 GMT on Monday as she ran aground on rocks near the island of Molene. A launch and helicopter were dispatched to assist with towing to Brest for repairs. The 15 crew members remained onboard. The ship’s owner was not immediately identified.

Two US Navy sailors are missing in the Persian Gulf after a ship, thought to smuggling Iraqi oil, sank. Three members of the UAE registered cargo ship are also missing and one was dead, said Lt. Melissa Schuermann, public affairs officer for the US Navy 5th fleet. The USS Peterson spotted the Samra listing in the Persian Gulf early Sunday morning. US personnel boarded the Samra and found 1,700 tons of Iraqi oil aboard. It was not clear when the ship began to sink. The destroyer USS Peterson, part of the Operation Northern-Southern Watch, is engaged to observe ships sailing in and out of Iraq. "There was no incident, no hostile incident at sea, but rather, when American sailors boarded to check out the cargo, the ship sank," National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice reported to CNN. "It may have been weather-related, it may have been overloaded, but we have no reason to believe it was a hostile incident of any kind." Six crew from the Peterson and 10 from the Samra were rescued after the sinking, Schuermann said. A search was mounted for the missing sailors.

An explosion onboard the Hong Kong registered cargo ship, Nego Kim, killed three crew, critically injured another and blew four others overboard on Sunday. Search and rescue efforts are underway 28km off the coast of Dampier, West Australia. The explosion in the cargo hold blasted a hole in the deck of the container vessel. The injured man was flown to Royal Perth Hospital during the search. The four men who were dumped overboard during the explosion were not wearing life jackets. "Last night conditions were pretty rough, the seas were really pitching. Conditions are good now but the weather could get rough again later," a spokesman for the search said. Dampier Port Authority chief executive Greg Trenberth said the search for the missing men continued today around the vessel, anchored 30km from the harbour. At the time of the explosion, the ship was anchored waiting to enter port to load scrap iron. The reason for the explosion has not yet been determined. Police bomb technician had cleared the 26,500 tonne scrap metal container ship, Mr Trenberth said. The remaining 15 Chinese crew will remain on the ship until it could be towed into harbour for repairs. The vessel had stopped in Adelaide and Fremantle before arriving in Dampier to load scrap metal.

Two ships are reported to have sunk during stormy weather in the Black Sea. All the crew was rescued except for one sailor who fell overboard during the rescue operation. The storms have caused havoc in parts of Turkey. Power and telephone services have been interrupted.

The Viking-Line ferry Isabella ran aground in rough seas during the early hours of the morning in the Baltic Sea off Finland’s Aland islands. A spokesman from the Finish coast guard reported that a rescue operation to free the ferry would be mounted later today. No injuries were reported amongst the 663 passengers and 156 crew. The ferry was en route from Turku to the Swedish capital Stockholm. The Viking-Line ferry Isabella ran aground in rough seas during the early hours of the morning in the Baltic Sea off Finland’s Aland islands. A spokesman from the Finish coast guard reported that a rescue operation to free the ferry would be mounted later today. No injuries were reported amongst the 663 passengers and 156 crew. The ferry was en route from Turku to the Swedish capital Stockholm.

Reported that CHRISTOPHER 83/83784gt with coal cargo sank north of the Azores after engine failure and flooding of forward hold, crew of 27 lost in yet another tragedy of this nature. She was completed at Hoboken as FEDERAL SKEENA and then sailed as LA CORDILLERA for Dreyfus 1995-2000. London, Dec 24 - Following received from Ponta Delgada MRCC, timed 0836, UTC: Bulk Christopher (83784 gt, built 1983) lost communication with owners at 2300, UTC, Dec 22, after reporting engine stopped, one bow hatch open and vessel taking water in heavy weather. Vessel's last reported position lat 41 02N, long 29 19W, at 1900, UTC, Dec 22. Winds easterly force 7 (near gale), with seven-metre seas. A Coast Guard vessel sent to the scene Dec 23 found a patch of fuel oil. Search continuing today, using aircraft and vessels. London, Dec 24 - A press report, dated Dec 23, states: Bulk Christopher, with 27 crew on board, has gone missing in rough seas off the Azores and is feared to have sunk, Portuguese rescue officials said today. The vessel disappeared yesterday evening about 150 nautical miles north of the Azores island of Graciosa. A search has so far proved fruitless, according to the Azores naval  command quoted by the Lusa news agency. The crew of the Christopher, which was loaded with coal, informed her owner yesterday evening that the vessel was taking in water through a forward hatch in seas with waves of up to seven metres, rescue services said. No other communication has been received from the vessel since yesterday evening. A French vessel in the area and an aircraft failed  to locate the vessel, which the Portuguese naval command said had probably sunk.  St.Michael's, Azores, Dec 24 - It has been reported locally that bulk Christopher, fully loaded with coal, is considered missing since 1900, local time, Dec 22, in a supposed position abt. 150 miles north of Graciosa-island. The vessel has on  board 27 crew members. The vessel was in contact with her owners advising that she had stopped engine and that forward compartment has been flooded through a ventilator. After that the owners have made several attemps to make contact with the vessel but have not succeeded. According to local source it as advised that the above possible reported position cannot be made more correct since all contacts of the vessel with her owners were lost suddendly. Searches are being made by the Portuguese Airforce arcraft, one P3 Orion and 2 Puma helicopters under adverse weather conditions, but unfortunately nothing has yet been found. The search continues today. The Norwegian general cargo Matisse, being also in the area, is making several calls by VHF and UHF but no reply received. - Lloyd's Agents. Ponta Delgada, Dec 24 - At about 1530, local time, today, one liferaft and one lifejacket, from bulk Christopher, found adrift in lat 41 00.3W, long 30 04.2W, by tank Stolt Spray. Both liferaft and lifejacket being collected by Stolt Spray. - Lloyd's Agents. Ponta Delgada, Dec 25 - Understand a second life raft from bulk Christopher has been found by general cargo Regal Star at about 1330, local time, today, in position lat 40 58N, long 03 35W. It was reported that an oil spot was also seen in the area. Unfortunately no signs of the vessel and her crew members were found. Also understand that all the search operations have been cancelled. - Lloyd's Agents.

On 28 December Smit Salvage responded to two urgent calls to assist vessels off the Dutch coast. The 7,947 dwt roro Sloman Traveller en route to Bremen from Felixstowe caught fire and began to drift off Vlieland. Her crew was evacuated successfully by helicopter.
Smit's salvage team was mobilised, together with the Dutch coastguard vessel Waker. Firefighting equipment was despatched to the scene by helicopter. The tug Zeus provided stand-by support.
Flying out by helicopter the next day, members of the salvage team were winched down onto the main deck of the Sloman Traveller. Following an inspection of the casualty, the team extinguished the blaze. The operation was challenging due to the various chemicals present. All pollutants were contained on board the vessel and contaminated firefighting water was transferred to Sloman Traveller's ballast tanks. The vessel suffered significant cargo damage, together with some damage to the upper spaces of the engineroom. The ship was redelivered at Bremerhaven on January 3.

The 1,710 gt bulk carrier Hunte, ran aground off Texel. This 1980-built vessel was carrying a cargo of rapeseed meal. Her bunker tanks contained 55 cu m of fuel. The incident resulted in considerable bottom damage.
Smit mobilised two tugs with equipment from its Central Salvage Store in Rotterdam. The priority was to remove the vessel's bunkers. On completing the task, the salvage team then commenced the discharge of the rapeseed meal. As this is a lightweight cargo, a large industrial vacuum cleaning system was used to partly discharge the cargo into bags of 1 cu m. Tugs then refloated the vessel on January 9.

A tragic accident occurred in the early hours of the afternoon on New Year’s day onboard the cargo vessel Al Rajia whilst anchored approximately 2 nautical miles from the port of Limassol, Cyprus. Mohammed Ornis, a 29 year old Syrian sailor was killed whilst operating a crane onboard the vessel. Local media reports said Ornis had been driving the giant crane weighing over 4 tons to free the ship’s anchor using a winch. During the operation the wires suddenly snapped and the base of the crane gave way. The crane collapsed and crushed Ornis who died instantly. The vessel has been detained and a full investigation is pending.

The UK’s Brixham Coastguard are currently assisting the crew of a 3000 tonne Cypriot tanker, Willy, which ran aground at Cawsands on the west side of Plymouth yesterday evening. The vessel, which had twelve crew on board was in ballast and at anchor in Cawsands Bay. The Coastguard were alerted at 10.45 pm following several emergency calls from members of the public. The hull has been damaged and there is some water in the engine room. There are southeasterly gale force winds on scene. Brixham Coastguard requested Tamar Coastguard Rescue Team to attend the scene along with the ‘Far Sky’ emergency towing vessel from Falmouth and the Plymouth Lifeboat.
Tamar Coastguard Rescue Team and all of the vessels other than the Far Sky are now on scene. The Coastguard Team assisted three of the non-essential crew off the ship to the shore. The other nine essential crewmembers, including the skipper remain on board.

Residents of the English village of Kingsand near Plymouth have been told it is safe to return home after experts confirmed that the tanker Willy that ran aground late in the evening on Tuesday would not explode.
Villagers were advised to spend Wednesday night away from their homes, although many ignored the advice. A safety team boarded the petrol tanker on Wednesday afternoon, to prevent fuel vapour exploding. Experts say there is no danger after the tanks were ventilated. The ship drifted onto rocks in Cawsand Bay late in the evening on Tuesday while seeking shelter from a storm. Cracks appeared in the vessel’s hull as the tide ebbed and a 1.5 mile slick of diesel leaked from the vessel's fuel tanks. Early in the morning on Wednesday about 150 people were evacuated from their homes in Kingsand as police from Devon and Cornwall imposed a half-mile exclusion zone around the tanker.  High winds hindered efforts to make the ship safe. Pumps were loaded onboard during low tide, to force air into the holds and ventilate the fumes. The vessel's hatches were also raised.  The vessel discharged its cargo of petrol in Plymouth two days before running aground. The crew of 12 was able to walk ashore on Wednesday night. No call for help was received from the vessel.

On Wednesday, helicopters from Greece rescued 26 children, 12 women and a youth from the Turkish registered ship, Aydin Kaptan, en route to Crete. The ship was under escort by British, Spanish and Dutch naval vessels and Greek coastguards. The vessel ran into difficulties in rough seas and broadcast a distress signal late on Tuesday. Nato warships on an exercise nearby assisted with the rescue. Crew from HMS Beagle repaired the engine and a ruptured hull.

The salvage of the 3,000 tonne Cypriot registered tanker, Willy, that ran aground in Cornwall will be a slow process. The tanker ran into difficulties whilst seeking shelter from a storm near Cawsand. Salvage workers determined that the hull was not damaged but seven of the 10 cargo tanks and the engine room were flooded. Two of the 12 tanks, still intact, contain about 80 tonnes of fuel. Andrew Healy, of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said the other tanks are naturally venting and additional air is being pumped in to help disperse vapours. Salvage workers hope winds will abate by Saturday to allow workers to pump out the remaining oil from the tanker. It is thought repairs will then progress to release water from the ballast tanks to refloat the vessel. The team from United Salvage Limited is sending a barge with a crane and a tug to help with the salvage.

An Egyptian registered fishing vessel, Abu el-Fawares, sank off the Red Sea coast on Friday. Thirty-nine crew members are missing, police reports said. One body was recovered. 
The ship departed the Sinai port of el-Tor and had been fishing in the Red Sea for a few days. The boat capsized about 32 km from Ras Gharib, south of the Suez Canal. The reason for the sinking is not yet known. The fishing vessel did not send any distress signals, police said.
Unconfirmed reports said the vessel capsized because of rough seas although an employee of the Egyptian General Petroleum Corp in Ras Gharib said the ship had most likely hit a coral reef.

On February 6,2003 single hulled oil tanker "ARENDAL" loaded with 106,000 tonnes of crude oil was detained at Sullom Voe in Shetland after deficiencies were found by a Maritime and Coastguard Surveyor during his inspection of the vessel. The "Arendal" is a Norwegian registered oil tanker, 235 metres in length that belongs to Arendal Holdings in Norway. Initially, members of the crew contacted the owners of the vessel in Norway, after finding cracks in the vessel. The owners then requested a Classification Society Surveyor from Sweden to go to Shetland to inspect their tanker. He discovered cracking on deck in way of No 3 starboard water ballast tank. The harbour authorities at Sullom Voe then contacted the Maritime and Coastguard Agency who sent a surveyor to also inspect the vessel who has confirmed the findings of the class surveyor. The vessel has now been placed under detention at Sullom Voe until the vessel can be discharged and further assessments can be made with regard to further action on repairs to the vessel.

Kodima, a Maltese cargo ship of 6,395 gross tonnes, was on passage from Sweden to Libya on 1 February 2002 with 10,168 cubic metres of timber in her holds and on deck. Between 1900 and 1950 her deck cargo shifted to port causing a list of 15 degrees. The course was altered towards Falmouth Bay, England, but the list, compounded by the ship rolling in heavy seas, continued to increase. By 0450 the next morning it had reached 40 degrees, and the ship’s main engine and generators had become inoperable. With the ship stopped in the water about 20 miles from Falmouth, and drifting to the north-east, the master and crew were evacuated by helicopter. Attempts to secure a towline were unsuccessful, and Kodima eventually grounded on Tregantle Beach, Whitsands Bay at 1855. At 0744 the next day, the Secretary of State’s Representative for Maritime Salvage and Intervention (SOSREP) informed the MAIB of the cargo shift and an investigation was started later that day. The investigation was conducted with the full co-operation of the Malta Maritime Authority, which concurs with the report’s conclusions and recommendations. Kodima was refloated on 16 February and towed to Falmouth. No significant oil pollution resulted from the grounding or from the subsequent salvage operations, but about 70 per cent of the timber cargo was lost overboard and swept on to local beaches.

The grounded Panamanian registered log carrier Jody F Millennium stranded off Gisborne, New Zealand is likely to be hit by another southerly storm before salvage can be attempted. Yesterday divers confirmed the vessel had dug itself into a 4m trench on one side. If the weather deteriorates the ship would be anchored to the seabed and secured to a large tug, officials reported.
New Zealand's Maritime Safety Authority officials said it was unlikely the ship would be refloated this week. "This is a very complex and difficult operation, but maintains the focus of both the MSA and the salvor on oil recovery as the first priority." "Now that oil from the one leaking tank which has caused all the pollution to date has been successfully dealt with, the vessel's remaining heavy fuel oil is being pumped into specialised inflatable barges which are alongside the Jody F Millennium. The barges will then be towed to the naval tanker HMNZS Endeavour, where the oil will be discharged," says Russell Kilvington, Director of Maritime Safety.
The ship ran aground close to shore during the night of 6 February when a low-pressure system created 5m swells in Poverty Bay. "At the same time equipment and resources are being deployed in preparation for the refloating of the vessel by the salvor. A great deal of groundwork, including underwater and hydrographic surveys of the ship and the sea bed, has already been carried out over the last few days to allow this to begin", says Mr Kilvington.
The clean-up operation continues around the beaches of Gisborne. Clean-up costs for the oil spill, which has affected an 8km stretch of Gisborne's coastline, have reached almost $200,000. The ship's Japanese owner will be expected to pay.
Department of Conservation staff estimate about 75 red-billed seagulls have been affected by the spill but only one bird has required treatment so far. Waikanae, Midway and Kaiti beaches remain closed and the public have been warned not to eat shellfish from Poverty Bay.

The South Korean vessel Jody F. Millenium ran aground on Wednesday. A fuel tank was ruptured causing an oil spill. The ship will remain marooned off the coast of Gisborne.
A 65 tonne tug from Melbourne is due to arrive on Sunday to join the tug Pacific Chieftan in securing the Jody F. A steel cable connected from the ship's bow to Pacific Chieftain broke in rough seas on Wednesday and the log carrier swung back, beam-on to the sea. The vessel has not yet been re-secured to a tug.
Work to pump 199 tonnes of oil within the ship resumed yesterday. The oil will be transferred into tanks and stowed in the sturdiest area onboard. Heating coils at the base of the tanks are thinning the oil, making it easier to transfer into tanks above the water line.
Two helicopters are due to arrive today, depending on the weather conditions, to remove the ship's cargo of logs. The plan was to shift 1000 tonnes of logs from a total 20,000 tonnes.

Marcon International reported the sale of the 7,200BHP US flag twin screw tug "Gulf Commander" from TT Boat Corporation of New Orleans to Hawaiian Inter-Island Towing, Inc of Honolulu.
The 150' x 40' x 22' deep tug was originally built in 1976 by Equitable Shipyards of Madisonville, LA as an offshore anchor handling tug for Gulf Mississippi Marine and later taken over by Tidewater in 1992 with their acquisition of Zapata Gulf Marine. The tug is powered by twin EMD 20-645E5 diesels driving 144" x 144" fixed pitch props in kort nozzles and has a bollard pull of abt. 123 tons. Tow winch is an Intercon double drum with 5,000' / 3,000' of 2.5" wire capacity.  Hawaiian Inter-Island plans to sail the tug to the West Coast where she will be refurbished prior to going into service in the Hawaiian Islands. Marcon acted as sole broker in the sale.

The 5,970 dwt, 104m x 20.5m x 4.9m Clipper Cheyenne, sunk alongside the dock at Foynes, Ireland in the pristine waters of the River Shannon, while ballasting to load a floating dredger. The vessel sank in a position alongside and parallel to the quay with the bow of the vessel to seaward, a list to starboard and laid in approximately 11 meters of water at low tide. The tidal range was about 4 meters on spring tides with virtually zero visibility and conditions outside of the hull were further exacerbated by a strong river current. The “Clipper Cheyenne” had 244 tones IFO 180, 36 tones diesel oil, and 11,000 liters lube oil onboard. Immediately upon being notified of the incident, a Titan Salvage Master and Salvage Engineer were dispatched to the scene via a chartered aircraft from Titan’s UK Salvage Depot. Soon after arrival Titan was awarded a contract to plug vents to control the escape of hydrocarbons from the vessel. Titan was awarded the re-floating contract on a Lloyd’s Open Form on June 5, 2002. Titan quickly began mobilization of equipment & people from their New Haven, UK and Ft. Lauderdale, Florida warehouses. A total of 19 Titan personnel, including Naval Architect, and Diver/salvors were sent to the site. During discussions with the local Harbor Master and Coast Guard, it was decided that the risk of pollution was greater if an attempt to remove the hydrocarbons prior to re-float was undertaken. Therefore it was decided to completely contain the hydrocarbons within the vessel. Various refloating scenarios were evaluated using detailed computer models. The models showed that without any external support the vessel had very little, if any, stability when she left bottom. This lack of stability was the principal challenge for re-floating the vessel. To provide this support it was decided to first roll the vessel to port and then let her lay against the pier during the refloat. A barge was then attached to the stern of the vessel to provide additional waterplane area during the most critical phases. As an additional effort to improve the stability situation, the crane booms of the CLIPPER CHEYENNE were lowered and removed, thus decreasing the overall center of gravity for the vessel. For the refloat, the vents on the wing tanks were blanked and fitted with blow down fittings and modified vents. To prevent the air from escaping from the ballast tanks, all the valves for the ballast system had to be closed by divers. Pumps were then fitted in the accommodation and foscle areas to give buoyancy up forward and increase the ground reaction aft. The starboard wing tanks were blown down which caused the vessel to roll to port and come to rest against the pier as planned. After further prep, the watertight door to the pump room was opened and the remaining wing tanks were blown down in a calculated and controlled order, bringing the vessel to the surface on Sunday July 7, 2002.

On 26th August 2002 the Odfjell Chemical tanker M.T BOW EAGLE [24,728 dwt,1988 Spanish built] suffered damage to her bow and one cargo tank as a result of collision with a fishing vessel CISTUDE in the Bay of Biscay. M.T.Bow Eagle failed in assisting the distressed crew of the fishing vessel resulting in the loss of four lives.

The 56,835gt Hual Europe ran aground off the island of Oshima after being hit by typhoon Higa. At the base of 60m-high cliffs, the vessel was repeatedly battered by heavy weather and attempts to refloat it were unsuccessful. After a month of being hammered by heavy seas, a fire of unknown cause raged for two days, melting the decks in part of the ship and causing it to collapse into two sections.

HMS Trafalgar ran aground at Skye; put into Faslane the following day for repairs.

Norwegian minesweeper Orkla badly damaged in major fire.

Bahamas-flagged oil tanker PINDAR ran aground in Danish waters 10 nautical miles off the Danish island of Laesoe but no oil leaked out into the water. It remained unclear why the Netherlands-bound ship Pindar had run aground in the channel between Denmark and Sweden, but the rescue service said it had strayed far off its normal route.

Norwegian-registered Wilhelmsen Lines ro/ro M/V Tricolor, Zebrugge, Belgium, for Southampton with 2,862 cars & 77 containers, in collision with Bahamas-registered 577-foot container M/V Kariba, 30 miles E. of Ramsgate, England. Tricolor sank --- resting on the bottom of Channel, but only partly submerged because tide low. Kariba returning to Antwerp, Belgium escorted by Belgian warship & French coast guard.

95 meter Dutch Antilles registered 3,000gt M/V Nicola (built 2001), La Coruna in N. Spain for Rotterdam with 7 crew, ran down the sunken Tricolor. The Nicola was stuck on top of The Tricolor for several hours before being pulled free by two tugs on Monday Dec.16 morning. A team of 8 & a vessel from salvage company Smit Tak were in position 20 miles E. of the Kent coast to check Tricolor for oil leaks, but high winds & strong sea currents prevented divers from going down to the wreck to assess damage on Dec, 15 2002.

Turkish-registered 800-foot M/T Vicky (built in 1981), Antwerp, Belgium for New York with 2 million gallons of kerosene & 24 crew, struck wreckage of sunken car transporter M/V Tricolor in the English Channel.

Singapore Navy 500gt anti-submarine patrol RSS Courageous (built 1996) & merchant M/V ANL Indonesia, for South Korea, in collision off Pedra Branca, an islet claimed by both Singapore & Malaysia late Jan, 3 -- injuring 8 navy crew & trapping 4 in warship sleeping quarters located aft where most severe damage sustained. Efforts ongoing to free 4 female cew sleeping in quarters at time of collision. Situation does not look good. One body found. The 4 trapped, died -- loss of 4 women navy personnel.

26,000 dwt Antigua & Barbuda-flagged 544ft. specialty M/V Rocknes [built 2001], Bunkret, Norway for Emden Germany with stones & pebbles, used in oil industry & 29 crew, plus Norwegian Pilot -- had just bunkered at Skålevik near Bergen -- sent out distress call before overturned 200 yards off western island of Bjoroey 4:30 p.m.-- capsized south of Bergen, off coast of Norway. Rescuers can hear trapped people banging on hull -- ship remains afloat, with keel to sky -- 15 to 20 ships surrounded vessel & rescuers trying to enlarge hole cut in hull -- progress slowed by need to ensure no one inside hurt -- towing to shallower waters before attempting to rescue. On deck crane catching on ocean floor, hindering efforts to move ship to shallows -- water temperature 41F -- 2 dead -- 12 people pulled safety -- 16 trapped/missing.

The 1989-built, 97,087-dwt Aframax tanker ALLIANCE SPIRIT owned by Teekay Shipping, ran aground on a beach near Skikda, Algeria during a violent storm, was later i March cut in two and its fore part removed by salvage group Smit. The fore section was towed out to the sea and reportedly handed over to Turkish interests, probably for demolition. The aft part of the tanker had the same fate, although its removal take longer. This section, which includes the ship's superstructure and the engine room, is sitting deep in the sand and its re-floating might require more powerful measures. The tanker, owned by Teekay Shipping, was one of three to run aground on the Algerian coast on the same day after an unusually severe storm. The other two were successfully re-floated.

Bahamas-registered tanker Acushnet was sailing from Ventspils, Latvia, to the United States when it ran aground around 8:30 a.m. just east of Samsoe Island in the Kattegat sea off southern Sweden.

Bahamas-registered tanker Acushnet was refloated and towed in to Kalundborg, Denmark.

DIS general cargo KARIN CAT (1 501 grt / 1986) Sank near lat 35 12.1N, long 19 43.3E, following breaching of hull and shifting of cargo. Crew rescued.

Indonesian general cargo HULU MAS (5 053 grt / 1981) on voyage Jakarta for Belawan. Sank after collision with bulk Sanko Robust in lat 01 14.8N, long 103 25.3E. Crew rescued.

SMIT Salvage Co. reported that oil recovery operation on the wreck of M/V Tricolor has been completed. That means that all oil that can be safely reached & pumped has now been removed. Less than 5 % of the original quantity of bunker/diesel remains on board and will be recovered in conjunction with the upcoming salvage operation. The 960 meter Diver Support Vessel MPSV Normand Flower has left site & returned to Rotterdam to unload oil pumped from wreck. It will be disposed of in an environmental sound manner ashore. Two guard vessels will remain in order to preserve safety. The cardinal buoy system & other safety measures will remain in place. Wreck of Tricolor will hopefully be removed by the end of August 2003, although the process very much will be weather dependent.

Turkish general cargo KEMAL OKAN (690 grt / 1976) Turkey for Ashdod. Broke anchor, drifted and sank off Ashdod Feb 26. Crew rescued.

10,192gt luxury Philippine M/V Super Ferry 14, with 877 passengers - Feb. 27 early morning - caught fire in engine room -- passengers leapt into sea in middle of night or huddled in bow -- 1 dead & 139 missing. Billed as a "Festival" ship, vessel entered service in Oct. 2000 & featured beauty parlor, business center, dining salons & karaoke room. M/V Fortune Express, rescued 200 people near Corregidor Island. Another 75 people rescued by Philippine Navy vessel & 28 by fishing boat.  U.S. Marines, in Philippines for annual war games raced to scene in speedboats from naval base in nearby Cavite province. (Thurs. Feb. 26 2004)  Philippine Navy vessels 379 & PCG vessels 02, 04, 3503 & 3504 and Malayan Tugs M/V Iloilo, M/V Sikatuna & M/V Ranger and Harbor Star's Tug M/V Capella dispatched - assisted in firefighting & rescue operations.

It's early Thurs., -- just after midnight -- two merchants are 31km - N.E. of the Horsburgh Lighthouse on Pedra Branca, as M/V Springbok & M/T Gas Roman approach the mega-port of Singapore. M/T Gas Roman collided bow on 90 degrees into the portside of the No 4 cargo hold of M/V Springbok just feet away from the superstructure. It was an exact 90 degrees "T" in shape. M/V Springbok suffered massive damage to her mid-section near crew's quarters at No. 4 cargo hold. Damage is severe & the ships are still stuck to each other, leaving salvage experts to ponder how to separate the ships. The M/T Gas Roman's bulkhead appeared to be fused to the mid-section of M/V Springbok. M/V Springbok was laden with 4000 cbm of sawned timber from Sarawak for discharge in South Africa, while M/T Gas Roman carried 44,000 cbm, of gas from Kuwait to Korea.

Japanese Oceanographic research vessel TORISHIMA (426 grt / 1985) Sank after collision with mv Fukujin Maru off Cape Shionomisaki, Wakayama Prefecture. Twelve crew rescued, two missing

RUYA, (General cargo ,Turkey, 1993 grt, Built: 1978) Sank in Black Sea in lat 42 28N, long 29 20E. All 14 crew rescued.

COPA CASINO, (Passenger, Bahamas, 9114 grt, Built: 1951) Mobile for Alang. Sank off Dominican Republic.

Chem.tank CAPE HORN (27611 gt, built 1988), cargo 14,000 tonnes of methanol, had fire and explosion on board during mooring manoeuvres at Leghorn today. Lloyd's Standard Form salvage contract was signed with SMIT Salvage BV and Fratelli Neri. The fire was extinguished but there was damage to the port side of the vessel. Cape Horn was docking at Leghorn when a small fire broke out, according to the port captain's office. A tug was then ordered to take the ship out to sea as a precaution. During the tow, one of the tanks on board the ship exploded about 1.5 miles offshore, the port officials said. Six crew members from the ship and the master and two crew members on board the tug were injured, none of them seriously. Port authorities said the explosion apparently was set off when the ship butted up against the dock while being towed. Authorities said there was no danger of pollution.

General cargo RMS MULHEIM (General cargo, Antigua & Barbuda, 1846 grt, Build 1999)  is sitting aground with its bow facing towards the beach in Sennen Cove. It has nine holes in the hull but, as it is a double-hulled vessel, it is hoped that the inner skin has not been penetrated too badly. However, there has been some leakage of diesel fuel. Tug/supply Neftegaz 57 is expected to commence refloating efforts. Salvage not considered possible

Product tanker Byzantio (32453 gt, built 1976) was lightening cargo from crude oil tanker Asian Progress II (160079 gt, built 1999), in lat 21 50.3N, long 114 40.6E, 29 miles south of Hong Kong, at 2017, UTC, Mar 28,
when fire broke out on Byzantio, in forward part, and spread to Asian Progress II. Three injured crew from Byzantio were winched off with the aid of Hong Kong MRCC. The fire is out. No injuries on Asian Progress II, but there is slight damage on board.

ALASKA,  (General cargo, Cambodia, 397 grt, Built: 1955) Sank 10 nautical miles off Trabzon in bad weather. Two crew rescued, five missing

GRAMPIAN DUKE , (Fishing, United Kingdom, 308 grt, Built: 1960) Sank in lat 48 37N, long 10 36W. Crew rescued.

SHA HE KOU (People's Republic of China, 10941 grt, Built: 1978) Sank off Hainan, in South China Sea. Crew rescued.

MUSTAFA SOFUOGLU, Turkey, 2743 grt (Built: 1984). Constantza for Samsun. Sank after collision with refrigerated mv Mekhanik Kuznetsov in the Black Sea, in lat 42 10N, long 31 09E.

German general cargo Gerhain G. (910 gt, built 1988) The master of the vessel was alone on the bridge during the hours of darkness. The vessel was approaching the River Thames inward bound to Sheerness when the master became incapacitated as a result of an insect sting to the ear. This incapacity meant that a proper look out was not being maintained. This failure resulted in the grounding of the vessel in the vicinity of the Kentish flats in the River Thames. Mr Bryan Hopkins, Surveyor in Charge of the Orpington Marine Office of the MCA, said: "The requirement for a lookout on the bridge of a ship is clearly laid down in the Seafarers' Training, Certification and Watch-keeping (STCW) Code. This case acts as reminder to owners, managers and operators of all vessels to ensure that the bridge is properly manned at all times especially at night when in congested/pilotage waters."

Seventy Chinese Navy sailors aboard a conventionally powered submarine killed in an accident east of Neichangshan. Jiang Zemin, chairman of the Central Military Commission, sent condolence messages, dated May 2, to family members of the dead Navy officers and seamen. The No. 361 submarine was taking part in an exercise east of Neichangshan Islands, when mechanical problems caused the accident, said Navy sources. The submarine has been towed back to port.

Maltese bulkship JUNIOR M. in collision with crude oil tanker NURIA TAPIAS in the Black Sea in lat 43 17N, long 34 24E, May 2nd. JUNIOR M. subsequently sank about 12.00 UTC, May 3. All crew rescued.

MORESKO No 1 (Fishing) (South Korea) (GRT: 329 Year Built: 1975) Firmly wedged on rocks in Moraine Fjord, Cumberland Bay, South Georgia during bad weather. All crew rescued. Reported May 6th to have been abandoned.

American Yacht SAFARI SPIRIT (231 grt / 1981) Travelling Seattle to Alaska, ran aground on rocks and subsequently sank off coast of British Columbia in lat 51 57.9N, long 127 53.2W. All passengers and crew rescued.

Panamanian tanker UPCO 3 (2 100 grt / 1972) Sank by stern in lat 18 51.58N, long 72 41.95E. All crew rescued.

Thai general cargo SANG THAI KILIN (3 988 grt / 1979) Reported taking water and sinking in lat 05 29N, long 109 24E at 0612, UTC. All 20 crew abandoned vessel and rescued by another vessel now bound Sarawak.

British fishing ship NEPTUNE (255 grt / 1992) Reported taking water and sinking in lat 61 15N, long 01 24.6W, UTC. All four crew rescued. Fishing vessel Caspian proceeded to casualty site but found no trace of vessel. Presumed sunk.

Six people were killed and five sustained severe injuries in Alang this afternoon after an explosion on ore/oil Inville (69851 gt, built 1975), moored at plot number five at the world's biggest ship-breaking yard. The explosion took place near the engine-room of the retired Inville around 1445 while labourers were engaged in ship breaking with gas cutters, said Bhavnagar deputy superintendent of police HB Barot. "A investigation is on and the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained," he said. According to sources at Alang-Sosia, the explosion rocked the area in the afternoon and dense smoke billowed from yard number five. Though there was no fire, two fire-fighters along with back-up water supply, were rushed to the spot. Inville was beached in March and the work to dismantle it has been on for some weeks now

Dutch container ship Hanjin Ottawa (66,278 gt, built 2000), Rotterdam for Felixstowe, 24 persons on board, grounded and making water in two ballast tanks in lat 51 49.5N, long 01 59.4E at 0140, UTC. Vessel refloated itself using bowthruster and full astern engine and anchored in Sunk Anchorage in lat 51 54.7N, long 01 39.47E, off Harwich. Internal inspection by crew suggest flooding at the rate of about 350 cubic metres-an-hour into No.2 port ballast tank and about 150 cubic metres-an-hour into No.3 port ballast tank, pumps are coping. Vessel refused entry to Harwich until proven seaworthy, waiting instructions from owners.

Greek cement carrier TSIMENTAS (995 grt / 1988) Grounded on reef between Kassos and Karpathos. Subsequently shifted and partially submerged. Crew rescued.

POLISINI-1, a Greek-registered and Russian crewed oil tanker crashed into four floating restaurants on the Bosphorus, sinking one.

Ro/ro/c.c. MATSONIA (33095 gt, built 1973) lost its propeller and is drifting approximately 600 miles east of the Hawaiian Islands. Tug Jimmy Smith departed, on Jun 10, to tow the vessel to Honolulu.

APL Emerald reported that it ran aground at about 1.3km south of Horsburgh Lighthouse in the Singapore waters in lat 01 19.19N, long 104 24.27E. The vessel had departed Singapore port at approximately 2330, Jun 11 bound for Chiwan, China. The shipmaster reported that one of the vessel's water ballast tanks and four fuel oil tanks were damaged as a result of the incident. The shipmaster estimated that about 150 tonnes of fuel oil had leaked into the sea. There was no report of any injury to the crew. The vessel is in stable condition.

A passenger ship and a cargo vessel have collided in heavy fog on China's Yangtze River, leaving at least 90 people missing.

Dry cargo vessel JAMBO (3.677 dwt / 1990) struck rocks off Scotland's west coast in the morning and sank four hours later. The crew of seven were rescued before the ship went down. She was en route from Ireland to Norway with a full cargo of zinc concentrate when the incident occurred.

USCGC Firebush decommissioned & transferred to Nigerian Navy.

Passenger ro/ro Iloilo Princess capsized after it caught fire at pier 7 of Mandaue Port, in Cebu island. According to the Philippine Coast Guard officials in Cebu City, Iloilo Princess had rolled over on its port side, which now touched bottom. The Coast Guard said that the vessel capsized because of the large volume of water which flooded its compartments during efforts to combat the raging fire. The Coast Guard said that the crew was presently trying to raise the vessel, using portable pumps, but little progress was being made in draining the vessel. Oil booms had been installed around the vessel, to prevent an oil spill from occurring. Coast Guard officials are still trying to determine the cause of the fire. This is the second fire to hit the vessel in a week, the Coast Guard said

1,930 TEU container M/V Pelican 1 suffered severe hull damage in collision with M/V Maersk Bahrain on the River Scheldt near Antwerp. Dutch river authorities & salvors mobilized pollution control equipment to deal with oil in river while the salvors worked on skimming oil from the surface of water in flooded engine room -- floating crane has removed 317 deck containers from the vessel, and divers have completed a full inspection of the hull

Crude oil tanker Moscow (56076 gt, built 1998), from Murmansk, cargo crude oil, is currently adrift with engine problems north of North Cape, in lat 71 20N, long 26 42E.

Greek M/T Tasman Spirit, with 67,500 tons of crude, grounded off Karachi port since July 27, likely to break into 2 parts within next 12 hours, which could cause a massive oil spill threatening marine life, mangrove forests -- unleashing ecological disaster. Estimated approximately 44,000 tons of crude still aboard. (Sat. Aug. 9 2003)  M/T Tasman Spirit has broken in half. Major oil spill now at hand. Pakistani port officials warned of major oil spill along S. coastline -- growing slick of oil washed ashore along main beaches outside Karachi bringing toxic fumes & hundreds of dead fish, sea birds & turtles. More than 1,000 policemen, with masks, deployed to close sea front.

The ship-to-ship transfer from grounded c.c. Sea-Land Express began at midnight last night and the salvage team on board the casualty report that the fuel removal operation is proceeding well with pumping rates of 50 tonnes per hour being achieved. Oil is being pumped out of those tanks considered to be most at risk of being breached should the vessel's structural condition change and it is expected that the team will be able to make good use of the fine weather being experienced at present. Yesterday a chemical engineer was flown out to the casualty in order to assess the risk posed by the cargo classed as hazardous and confirmed that salvage personnel and crew on board, as well as members of the public, were under no direct threat. Contingency plans for the removal of that cargo are in the process of being put in place. Sea-Land Express rests in a sandy gully approximately 200 metres from the beach. Renewed attempts to refloat the container vessel will be made once it is deemed that it has been lightened sufficiently. This will entail the removal of the fuel, which also reduces the risk of oil pollution, as well as cargo should this be deemed necessary.

Ferry Ovalau has sunk in Nanunu-i-Ra passage, 30 kilometres from Elington. Sistership was close by and rescued 80 passengers. Vessel sunk went down with all the cargo including twelve trucks. -- Lloyd's Agents. London, Aug 24 -- A press report, dated today, states: Twenty passengers were forced to abandon the inter-island ferry Ovalau ex Uwajima (942 gt, built 1969), hours before it sank yesterday afternoon, off the coast of Rakiraki. The vessel, owned by the Patterson Shipping Company, was leaving for Nabouwalu when it hit the reef near Ellington Wharf. Passengers were evacuated on to the Princess Ashika which had just arrived from Nabouwalu. Patterson Shipping managing director George Patterson last night confirmed the incident saying there was no loss of lives. He said it hit the reef outside Ellington Wharf between 1400 and 1500 hrs yesterday and started taking in water. Mr Patterson said the Ovalau's sister ship, Pri ncess Ashika, passed by around 1730 hrs and evacuated the passengers. He said the Princess Ashika then tried towing the stricken vessel back to the Ellington Wharf but could not, leaving them no choice but to abandon it. Mr Patterson said he wasn't sure about who to blame for the incident. "Really, we don't know because I have to have the captain's report when I meet him tomorrow," he said. The passengers spent the night on board the Princess Ashika and are scheduled to leave for Nabouwalu this morning.

Chemical/oil carrier Fair Jolly has been damaged while salvaging crude oil tanker Tasman Spirit while alongside the grounded vessel to siphon out remaining quantity crude oil yesterday, according to Karachi Port Trust sources. It is reported that bridge plate of tanker No. 3 and some portion of keel were damaged. The Fair Jolly is being repaired at Berth No.6, and after getting repaired it would be used again for lighterage operation from tomorrow.

Karachi Port Trust (KPT) said today that a Pakistan Navy Ship Gwadar and a Teli Barge have successfully retrieved 260 tonnes and 160 tonnes of crude oil respectively from the drowning sections of crude oil tanker Tasman Spirit on yesterday against expected withdrawal of 500 tonnes and 200 tonnes. The shortage, a source of KPT pointed out is due to air bubbles in tanks of both of these lighterage vessel and barge. He said that lighterage operation has received another set back when the Fair Jolly got damaged last Saturday (Aug 23). As a result instead of waiting for another lighterage vessel to come from UAE, we requested PN and they have immediately provided us small capacity vessel. He said another barge, Viqas having capacity of 260 tonnes, is also used which is now discharging same quantity in another lighterage vessel Endeavour II, stationed since start of operation in the vicinity of Karachi Port. The total offloading in Endeavour II has now reached over 31,000 tonnes. He said this morning vessel Gwadar is being again placed alongside Tasman Spirit to take seconded delivery. It is estimated if the bigger lighter vessel is not employed the lighterage operations may take one week more.

Chemical/oil carrier Fair Jolly, having capacity of 8,000 tonnes, has been transferred to mooring from berth today, according to Karachi Port Sources. Underwater divers are surveying the damage. It has taken out 30, 000 tonnes of crude oil from Tasman Spirit so far and was damaged while being shifting alongside due to rough weather and high tides but final report will ascertain the real cause, an official of port said. A Chief Engineer from vessels' owner is also coming to examine Fair Jolly.

Firefighters fought all day today to put out a fire on board oil tanker Victoriya (2003 gt, built 1981) that threatened to spill 2,000 tonnes of oil into the River Volga in central Russia, officials said. The fire erupted after an explosion just after midnight yesterday in the engine-room of Victoriya moored at an oil terminal at Oktyabrsk, in the region of Samara, the ITAR-TASS news agency quoted civil defence and emergency ministry officials as saying. One man died in the blast and two firefighters have been injured, the officials said. As firemen from all over the region fought to extinguish the blaze, the hull of the tanker burst and released burning oil into the Volga, they said. The firemen trained water jets onto the hull to cool it in a bid to contain the damage. Their task was complicated by the fact that they were unable to remove the tanker from its mooring at the oil terminal, and efforts to quench the flames were continuing some 20 hours after the fire erupted.

The French Polynesia ferry Tahiti Nui IV (408 gt) sunk off the cost of Rimatara in the southern-most Austral Islands today, claiming the lives of three of the 21 persons aboard. Fourteen persons were rescued but four others were reported still missing. Tahiti Nui IV, a GIP (French Polynesia Intervention Group), left Papeete Harbour for Rimatara on Aug 31 with nine passengers and 12 crew members aboard, according to official sources. French High Commissioner Michel Mathieu launched a rescue operation at 0719, local time, today, after a report that the vessel was having problems 70 kilometres north of Rimatara, which is 540 kilometres south-west of Papeete. The Papeete GIP headquarters received a distress signal at 0120, local time, today from the vessel, who reported a leak at the front of the vessel. The vessel turned over at 0735 hrs and sunk at 0904 hrs in 4,500  metres, according to official reports. The Search and Rescue Centre based in Papeete reported that a Super Puma helicopter that left the capital at 0800 hrs, today hauled up into the helicopter at 1033 hrs a person who had been found adrift in the ocean. Then eight persons, discovered aboard a liferaft, also were lifted up into the helicopter, which took them to Rurutu, the most northerly of the Austral Islands. Between late morning and early afternoon, five other persons from the vessel were rescued, the Search and Rescue Centre reported from the French military's Operational Centre in Taaone, Pirae. Tahiti Nui I left Papeete Harbour around 0330 hrs, today and was due to arrive at the scene around midnight.

Passenger ro/ro Moby Magic (13331 gt, built 1976),Leghorn for Olbia, struck a submerged rock/object about three miles from Olbia at about 1930, Sep 11, resulting in a hole in the vessel's hull in way of the engine-room. The vessel developed a list of about nine degrees at about 2300 hrs, due to flooding. The 85 passengers and 80 crew members on board were evacuated by Olbia Port Authority. The vessel was taken in tow by two tugs owned by Rimorchiatori Sardi Spa and taken to Golfo Aranci pier, where it is presently safely moored. An official inquiry has been commenced by Olbia Port Authority and the Sassari Tempio Pausania Court. Passenger ro/ro Moby Magic is now reportedly lying alongside Golfo Aranci pier, touching bottom and listing about 10 degrees. The vessel has a breach in its starboard side, about 2.7 metres long by 25 cm wide, from fins -- which are apparently in sound condition -- to the stern. Understand the vessel's owners have contracted Rimorchiatori Sardi Spa to refloat the vessel and salvage operations are already under way.

The 1995-built, Panama-flagged Eagle Strength was entering Chittagong port when it was in collision with the HRC Shipping Line vessel Banglar Biraj. The Eagle Strength is owned by Tayo Kaium Kaisha and chartered by APL for its Bangladesh-Singapore feeder service. From reports, it is not clear if the Panamanian- registered vessel was trying to avoid the HRC vessel or another small feeder ship. The impact of the collision forced the Panamanian ship to hit navy patrol boat BNS Jamuna, which, in turn, struck two PKM boats, BNS Surabhi, Sagarand Shapla, all mine sweepers, warship BNS Madhumatiand patrol boat BNS Barkat, a port official was quoted as telling the Daily Star in Bangladesh. At least 20 navy officers were reported to be injured in the incident, which involved a substantial portion of Bangladesh's naval fleet. The incident closed Bangladesh's main port for 14 hours but it was reopened yesterday. A spokesman for APL's parent Neptune Orient Lines would only confirm that the Eagle Strength was involved in a collision with at least the other containership. Industry sources said that the steering gear on the Japanese-owned ship had failed. Local reports said that the master of the Eagle Strength dropped two anchors in an effort to stop the vessel, one of which tore, but the other held, averting an even bigger disaster.

Rhine cruise vessel Loreley grounded opposite the Loreley Rock about 1400, local time. The vessel ran into the rocky shore and sustained serious damage to its stem. It was refloated with the aid of a tug. Of the 330 passengers on board, 38 sustained injuries.

Three people died as a consequence of collision between tug Smit Madeira (214 gt, built 1983) and its tow, tug Rio Caroni (137 gt, built 1965). The master of the tug died and two officers are missing. Engineer, Henry Arcia, was rescued alive from the water. Mechanical failure and bad weather presumably caused the accident. Smit Madeira, of Servicios Maritimes Terminales Maracaibo, sank at 2145, Sep 23, in the navigation channel Boca de Serpiente, in waters between Orinoco River and Atlantic Ocean, in the state of Delta Amacuro, after engine failure, while towing Rio Caroni, of the firm Ferrominera del Orinoco. Commander of the National Guard, Coronel Teniente Jean Paul Bayos Bangi said that, due to unknown reasons, Smit Madeira overturned suddenly, leaving dead its master, two navy officers, while another was rescued alive. The captain of port of Ciudad Guayana issued a communiquE stating that the tug sunk at approximately 2145 hours in position lat 09 54.4N, long 61 23.3W. The manager of Servicios Maritimos Terminales Maracaibo, Luis Navas, was on site in order to determine the cause of the accident. Civil Protection Operations of the State of Bolivar, Edgar Hutado, affirmed that Smit Madeira sustained a problem in the machinery that made it stop suddenly, while it towed Rio Caroni, which impacted the tug, causing the sinking at more than 60 metres deep. The public prosecutor ship inspectors and officials of the office of Delta Amacuro of police forcen convened to fortify the investigations of this incident. The weather conditions could have influenced the accident. The place of accident is located at 11 miles off the transfer station of the loading vessels that sail from Ciudad Guayana.

C.c. Sea-Land Express has arrived in Durban for a 45-day stay that will further boost the growing reputation of the city as a major ship-repair centre. The vessel, badly damaged when it ran aground in stormy weather off Cape Town, will undergo repairs costing about R4 million. The vessel damaged its hull and steering gear when it ran aground at Sunset Beach in Table Bay on Aug 20. After several unsuccessful attempts, the vessel was eventually refloated on Sep 11 and later towed to Durban by salvage tug John Ross. The vessel's owners decided that the cost of towing the vessel to Durban would be less than waiting for a repair opportunity in Table Bay. "It is also obvious that our ship repairers have a good reputation," said Durban's acting dockyard manager, Johan Vermeulen. He said the long stay of the Sea-land Express in the dry dock would not seriously disrupt his advance bookings for the facility. "We have been forced to shift some vessels to alternative space, but there will be no delays. "But if the Sea-land Express does stay longer than expected, we could be faced with a bit of a problem." The vessel needs to have more than 300 tons of damaged steel hull replaced, work that will be done by marine engineers Dormac. "The vesselalso has extensive damage to its propeller and steering gear arrangement, including the rudder," said Dormac's technical director, Louis Gontier. "And it will have to be fully repainted, because of the extent of the damage." Gontier said repairs would be carried out as quickly as possible because of the high cost of keeping the vessel out of service. He said the vessel normally earned about $25 000 a day for its owners. "That is why the owners decided to bring it here from Cape Town, where the dry dock was booked for 30 days. Waiting there would have cost the owners about $750 000 (R5.2 million)." He said Dormac would contract some of the work to Elgin, Brown and Hamer.

Destroyer USS Pinckney delivered.

The Bosphorus Strait is closed for daylight restricted tankers in both directions after bulk Svyatoy Panteleymon (16216 gt, built 1977), Gabes to Kerch, in ballast, which had run aground broke in two in the early hours of this morning. Only vessels (not tankers) waiting at the north entrance of the Bosphorus Strait for southbound transit may enter. As a result of bad weather conditions, the vessel ran aground in front of Cape Yon Burnu at around 2300 hrs, yesterday, after passing through the Bosphorus. At about 0130 hrs, this morning, the vessel smashed into two pieces and the aft part sank in lat 41 13 30N, long 29 09 45E. Rescue operations continued until morning and 25 crew members were safely landed. There is gas oil leakage from the wreck.

At about 0340, Nov 19, while passenger ro/ro Knossos Palace (37482 gt, built 2000) was sailing from Piraeus to Iraklion, at the sea area 40 nautical miles north-west of Iraklion, a fire broke out on a truck parked in the third garage of the vessel. The fire was put out by means of the vessel's automated fire-fighting system, while a number of the vessel's crew members also helped in this respect. The vessel arrived safely at the port of Iraklion, escorted by two passenger vessels, and her 1040 passengers and 116 crew members were disembarked safe and sound, through the side staircase of the vessel, as her main ramp failed to operate, probably due to the fire incident.

Stellamare, Netherlands Antilles (Semi-submersible heavy lift vessel 2.368/1982) Listed and turned over on side at Albany, New York, Dec 9. Three crew lost. Constructive total loss.

Broström has sold the three chemical tankers BRO NADJA, BRO NELLY and BRO NORA with a capacity of 5,750 dwt each. The three sister vessels were built in 1996 and 1997 with stainless steel tanks primarily designed for transporting chemicals. The sale gives Broström a profit of about SEK 30 million and a cash surplus of about SEK 80 million. The buyer of the vessels is Wonsild & Son, Copenhagen, Denmark. The vessels are planned to be delivered to the new owners within 2003.

Maria Alejandra, Argentina (Fishing 669/1981) Sank 191 nautical miles off Rawson. Chubut Province, Argentina. Dec 17. Crew rescued.

C.c. OOCL San Francisco (66,677 gt, built 2000) entered the Canal from Port Said with the southbound convoy Dec 17 and at km 104 went aground. S.C.A. tugs still endeavouring to refloat vessel.  (Note -- OOCL San Francisco sailed Bremerhaven Dec 10 for Singapore.) Port Said, Dec 20 -- Attempts to refloat c.c. OOCL San Francisco failed and vessel still aground. Arrangements were duly made to discharge all the bunkers from the vessel, about 4,000 tons fuel oil, into a bunker barge in order to try to refloat the vessel. Port Said, Dec 21 -- C.c. OOCL San Francisco: Understand there are arrangements in hand to try to get a barge from Suez Canal Authority to discharge some of the containers

Dina K, North Korea (General cargo 2.092/1971) Iskenderun for Jieh. Sank 45 kilometers west of Tripoli, Lebanon, in bad weather Dec 14. Crew missing..

Ro/ro/c.c. Vans Princess, Antwerp for Iraq, with 878 cars, lost control in stormy weather and stranded on Tartous breakwater 350 metres to the south of the port entrance at 19:30, Dec 17. The vessel is listing 60 deg and in danger of sinking due ingress of seawater. Some fuel oil has spilled out, causing pollution. The 18 crewmen were taken off.

The Cala Panama, registered in Antigua & Barbados and chartered to CCL, ran aground due to a combination of reduced draught in the navigation channel leading to the river port of Barranquilla and difficult conditions resulting from strong seasonal winds.

General cargo coaster Elizabeth, flying the Noth Korean flag, run aground off Santorini island in Greece, during a stormy weather night on Christmas eve, December 24th 2003. Crew members, 8 people and the master all Russians, collected safely by a Greek coast guard rescue helicopter and transported to a nearby hospital for the first aids and further assistance. As the master of the ship declared, vessel was coming from Port Said Egypt, going to Bar harbour in Montenegro fully loaded by cement in bulk. The day after Christmas, when sea conditions became better, Greek coast guard authorities embarked aboard the grounded vessel for a more detailed specific inspection. The result was that there was not any cement cargo or anything else, but 45 tons of stolen furtive American cigarettes, more than two million cartoons of them destinating for the east European market. (Good stuff no ?) After all that, crew went to jail, waiting for a trial.  Elizabeth remains grounded fully loaded by her cargo, waiting for better weather conditions to commence discharging by a custom patrol vessel.

A Russian cargo ship caught fire while being repaired in Tanggu district, north China's Tianjin municipality at 11:30. The 3000 ton ship "OKA" came to Tanggu's Xinhe shipyard from Vladivostok, Russia, on Dec. 11, 2003, for repair. All 21 Russian crew of the ship as well as Chinese repair workers were safely evacuated, and no casualties were reported.  According to shipyard staff, the fire was accidentally caused by the repair workers.

Bulk Yiosonas (ex Ariston, 73115 gt, built 1992) arriving from Chile, stranded on sand approximately 4.5 km off the coast of Ecuador at 2000, UTC. According to the local Maritime Administration the vessel, carrying 132,000 tons of iron ore in bulk, was manouvering to enter the La Libertad terminal for bunkering. Yiosonas is located a few kilometres from the most popular beach area in Ecuador, which is normally frequented by thousands of people during the New Year's festivities. (Later) At the moment, merchant vessels are trying to unload the iron ore from the stranded vessel in order to make it easier for it to be refloated and towed to a safe port. No personal injuries have been reported and there is no evidence of damage to the vessel's hull.

Chem.tank Panam Serena (BHS) (6499 gt, built 2003), loaded with benzene, had an explosion on board at 1150, local time, Jan 1, while bunkering at Porto Torres. A fire subsequently broke out on board the vessel. Thirteen of the vessel's 15 crew members were rescued and two are missing. The fire was brought under control but the vessel had developed a 50-deg list. No pollution reported.

SMIT Salvage has successfully refloated the Stellamare. The vessel was situated along the quayside and was lying on her portside on the riverbed. Two floating cranes and other marine craft were deployed and the vessel is now completely stabilized and all of the water inside the vessel has been pumped out. The Stellamare is a specialist heavy lift vessel which capsized alongside during loading operations in the port of Albany on Tuesday 9th December 2003 at approx. 15.30 hrs EST. The vessel has been declared Constructive Total Loss (CTL). At the time of the accident 18 crewmembers were onboard, all of Russian nationality, 15 of which could be rescued from the water and from the vessel. During the operation, the bodies of the 3 missing crewmen were found in the vessel. The MV Stellamare was built in 1982 and Netherlands Antilles registered. She measures 88.20 meters in length, is 15.50 meters wide and has a combined lifting capacity of 360 tonnes.

Lodestar, Tonga flag (General cargo 1.836/1982) Sea of Marmara for Almeria. Sank in lat 38 05N, long 05 42E. Crew rescued.

United Nations peacekeepers in Liberia rescued 265 refugees who were stranded on passenger ro/ro El Shaddai (1068 gt, built 1960) off the country's Atlantic Ocean coast without food or water, a UN statement said today. The UN refugee agency had reported the vessel three miles south-west of the town of Harper near the border with Ivory Coast on Wednesday (Jan 7). Its engine had failed four days before. El Shaddai was carrying Liberian refugees back from Ghana, where they had fled to escape a bloody war that ravaged Liberia for several years. Dutch vessel Rotterdam was sent to help the stranded vessel and reached it yesterday morning, the statement said. The refugees, including 60 children and a pregnant women, were given food, water and medical help. According to the statement, the Nigerian vessel's engine could not be fixed and the refugees will be taken to the Liberian capital Monrovia on board Rotterdam.

The gloom surrounding Royal Olympic Cruises deepened yesterday as its 28-year-old cruiseship Olympia Countess was arrested in Durban. The arrest came as the company's board met in New York, apparently pursuing a possible resolution of the company's $250m debt crisis. No updates on this situation were available by press time. The 1976-built, 16,795 dwt Olympia Countess was arrested after it returned from a New Year cruise to Mauritius. The ship was scheduled to sail on another Mozambique cruise yesterday. According to a company spokesman the arrest was effected by Starlight Cruises, a company to which the ship has been char- tered for this summer and which says it is too late to find a replacement. The spokesman described the arrest as a "natural knee-jerk reaction from people unaware of how Chapter 11 works". He did not have any information on local demands reported in Durban that Royal Olympic put up surety. The owning companies of Royal Olympic's 2000-built, 24,391 gt Olympia Voyager and 2002-built, 24,318 gt Olympia Explorer are in Chapter 11 protection in the US after principal lender Kreditanstalt fur Wiederaufbau instigated action on the $250m debt related to the ships. These lenders are forestalled from arresting Royal Olympic tonnage as part of continuing horse-trading with the company, and the two ships are being held in US waters. The judge overseeing the related bankruptcy proceedings in Honolulu is understood to have indi- cated that there would be no further action on the issue until February 9. Royal Olympic in talks with lenders to find $250m debt crisis lifeline.

Fire broke out on board yacht Al Riyadh (965 gt, built 1978) at 0050 today while the vessel was on the repair jetty of Ifaistos Shipyards in Eleusis. The fire-fighting efforts proceeded with the assistance of the Fire Brigade but the yacht sustained serious damage. The Port Authority of Eleusis is carrying out an investigation. The fire on board royal yacht Al Riyadh was extinguished at 1630, Jan 10. The yacht is reported to be almost completely destroyed.

Falmouth Coastguard received a call from the master of the general cargo vessel SEA FOX, reporting that they had had a fire in the engine room and were disabled and drifting in the Lands End Traffic Separation Zone. For the safety of the crew and to guard against any threat of pollution if the vessel drifted ashore, Falmouth Coastguard instructed the Coastguard Emergency Towing Vessel Anglian Princess to take the SEA FOX under tow to the safety of Falmouth where the damage to the engine room can be assessed. Mike Quinn, Falmouth Coastguard Watch Manager, said: “The fire had already been extinguished when the vessel called us and we don’t know the cause at this stage, there have been no reports of injuries to any of the nine crew. The SEA FOX, on passage to Riga in Latvia, was disabled in South-westerly force 7 winds and rough seas off Lands End with a forecast of storm force 10 later today. Fortunately the vessel is now under tow from the Anglian Princess and is due in Falmouth at about 6:00pm today.”

Destroyer USS Pinckney delivered by Northrop Grumman at Pascagoula MS.

Northern Germany was suffering last night under the influences of heavy storms. Passenger Pride of America (72000 gt), at Lloydwerft yard, Bremerhaven, for completion, developed a list to starboard and grounded in the harbour basin at around 2400, Jan 13. At that time about 14 workmen were on board who all escaped unhurt. At present investigations into the cause of the accident are running. It is said in the radio news that the machinery room ran full of water. One possible cause could be that the vessel was pressed by a gust against the quay wall and developed a leak through which water was able to enter the machinery room which later led to the list and the subsequent grounding.

Diana Uno, Madeira flag (General cargo 2.249/1989) Dragged anchor and struck breakwater, subsequently sank in lat 43 22 15N, long 03 06 11W, Jan 17. Crew rescued.

Rocknes (ATG) Bulk 17.765/ 2001) Loaded with stone and rock. Capsized in Vatlestraumen, Norway in lat 60 20N, long 05 12E, Jan 19. 12 crew rescued, 3 dead and 15 missing.

Salvors have succeeded in freeing c.c. Cala Panama, grounded in Barranquilla, for almost a month. The vessel was released after the salvors Titan Maritime removed the containers on board the vessel chartered by Costa Container Line, an operation that started at the weekend. The vessel is now being inspected for damage to the hull after a month spent lodged against a breakwater at the mouth of the navigation channel of the River Magdalena.

General cargo Tor III under the North Korean flag grounded in the Gulf of Ankara with a cargo of 1800 tonnes of limestone. The vessel is considered a total loss.

TORM HERON aground off Imm/Killingholme about 11.00. SERVICEMAN was sailing about 14.45 to attend and presumably try a refloating, HW 19.00 tonight.

The Greek-owned cargo ship Kephi, (General cargo 5.315/1975) which had left Istanbul bound for a West African port with a cargo of cement, sank in gale-force winds about 120 nautical miles west of Crete early on Friday after sending out a distress signal, the Greek Merchant Marine Ministry said. British and U.S.-flagged ships rushed to the area but were able to spot only one lifeboat with two crew aboard, the ministry said.

At just after 7.00 p.m. this evening Dover Coastguard were informed that the vessel Sea Riss with 6 people on board was suffering from a fire in its engine room whilst 14 miles off Ramsgate. On board the general cargo vessel are 1770 metric tons of steel products. She has a 4 metre draught. A passing vessel Ned Lloyd Asia offered to stand by the vessel whilst rescue teams were mustered. Ramsgate Lifeboat was immediately dispatched to the vessel and Kent Fire Brigade were requested to muster their ship borne fire fighting team of nine to assist in any fire fighting capacity. A rescue helicopter was also scrambled to begin airlifting the fire team on board the vessel. Margate Coastguard team were also sent to Manston air field to begin preparing a landing site. The Coastguard Emergency Towing Vessel Anglian Monarch was sent to the scene as she has fire fighting capacity. A Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Sir Percival also offered to assist as she was in the area and has an experienced crew on board. In the meantime, the Master of the vessel released the CO2, a fire dampening agent, into the engine room compartment and all crew were mustered on deck. At 8:50 p.m. the fire crew were winched on board the Sea Riss by helicopter to investigate whether the fire has now been contained.

Queen (Georgian General cargo 3.970/1970) with a cargo of wheat sank near Tartous breakwater in bad weather

Vans Princess (Liberian Ro/ro/c.c. 12.086/1978) with a cargo of cars on voyage Antwerp for Iraq. Struck Tartous breakwater Dec 17. Fuel tanks pierced, oil spill. Reported Jan 28 almost completely sunk.

Oil tanker CRUDE TARGET ran hard aground in the Delaware Bay off Cape Henlopen Delaware on approach to harbor. The tanker is reported to be carrying 1,000,000 bbl (42,000,000 gallons) of light crude. She is fast onto a 20' spire rising from the bottom. She has a single hull with no secondary containment! The USCG MSO (Philadelphia) is mobilized and tugs are reported to be 3 hours out as of this time (1614 hrs) A line of violent thunderstorms is forecast to move through the area later this afternoon. Large hail, 60-70 mph winds and possibly tornadic activity are forcast to be associated with the storm front.

It was reported that at about 0100 hours, on Feb 7, while general cargo Dury (5552 gt, built 1990) was on a loaded passage with some 6,040 tons of steel products from Vladivostok to Incheon, the vessel completely sank, together with its crew members and cargo some 14 miles south-east of Wangdeung-do island, off Kunsan, Korea. The cause of sinking is at present unknown, but heavy weather with strong winds were reported at the time. Two out of a total of 18 crew members were found dead and the remaining crew members are still missing. Four marine police boats are attending the site to search for the missing crew. (Note -- Dury sailed Vladivostok Feb 3 for Korea.)

One crew member was missing after Liberian bulk Solar Europe (27011 gt, built 1998) and general cargo Mare (2481 gt, built 1970) collided near the Dardanelles during a severe snowstorm. Solar Europe broke free of its mooring at a harbour some 20 miles from the town of Canakkale in the Sea of Marmara and rammed into Mare. Ten of Mare's crew had been rescued, but one person was missing after the vessel sank. Rescue efforts were underway to find the missing crew member. Strong winds and heavy snow lashed much of western Turkey. Turkish maritime officials earlier in the day shut down Istanbul's Bosporus and the Dardanelles straits to all traffic as visibility dropped to near zero. -- Reuters. (Note -- Solar Europe, from Liverpool, passed Dardanelles Feb 6 for Karabiga. Mare, from Mangalia, passed Istanbul Feb 5 for Karabiga.)

Turkish rescue workers searched for 20 people who went missing after their ship sank in the Black Sea during a severe winter storm. The Cambodian-flagged cargo ship HERA sank some 7.5 miles from Istanbul's Bosphorus strait around 1230 hrs (1030, UTC). -- Reuters. London, Feb 13 -- Following received from MRSC Ankara, timed 1345, UTC: General cargo Hera (7871 gt, built 1974), XUQB9, sank in lat 41 19.6N, long 29 13.25E. Searches are continuing for the missing 20 crew. (Note -- Hera was last reported arriving at Yuzhnyy on Feb 9.)

Tanker Partizansk of the Maritime Steamship Line rescued 19 of 20 crewmembers of MV Asian Noble loaded with coal from Vostochny.

Three crew are confirmed dead and eighteen are missing, believed dead, following an explosion on board the Singapore-flagged products tanker Bow Mariner. The 39,821 dwt vessel, built in 1982, was carrying a cargo of 11,000 tonnes of ethanol when it suffered an explosion and subsequently sank about 50 nautical miles off the coast of Virginia on the US east coast.  The vessel had a crew of 27, 24 from the Philippines and three Greek. The US Coast Guard rescued six crew members from a life raft three hours after the incident and have recovered the bodies of three more. The remaining 18 are still missing, although the USCG admits that with low water temperatures and the nature of the incident, there is little hope of finding any further survivors. Many of the crew were either sleeping at the time of the blast in the early hours of Sunday morning. The Bow Mariner was owned by Norwegian tanker firm Odfjell and managed by Ceres Hellenic. It was classed by Det Norske Veritas. The cause of the blast will be investigated by the USCG, although it is thought a fire broke out on deck before the explosion. Odfjell said that the ship was found to have no deficiencies where found during an inspection in Vancouver in January last year, while in its last inspection in Philadelphia in October five “insignificant” deficiencies were noted. These were corrected immediately and the ship sailed without delay. Class records were clean without any conditions of class issued.

Passenger Astor (20606 gt, built 1987) with 500 passengers on board grounded in the shipping channel 30 minutes after leaving the Townsville port, it has been revealed. The incident has triggered investigations involving the Australian Maritime Safety Authority and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau. Investigators from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau will board the vessel in Darwin this afternoon in an attempt to find out why it hit bottom.

South Korean fishing Dong Woo, 115 tonnes, slammed into a breakwater at a port in western Japan today with three of its four crew found dead on board, the Japanese coastguard said. The survivor among the crew of Dong Woo was taken to a hospital in Izumo after the accident at the nearby Sea of Japan port of Oda.

Bulk Cape Africa (77096 gt, built 1991) is reported with a 14-metre hole in the hull 200 miles west of Cape Town. Helicopter proceeding to investigate and gather more information. (Note -- Cape Africa sailed Ponta da Madeira Apr 10.) London, Apr 26 -- Following received from Cape Town MRCC, timed 1130, UTC: Agents of bulk Cape Africa report the intention is for steel plates to be flown to the vessel by helicopter once the vessel is within helicopter range, 120 miles, from coast. Vessel's current speed is four knots. (Note --Understood salvage tug Smit Amandla is also proceeding.).

Following received from Cape Town MRCC, timed 0600, UTC: Master of bulk Cape Africa reports vessel has a hole two metres by 20 metres in cargo hold No.3 port side and sea water is in hold. The vessel which has 18 crew on board was in lat 37 17S, long 14 41E, at 1952, UTC, yesterday, and at that time salvage tug Smit Amandla was in radio contact and weather on scene was wind force 4 (moderate breeze) , swell three metres. Master also reported everything was under control. Vessel is heading for Saldanha Bay where ETA 1700, local time, Apr 29. London, Apr 27 -- A press report, dated today, states: Bulk Cape Africa, Brazil for the Far East, laden with a cargo of iron ore, is battling through heavy seas 514 kms south-west of Cape Town with a hole in its hull. Salvage tug Smit Amandla arrived at the vessel early today to take it in tow. The vessel called for help early yesterday when its crew discovered the hole in a hold in the forward section. Sources said the hole was big enough for three double-decker buses to fit through, with room to spare. It is unclear how the ship was damaged. Bill Dernier, of the South African Maritime Safety Authority, said Smit Amandla left Cape Town yesterday. Salvage sources said they were worried about the safety of the ship. Smit Amandla's officers waited for dawn to be able to assess the condition of the ship before connecting a tow. Dernier said the ship would be towed to about 112km off the Western Cape coast, to allow a surveyor to inspect the vessel and see if it would be safe enough to come closer inshore. "The tug will tow the ship at a speed of about five knots, which means it should take about 60 hours to get it to the inspection position," Dernier said. "That brings us to some time on Thursday."

Swedish general cargo Corner Brook (7587 gt, built 1976) had a flash fire in its engine-room, while mantenance was being carried out, at Port Canaveral yesterday. As a result three persons were injured, of which two were taken to hospital by helicopter the other person went to hospital by ambulance and has since been released. A Captain of Port order has been placed on the vessel until repairs have been carried out and injured crew replaced.

Following received from Cape Town MRCC, timed 0715, UTC: Bulk Cape Africa: Situation is now serious and crew are to be evacuated to tug Smit Amandla. If the transfer to the tug is not possible two helicopters will be sent to evacuate the crew. The vessel is approximately 140 nautical miles south west of Cape Point. London, Apr 28 -- Information received timed 0930, UTC, states: It is understood that non-essential crew of bulk Cape Africa are to board tug Smit Amandla shortly. London, Apr 28 -- A press report, dated today, states: The South African Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) was today waiting for a plan of action to be determined by the Taiwanese owners of bulk Cape Africa, currently under tow to a rendezvous point off the Cape coast. "It is still under tow to the 120 nautical mile mark and will stay there until we have a viable plan from the owners on how we will deal with it," said Samsa spokesperson Captain Bill Dernier. The bulk carrier, which was on its way from Brazil to Japan, is laden with a cargo of iron ore. Dernier confirmed that eight non-essential crew members were removed from the vessel today, leaving 10 members, including the ship's master still on board. The crew were removed by rescue boat attached to tug Smit Amandla, the salvage tug towing Cape Africa to deeper waters. Dernier said the estimated size of the hole in the hull was 20 metres long by two metres high. Dernier, added that the vessel was carrying 1,800 tons of heavy fuel. Dernier also said the vessel was too deep to enter Cape harbour for repairs, adding that repairing the vessel could present "big problems". Meanwhile, James Mackenzie, a lawyer representing the ship's Taiwanese owners, said that they would fly out Samsa surveyors to the ship, probably tomorrow. "Following that, once they are able to assess the condition of the vessel, the owners will come up with an appropriate plan," he said. Mackenzie said that the ports of Saldanha or Richards Bay would be able to handle a ship of Cape Africa's size for repair work to be undertaken. The marine weather forecaster in Pretoria said the weather conditions over the next two days until Friday, in the proximity of the ship, would see a south-westerly swell of about 3.5 metres and a south-easterly wind of 20 to 25 knots. A cold front which might worsen seagoing conditions was expected to pass early Saturday morning.

Newly built Spanish-owned ferry Nixe (300 gt, built 2004) on its maiden voyage has gone missing between Singapore and Sri Lanka with 12 crew on board, Spanish officials say. The 500-seat high-speed catamaran was built in Singapore and was on its way to Spain, where it was to ferry passengers to and from Morocco. It had been due to arrive at Galle, Sri Lanka, at 1000 GMT, Monday (May 17). The crew last made contact at 1700, GMT on Sunday as they were leaving the Strait of Malacca. On board were 10 Spaniards and two technicians of unknown nationality who worked for the company that built the ship, MarinTeknik. The ferry, valued at $18m, was owned by Spanish firm Balearia. Spain says it has asked a search and rescue team to head to the area. It has also asked its diplomats in the region to press local governments for an investigation. (Note -- Nixe sailed Singapore May 16 for Galle.)

Strong winds pushed passenger Diamond Princess (115875 gt, built 2004) into Victoria's Ogden Point breakwater and the end of Pier A while it tried to dock. The vessel aborted the usual mooring procedure and tied up across the outer end of Pier A, waiting for the west winds to drop. "They scraped bottom there for sure. You could hear the scraping and the crunching," said eyewitness John Selman, who was out at the tip of the breakwater when the vessel passed a few metres away. Bob Milne, another witness at the same spot, said he saw the vessel drop anchor and watched it take "a bit off Pier A." Paint was scraped off the starboard side of the vessel. "To my understanding there were no injuries," said harbour authority CEO Michael Cormier, who was at the pier for a ship welcoming ceremony that was cancelled due to the low-speed collision. The hull wasn't holed, he said. Diamond Princess was coming in to dock about 1815 when it got into trouble. Winds were gusting to 54 kilometres-per-hour around that time, Environment Canada said. The master and the B.C. pilot who was aboard planned to sit tight and wait for the wind to ease before moving, he said. Normally, many of the passengers would have disembarked for a few hours in town. Cormier said the cruise ships usually dock without assistance from tugs, except one to handle a stern line, as was the case yesterday. Bow thrusters help the vessel get in close while it slowly inches in to the dock. The vessel was scheduled to depart Victoria at midnight and head to home port in Seattle. (Note -- Diamond Princess sailed Ketchikan May 20 for Victoria(BC).

Ferry Lighting Sun, carrying more than 200 passengers, has sunk in southern Bangladesh. The double-decker vessel sank during a heavy storm in the Meghna river near Chandpur, 170 km (105 miles) south of Dhaka. Police said 57 survivors have been found, leaving many others feared dead. Eight bodies have been found so far. Lighting Sun was en route to Dhaka from the southern Madaripur area, when it capsized during a tropical storm, at about 0330, local time, today (2130, UTC, May 22). The head of police said 50 people had managed to swim ashore and a further seven had been rescued. Women and children were reported to be among the eight dead found so far. Many of the passengers were asleep when the accident happened and were feared to be trapped inside the vessel, Mohammad Dulal Miah, a police officer at the scene said. The ferry sank close to shore, but the river is turbulent there and it is hampering the rescue work, Mr Miah said. Villagers and fishermen using motor boats are trying to rescue survivors, according to local reports.

A ship carrying 4,000 cars sank after colliding with an oil tanker just south of Singapore. The collision between the tanker MT Kaminesan, carrying 279,949 tons of crude oil, and car carrier MV Hyundai No. 105 occurred just before midnight on Saturday, the Maritime and Ports Authority of Singapore said. 'Prior to the collision, warnings were given to the two vessels by the MPA's vessel traffic information service. The two vessels also communicated with each other,' it said in a statement. The accident occurred 6km southeast of Sentosa and the cause is still being investigated, authorities said. All 20 crew members of the Hyundai were rescued before it sank, the authority said. In Seoul, a spokesman for carmaker Hyundai said the ship was carrying both Hyundai and Kia cars. The 26 crew members of the oil tanker remained onboard and it was towed to Singapore's port for damage assessment. There was no immediate leak of oil from the Panama-registered vessel, a Maritime and Ports Authority spokesman said. She said both ships were transiting through Singapore.

Ro/ro Leconte: Contacted Ketchikan Dry Dock this morning and was advised the following: Vessel was placed into dry dock last night. The damages are so severe that they had to build special cradles and substantial blocking units to support the vessel. A representative of Lloyd's and the owner's representative, together with a dry dock official, will be doing a "walk through" today to determine the full extent of damages. Damages noted so far as follows: Five out of seven water-tight compartments have been breached; MSD on both sides of the keel have been contaminated -- this will need to be mitigated before any crew is allowed to begin repairs as this is a safety issue; keel has turned approximately 70 ft. There is no time-frame at present for the duration of repairs but it is believed it could take between four and six weeks.

The new $18 million Milwaukee-to-Muskegon ferry Lake Express (2000 gt) was damaged as it sailed to Wisconsin from Alabama, the site of its construction, a U.S. Coast Guard commander said today. The damage to a stabiliser on the Lake Express's starboard side has been repaired and should not delay the vessel's launch next week, said Mark Hamilton, a commander at a Coast Guard station in Milwaukee. Hamilton said the ferry sustained the damage when it struck the earth beneath the water's surface in Sturgeon Bay on May 18. But Jeff Fleming, a spokesman for Lake Express LLC, said the ferry sustained the damage when it struck a pier. The Coast Guard, which will conduct another inspection of the Lake Express prior to the expected launch next Tuesday, was continuing its investigation, Hamilton said.

The repair of bulk Cape Africa is due to commence today with the fitting of a giant cofferdam fabricated and assembled by Durban ship repair company Dormac Ship Repair. Close inspection revealed a gaping hope below the waterline on the port side of the ship, which was later measured at more than 20m in length and about 5m wide. Subsequent inspections have revealed additional stress to the frames in adjacent holds and there are concerns that the plating and frames on the starboard side of hold No. 3 may also be damaged. The cofferdam necessary to undertake this repair, there are no dry docks in South Africa capable of handling capesize vessels, is 26m x 11m x 1.5m. This is being fitted alongside the vessel's hull and lowered into position to create a dry habitat in which the repair crew can operate.

Seven workers died in a flash fire while repairing a tanker at Keppel Shipyard. The fire, the yard's worst ever accident, broke out on Saturday at 1300 hrs in the No 3 starboard tank of the Portuguese-registered 132,000 dwt tanker Almudaina, under repair at the yard. The blast was so powerful that one of the workers was thrown out of the tanker and onto the deck, his body ablaze. Despite attempts to save him, he died an hour later. The bodies of six other workers were recovered from inside the cargo tank, and according to local reports they had been burned beyond recognition. Five of the deceased workers were Indian nationals and the other two Malaysians. All seven workers were subcontracted from Wah Soon Marine. Nelson Yeo, executive director of Keppel Shipyard, said: "We are saddened by this incident and loss of lives. We grieve with the families on the loss of their loved ones. We will do our best to work with Wah Soon Marine to help the families during this period of bereavements."

The master and two officers of a Japanese-owned reefership are being held by Spanish police, on suspicion of having thrown four Senegalese stowaways overboard in mid-Atlantic. According to reports, the crew claims that the stowaways were forced onto a one man raft and cast adrift 1,000 km south of the Canary Islands. The vessel at the centre of the accusations is the Panama-flagged Wisteria (6,523 dwt, built 1991), which according to the Equasis intergovernmental database is is managed by Tokyo-based Faith Marine. Attempts to contact that company yesterday proved unsuccessful, with no reply from the listed telephone number. After Wisteria arrived in Ribeira near La Coruna, a concerned member of the crew reportedly denounced the three Korean-national officers to the authorities, leading to their arrest. According to Spanish reports, local law would have forced the owners to meet repatriation costs if the vessel had arrived in port with the stowaways on board.

During the afternoon of Jun 2 product tanker Elena X, loaded with 1,270 tonnes of tar, grounded in shallow waters off Preveza. Elena X was refloated with the assistance of tug Kosmos at 1530 the day after and anchored safely off Ag. Thomas next to Preveza. Preveza port authority, which is investigating the incident, prohibited the departure of the vessel pending issuance of seaworthiness certificate. (Built as the T-1-M-A1 type COTTON VALLEY in 1943 by Lancaster Iron Works, Inc. Perryville, Maryland)

It could take up to $1 million to repair a 120-foot section of wharf on the east side of the Pascagoula River that was damaged when it was struck by a dry dock holding a semi-submersible drilling platform (drill platform Ensco 7500) a preliminary estimate shows. The damage occurred Jun 2 when the dual carrier dry dock holding the drilling platform broke its moorings at the Signal International west bank yard during a severe thunderstorm and was blown across the river, where it hit the wharf. Winds clocked at 74 mph pushed the barge, which was several stories high, across the river with 39 men aboard. It destroyed up to 120 feet of concrete-and-steel reinforced dock, folding 20-foot slabs of concrete like they were cards, before coming to a halt. It narrowly missed a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research ship. The Coast Guard Marine Safety Office in Mobile is investi gating, but Coast Guard officials have said it could cost from $500,000 to $1 million to repair the wharf. Port of Pascagoula Director Mark McAndrews said the estimate was an initial figure based on an inspection of the wharf's dock and pilings. "We still have people over there who are continuing to inspect the wharf," he said. "We still don't know yet what may be damaged under the surface." McAndrews said inspectors still need to look at the wharf's sheet piling, its retaining wall and other areas hidden from view. The port is insured to cover the repairs, he said

The Bergen managers of chemical/oil carrier NCC Mekka (23197 gt, built 1995) reported today: This afternoon, around 1930, Norwegian time, chemical/oil carrier NCC Mekka had an explosion in one of its cargo tanks. The incident occurred along the coast of Brazil, after departing Santos. Two of the Philippine crew members are reported seriously injured. The local coast guard has been contacted with a request for helicopter to give medical assistance. The vessel has sustained some structural damage, but is in a stable condition and proceeding to Rio de Janeiro. As far as we can currently establish, the accident has not resulted in any pollution. The vessel had discharged part of a cargo of chemicals in Santos and was proceeding to Aratu, Brazil, to load cargo, before continuing to the US East Coast. NCC Mekka has a crew of 27 persons. Three of which are Norwegian, 23 Philippine and one from Latvia.

A morning toxic gas leak from a scrap ship, lpg Gaz Med (41535 gt, built 1974), made hundreds of people ill and forced many others out of their homes in Sitakunda, Chittagong, on Monday (Jun 7). A ship-cutting contractor died apparently from the gas emission that exposed about 5,000 people to serious health risks as the colourless pungent gas was spotted spewing from the vessel in Jahanabad at about 1100 hrs. Witnesses said the gas cloud spread several kilometres along the coast and reached up to Dhaka-Chittagong Highway after one of the three liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) containers on the vessel was cut open. The ship was beached on May 31 for dismantling at Foyjun Shipbreaking Yard. Villagers of Jahanabad and Kadam Rasul said many women and children threw up after inhaling the gas that filled the air. Chunnu Mia, 42, said his two children were in bed until yesterday after vomiting. Nuru Mia, 52, said his family left home and returned only after rain apparently minimised the impact of toxicity. "It became difficult to stay home when a third LPG tank was cut open sending gas gushing out," a shipyard worker said. "The other two tanks were sunk in the sea for sludge or chemical remains inside to wash away. The tanks will be retrieved after they become danger-free." Earlier, a group of pressmen who went to cover the incident from the city faced obstruction on their way to the yard. The guards and staff of the shipyard, who stopped the journalists visiting the ship, denied the gas leak. All activities at the shipyard remained suspended, as Nurul Islam, the cutting contractor of Foyjun Shipbreaking Yard and general secretary of ruling BNP's Sitakunda unit, died in a city clinic early yesterday. Locals believe Nurul died after inhaling the gas as he was at the shipyard all day when the ship was being broken. But the clinic in its death certificate said Nurul died of a cardiac arrest. Later, it turned out that he was taken to the clinic drunk and physicians quoting his family said he took sleeping pills shortly before 2200, Monday.

A Dutch-Belgian joint venture salvage team is confident that preparation work on the Lebanese-owned Sea Trust, which capsized in the port of Antwerp last week after a vehicle fire, should be completed in the next few days, writes Helen Hill in Amsterdam . Owned by Beirut-based Abou Merhi Lines, the car carrier is now subject to a 48? list, resting on the quayside at the Hansa dock at the Zuid Natie terminal. The dock has been able to remain open throughout the incident. Dave Bakx, of Belgian firm Scaldis and manager of the project which is being carried out together with Wijsmuller Salvage, said around 120 vessels had been brought off already. But there are still around 400 cars under water. A 40-strong joint salvage team is now busy sealing the vessel up before the lift operation starts. They have closed the vessel's doors, ventilation and fuel pipes and are closing the engine room and ventilation shafts. Salvage pumps are being installed and loading ramps have been secured and the sheerleg Norma is being deployed. Earlier, Roger van den Bussche, a representative from the Abou Merhi Lines' Antwerp agent, Ilomar, said a fire had broken out in one of the cars on the fifth deck and the ship's own fire prevention system was activated. Although the fire was successfully extinguished in a relatively short time, the water meant the vessel started to list. Firefighters were also on hand. Mr van den Bussche said the Sea Trust first listed to port but a middle ramp being used for loading the vehicles broke off and more water flooded in. Around 500 cars had been loaded at Hamburg and a further 200-300 cars were being loaded in Antwerp. The ship, built in 1983, had been due to continue its journey to Tartous in Syria. Several of the 16-strong Syrian and Lebanese crew and the local stevedores carrying out lashing at the time suffered smoke inhalation but were later released from hospital. Ivan Hermans, a spokesman from the Abou Merhi office in Antwerp, confirmed the Sea Trust was previously named the Sea Hamex.

A U.S. Navy destroyer and a British frigate bumped into each other in the morning off the coast of North and South Carolina, causing “light damage” during an attempt to transfer sailors from one warship to the other. No one was injured and both ships continued with their participation in a joint exercise. The destroyer Carney , based in Mayport, Fla., and the British frigate Sutherland were operating about 60 miles off the coast. They are part of a massive multinational exercise involving 28,000 U.S. and allied service members. Cmdr. Dave Werner of the U.S. Navy’s 2nd Fleet based in Norfolk said that the accident occurred about 7:30 a.m. when the rear sections of each ship collided at slow speed. The bump caused only minor damage near the flight deck of each ship, Werner said. The accident occurred while sailors were being shuttled in small boats between the ships. The collision remains under investigation.

American Tugs Marci Moran, Patricia Moran, Kerry Moran, Karen Moran, Susan Moran, Tracy Moran, and Wendy Moran placed in US Navy service under a time charter for one year.

Non specific tanker ENA 2 that sank in the port of Hamburg has already leaked about half the 980 tonnes of sulphuric acid it had on board, its owner said today. The managing director of the vessel's proprietor Norddeutsche Affinerie, Werne Marnette, told reporters that more of the poisonous substance had spilled into the harbour than previously thought. The sinking late Monday (Jun 28) of Ena 2 after collision with c.c. Pudong Senator during docking has caused fears of a major environmental accident. Authorities have opened a criminal probe against the captain on charges of water polluting and endangering vessel travel after a blood test showed that he had been drinking heavily. Marnette said that water tests showed the effect on the Elbe to be "relatively small" and that fish in only a small part of the harbour had been killed by the leak. Some 430 tonnes of a mix of water and sulphuric acid are still in the hull of the stricken 62-metre vessel. Fire brigade spokesman Peter Braun said that it would now be "too dangerous" to pump out the tanks while the vessel is still underwater due to the potential for an explosion. A giant crane will be used to move the vessel before the extraction of the liquid begins. London, Jul 2 -- Understand salvage services are being rendered to chemical tanker Ena 2 by salvors Harms Bergung Transport & Heavylift GmbH & Co KG, under Lloyd's Open Form, with SCOPIC, dated Jun 28

Salvors attempting to release ro/ro Princess of the Pacific revealed today that the vessel's engine-room was flooded with seawater and it would take weeks before it could be refloated. The ferry remained stranded for the ninth day since grounding on Jun 23 off Nogas island in Anini-y, Antique province in central Philippines. Officials from Malayan Towage and Salvage Corp, the salvage company attempting to free the vessel, said that Princess of the Pacific had sustained a hole in its hull through which seawater was pouring in. They did not say, however, where the hole was located. The salvors said that they would first have to patch up the hole and pump water out of the vessel before attempting to refloat it. Efforts to repair the vessel are being hampered, however, by the rough seas and strong winds in the area brought about by typhoon "Mindulle". "It would take more than a week to refloat the vessel," a Malayan Towage official said. The Philippine Coast Guard, in the meantime, said that the vessel's 178 passengers and two crew-members had been transferred by rubber dinghy to shore. The rest of the crew remained with the vessel.

Vessel No Limit, 90 metres, fully laden with sand, broke in two and sank in the middle lock of Ymuiden, this morning. The vessel was on a voyage to Amsterdam, while mooring in the Middle Lock of Ymuiden, a loud bang was heard and it sank within ten seconds. There were no personal injuries. The vessel with a value of about two million Euro's was owned by the Veka-Group Shipbuilding BV of Werkendam. The vessel had been delivered by this yard only two weeks ago. A floating crane is on its way from Amsterdam to Ymuiden to discharge the sand from the sunken vessel. The salvage of the vessel will take some days. Ymuiden, Jul 5 -- Wijsmuller Salvage BV was this afternoon instructed by the owners and underwriters of inland waterway sand carrying vessel No Limit and the Dutch Authorities to start up operations to salve the vessel. The brand new vessel, apparently on its third trip, broke in two while being manouevred into the Middensluis (middle lock) at the lock complex in Ymuiden. The vessel, 110 metres in length, one of the biggest of its kind, is resting on the lock bottom with its mid sections while its bow and stern remained above water but were slowly sinking. Excess pumping capacity in the meantime has been applied by the Wijsmuller salvage teams while tugs are standing by for amongst others providing power for the operations to control the stabilisation of the sections. Work has been started in the meantime to move from the stabilisation process into the improvement phase with the sinking now under control by discharging cargo underwater and extended patching and pumping operations. -- Wijsmuller Salvage BV.

Exhibition ship Oriana has sunk after being damaged by gales in mid-June. State media reported the ship went down last week after breaking loose from its moorings and being partly flooded during a storm in mid-June. Launched in 1960, the 41,915-GRT ship was transformed into a theme park in China after being retired in 1986 and sold to a Japanese company. State media reported the ship went down last week after breaking loose from its moorings and being partly flooded during a storm in mid-June. With P&O, the ship cruised the South Pacific and the UK-Australia route before being retired and then berthed permanently at Xinghai Bay in the Chinese city of Dalian as a floating restaurant, hotel and leisure centre. P&O introduced a second Oriana into its fleet nine years later which continues to operate round-world cruises.

Folllowing received from Den Helder MRCC, timed 1000, UTC: Vessel No Limit is today proceeding to Amsterdam in tow. Ymuiden locks are now fully operational. London, Jul 7 -- The fully laden sand ship No Limit, which broke in two and sank in the lock of Ymuiden on the morning of Jul 5, has been discharged by a crane. Earlier today, the vessel, which has been bent, has been towed to Amsterdam by two Wijsmuller tugs. There the vessel will go into a dry-dock and will be repaired, after investigation by the authorities. Ymuiden, Jul 7 -- At 1500, MET, Wijsmuller Salvage B.V. delivered the refloated vessel No Limit, the biggest inland water vessel of its kind, into the dry-dock in Amsterdam. The Salvage Division of SvitzerWijsmuller succeeded within two days to refloat and redeliver the 110 metre vessel, loaded with 4,000 tons of sand, after it broke in two and sank in the Ymuiden locks on Jul 5. After the vessel broke its back, the mid-section ended up on the lock bottom with its stern and bow sticking out of the water. Initially a race against the clock occurred to try and keep both still buoyant but slightly sinking sections afloat, which involved bringing in excess pumping capacity from the Wijsmuller warehouse close by, while divers were engaged patching leakages trying to stem the water getting in. During Monday afternoon this proved to be successful when initially the sinking was stopped and later the buoyancy improved, just before the water level reached critical points which would have down-flooded the stern section. Wijsmuller salvage teams then concentrated on further weight reduction and buoyancy improving actions, which included the discharge of most of the cargo of sand from the hold sections under water. The SvitzerWijsmuller tugs Brabant and Pollux towed the casualty at 0500 this morning, out of the lock to a holding area, where the sheerleg was connected and rigged up for contingency purposes. At 0730 the go-ahead was given by the Wijsmuller salvage-master for the convoy to proceed after having received relevant permissions from the authorities. The convoy moored alongside the shipyard at 1115 after a relatively quick canal transit and was moved into the specially prepared dock at 1400, safely touching the blocks at about 1500 MET. -- Wijsmuller Salvage B.V

Container ship CSCL Qingdao (39,941 gt, built 2001), inbound Busan, with some 30,000 tons of containers, was in contact with c.c. Hyundai Harmony (13,267 gt, built 2002), outbound Busan for Ho Chi Minh City, with some 8,000 tons of containers, near the entrance of the main fairway, near Cho-do breakwater, in dense fog, at approximately 0909, Jul 7. CSCL Qingdao sustained damage to its port side where its side shell was reportedly indented or cracked over some 5 to 6 metres long. The damage also extended down below the waterline. Nine containers stowed on deck of CSCL Qingdao fell overboard and drifted in the port, blocking the entance fairway for about one and a half hours soon after the accident. It is understood seven containers were soon recovered by tugs and the remaining two containers are assumed to have been sunk and are being searched for by divers. CSCL Qingdao arrived at Busan, completed cargo operation at the port and shifted to anchorage Jul 7 for further examination and repairs. Hyundai Harmony sustained damage to its bow area, where its bow chock and deck were heavily damaged and its bulbous bow was also damaged. Hyundai Harmony returned to a berth at the port and discharged all containers on board the vessel and shifted to Daesun Shiprepair yard, Busan, this morning for permanent repairs. No oil leakage or personal injuries were reported.

General cargo Mini Moon (1881 gt, built 1972), Bahia Blanca for Quequen, Necochea, loaded with about 2,700 tonnes of urea, has sunk about four nautical miles off San Cayetano coastal area approximately 30-35 nautical miles south of the port of Quequen. The local agents informed that, of a total of 11 crew members, only one survived and he is currently hospitalised. Another four crew members' bodies were found and the other six men are still missing. Coast Guard personnel are currently searching by aircraft, vessels and shore patrols along the coast in order to find the missing six crewmen.

Hyundai Corp's Hyundai Mipo Dockyard has been found liable by a US District Court for construction errors in a ship stretching contract that led to the loss of the MSC Carla in 1997. Judge Richard Owen found Hyundai and the Hyundai Mipo yard liable for the "faulty manufacture and sale of the lengthening insert in 1984". The insertion of the new mid section was a sale, not a repair, he concluded, and Hyundai Corp and Hyundai Mipo "had a duty to use reasonable care in designing and manufacturing the product to enable it to avoid foreseeable risk of injury". He rejected suggestions by Hyundai that the master of the ship's route was "negligently inappropriate; that alleged flaws in the forward hatch covers were the cause of the eventual sinking of the bow, or that the vessel's destruction was caused by its being overloaded". The containership MSC Carla was on a voyage from Le Havre to Boston following a special 25-year survey by Lloyd's Register in November 1997 when the ship broke in two in bad weather at the point where the new mid section had been inserted 13 years previously at Ulsan. While the stern section of the ship was successfully salved by Tsavliris, the bow section sank. There was no loss of life. The ship was entered with North of England P&I Club. The current case was brought by the owners of the ship, Rationis Enterprises of Panama, and MSC Carla's bareboat charterer Mediterranean Shipping Co. At the time the ship was stretched, work on it, and another being stretched at the yard at the same time, was running behind schedule, and Judge Owen said Hyundai Mipo contracted with a number of outside welders to supplement its own staff to minimise liquidated damages under the contract. "But their quality, as I conclude here, had disastrous consequences 13 years later".

At least six crewmembers were killed when the engine-room of chemical/oil carrier Setia Jaya exploded last Saturday (Jul 24) some 300 miles south of Galle harbour, sources said. The vessel was sailing from Jaipur to the Maldives at the time of the explosion. The victims have been identified as Malaysian, Chinese and Singaporean nationals. Sri Lankan authorities said that fifteen other crewmembers were rescued by another vessel. Setia Jaya is expected to be towed into Galle harbour soon. London, Jul 30 -- A press report, dated today, states: Chemical/oil carrier Setia Jaya that went missing in the Indian Ocean last Thursday (Jul 22) was located about 20 hours later. The vessel had apparently caught fire while it was in Sri Lankan waters. Its distress calls were picked up by crude oil tanker British Pride, sailing about 200 nautical miles away. The British-registered vessel saved 15 of the 21 crew. The bodies of five others were recovered. One of the crew is still missing. The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore was alerted that Setia Jaya was missing by the ship's agent, Samta Ship Management, last Thursday. The MPA then asked the Indian Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Bangalore to look out for the vessel. The ship had left Male Jul 17 and had been expected to arrive in Singapore last Friday (Jul 23). The vessel had activated its emergency radio beacon at about 1400 hrs that day, and the signal was picked up by the Indian centre. According to the MPA, the 15 crew who survived were dropped off by British Pride at a port in the Lombok Strait, Indonesia. Samta, the vessel's agent, has made arrangements to help them return to their homes. No details were released as to who among the 14 Chinese nationals, four Myanmar nationals and three Indonesians on board the ship had survived. An ocean-going tug was hired to tow Setia Jaya to Sri Lanka. It arrived there this Wednesday. It is understood the ship owner is arranging for some of the survivors to come to Singapore to help the authorities investigate what happened. The extent of damage to the ship and how the fire started is unclear. Colombo, Jul 30 -- Chemical/oil carrier Setia Jaya: According to information received, accident had occurred 220 miles off Galle. The vessel is being towed towards Galle by tug Sable Cape. As of yesterday it was 12 nautical miles off Galle. Also yesterday four dead bodies were removed from the vessel. Today a team of fire experts will board the vessel. Two more bodies are believed to be in the engine-room. -- Lloyd's Agents. London, Jul 30 -- A press report, dated today, states: Chemical/oil carrier Setia Jaya was towed into Sri Lankan territorial waters yesterday under the Sri Lankan Ports Authority (SLPA) supervision, Ports Ministry sources said. The sources confirmed that four bodies of the crew of the vessel were also brought to Galle yesterday. The vessel has been towed to Sri Lankan territorial waters and anchored outside the Galle Port. Sri Lankan Merchant shipping division received permission from the Singaporean Merchant Shipping authorities yesterday to board the tanker to conduct a preliminary assessment. A team of Fire Brigade officials and the Government Analyst are scheduled to inspect the tanker today to decide on the possibility of towing it into the Galle Port. The assessment is to determine whether it is safe to tow the vessel close to the Galle port. The ship's agents sought SLPA assistance to salvage the tanker and recover five bodies left in the vessel. An investigation into the explosion will be carried out when the tanker is towed near the Galle port, sources said

The general cargo ship Southern Moana (4,410 gross built 2000), on a service from New Zealand to Noumea, Pt Vila, Suva, Funafuti, Wallis and Futuna, encountered problems whilst attempting to enter Futuna at dawn on 28 July and grounded on the reef at the entrance to the harbour. A tug from the nearest port is enroute to assist the vessel to get clear of the reef and is likely to tow her to the nearest repair facility. The ship, operated by Pacific Direct Line, is aground in position 14-18 South, 178-10 West.

Preserved, museum tug Elbe (905 gt, built 1959), which was moored in the Wilton harbour, Schiedam, sank at its moorings after general cargo Fairpartner (15069 gt, built 2004) broke its moorings while they were testing its main engine. Fairpartner struck Elbe at 1245, local time, with its bulbous bow afterwhich the tug sank immediately. Rotterdam, Jul 31 -- Tug Elbe was redelivered to owners earlier this afternoon, after having been refloated by a combination of pumping, while being held stable by two sheerlegs. Salvage crews worked through the night installing pumps, slings and a large patch on the tug's hull, prior to the refloating operation. A salvage vessel and team will remain on site, monitoring the situation and carrying out preservation works on various machineries. -- SMIT Salvage BV. London, Aug 1 -- Tug Elbe, owned by the Stichting Maritieme Collectie Rijnmond, was struck on Jul 30 by general cargo Fairpartner, when Fairpartner broke its moorings, while testing its engines. The distance between the two moored vessels was about 75 metres. The bulbous bow of Fairpartner made a hole in the side of Elbe through which water poured into the engine-room of the tug and it partly sank. There were no persons on board of the tug. Immediatly tugs of the towing company Kooren came to assist, including salvage vessels and they prevented it from complete sinking. Fairpartner is at Wilton Harbour, Schiedam, to have two deck cranes fitted by Huisman Itrec. The tug has been in possession of the Stichting Maritieme Collectie Rijnmond (part of the Harbour Museum Rotterdam) for two years and in that time it has been rebuilt into a museum vessel. Soon after the collision the tug was lifted by the floating sheerlegs Matador and Taklift 3. A patch of 3.5 by 3.5 metres was fitted to cover up the hole and prevent water entering the vessel. When and where the damaged tug will be repaired is not known yet.

Passenger Clipper Odyssey (5218 gt, built 1989) is aground in lat 54 00.24N, long 166 06W. Passengers are at lifeboats stations. Coast Guard are trying to find vessels to assist, and also sending aircraft to the area. . London, Aug 1 -- Following received from Coast Guard Juneau, timed 0635, UTC: All non-essential persons on board passenger Clipper Odyssey, which had 198 passenger and crew onboard, have left the vessel and have been taken to neaby fishing vessels by the Clipper Odyssey tenders. The vessel is aground in lat 54 00 24N, long 166 06W. London, Aug 1 -- Following received from Coast Guard San Francisco, timed 1240, UTC: Passenger Clipper Odyssey has been refloated off rocks and is now proceeding under own power to Dutch Harbour accompanied by two tugs. The 153 persons evacuated from the vessel have been transferred to Dutch Harbour by fishing vessels. Owners of the vessel are arranging for another vessel to pick up the passengers and their luggage etc at Dutch Harbour. Damage to vessel not known at this time. An aircraft is to overfly the area to look for any pollution. London, Aug 1 -- A press report, dated today, states: Passenger Clipper Odyssey refloated with the tide early today after going hard aground on rocks at Akutan Pass, forcing 153 people to abandon ship and spilling an undetermined amount of fuel, the U.S. Coast Guard said. There were no reports of injuries. The accident at about 2115 yesterday punctured holes in both a 5,800-gallon diesel fuel tank on the port side and in a grey water tank, the Coast Guard said. An undetermined amount of fuel spilled, said Lt. Asheley Bodkin. Good Samaritan vessels in the area carried 122 passengers and 31 crew members from the cruise ship to safety at Unalaska at Dutch Harbour, Bodkin said. Thirty-five crew members, two pilots and two Coast  Guard personnel worked on the boat to determine its stability. Clipper Odyssey was headed for Unalaska, about a 40 mile trip, under its own power, said Petty Officer Douglas Green. The Coast Guard sent cutters, a helicopter and an airplane to the scene. Fishing boats and a freighter assisted in the rescue, Bodkin said. The ship had been headed west along the Aleutian chain although its destination was not immediately known. London, Aug 2 -- A press report, dated today, states: Passenger Clipper Odyssey arrived Dutch Harbour at about 0730 yesterday. Two divers were checking the ship yesterday afternoon for underwater damage. The ship's passengers were being put up at a local hotel and were trying to arrange for flights out of the area, Chief Warrant Officer Roddy Corr, with the Coast Guard on Unalaska Island, said. Between 60 and 70 passengers found accommodations in guest rooms at the Grand Aleutian Hotel and another 50 were put up in bunkhouses usually used for employees. The ship's crew spent the night back on the ship, said Tom Enlow, general manager of the hotel. Corr said the ship would not be allowed to leave Dutch Harbour until a damage survey was completed and temporary repairs made. The ship would likely go to Kodiak or Ketchikan for permanent repairs. London, Aug 2 -- Following received from the operators of passenger Clipper Odyssey, dated St. Louis Aug 1: While travelling in 70-foot-deep waters off the coast of Unalaska Island, 20 miles outside Dutch Harbour, at approximately 2115, local time, Jul 31, Clipper Odyssey struck a previously unknown, uncharted rock. The ship was moving at five to six knots at the time of the incident and was carrying 126 passengers, 70 crew members, and two certified Alaskan pilots. No injuries were sustained by anyone onboard. All passengers and 31 non-essential crew were safely transported to Dutch Harbour by three nearby local vessels who answered the ship's call for assistance. Damage to the ship was minimal. A freshwater tank, a grey-water tank (shower-drain water), and the port side fuel tank were damaged. The vessel's master, Captain Frank Allica, immediately contacted the Coast Guard, and cooperated fully in their investigation. After floating free of the submerged rock at high tide and cleared to sail by the Coast Guard, the ship made its way to Dutch Harbour under its own power. Marine engineers are now in Alaska onboard to further assess the damage. Preliminary reports indicate that environmental impact is minimal. The damaged fuel tank was carrying approximately 5,000 gallons, about 20% of its capacity, of marine gas oil. Reports this morning from the Coast Guard indicate that there is no fuel remaining at the site. A third-party oil-spill-response team was dispatched from Seattle to ensure that there is no environmental impact. Clipper CEO David Drier said, "We plan for the ship to be repaired in Alaska, and we are very hopeful that it will be ready for our Aug 16 itinerary departing from Port Rupert, BC." Clipper Odyssey was completing a 12-day cruise from Nome to Homer and had nearly finished the seventh day of the voyage. Clipper has cancelled its scheduled Aug 4 departure of Alaska's Glaciers, Fjords, and Wildlife.

The Madagascar government has detained an oil tanker headed for Mauritius, casting an immediate and lengthy shadow over its heavily import-dependent neighbour and sparking a flurry of diplomatic manouveuring in a bid to resolve the situation. The 28,277 gt Halia, built in 1993, managed by Shell International and registered in the Isle of Man, was detained in the Madagascan port of Toamasina last Tuesday on its way to Mauritius with a cargo of 24,000 tonnes of fuel oil. A spokesman for Galana Petroleum, which operates a refinery at Toamasina and was responsible for the shipment, told Reuters that the company had not been given a reason for the Malagasy government's decision to requisition the cargo. At the same time, reports from the region suggested the move related to government charges that Galana had left Madagascar dangerously short of fuel and had not repatriated the proceeds of its Mauritius contract to Madagascar. Galana hotly denies the reports, arguing that it has repatriated the funds and that fuel stocks in Madagascar are double the legal requirement. The consequences of the dis- agreement for Mauritius are stark, however. The smaller island imports 75% of its primary energy requirement and is faced by the immediate prospect of energy shortages if supplies remain cut off. Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for Shell in London confirmed on Friday afternoon that there had been no change in the ship's status. "It is still in dock," she said, adding: "It is a matter for the government (of Madagascar) and the carrier to resolve."

A collision between refueling tank barge Buffalo 405 and product tanker Torm Mary on a south-east Texas river spilled more than 30,000 gallons of fuel oil early today and halted shipping traffic, the US Coast Guard said. The Neches River was closed near its mouth, where it empties into Sabine Lake, which feeds into the Gulf of Mexico. The barge owned by Buffalo Marine Services was pulling alongside Torm Mary at Sun Anchorage on the Neches when it rammed into its hull, ripping a five-foot long gash in the tanker, Texas General Land Office spokesman Jim Suydam said. It was not yet known when the river would re-open to traffic, he said. "We'll have a better idea when we get more of the oil cleaned up," said US Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer Adam. One inbound vessel carrying oil and five oil barges were among the vessels affected by the closure, according to Wine. Torm Mary was carrying Eurograde gasoline, although its destination was not immediately known. Emergency equipment was deployed and booms were laid out to prevent the spill from drifting, Suydam said. "We've got it contained and we are working to skim it off," he added. Suydam said the barge owners would face a fine for the accident, although the amount would not be determined until the spill was cleaned up. -- Reuters. London, Aug 2 -- A press report, dated today, states: Product tanker Torm Mary (30058 gt, built 2002) spilled about 33-thousand gallons of fuel oil into the Neches River today after tank barge Buffalo 405 (1619 gt, built 2003) breached the vessel's hull during fueling. Jimmy Suydam, a spokesman for the Texas General Land Office said it appears the spill happened today shortly after midnight at the Sun Anchorage on the Orange County side of the river near Nederland. That's between Beaumont and Port Arthur. The fuel barge was owned by Houston-based Buffalo Marine Service. Buffalo vice president Chuck King says Torm Mary was being refueled when the tow vessel pushed the barge into the vessel. No injuries were reported, and King says booms were deployed within seven minutes. But he says some of the thick fuel oil apparently has reached the river shore across from Nederland. London, Aug 2 -- Following received from Coast Guard New Orleans, timed 1350, UTC: Tank barge Buffalo 405 was in contact with product tanker Torm Mary off Port Arthur today. Damage to both vessels is unknown but 27,000 gallons of oil has been spilt. London, Aug 3 -- Following received from Coast Guard Port Arthur, dated Aug 2: The section of the Neches River from Buoy 42, just north of DuPont plant and the Naval Reserve Fleet, to the Veteran's Bridge remains closed as oil spill clean up operations continue through the night. The spill occurred at approximately 0020 today when a barge (tank barge Buffalo 405) struck and pierced the starboard fuel tank of product tanker Torm Mary. Torm Mary was at the Sun Anchorage for a routine refuelling operation. Crews on scene transferred the oil in the fuel tank to an undamaged tank and deployed booms to contain the spill. By 0500 hrs responders had deployed more than 3,500 feet of boom to trap oil along the riverside. At 1800 hrs, more than 12,000 feet of boom had been deployed. Nine oil-skimmers and three vacuum trucks were also collecting oil. Precautionary booming is being deployed to environmentally sensitive areas such as Bessie Heights Marsh. There have been no reports of the oil affecting wildlife in the area. The Coast Guard is investigating the cause of the incident

Container carrier Iran Ardebil (27681 gt, built 2004) is reported to have run aground on Mayyun Island (lat 12 39N, long 43 25E), Bab Al Mandeb Straits, at about 2200, Aug 15. Vessel is requesting tugs and barges to lighten, in order to refloat. -- Lloyd's Agents. Aden, Aug 18 -- C.c. Iran Ardebil: There are no reports of oil pollution at the area of the grounding location, given as lat 12 38.2N, long 43 25.3E, on the south west tip of Mayyun Island, near Lee point. Understand that local authorities are investigating the cause of the incident and have not yet issued any statements or reports. Also understand that salvage agreement has not yet been reached. -- Lloyd's Agents. Aden, Aug 19 -- C.c. Iran Ardebil: No details of condition of vessel as yet. Understand divers have been conducting inspection. Salvors have personnel at Aden awaiting for go-ahead. -- Lloyd's Agents. London, Aug 20 -- Understood salvage services are beng rendered to c.c. Iran Ardebil under Lloyd's Open Form, dated Aug 19 Aden, Aug 23 -- C.c. Iran Ardebil can be seen clearly by passing traffic, hard aground with bow up on rocky foreshore clear of the water. -- Lloyd's Agents.

C.c. Nordbeach (11998 gt, built 1991) drifted and made contact with anchored c.c. MSC Lauren (32238 gt, built 1982) at Durban outer anchorage about Sep 4/5. Understand the collision caused considerable damage bow of MSC Lauren. Both vessels remained entangled with Nordbeach's anchor chains snared with those of MSC Lauren, same day. Durban Port Control has issued a warning of 40ft container from Nordbeach which has gone overboard and is floating in sea. The 1,158 TEU container ship Nordbeach, under charter to the Maersk-Sealand and Safmarine joint Indian Ocean service, dragged its anchor during a strong south-westerly wind, locally known as a buster. The vessel drifted and became entangled with the anchor chain of the 2,450 TEU MSC Lauren, which was at anchor nearby. Following the entanglement the two ships bumped against each other resulting in hull damage to three areas of MSC Lauren. Details of damage to the Nordbeach are not currently available. MSC Lauren, which is deployed on MSC's US-South Africa service, has since entered Durban harbour for assessment and possible repair.

A ship containing toxic waste sank today after being moored in a Turkish harbour for four years, sparking fears among environmentalists of serious damage to local marine life. General cargo Ulla (2,516 gt, built 1969) had been moored in the port of Iskenderun since 2000 as officials tried to decide what to do about its two-tonne cargo, which Turkish media said was waste from the chimneys of thermal powers stations. Turkish television showed the ship, its bottom rotted away, gradually sinking beneath the waters. "Unfortunately this was something that was bound to happen," Banu Dokmecibasi of Greenpeace's Mediterranean office told the Anatolian state news agency. She said officials had ignored a report last year warning of the risk that the ship might sink and spill its contents into the sea. "The necessary measures were not taken," she said, adding that the authorities must now mount an urgent investigation to contain the effects of the spillage. Environmentalists fear the carcinogenic cargo could destroy local marine life and also enter the human food chain. Officials were not immediately available for comment. The Turkish-owned vessel had originally transported the waste from Spain to Algeria, but it was diverted to Turkey after Algeria declined to take the cargo, Anatolian said. -- Reuters. (Note -- Ulla arrived at Iskenderun on Feb 25, 2000.)

General cargo Shin Tsunetoyo Maru, Fukuyama for Tokuyama, ran over a breakwater at Osakkikamashima, Hiroshima prefecture, at 0230, Sep 4. The vessel destroyed two houses and damaged a third. One resident was slightly injured. The vessel was refloated by a tug the same day. The vessel's master had reportedly fallen asleep while the vessel was on autopilot. -- Lloyd's Agents London, Sep 4 -- Following received from Japan Coast Guard, timed 1345, UTC: General cargo Shin Tsunetoyo Maru was only slightly damaged in the incident, at 0230 hrs, which was caused by the master falling asleep during navigation. The vessel was pulled clear by a tug and resumed passage for Yamaguchi Prefecture, under its own power, at 0515, UTC. London, Sep 4 -- A press report, dated today, states: General cargo Shin Tsunetoyo Maru (499 gt, built 2002) crashed into a coastal residential neighbourhood in western Japan early today, injuring one resident and demolishing two homes after the captain fell asleep at the helm, the coast guard said. A 76-year-old man whose seaside house collapsed from the tanker's impact suffered a bruised right shoulder, said the local branch of the coast guard in a statement. None of the six crew members aboard the ship was hurt. The 0230 hrs accident demolished a vacant house next to Mr Abe's and badly damaged another residence nearby on the island of Osaki Kamishima, about 640km south-west of Tokyo. Visibility was clear and waters were calm at the time of the incident, the coast guard's Kure office said. The captain told authorities that he had fallen asleep when the ship was on autopilot. The ship later continued its voyage after a tugboat detached it from the embankment. The vessel departed from at a steel plant in Hiroshima prefecture last night carrying 1600 tonnes of slag, bound for Shunan, in the neighbouring prefecture of Yamaguchi.

Two vessels collided outside Durban at the outer anchorage early this morning in strong winds. The collision occurred after one vessel, the Woerden-owned 8,328gt dry cargo vessels Umfolozi, reportedly dragged its anchor and drifted onto the 3,424TEU MSC Rebecca. The extent of damage can only be assessed once the ships enter port later this evening, but initial reports indicate damage was minor with cargo intact and no injuries reported. A month ago another MSC ship, MSC Lauren, was the victim of a similar accident when the Safmarine charter vessel Nordbeach dragged its anchors in strong winds. A container from the Safmarine vessel was lost overboard and a number of others badly damaged. Nordbeach subsequently underwent repairs in the Durban repair yards while MSC's own maintenance team, permanently stationed in Durban, repaired Lauren. Delays at the Durban container terminal have resulted in a small build-up of vessels waiting outside for berthing.

The Spanish ferry Bahia de Malaga ran into concrete cubes at the entrance to the Mediterranean port of Denia. Spain's maritime safety authority, Salvamiento Maritimo, evacuated 64 passengers and 20 crew members from the Balearia-operated vessel, after the ship ran aground just 100m from its berth. The ferry's entrance and exit doors were opened to allow the passengers to scramble into dingies brought alongside. "Balearia is now seeking ways to lift the ferry off the 'rocks' without damaging the ship," a Balearia spokesman said. The accident has been attributed to 'human error'. The Bahia de Malaga can accommodate up to 1,300 passengers.

Sixteen people were airlifted off general cargo BBC China (5548 gt, built 2001) in the early hours of today after it ran aground near Port Grosvenor on the Natal South Coast in lat 31 23.3S, long 29 54.28E, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) said. NSRI spokesman for the South Coast region, Edward Noyons, said the vessel ran into trouble at 2100 hrs, yesterday. "For the first two hours everything was okay and the master was looking for a tug to assist them... but then water started to flood the engine-room." He then requested assistance evacuating the ship's crew. Noyons said the ship's agents hired a Portnet helicopter, which airlifted the crew onto the beach just after 0100 hrs, today. The crew were bussed back to Durban at 0800 hrs, today. The damage to the ship was being assessed late this morning. Noyons said an inquiry would be held to determine what had led to the vessel running aground. (Note -- BBC China sailed Port of Spain Sep 27 for Durban.).

Solent Coastguard are assisting the master and crew of a tug (tug Kapitan Engler, 139 gt, built 1965) and its rock barge (spud leg barge Long Rock, length 52 metres) after the barge deposited its entire load into the water half a mile off Bonchurch , Isle of Wight, this afternoon. The Coastguard began their communication with the master of the tug at just before 1500 this afternoon. The barge had begun to list, resulting in the whole of its cargo of industrial machinery, 1,000 tons of rock and a large number of railway sleepers being deposited into the sea on the south west side of the Isle of Wight. Solent Coastguard requested Ventnor Coastguard Rescue Team to attend and the Bembridge all weather lifeboat was launched. The Coastguard helicopter India Juliet was diverted from other duties, but was released when it became clear that all the crew were safe onboard the tug.

General cargo BBC China, Port of Spain for Durban, with bunkers, grounded at Port Grosvenor, approximately 110 miles south of Durban on Oct 16. The vessel is lying on the beach port side to. A LOF has been signed with Smit Marine (SA) and tug Smit Amandla is expected to arrive today. A press report, dated today, states: Salvors aim to remove oil and "small pockets" of hazardous cargo from general cargo BBC China before trying to pull it off the rocks at the Wild Coast. BBC China is lying on rocks in shallow water less than 100 metres off the beach, its starboard side exposed to the sea. Its cargo, which includes machinery, is intended for Dar-es-Salaam and Muscat. Small quantities of paint, batteries and bottles of compressed carbon dioxide are among the hazardous cargo on board, said Captain Bill Dernier of the South African Maritime Safety Authority, who was still waiting for a full report on the vessel's condition. A rough sea and stormy weather expected to hit the Wild Coast this week is threatening to further damage BBC China, but Dernier said the ship was still moving and bouncing, meaning there was a chance that it could be pulled off the rocks. "Our first priority, as always, is to get the oil and the hazardous cargo off first," he said. "The weather today is very good and there is not much oil to get off. It has 58 tons of heavy fuel, 60 tons of gas oil and eight tons of lubrication oil aboard." Rough seas and bad weather today were preventing the salvage of general cargo BBC China which ran aground at Grosvenor Point on the Wild Coast at the weekend. MRCC assistant mission co-ordinator Mlungisi Ngubeni said Pentow Surveyor and coast guard vessel Kuswag 1 remained in attendance and had been monitoring the situation since yesterday afternoon. "The sea is still too rough for them to attempt anything. But they are assessing the possibility of a salvage weather permitting," said Ngubeni. "The strong current is the only problem at the moment. It's causing the ship to list." Ngubeni stressed that BBC China was not sinking. He added that there were no signs that the ship was breaking up. Pentow Surveyor and Kuswag 1 were also monitoring the 1,846 tons of bunker fuel aboard. "The fuel tanks are intact but there is oil leaking from the bilges but it is very minimal." He said it was hoped that the remaining oil could be transferred to other vessels during the salvage operation. The vessel, with two onboard cranes, was said to be carrying 2,800 tons of "steel structures". BBC China was sailing from Port of Spain to Durban and from there to Dar es Salaam, the MRCC said.

A brand new post-panamax containership owned by NYK caught fire in the Mediterranean last night and is now heading to Southampton at reduced speed. The 6,500 teu NYK ARGUS had passed through the Suez canal and was about 120 km north of Algeria and when the blaze broke out in one of the cargo holds that has now been sealed. There were no injuries among the 27-strong crew, said James Kirsop, deputy managing director for NYK Line in London. Neither has there been any pollution. The Panamanian-registered ship is deployed on Loop A of the Grand Alliance's Asia-Europe services. The containers in the number three hold that caught alight were not loaded with any dangerous cargo, the company said. The ship, which was delivered just a few months ago, is continuing to Southampton under its own power.

Everything is in place to start pumping oil from general cargo BBC CHINA, the SA Maritime Safety Authority (Sama) said today. The salvors hoped to start pumping the 120 tons of oil off the ship this afternoon, said Sama head Captain Bill Dernier. He said the teams started transporting equipment to the ship at first light. Pipes were being floated to the ship and heavy equipment transported by helicopter. It would take about five days to get all the oil off the ship, Dernier said. He said weather conditions were favourable at the moment, but there was a front coming through on Thursday, which may delay operations. The wind was north-easterly, at about 25 knots. Dernier reconfirmed that the only hazardous material on board was about nine tons of batteries, paint products and compressed gas. He said these would be difficult to access, but would also be removed during the salvage process. Sama was working very closely with the salvors, Smit Marine. Smit Marine had been contracted by the ship's owners to salvage what they could of the ship, said Dernier. "It is not a wreck yet, we are evaluating whether the ship will float and the owners have every faith in getting it off the rocks." Dernier said an enquiry into what happened would start tomorrow.

Transfer of oil from general cargo BBC CHINA grounded on the Wild Coast should start this morning, the department of environmental affairs has said. Salvors had been working since first light yesterday to set the equipment up and the pumping of oil from BBC China onto Pentow Service should begin early this morning, said departmental spokesperson Carol Moses. South African Maritime Association head Bill Dernier has said he expects the operation to take at least five days.

The spectre of oil pollution on a pristine part of the Wild Coast has become a reality as heavy seas pound general cargo BBC CHINA stranded there. The rainy and stormy weather that swept over Cape Town yesterday is over, but for BBC China it was the last thing it needed. The ship has been taking a heavy pounding in the surf at Grosvenor Bay on the Wild Coast and more oil has leaked from its tanks. An oil sheen was visible up to 3km from the vessel, said Captain Bill Dernier of the South African Maritime Safety Authority. "It is not looking good. The salvage team tried three times this morning to board it but failed because large seas are breaking over it," he said. "They were going to try again at low tide."  Although the amount of oil spilled from stricken general cargo BBC China might be relatively small, it stretches one nautical mile north of the vessel and three nautical miles south of it, it is starting to wash up on Wild Coast beaches. A task team set up by the provincial Department of Environment Affairs has employed 20 additional people to clean up oil that is starting to wash up on the rocky shoreline around Grosvenor Point, MEC Andre de Wet said yesterday. "The coastline is a difficult area to get to but the locals are concerned and want to help", he said adding that more people would be employed in the clean-up operation. The vessel, which ran aground at Grosvenor Point on Saturday night (Oct 16), is leaking oil from three places which are all difficult for salvors to reach, Captain Bill Dernier of the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMS) said yesterday. BBC China hit a sandbank 150 metres off shore near Mbotyi. Salvage operations will continue today

More than 70 firefighters were called to tackle a blaze on general cargo CHAINAT NAVEE carrying wood, oil and potentially explosive chemicals. Firefighters from across the city battled in intense heat and darkness to control the flames. Just metres away and separated from the fire only by a cargo hold wall were boxes of ferrous nickel, a chemical that explodes if it overheats or comes into contact with water. "It was an extremely hazardous operation," said Humberside Fire Service spokesman Nick Granger. "Fortunately we managed to contain the fire from the chemical. If we hadn't, it would have caused a violent explosion." The fire broke out when wood set alight in a hold measuring 45 metres by 25 metres at 2300 Tuesday (Oct 19) while the ship was at sea. The Thai crew tried to put it out with carbon dioxide sprinklers, which proved to be faulty. The vessel, which was on its way to Hull from Swansea, was given permission to dock in King George Dock, where it was met by firefighters at 0900 yesterday. They were sent into the hold with thermal imaging equipment and breathing apparatus and worked in 35-minute relays until the blaze was put out at 2300 hrs. Some fought their way to the heart of the fire, while others sprayed the metal walls with water to stop them overheating and triggering a blaze in the next hold. Station Officer Granger said: "We had to use water to keep it cool so the firefighters could be in there. If the fire had spread to the next hold with the ferrous nickel, it would have been a very different situation. The firefighters' quick work averted a disaster." The firefighters had to remove all the cargo in the hold with a forklift truck and make sure it was thoroughly soaked. The blaze gave off thick smoke, but Station Officer Granger reassured residents it was not dangerous. General cargo Chainat Navee (15938 gt, built 1978), Malaysia/Singapore for UK and other ports, laden with various cargos, including wood and steel, reported a fire in No 3 'tween deck, this morning, when outside of Hull. Vessel was given permission to berth at Queen Elizabeth Dock, Hull and came alongside this morning, where it was attended by the local fire brigade. The fire has now been extinguished and the fire brigade are in the process of "dampening down". When it is deemed safe, the vessel will be inspected by surveyors etc. It is understood that the vessel has sustained some fire-related damage and there will also be fire, smoke and water damage to the cargo. It is possible that all the cargo onboard will be offloaded at Hull and the voyage terminated, but this will depend on the extent of the damage to the vessel/cargo. -- Lloyd's Agents. (Note -- Chainat Navee was reported sailing Singapore 0905, Sep 11. Vessel arrived Penang Sep 13, sailing Sep 15. It subsequently arrived Swansea 1453, Oct 11, sailing 1740, Oct 14, bound for Newport, where it arrived 0556, Oct 15. It sailed 1946, Oct 17, bound Hull.)

A total of 167 people, including 102 trainees aged around 20, were being slowly taken to shore from their ship, training Kaiwo Maru (2879 gt, built 1989), which ran aground on a breakwater in the middle of the storm. Three suffered injuries such as broken wrists. The ship was waiting out the typhoon at Toyama when 144 km an hour winds and high seas swept it onto the breakwater, said an official at the National Institute for Sea Training, its operator. A Coast Guard official said: "Waves were crashing onto the deck, making it impossible for the crew and trainees to get out themselves." London, Oct 22 -- In addition, 167 students and teachers from the institute for sea training in Yokohama aboard the sea training vessel Kaiwo Maru were rescued. The vessel sustained a cracked hull in waters off Toyama port after grounding on a breakwater.

The double-hulled vessel BERGITTA hit the container ship EYRA at 2230 in the southern part of the Great Belt, the waterway that divides Denmark's Funen and Sjaelland Islands. The four-year-old vessel, which was carrying about 100,000 tons of crude oil, may have to transfer its cargo onto another ship, the official said. There were no injuries or spills

It will be impossible to salve general cargo BBC China from where it was grounded at Port Grosvenor off the Wild Coast, Die Burger reported today. Captain William Dernier, industrial manager of the maritime safety authority in Cape Town, said the ship's bottom was breaking up slowly. It was stuck fast and it wouldn't be possible to salve it. He said oil was being pumped from the air ducts in the ship's engine-room tanks, as the engine-room was flooded. Meanwhile, the department of environmental affairs said that oil and cargo transfer operations were being carried out in earnest, I-Net Bridge reported. Spokesperson Carol Moses said: "A total of 25 tons of oil has been transferred from the vessel so far. The salvors have also commenced with the cargo transfer operation and offloaded more than three tons of cargo today." The department's marine pollution team was expected to complete the oil clean-up operation along the coast within the next two days. Moses said the department's standard precautionary response measures remained in place. The estuary at the Msikaba River near the stricken vessel remained closed. The department was receiving daily reports from the maritime safety authority and the salvage company, Smit Marine, and would issue regular updates on the status of the clean-up.

At about 1815 local time, museum tug Elbe (905 gt, built 1959) was sinking in Schiedam in the vicinity of the Wartsila repair quay. When the police arrived on scene, the tug had already partly sunk and had also developed a list. Two SMIT harbor tugs, along with Rotterdam patrol vessels and two divers, tried to pump the vessel out but could not prevent it from sinking.

The port anchor of bulk MARITIME RIAL (36,557 gt, built 1994) broke loose from its lashings about 320 miles north-west of Bermuda Oct 26 and ran out completely, resulting in the loss of the anchor and 11 shackles of chain, and causing hull damage in way of No 1 ballast tank, which is now flooded. The vessel is proceeding to Santo Domingo. (Note -- Maritime Rial sailed Baltimore Oct 23 for Constantza.) London, Oct 29 -- Following received from Bermuda RCC, timed 1210, UTC: Bulk Maritime Rial: Our last information on the vessel, which was proceeding towards Santo Domingo, was that it was taking water at the rate of 250 cubic metres an hour. The vessel is being pumped out every four to five hours and they are currently coping with the water ingress. Vessel was reported as being slightly down at the bow. It has 23 people on board.

Norwegian Submarine KNM Utstein, operating off the west coast of Scotland as part of a JMC, hit Norwegian-flagged tanker Kilstraum 18 miles off the Island of Lewis. There was little reported damage to either vessel with no injuries to crew.

Efforts are underway this afternoon to refloat the stricken 154,970 dwt tanker TROPIC Brilliance which ran aground in the Suez Canal on Saturday evening after a steering gear failure. Disruption on one of the world's key short cuts for shipping delayed around 60 vessels on the first day alone. Latest information at the time of writing was that a smaller tanker was at the scene, with the intention of transferring around 25,000 tonnes of crude off the grounded vessel. A Smit salvage tug master is preparing to board the vessel to assess the situation. A large tug would then attempt to dislodge the vessel, which after the refloat would be taken to a nearby safe anchorage for diving inspection. The double-hulled Tropic Brilliance ( built 1992) experienced steering gear failure while near Ismailiya, around 84 miles northwest of Cairo. No pollution has resulted from the incident, and all cargo tanks are reportedly undamaged. But unfortunately, the vessel grounded in a transvers position, impeding other traffic. Liberian-flag Tropic Brilliance is owned by Russia's part-privatised Sovcomflot, crewed by CIS nationals, and managed out of Cyprus by Unicom. It had recently loaded a cargo of crude - of probably around 85,000 tonnes - at Mina-Saud in Kuwait. A statement from Unicom insisted: "Tropic Brilliance has been involved in no significant incidents in the past. "The vessel's certificates are in full compliance with all requirements. "This tanker trades worldwide and has never been subject to delay/detention as a result of port state inspection." Indeed, the official intergovernmental database Equasis indicates that just one deficiency has been found during the last five port state inspections. The importance of the Suez Canal can be gauged from the statistic that 15,667 ships - an average of 43 a day - used the facility in 2003. The Suez Canal Authority estimates that 7.5% of total world sea trade passes through the waterway, which saves up to four weeks steaming time on Arab Gulf-northwestern Europe routes. Egypt stands to lose revenue worth $7m for each day the canal remains closed. But there were conflicting reports on how long the shut-down is likely to last. Various media sources cite canal officials either as claiming that the canal would reopen tomorrow or towards the end of the week. Experts were also divided in their estimate of how the closure would affect tanker rates, already at astonishing highs. Some argued that pipelines can take up the slack, while others felt that the psychological impact could push rates higher still. Opened in 1869, the Suez Canal is no stranger to political controversy. Its nationalisation by the Egyptian government sparked ill-fated Anglo-French military intervention in 1956. It was also closed for eight years following the Israeli occupation of the Sinai Peninsula in 1967, only reopening in 1975.

Chemical/oil carrier British Enterprise (23682 gt, built 2001), Batumi for Augusta, cargo 24,320 tonnes crude oil, grounded in lat 40 56 07N, long 28 50 08E, at approximately 1500. Vessel is still aground. At the moment the results of a diver survey are awaited.

BP operated chemical/oil carrier British Enterprise was still aground at Yesilkoy, south west of Istanbul after an incident at the weekend (Dec 11/12). There were no injuries to the 24-strong crew of the tanker and no visible damage to the vessel or pollution, a spokesman for BP said yesterday. The double hull vessel was on a voyage from the Black Sea port of Batumi bound for Agio Theodoroi in Greece when the accident happened. It was fully laden with a cargo of 34,500 tonnes of Okarem crude. The spokesman said the company was still drawing up a plan to refloat the vessel. Divers have inspected the vessel's hull for signs of damage but a protective boom placed around the vessel overnight has been removed as there was no sign of pollution. It remains unclear at present as to the cause of the grounding but it is understood that it was not due to mechanical failure. An attempt to refloat the vessel failed earlier yesterday and BP is working with the Istanbul port authority and the vessel's class society Lloyd's Register to resolve the problem. Traffic through the Bosporus has not been affected. The vessel is entered with Britannia Steamship Insurance P& I club.

Chem.tank Sunny Jewel, 4386 grt, built 2001, on fire, exists in vicinity of lat 33 40.3N, long 132 16.7E. Following received from Japan Coast Guard, timed 1720, UTC: Chem.tank Sunny Jewel, Kikuma for Oita, in ballast, has had a fire on board. Of 18 persons on board 15 rescued by Coast Guard, three persons missing. The ship was on a ballast passage from Kikuma to Oita, when she had an explosion and fire on board at about 2235, local time. At about 0100, local time, Dec 16, the fire was extinguished by Japanese Coast Guard patrol boats. Its body was underwater, leaving accommodation  area above the surface with the bottom of the bow touching seabed at a position of lat 33 38.1N, long 132 11.8E, in Japan Inland Sea. Fifteen crew members were rescued by patrol boats but three deckhands, one Korean and two Philippine, are missing.

Up to 10,000 tons of crude oil has been spilt in the Suez Canal after a north-bound very large crude carrier collided with a structure in the waterway while in transit on Tuesday, the accident took place during the hours of darkness, as the Kuwait Oil Tanker Co's Al-Samidoon crossed the Bitter Lakes on its northbound passage to the Mediterranean. With one of the ship's cargo tanks holed, the ship's crew made an emergency transfer of oil into empty, intact spaces, from the damaged wing tank, but it is believed that up to 10,000 cu m of cargo may have leaked through the gash in the vessel's side, before the situation was stabilised. The 284,290 dwt ship was part loaded with 161,000 tonnes of oil, the balance of which is to be transhipped into another company vessel off Port Said, where the damaged ship has been anchored. A single-hulled ship built in 1992 by Daewoo Shipbuilding's Okpo yard, the Al-Samidoon is a Bureau Green Award vessel. An inquiry into the cause of the incident to the vessel, which had Suez Canal pilots embarked, has begun as clean-up operations proceed. Navigation through the waterway has been unaffected by the accident. London, Dec 15 -- A press report, dated today, states: Board Chairman and Managing Director of Kuwait Oil Tankers Company Abdullah Al-Roumi said that crude oil tanker Al Samidoon (149719 gt, built 1992) struck a dock in the Suez Canal last night. Al-Roumi told the Kuwait News Agency today that the incident occurred while the vessel was crossing the canal, and an estimated 10,000 cubic metres of oil leaked from the vessel. The Kuwaiti official said no casualties were reported and he praised the quick actions taken by the vessel's crew and the Suez Canal to contain the accident. The vessel is currently at Port Said, where the cargo will be transferred to crude oil tanker Kazimah, which is expected to arrive at Port Said within two days. Crude oil tanker Al Samidoon, bound Sidi Kerir Term., entered the Suez Canal at Suez at about 1730, yesterday, SCA imposed the use of a tug as it was leaking oil at Kms 60. It is not known how the leak occurred. Vessel cleared the Canal at Port Said at midnight, last night and is now outside Port Said at anchor. Divers have been sent to investigate the hull for possible damages. Another Kuwaiti tanker, crude oil tanker Kazimah, was expected to arrive in the coming days to take on the rest of Al Samidoon's load.

Chem.tank Sunny Jewel. Tanker exists in vicinity of lat 33 40.3N, long 132 16.7E. The fire was put out. Three crew missing. Sank off Matsuyama, in Japanese Inland Sea, in lat 33 38.09N, long 132 11.51E at about 1100, local time, today. The vessel seemed to have 270 kl of fuel oil on board and small amount of oil is reportedly leaking. Three missing crew members have not as yet been found.

The American submarine Philadelphia had a collision wit a Turkish cargo vessel Yaso Aysen in the Gulf. The submarine was on the surface when the accident happened. There were no victims.

The Orient Venus has been sold by the Japan Cruise Line to European interests for approx. 20 million US Dollar. This 21884 ton vessel had been laid up since 2002. She was built in 1990 and offers accomodation for 606 passengers.

The Liberty ship Davy Crockett was built in 1942 in Texas as a Liberty Ship (EC2-S-C1). In 1969 she was converted to offshore pipelaying barge by Peter Kiewit Sons C ompany. In 1988 she was laid up Tacoma, Washington. In 1999 the Davy Crockett was converted to flat barge for General Construction of Seattle. Port Gardner Tug & Barge, Inc., Bellevue, Washington, has received approval from the Maritime Administation to sell the 4,643-gross-ton freight barge Davy Crockett to Real West Recycling, a Canadian corporation, and transfer the Vessel to Chinese registry and flag, for scrapping in China.

Somali pirates have hijacked a ship with its 10-member crew on its way to the Somali port of El-Maan. The MV Torgelow was carrying fuel and food to the crew of the MV Semlow, freed last week by gunmen who had held it and its cargo of food aid for three months. The Torgelow's Sri Lankan captain and the nine Kenyan crew members had volunteered to make the trip. The Torgelow and Semlow are owned by the same company, the Motaku Shipping Agency in Kenya. Company spokesman Karim Kudrati said they may withdraw from the service. (Source: BBC News)

Star Cruises' 1980-built Wasa Queen was involved in the rescue of crew from a fishing boat in distress today. The Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre requested Wasa Queen (which was sailing in the vicinity of the sinking vessel) to assist in the search for six crew members. Shortly after midnight, debris was sighted and all six crew were rescued and given medical attention on board before the ship arrived at Hong Kong this morning. (Source: Star Cruises)

An Egyptian passenger ship bringing Muslim pilgrims back from Saudi Arabia has collided with a commercial vessel in the Gulf of Suez. Some 1,400 passengers aboard the Al Salam 95 were evacuated, but about 20 were injured; fatalities have been mentioned, but not confirmed. Owned by the Egyptian company el-Salam Maritime Transport, the passenger ship was struck by a Cypriot-registered vessel. Twenty boats went to the scene of the collision and helped to save passengers from the damaged ship, which later sank. (Source: Reuters)

The Georgian Margaret cargo ship ran onto rocks in the harbor at La Spezia. Thirteen crew members were rescued. 13 tones oil spill from the tanks of the ship makes a serious ecology threat to Italy. The Margaret, heading from Genoa to the Bulgarian port of Varna, tried to shelter in the harbor at La Spezia from heavy weather, ran into rocks after an anchor had not withstood. The extreme conditions have caused traffic problems in Italy - heavy snowfalls blocked roads in the north of the country.

A Jamaican-flagged, Greek-owned bulker has been grounded following a collision with a Polish vessel off Denmark. Danish television reported that the 26,700–dwt Vertigo (built 1986) listed and touched bottom after the incident off the island of Langeland on Tuesday night. The 26,300–dwt bulker Ziemia Lodzka (built 1992), owned by Polish Steamship, suffered minor damage. There were no immediate signs of an oil spill, according to the Bloomberg news agency. Vertigo is owned by Primal Shipmanagement of Athens.

A three-ship pile-up has left one ship capsized on the Elbe at the entrance to the Kiel Canal, say German media. A fertilizer-carrying general cargoship, a feeder containership and a products tanker were involved in the incident that took place overnight on the Elbe River near the entrance to the Kiel Canal. The master of one vessel and a pilot have posted bail in an investigation of the incident at Brunsbuttel, Schleswig-Holstein. No serious pollution is reported. Seven crew members who plunged from the 1,800-gt general cargoship Maritime Lady (ex-Sea Ems, built 1984) before it sank were treated in a local hospital. Local reports say the master of the third ship in the three-ship incident, Laurin Maritime's 20,000-dwt chemical tanker Sunny Blossom (built 1986), is under criminal investigation for endangering shipping after Sunny Blossom rammed the capsized Maritime Lady. “An alcohol test returned negative results but we have imposed an appearance bond of EUR 12,000 on the captain,” said a police spokesman according to German media reports.. The cause of the initial collision remains under investigation. But the Maritime Lady, has apparently been lost only days or hours after it was delivered to a new Norwegian owner. The singledecker capsized minutes after a collision with the 660-teu feeder containership Arctic Ocean (ex-Norasia Arabia, built 1995) in the overnight hours. Maritime database Equasis recorded Maritime Lady’s transfer from Fehn Bereederung as taking place on 5 December. It is now said to belong to a one-ship company in Alesund, Norway called Maritime Management. The latecomer, Sunny Blossom, carrying a 18,000-tonne load of liquid fertilizer, arrived an hour after the initial collision and struck the capsized vessel. Sunny Blossom grounded but was later pulled free by three tugs. German transport minister Wolfgang Tiefensee visited the operations headquarters of the Maritime Incident Centre in Cuxhaven and declared: “We are equipped for all eventualities.”

Dardanelles Strait was closed to northbound traffic today after a Capesize vessel grounded, sources in the port of Istanbul said. Sources said the 171,101dwt Anangel Dynasty owned by the Angelicoussis group ran aground at 0500 local time (0300 GMT) near Nara Point, one of the narrowest parts of the Strait, around 8km north of Canakkale. It was not clear when the vessel would be moved to allow traffic to return to normal, sources said. Southbound traffic on the strait was proceeding as normal

An Egyptian passenger ship Al Salam Boccaccio 98 carrying around 1400 people (mostly Egyptians) sank in the Red Sea overnight.  However, officials lost radar contact with the ship, and air and maritime rescue teams were mobilised.  Mahfouz Taha Marzouk, the Egyptian maritime director, said that 12 survivors and 15 bodies had so far been picked up.  The ship should have arrived at 3 a.m. on Friday,but did not, officials said.   Television footage showed scenes of rough sea and officials said bad weather was apparently hampering rescue efforts.  The ship was carrying 1,312 passengers and 96 crew members at the time of the disaster. Only 388 persons were saved and over 1,000 were lost

64,054 gt. Panama flag container M/V Hyundai Fortune (built 1996) has suffered major explosion & massive fire in aft on-deck container stacks. Entire after end of ship completely involved in fire. Crew has abandoned ship, picked up by Dutch Navy frigate HNLMS De Zeven Provincien. M/V Hyundai Fortune in position 12-39N 047-22E (Gulf of Aden). Numerous (60 to 90) containers blown over the side, forming a debris field about 5 miles long -- many of which are drifting around the vessel. (Tues. March 21 2006) From our Correspondent - annonymous vessel Master in the general geographic area. Lloyds Open Form (LOF) has now been signed with salvors, Svitzer Wijsmuller & we expect that owners will declare General Average.

Foggy conditions are being blamed for a tugboat striking the concrete bridge abutments on the Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge. The Tuesday morning incident occurred when the tugboat Cheyenne was pushing two barges with scrap metal and stone south on the river and could not see the abutment because of dense fog, according to the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office.
Contact made with the Coast Guard indicated one barge was taking on water and that emergency pumps were deployed to keep it afloat. There were no reported injuries. The 90-foot tug, piloted by Capt. Denault Donovan, is owned by Albany Port Ventures in Albany. Preliminary investigation indicates the accident was caused by lack of visibility on the river. The Coast Guard is continuing its investigation. (Source: MidHudson News Network)

Bangladesh Shipping Corporation’s 14,500 dwt crude oil tanker Banglar Shourabh, which caught fire with the loss of at least three lives, had been disclassed by Lloyd’s Register on June 5 with several class related items overdue, according to the Equasis online database. The 1987-built, Bangladeshi-flag vessel caught fire off Chittagong with some 20 shore labourers on board as well as the crew. The ship’s chief officer was reported to be critically ill with severe burns. The ship’s owner said it had not been decided whether to attempt to salvage the ship. The vessel is not impeding the operation of Chittagong port.

A container ship ran aground shortly after leaving the port of East London. Port Authorities say the Safmarine Agulhas was nearly a kilometre offshore when she lost power and strong onshore winds pushed her towards the western breakwater. She ran aground on a sand bank about 200 metres from the breakwater. Two tugboats have been trying to pull her off. The vessel is not fully laden and is not taking on water. The crew is still on board and not in any immediate danger.

The 2001-built, Cayman Islands-flag chemical tanker Stolt Perseverance crashed into a riverside grain elevator and sank a tug in an incident. The US Coast Guard reports that no injuries were sustained in the accident which took place some 35 miles south of New Orleans but the tug Jeck sank. Its three-man crew had jumped into the Mississippi and had been rescued. The chemical tanker reportedly lost steering causing it to hit the tug and a barge.

The M/V Taku rescued the crew of a fishing tender after it had run aground on Gull Island in Lynn Canal early Saturday morning, according to the Alaska Marine Highway System. The Taku received a mayday call from the fishing tender Stella, stating the ship was taking on water and the crew was preparing to abandon ship. The Taku was approximately 25 minutes away and responded to the U.S. Coast Guard call for assistance along with the tug Western Mariner. The Taku arrived on scene and launched a lifeboat, which recovered three crewmembers that had been floating in a liferaft. The crewmembers were brought aboard the Taku and given coffee, breakfast and a stateroom. had no injuries, according to the Coast Guard. The lifeboat was secured and the Taku left for Auke Bay. (Source: www.marinelink.com)

M/V Odyssea Voyager, a 195-ft. dive support vessel owned by Odyssea Marine, Inc., and operated by Odyssea’s North Bank Towing Division, was severely damaged by fire the cause of which is not yet known. Located in West Delta Block 35, the Voyager, in a four-point mooring configuration, was supporting diving operations of Superior Offshore International, Inc., when flames were noticed in a compartment in the bow section of the vessel. As the crew fought the flames, the fire spread and eventually engulfed the main cabin of the vessel. There were 40 people on board, including 26 passengers and 14 crew members, all of whom abandoned ship, and were brought to safety. Two crew members of Odyssea Marine, Inc., diagnosed with smoke inhalation, were flown by US Coast Guard helicopter to West Jefferson Hospital located in Marrero, Louisiana. Both crew members were treated and released that night. Despite the damage to the vessel, there were only minor injuries. Nearly 30,000 gallons of fuel oil on board at the time of the fire was a cause for concern. The vessel was recovered with no fuel spill and no danger to the environment. The vessel is now safely docked in Amelia, La. There are many people and organizations that deserve appreciation and acknowledgement for their efforts during and after this incident. Of particular note, the employees of Odyssea Marine, Inc. gratitude to the following organizations and people that assisted during the fire.

Five Turkish sailors who were stranded in a storm in the southwestern part of the Aegean Sea were rescued by the Greek Coast Guard after their ship stopped running due to engine failure. A Super Puma rescue helicopter picked up the five Turks, who had left their vessel, around three nautical miles east of the island of Kithira, which lies off the southern coast of the Peloponnese, according to a statement issued by the Merchant Marine Ministry. The five seamen were reported to be in good condition. The Cambodian-flagged vessel, named Pasha was heading from the Algerian capital Algiers to Tuzla, Istanbul.

HAPAG Lloyd’s container ship Heidelberg Express was in collision with the Tsakos Group-owned Liberian-flag container ship Yerotsakos. The accident caused minor structural damage to both vessels. According to a US Coast Guard statement German-flag, 2803 TEU, 1989-built Heidelberg Express experienced a loss of power when travelling outbound at mile marker 57 along the Lower Mississippi River. Both anchors were let go in an attempt to stop the vessel but it hit the 1993-built, 69,220 dwt Tsakos bulk carrier which was alongside its berth with cargo of iron ore. The USCG says: “There were no reports of injuries or pollution at the time of the incident and the waterway remains open and unrestricted. Investigators from Coast Guard Sector New Orleans are on scene to investigate the cause of the collision.”

281ft. M/T Kristin Poling -- ran aground in East Rockaway Inlet 450 yards from shore around 12:00 a.m.. Poling and Cutler Marine, owners of the tanker, notified U.S. Coast Guard Sector in New Haven, CT, that the tanker ran aground on sandy bottom and is carrying 672,000 gallons of heating oil. Coast Guard pollution response officers report that ship suffered no apparent hull breach & no oil product entered the water. Tanker successfully refloated on Nov 12 & currently enroute to New York City.

Two seamen were killed and one injured in when the 2006-built Singapore-flag panamax tanker FR8 Venture a large wave over the bow in the Pentland Firth. The incident happened when westerly winds of up to storm force swept the northern tip of Scotland. The 74065 dwt tanker had loaded crude oil at Scapa Flow terminal in Orkney and was bound for Houston, Texas. The three crewmen were working forward when the accident happened. The ship returned to Scapa Flow.

Norwegian flagged fish farm vessel M/V Aqua Boy -- Capt. called UK Clyde Coastguard to inform them that he had run aground on the shore at Light Ardtornish Point, Sound of Mull -- after falling asleep. Vessel successfully refloated & escorted to Oban, by UK Oban & Tobermory lifeboat where she was to be inspected by MCA Surveyors Nov 12.

5,190dwt river-sea dry cargo M/V Rusich-1, Amsterdam for S.Petersburg, -- intercepted Nov. 12 by Greenpeace vessel M/V Arctic-Sunrise in Gulf of Finland, 3 persons boarded M/V Rusich-1, claimimg cargo to be genetically engineered soya. Master activated Alert Button -- signal received by Federal Security Agency, Russia, and shipowner. Greenpeace activists refused to leave vessel. Had to be withdrawn by Russian Coastguard on arrival to S.Petersburg, ETA Nov. 13, 08.00 Moscow time.

560ft. Panamanian-flagged log carrier M/V Global Hawk, with 21 crew -- 265 miles east of Kodiak in the Gulf of Alaska -- load shifted in adverse weather conditions of 18-foot seas & 45-50 knot winds. An unknown number of logs were lost overboard -- no reports of damage to vessel & no evidence of listing.

USS Intrepid (CV-11) - WWII aircraft carrier is stuck in the mud at her dock in New York Harbor - her 16-foot propellers have screwed themselves into the sediment built up around the hull over the last 24 years. A fleet of tug boats tried to move the floating museum on Nov 6, but she wouldn't budge. Now, officials say U.S. Navy will join the effort to get the historic ship unstuck and send her to New Jersey for repairs. Plan includes dredging underneath the Intrepid's stern. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also will be involved in the project.

Bahamian flag 2.051 grt/1995 cargo vessel FRI STREAM under tow to sheltered waters off Orkney, after it reported to Shetland Coastguard that it had broken down in severe gale force weather. She was taken in tow by the offshore support vessel Edda Frigg and the two vessels were reported as making their way towards more sheltered waters near Orkney, shadowed by the Stromness RNLI lifeboat.

Russia flagged reefer M/V PTR Selenitovy, with 15 crew, dragged anchor & grounded Nov. 12, during cyclone raging in Okhotsk sea & NW Pacific in Crabovaya Bay, Shikotan island, Kuril Island chain. Several attempts to refloat reefer with help of nearby trawler F/V Captain Lapkin failed. (From Moscow Correspondent Mike Voitenko.)

A 6,576 dwt Panamanian-flag chemical tanker and a Japanese submarine were in collision southern Japan yesterday, according to local reports. Both vessels are reported to have been damaged but no injuries have been reported among the tanker’s 17-strong crew. The Maritime Self-Defence Force submarine Asashio is reported to have hit the Daiichi Tanker Co-owned Spring Auster when surfacing about 30 miles off Kyushu. The Japanese Coast Guard sent three cutters to the area after the master of the tanker reported taking in water but the vessel is not thought to be in danger of sinking.

The Russian dry cargo ship the Volgo-Don 213 collided with a Turkish dredger in the Bosporus Strait on Wednesday, the Transportation Ministry's press service reports. Trying to avoid a head-on collision, the Russian ship hit the dredger's anchor chain and listed against the dredge. As a result its main deck and part of its hull's plating were damaged. Leaks were discovered in several tanks. "Nobody was injured. There was no leak of fuel," it said. By 3 p.m. Moscow time the ship had been towed to a quay and anchored. The Volgo-Don 213 was en route from Azov to Syria with a load of grain. It belongs to Donrechflot, the Transportation Ministry's press service reports. Trying to avoid a head-on collision, the Russian ship hit the dredger's anchor chain and listed against the dredge. As a result its main deck and part of its hull's plating were damaged. Leaks were discovered in several tanks. "Nobody was injured. There was no leak of fuel," it said. By 3 p.m. Moscow time the ship had been towed to a quay and anchored. The Volgo-Don 213 was en route from Azov to Syria with a load of grain. It belongs to Donrechflot.

A crew of eight Chinese have been rescued unhurt after a fire broke out on a Cambodian-registered freighter in the Pacific off Izu-Oshima Island some 120 kilometers south of Tokyo, Japan Coast Guard officials said. The 1,195-ton "Sakurakawa" was still ablaze more than 10 hours after a load of scrap steel caught fire at around 11 p.m. in waters some 3 km north of Izu-Oshima. Friction in the scrap steel may have generated a fire, the coast guard said. The coast guard is facing difficulties putting out the fire quickly because it is pumping water out of the ship to prevent it from sinking, the officials said. To clear the way for other vessels, the freighter was being towed by a patrol boat after fire fighting had been suspended. After receiving an emergency message from the ship, the coast guard sent out patrol boats and helicopters to rescue the crew and put out the fire, the officials said. The freighter was en route to China after loading some 800 tons of scrap steel at Tokyo Port, they said.

The Swedish-flag 18,119 dwt chemical tanker Prospero hit a jetty at the UK port of Milford Haven, Wales, when it was coming alongside early Sunday morning causing damage to the vessel and berth. The terminal operator, SemLogistics, ha described the incident, which has not caused any pollution, as a “heavy berthing”.

At half past ten this morning (18/1-07) Falmouth Coastguard received a MF DSC distress call from the British registered vessel MSC Napoli. The vessel is a 62,277 GRT container vessel with 26 crew. The crew have abandoned the vessel to the ships lifeboat. The vessel is in the French Search and Rescue Region and the incident is being co-ordinated by the French Coastguard with assistance from Falmouth Coastguard. The French have requested assistance from the UK Coastguard in the rescue of the crew. Falmouth Coastguard have scrambled two Royal Navy Helicopters Rescue, 193 and 194 from RNAS Culdrose. The Coastguard tug is proceeding at best speed to the last known position of the vessel. Lizard RNLI lifeboat has been requested to launch to provide safety cover. The French Coastguard have deployed their tug and are also sending two helicopters. The weather on scene is south-westerly severe Gale Force 9, with 8 to 9 metre swells. A car carrier is standing by, but due to its size is unable to offer any further assistance. The priority is to rescue the crew from the ships lifeboat. Bloomberg reported that a container ship that ran into difficulties in the English Channel is now being towed to the French port of Le Havre, said an official from the company that hired it. An official at Mediterranean Shipping Co. SA in Geneva, which has hired the MSC Napoli, said the ship was under tow. Earlier today, British Broadcasting Corp. reported that a vessel was sinking in the sea between England and France. The U.K.'s Maritime & Coastguard Agency said the vessel wasn't being towed. All 26 crew have abandoned ship and two Royal Navy helicopters have been dispatched to assist in the operation, which is being led by the French coast guard, the Maritime & Coastguard said in a statement on its Web site. Further questions to Mediterranean Shipping were directed to the ship's owner, Zodiac Maritime Agencies Ltd. in London. Officials from Zodiac declined to comment when contacted by Bloomberg News. The vessel got into trouble off Lizard, the Maritime & Coastguard said. Source: Bloomberg

25,098t. Panama-flagged bulkcarrier M/V Efi Theo - ran into the embankment of the Kiel Canal - close to the pilot station Ruesterbergen near Rendsburg. Ship had been caught by strong winds in spite of the assistence of the tug M/V Bugsier 20. Canal had to be closed for traffic until the tug refolated the ship about one hour later. She then towed to Kiel where berthed in late evening for investigations.

23,000gt. car carrier M/V Elbe Highway - In collision with the Southern lock of the Kiel Canal in Brunsbuettel. As the anchors fell immediately 2 chains of fenders in the lock broke, but the ship thus came to a standstill without crashing into the gate. M/V Elbe Highway suffered only minor damage.

6,913-gt Cambodia-flagged general cargo M/V Nobel (built 1975) with 19 Russian crew, began to take on water, list & sink - ship had arrived at Port of Ningbo from Vanino, E. Russia, on Monday afternoon with a cargo of 8,500- cbm of logs. However, late Jan. 22 evening she began to take on water and by Jan. 23 morning was beginning to list - crew issued emergency distress signal & were picked up by vessel in the vicinity. Not known what caused vessel to sink.

4,100 TEU German flagged 281Mt. container M/V Maersk Denton - grounded at 7.30 a.m. while leaving French port Le Havre for New York - refloated with the help of 3 tugs 2 hours later with the rising tide - 25 crew not hurt, no pollutants escaped - towed into port for investigations.

Malta-flagged cargo M/V Love Music - suffered damage in severe weather on way from Singapore to North Europe - crane damaged when the ship rolled in the storm.

Inland M/V Aquarant - in collision on the Ijsselmeer River - with M/T Columbus - 3Km W.of Urk. - M/T Columbus is listing with chance of sinking - she has sustained a breach of 3.5 meters. Rescue boats of the royal Dutch rescue society KNRM Urk are on the spot.

Great Lakes freighter M/v Algoma - caught fire in Hamilton harbor while crews were working on her in the morning. No one was hurt as firefighters struggled to douse the blaze below decks in the ship, fire broke out at 10:45 a.m. inside M/V Algoville while workers replacing her engine were cutting steel with a torch. To reach the fire, 21 firefighters had to feel their way through heavy smoke - result of oil & lubricant that caught fire. They needed a map so they could locate the site of the blaze 2 storeys below decks. Firefighters mixed a chemical with water to extinguishblazing oil - 12 people working inside at the time were safe. Hamilton Port Authority said fire didn't affect operations because vessels are laid up for winter in port. The vessel, owned by Algoma Steel, is 40 years old & usually carries grain and iron.

1,424-gt M/V Ping Yang No 8 (built 1987) - some 70 miles off the coast of Nagoya in SW Japan - suffered fire - all 10 Chinese crew rescued - 6 patrol boats trying to douse the flames onboard & secure vessel which continued to drift in the Pacific Ocean.

43,000-dwt handymax bulker M/V Ocean Globe (built 1995- ex-Ocean Ranger) with 38,000 tons of coal aground in the Bay of Cadiz - but salvage efforts are focussed on removing the 600 tons of bunkers to prevent an oil spill - 4 tugs are reported to be attending the Greek controlled M/V Ocean Globe.

M/V City of Liverpool - under charter by a Sri Lankan company - rammed with explosives-laden boat by Tamil Tiger rebels in Sri Lanka's N.waters - ship being towed to Port of Kankesanthurai in the Jaffna peninsula. Tiger suicide boat exploded at the ship, damaging the hull & wounding crew member - 2 soldiers on board security fired at rebels. M/V City of Liverpool was unloading wheat flour for the 500,000 civilians living under virtual siege conditions in Jaffna.

485ft. Chinese-flagged cargo M/V Tong Cheng, with 26 crew - requested authorization for an unscheduled entry into the port of Honolulu to effect repairs to a crack in her hull below the waterline. U.S. Coast Guard dispatched a C130 aircraft, a multi-purpose vessel and an assessment team to M/V Tong Cheng to conduct a preliminary assessment of the damage and to determine if there was any pollution as a result. Sheen was initially observed; however, source could not be identified.  A Unified Command, comprised of U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port and representatives from U.S. Customs & Border Protection, the State of Hawaii, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration and the Shanghai Ocean Shipping Company, M/V Tong Cheng's owners, are monitoring the situation from Honolulu. A team of technical experts from the USCG Salvage Engineering Response Team (SERT), U.S. Navy Mobile Diving Salvage Unit One (MDSU ONE), and commercial entities conducted a thorough assessment of the vessel's structural integrity while offshore.  Based on that assessment the vessel was granted permission to enter the Captain of the Port (COTP) Honolulu zone to effect repairs. U.S. Coast Guard will continue to monitor repairs, and the vessel will receive safety inspection prior to her departure from Honolulu.

Cargo M/V Nijord (IMO No: 8007157) Poland for Latvia near Sikrags - grounded on Jan 21 at 11 p.m. off Sikrags-Latvia - recovered Jan 22 at 4 p.m. by Latvian tug M/V Ventspils - now proceeding to a Riga shipyard

F/V Starrigavin - wrecked on the south jetty of Tillamook Bay near Garibaldi, Ore., - U.S. Coast Guard Station Tillamook Bay dispatched a 47-foot motor lifeboat crew & U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Astoria launched an HH-60 helicopter crew to respond to the emergency - 4 crew rescued but 1 who was seriously injured later died at Tillamook County General Hospital.

M/V MSC Napoli. Over 33% of the vessel's fuel has now been removed. Pumping continues round-the-clock. By 05.00 hrs Jan. 26 1,470 tonnes had been transferred to the lightering tanker M/T Forth Fisher. Barges are arriving to lighter the containers.

Russian Coast Guard Latvia received emergency call from dry cargo M/V Mikhail Dudin at 18.00 LT propeller damaged, vessel drifting towards shore with strong sw wind - 16 NM from Ventspils port. Tug from Ventspils dispatched, at 03.30 Jan. 27 M/V Mikhail Dudin towed to Ventspils, no injured, no spill, no other damages except propeller. M/V Mikhail Dudin 2319 grt; 1996 year built; L/B 89.5/13.2 meters; cargo aluminium 2858 tons, from S.Petersburg to Schezin; owner NWS 9 BALT SHIPPING CO LTD Malta; flag Malta, crew 10, all Russia citizen.

5,000gt. container M/V Elisabeth - ran into the embankment at Fischerhuette, but managed to get free with own power.

At 00.30 a.m. the container feeder M/V Dirhami - ran into the embankment at Duekerswisch - 2 tugs from Brunsbuettel towed the vessel back into the canal - proceeded to Kiel.

M/V Warren, with 2,000 tons of iron ore - suffered stern collision Jan. 27 off Panaji port by - M/V Sea Horse, with iron ore while they were proceeding to unload the material in the transhipper anchorage in the port. M/V Warren suffered gush of water ingress in engine room after she developed a crack - entire ship sank within an hour. Both ships involved in the accident are hardly 3-year-old while the average life of a vessel is 35 years.

U.S. Coast Guard is searching on Jan 27 in Nantucket Sound for the overdue New Bedford, Mass., based fishing vessel M/V Lisa Ann with 4 on board.

89ft. M/Y Sunset Queen - partially sunken in Sheepshead Bay, New York after the night watchman aboard heard a load bang at 5:30 a.m. Jan 27. Although there was no pollution reported initially, at approximately 1 p.m. the vessel began to discharge an unknown amount of fuel as vents to the fuel tanks began to flood with the rising tide. The owner of the vessel said there was approximately 1200 gallons of diesel onboard. Sea Tow contained the area with a boom as a precautionary measure well before the fuel began to leak and are using absorbent pads to collect the fuel as it surfaces. U.S. Coast Guard is investigating.

Detention of the container M/V CMA CGM Claudel ended after the owners paid Euro 21M to Maasvlakte Olie Terminal. M/V CMA CGM Claudel had broken lose from the ECT Delta Terminal a week ago and by hitting the oilpier of MOT caused a damage of more than Euro120M.

37ft. tug M/V Andrea J sank in the Milwaukee Inner Mooring Basin in 25 feet of water as it was tied off to another vessel at a pier located within the mooring basin at approximately 8:30 a.m. No personnel were onboard.

Reefer M/V Sierra Nava - which was anchored in Gibraltar Bay since Jan 7 - Jan 28 ran aground in stormy seas, breaching the hull & spilling engine fuel over protected coasts near Gibraltar. The ship was blown onto a beach just south of Algeciras in the Estrecho National Park. M/V Sierra Nava being pounded by waves is thought to have around 350 tons of fuel on board in 4 compartments though only one had been damaged. A coastguard helicopter rescued the crew of 14 who earlier had to put out a fire in the ship's engine room. About 1 km (0.5 miles) of coast have been contaminated. Salvage workers from Dutch firm SvitzerWijsmuller will now concentrate on pumping water out of the ship's holds, removing the rest of its fuel & refloating her.

U.S. Coast Guard confirmed on Jan 28 that the fishing vessel M/V Lady of Grace - sank in Nantucket Sound 11 NM north of Nantucket after divers from the Massachusetts Law Enforcment council positively identified the 75-foot dragger as laying on her port side in 36 feet of water - vessel's one life raft found still in its case & attached to the boat. U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Hammerhead, an 87-foot patrol boat home ported in Woods Hole, Mass., brought the dive team members to the scene, at which sonar & video equipment earlier detected an image which was thought to be the missing vessel. Crew presumed dead. F/V Lady of Grace - was found 40 feet under the frigid waters of Nantucket Sound, after disappearing in high seas & heavy icing conditions. Its emergency position-indicating radio beacon was lodged in the boat's scuppers. The device is designed to pop to the surface & immediately alert U.S. Coast Guard with an electronic signal, telling rescuers where to look for survivors. There were none. Divers from the Massachusetts State Police Underwater Recovery Unit and a private salvage company successfully searched a portion of the interior section F/V Lady of Grace Feb 13 before they were forced to stop dive operations due to deteriorating weather. 3 Crew remain missing. One body recovered on 22 Feb. by Massachusetts State Police Underwater Recovery Unit.

Buckie registered F/V Evening Star, with 4 crew - issued Mayday to Aberdeen Coastguard Jan. 28 - taking in water & needed assistance. Coastguard considered transferring pumps to the fishing vessel by helicopter but soon after this the crew of F/V Evening Star reported to the Coastguard that situation had deteriorated abandoning ship to liferaft. The vessel sank shortly after this 30 miles East of Peterhead. Weather conditions were winds force 5 with good visibility.

P/Y Orio, with 4 passengers in collision & capsized with ferry M/V Native Son Express, 1.5 nautical miles W. of Cruz Bay, Saint John, U.S. Virgin Islands. One missing.

Dutch trawler F/V Willem van der Zwan - Sch 302, homeport Scheveningen -- suffered fire while berthed at a yard in Velsen-Noord. Large flames and dense fume escaped from the ship so the highway had to be closed between Velsen & Beverwijk.

11591gt. Portuguese carcarrier M/V Autropress (built 1998), Santander (Spain) for Zeebrugge (Belgium) with 895 vehicles -- suffered engine room fire -- crew managed to extinguish the fire, but lost propulsion -- tug M/V Abeille Bourbon took her on tow to Brest harbor.

Spanish coastguard helicopter has rescued the crew of 14 from refrigerator ship Sierra Nava after it ran aground in stormy seas, spilling engine fuel over protected coasts near Gibraltar. A refrigerator ship ran aground on a Spanish beach in stormy seas today, spilling engine fuel over protected coasts near Gibraltar, according to environmental groups quoted in the Spanish media.
The ship Sierra Nava was anchored in Gibraltar Bay when strong winds blew it onto a beach just south of Algeciras, a port across the bay from the British colony, the Spanish coastguard said. The web edition of newspaper El Pais reported environmental group Greenpeace as saying fuel from the breached hull of the 100-metre vessel had washed up along 4km of coast inside the Estrecho National Park. The paper quoted maritime sources as saying the Sierra Nava is thought to have around 350 tonnes of fuel on board in four compartments, though only one had been damaged. The sources put the size of the fuel slick at nearer 1km. A coastguard helicopter rescued the crew of 14 who earlier had to put out a fire in the ship's engine room, El Pais reported. Spain has been buffeted by strong winds and freezing temperatures over the past week, bringing snow to much of the peninsula including the normally balmy Mediterranean coast.
 

Launch M/V Gertrud, homeport Hamburg -- in collision with -- berthing bridge in Altona. The ship was coming Elbe upstream from the Parkharbour with 12 persons, 10 of them pupils. When approaching the bridge, ship became uncontrolled due to a technical fault & crashed against bridge. M/V Gertrud's wheelhouse destroyed --1 crew injured. The police started investigations.

Isle of Man Steam Packet Co.'s passenger ferry M/V Sea Express 1, with 294 passengers -- in collision on the River Mersey -- with M/V Alaska Rainbow. No injuries. Port side of the ferry's bridge is dented, with several windows smashed. Passengers have been warned that some of the vehicles on the ship may have been damaged in the crash. The cargo ship crashed into the ferry in heavy fog just a few minutes from docking at Liverpool. From our Sr. Correspondent Tim Schwabedissen. (Sat. Feb. 3 2007) UPDATE>> All 53 vehicles left on an Isle of Man ferry M/V Sea Express 1 have been removed. The Steam Packet Company, which owns the vessel, said it would now make every effort to return vehicles to owners as quickly as possible. Marine Accident Investigation Board (MAIB) is investigating the incident. The company has suspended sailings between Liverpool & Douglas until a suitable replacement ship can be found. At present, all passengers booked on the route will be transferred to the twice-daily crossings between Douglas & Heysham. M/V Sea Express 1 could meanwhile be stabilized & moved to a yard in Birkenhead for repairs.

150dwt. Russian trawler with reefer hold F/V Young Sin 27 (built 1991), issued Mayday Feb. 2 in position 44.27 N 146.44 E, Kuril Islands, Peter the Great strait. Search and rescue operation declared, coordinator RSC Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, 4 vessels dispatched to the scene M/V I. Farkhutdinov, trawler F/V Kapitan Lapkin, coast guard patrol ship Velbot, F/V STR-503. Life rafts spotted, with all crew rescued & trawler disappeared from radars.

M/V The Lord is My Shepherd -- with large number of traders & fishermen are dead as vessel capsized & sank off Man-of-War Bay along the coast of SW Cameroon. The wooden power boat, known locally as an 'engine boat', sailed from the village of Tiko near Limbe & was bound for Oron in Nigeria but continued to pick up additional passengers until it was hopelessly overcrowded. Initially it was thought that 60 people had died but this number has been reassessed upwards in the light of subsequent reports. More than 60 bodies were buried in a mass grave by villagers along the coast near where the tragedy occurred but many others drowned at sea & their bodies have not been recovered. Area where survivors came ashore is covered by thick forest & swampy land which survivors had to trek through to find help. The "engine boats" are popular with local people because they provide a quicker form of transport for people having to travel overland through rough country with poor roads. The boats habitually stop at villages along the coast to pick up more passengers and cargo & often operate in an unsafe manner. According to one survivor's report, the skipper of the boat cut his engine to avoid detection from customs patrols & failed to restart again before the boat was swamped by large waves.

Minoan Lines passenger ferry M/V Knossos Palace suffered a 4-meter hull tear early in morning of Feb 3 during docking maneuvers at Iraklio port on its arrival from Piraeus -- breach in outer hull was about 2.5 meters above water line. None of the 816 passengers on board were injured as a result of the impact with the pier. An inspection team said the ship was not fit to return to Piraeus with passengers the same night but could make the return journey with only the crew on board after a temporary repair. Accident was caused by gale-force winds blowing on the side of the ship at that time. Company announced that M/V Olympic Palace will sail to Iraklio to replace M/V Knossos Palace on its scheduled routes -- expected to be back in service after repairs lasting a few days.

Migrant vessel M/V Marine 1, Guinea to Canary Islands, suffered mechanical failure in international waters off the coast of Senegal on Feb. 3. Spanish Coast Guard vessel deployed to assist. Spain and Mauritania disagree on who should take in the hundreds Pakistani and African migrants aboard. Vessel currently moored off of Mauritania's northern fishing port of Nouadhibou -- its passengers stuck in limbo. Mauritania Red Crescent distributing humanitarian aid to vessel.

788 ft. M/V Zhen Hua 16, carrying 4 $33 million cranes, collided with dredging boat Cherokee at port of Wilmington, NC, as it steamed up the Cape Fear River. Cranes incurred damage from impact

18 m. tug Christoph sank at the Peutedeich in the Norderelbe. Oilbooms laid out to contain the 4 tons of diesel oil. Vessel raised and stabilized on Feb. 4.

The Isle of Man Steam Packet Companys seacat passenger ferry SEA EXPRESS is currently undergoing repairs at North Western Ship Repairers yard in Birkenhead following a collision with a cargo ship on the River Mersey on Feb 3rd.
None of the 294 passengers on board were injured in the accident which involved the Sea Express One vessel and the Greek owned ALASKA RAINBOW. The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company's Sea Express, which travels between the island and Liverpool had just left the Pier Head ferry terminal when the collision occured near the Alfred Dock in foggy conditions
Two tugs, two lifeboats and a coastguard team were used to remove crew and passengers from the ferry.
A spokesman for Liverpool Coastguard said: "There were no injuries to any person on the vessels. All 294 passengers and crew
disembarked safely." The port side of the ship's bridge is dented, with several windows smashed.
The Sea Express One,(formerly Seacat Isle of Man) is 16 years old, underwent an engine overhaul at Birkenhead, Merseyside, last year following it's leasing to the unsuccessful Irish Sea Express service which only ran for a few months between Liverpool and Dublin.

M/V St. Katharinen collided with M/V Orpheus Asia off the port of Singapore resulting in serious damage in the former.

63,180 dwt container ship M/V Unific, arrived in Tacoma, Washington from Asia having lost 20 containers overboard, and 67 additional containers collapsed.

Cargo ship M/V Hertford suffered machine blackout when running downstream on the Elbe. The ship tried to anchor but collided with buoy 76, causing the buoy to sink. Three tugs subsequently towed the ship into the Elbe port Brunsbuettel.

Bahamas flagged M/V Baltimar Boreas, with volatile ammonium nitrate, caught fire, disabling ship, after she departed Newcastle Port. The fire had been extinguished & tug had been sent to tow the ship back to Newcastle, where she was expected to arrive on Feb 9 evening. Ammonium nitrate is used as an explosive in mining operations, as a fertilizer and is the weapon of choice for terrorists. It was ammonium nitrate that was used during the Bali bombings. The ship had been heading for Port Moresby. Investigating officers had been sent to meet the ship on its return to Newcastle to establish the circumstances of the incident.

4,433-gt Aboitiz Transport System-operated ro-pax ferry M/V Our Lady of Medjugorje arrived safely back in Manila after a 2-day tow. Vessel departed Manila on Feb 8 with 935 passengers & crew on a regular voyage to Coron, in the N. of Palawan province. Five hours into the voyage, at a time of strong winds & heavy seas, the ship's engine stopped. The Philippine Coast Guard received the distress call early on Saturday and sent its search & rescue vessel M/V Pampanga, while Aboitiz dispatched another of its ferries, M/V Superferry 16, to assist in the evacuation of passengers. It took 20 hours for the ships to arrive alongside the Medjugorje, before both began the tow back to Manila. Arrival was delayed by a further 24 hours when M/V Superferry 16's tow rope snapped while passing Lubang Island in Mindoro, according to the Coast Guard. The incident prompted the Medjugorje to call for tug assistance.

Fishing vessel M/V Alaskan Pride became disabled with three people aboard in Taku Inlet, Alaska. Coast Guard HH-60 helicopter from Air Station Sitka responded, staying on scene until a 47 ft. boat from station Junaeu arrived and took the M/V Alaskan Pride in tow.

F/V Yukiyoshi Maru, 3 crew went missing in the Pacific 185KM SW of Cape Toi, Miyazaki Prefecture, rescued safe & sound Feb 12 after they were found drifting in a raft.

M/V Trans Fen -- from the Sietas Yard in Hamburg Neuenfelde, ran aground in the Baltic -- suffered bottom damage on the whole length of the hull. The ship proceeded to the Bredo Yard in Bremerhavven where actually 200 tons of steel have to be replaced.

Grounded oil rig A Turtle being towed out of Trypot Bay & scuttled on Feb. 10. At the first attempt the cable broke from the tug M/V De Hong and had to be reconnected, at the 2nd attempt she came loose, and was towed out of the bay at 6 p.m., towards the dumpsite approved by the Governor of St Helena. The position was reached at 0330, 11 of the salvage team remain onboard to keep the compressors running pumping air into the airbags fitted into the legs of the rig, all precautions were taken to ensure that the rig sank & salvage crew left the rig safety. At 2pm the salvage team were taken off after pulling the plugs. At 5.30 she went below the surface, 10.3 NM from the nearest shoreline of the island, and within Tristanian waters. Shortly after there was a loud noise that appear to be the busting of the airbags. The rig sunk in about 3,400m of water and virtually no debris of any kind surfaced from the rig, as the remaining diesel fuel had been pumped to the tug during the last week.

1,600 ton DWT M/V Sealark (built 1979), grounded Feb. 10, SvitzerWijsmuller Salvage succeeded to refloat in 1st attempt off Denmark on Feb. 13 -- grounded near the entrance to Randers in Denmark, some 30 miles north of Aarhus on 09/02. The 70 meter long vessel had 6 silo's on board as cargo for the UK.

Carnival Cruise Lines' M/V Fantasy -- returning to the Port of New Orleans, LA -- struck by a barge, 1 of 6 rice filled barges being pushed along the Mississippi River by M/V Repentance -- no reports of any injuries, but the 1990-built M/V Fantasy sustained a 30-foot gash in her hull about 5 feet above the water line on the port side, near the stern. Barge went out of control, 1st colliding with the river bank, then the cruise ship. Following the crash, ship continued on to the Erato Street Cruise Terminal. Carnival canceled the next scheduled cruise & repairs will be made at New Orleans. Cause of accident is under investigation. M/V Fantasy expected back in service Feb. 15th.

Bahama-flagged 798ft. oil M/T Kition, with 466,000 barrels of carbon black crude, collided with the Interstate-10 bridge at mile marker 229 along the Lower Mississippi River near the Port Allen Route.

F/V MRTK-0717, aground on NW coast of Shumshu island, Kuril islands, Okhotsk sea side. Listing 15 degrees starboard, no water ingress, no spill, sea-bottom sand, no injures. Crew 9, DWT 174 tonns, Port of Registry Nevelsk, Sakhalin, owner SK BSF. No immediate danger, F/V Kurilskaya Gryada rushing to scene.

Former ex-M/V King Harry Ferry -- broke free from its moorings during strong winds. The old car ferry slipped its moorings at Pendennis Shipyard in Falmouth and drifted 1.5 miles across the river mouth. She is now back in Falmouth Docks after a major operation to pull it off a beach near St Mawes. Early indications are that weather conditions were to blame. The new M/V King Harry Ferry was launched in April 2006 & made her 1st crossing of the River Fal from Feock, near Truro, a month later.

Roro-ferry M/V Mermaid II -- caught by strong winds Feb. 11 morning while berthing at the Skandinavienkai in Luebeck-Travemuende & pushed her against the pier. The ship was breached 0,4x0,5 m 3mt. above the waterline at the bow -- pier also suffered damage. The ship was not allowed to leave Luebeck until end of investigations. Scheduled departure for Riga at 10 a.m. had to be canceled.

97mt. River passenger cruise M/V Dresden -- owner by Peter Deilmann, Neustadt (built 1991 -- In collision with the Elbe bridges (Elbbrücken) in Hamburg & currently stuck fast. Ship was enroute to the Norderwerft (Norder Yard) in Hamburg without passengers.

Japanese whaler F/V Kaiko Maru -- sent up a distress signal in the Antarctic -- in collision with vessel of whale protection organization Sea Shepheard -- breached thereby in the stern. The ships colllided twice, and F/V Kaiko Maru radioed for help, but refused such from the Sea Shepherd ships.

Offshore patrol frigate M/V Hvidbjornen of the Royal Danish Navy collided with French trawler M/V Bruix. The M/V Hvidbjornen was attempting to arrest the M/V Bruix for illegal fishing in Faroese waters between Faroes and Shetland. The M/V Bruix refused to stop and managed to escape in UK waters.

13,000dwt South Korean Dae Ho Shipping owned M/V Zenith Light, Japan to Pohang with steel products, sank in heavy seas near the Japanese port of Nagoya. Japanese Coast Guard rescue patrol picked up 2 of the 11 crewmembers.

1,994gt. South Korean ship with 3,000 tons of steel plates was on its way to South Korea's SE port of Pohang when it disappeared 9 miles off Nagoya, Japan,  4 South Koreans, 5 Myanmarese & 2 Indonesians - are alive. Not known when vessel sank. Ship sent SOS radio message to its company in Busan, Daeho Maritime Shipping Co., at 3:20 p.m., shortly before she went missing, citing bad weather conditions. Japanese Maritime Safety Agency dispatched plane & three patrol boats to scene for search operations & discovered a life raft.

F/V Little Joe, with 5 crew, sank off the coast of Ventura County, Calif. U.S. Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach received a call for help just after midnight over VHF radio channel 16. Rescuers from U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles and Coast Guard Station Channel Islands Harbor responded. Vessel was equipped with a marine radio, GPS, and 406Mhz Electronic Positioning Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB), equipment that aided U.S. Coast Guard in locating the fishermen. Vessel was based out of Ventura, Calif. Cause of sinking under investigation.

145m. ferry M/V Mistral Express, grounded, off the Spanish enclave Melilla in Morocco -- breached numerous tanks, including one of the inner fuel tanks. SvitzerWijsmuller Salvage team, consisting of a salvage master, technicians, divers & naval architect, immediately set to work to prepare vessel to be refloated ahead of worsening weather conditions. Regaining buoyancy techniques were used to deal with breached tanks, oil transferred from the breached fuel tank to other tanks & general weight distribution on board of the casualty was adjusted to allow the vessel to be refloated. In close co-ordination with the Spanish Authorities 2 ETV's and a smaller tug were made available and a first controlled attempt was planned today during high water. Under command of the SvitzerWijsmuller salvage master & team the vessel subsequently at about 14.15 LT was refloated. She was to be brought outside of the port for stabilization purposes, where after it was planned to berth her alongside inside the port again.

36,452grt 1998-built container ship M/V Iris, China to Hong Kong to Thailand to S. Africa, suffered engine failure off of Singapore.

Korean fishing vessel M/V Bang Joo 7 ( Sea World 101) suffered leak of ammonia gas while at port in Montevideo, Uruguay, killing five crewmembers and causing 24 others to collapse. The ammonia gas was used for refrigeration.

8,000t. whale processing ship M/V Nisshin Maru, caught fire near Antarctica, leaving 1 crew missing & raising fears of environmental damage. Blaze on board prompted evacuation crew onto other ships. Cause of fire is still unknown, but New Zealand authorities said it had nothing to do with whaling protesters. The whaling fleet has been pursued by activists, protesting at plans to hunt 850 minke whales & 10 fin whales. In recent days, protesters from the Sea Shepherd environmental group have clashed with the whalers & thrown acid and other objects on the ships to try to stop them from carrying out their hunt. Alarm was sounded on board the M/V Nisshin Maru just before daybreak. About 120 members of its crew were evacuated to 3 other ships in the whaling fleet, while 40 sailors stayed on board to fight fire in the ship's engine room. One crew member reported missing, but it is not clear whether he was caught up in the flames or went overboard into the icy waters of the Ross Sea. New Zealand Conservation Minister Chris Carter said that while the safety of the whaling ship's crew was the top priority, "we are also gravely concerned about the environmental risk to Antarctica's pristine environment, if the ship is sufficiently damaged to begin leaking oil". New Zealand maritime authorities - whose country is responsible for search & rescue operations in the area - have ruled out any possibility that anti-whaling protestors had something to do with the fire. Instead they think the blaze caused by a mechanical fault.

26,530 dwt Cypriotic cargo M/V Golden Sky (IMO 8405773) aground close to Ventspils , Latvia in heavy seas and rough weather 1 km from sandy shore. Bunker barge Amethyst is actually pumping out fuel & oil sludge from M/V Golden Sky. Vessel is still fully loaded with its cargo of 25,000 tons fertilizers bound from Ventspils to India.

At least two crewmen from Myanmar were killed when a South Korean cargo ship sank in bad weather off the Japanese coast, officials said yesterday. Another crew member was in critical condition while six others were still missing, officials said.
The Zenith Light, which had 11 crew on board, issued a distress signal on Wednesday and later sank 23 km off the coast, a Japan Coast Guard official said. The coast guard recovered the bodies of two men from Myanmar aged 27 and 31. Another sailor, whose nationality was not immediately clear, was rescued at sea yesterday but was in a critical condition, the official said.
The crew included four South Koreans, five Myanmar nationals and two Indonesians.
'We believe the foundering was due to bad weather in the region,' the official said. The 2,016-tonne cargo vessel was on its way to South Korea's port of Pohang.

German inland M/T Piz Sedley, ran aground between Wentdorf & Mueggendorf on the Elbe. She was coming from Magdeburg where it had discharged a cargo of oil. All attempts to get her free with own power failed. On Feb 17 a pusher tug in vain tried to refloat. Morning of Feb 18 the pusher M/V Jan from Tangermuende came & stabilized M/T Piz Sedley first to avoid that its propeller would be damaged. With the 2nd attempt vessel then refloated. Elbe traffic not influenced by the grounding.

1621dwt. bunker tanker M/T Prometey (1975 built, IMO 8927814, ship manager Transbunker-Novo Co. Ltd) ran aground while operating on Novorossiysk anchorage, no spill, no injures. Tanker loaded with 427 tons of diesel oil & 947 tons of fuel oil. Feb. 18 salvage under way, decided to partially unload tanker.

3101-TEU-container M/V SA Helderberg in collision at 05.14 hrs LT. with 77,356 dwt Singapore-registered M/T Ocean Sapphire, off coast of Singapore, surveyed by divers after the incident. No damage was sustained to any of the cargo onboard the ship. M/V SA Helderberg sustained some damage on her starboard side with water inflow, but this was brought under control & pump was being used to discharge ingress. A SvitzerWijsmuller tug is alongside vessel and has lifted additional salvage pumps & power pack on board as a precaution. Some oil has leaked from M/V SA Helderberg's fuel tanks into the sea. Malaysian Marine authorities boarded the vessel on 18 Feb., and the following evening to check progress.

Tank barge Miss Sandy, carrying 50 metric tonnes of crude oil, exploded off Venice, Louisiana, at the entrance to the waterway to New Orleans on Feb. 17. One crew member was killed and another was air-lifted to a local hospital.

Oil tanker M/V Prometheus, carrying 1,400 tons of diesel and heating oil, ran aground Feb. 17 near the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk as a result of navigational error. The ship was towed into Novorossiysk without spill.

Aberdeen-registered fishing vessel M/V Margaret Jane suffered crew overboard approximately 60 miles north of Peterhead, Scotland. A helicopter from a nearby rig and 11 boats in the area searched for the man, who was found approximately 50 minues after going overboard. The rescued crewmember died at the infirmary.

67m inland water craft M/V Albatros, Brunsbuettel to Freiburg, caught fire on the Elbe close to Wischhafen, buoy 77. Firefighters used 3 ships to extinguish the flames, which required four hours. One crew member and one firefighter injured.

6,000 tonne Dutch M/V Ostedijk, enroute to Valencia, suffered fire, releasing toxic gas from its load of fertilzer off the northwest coast of Spain. Vessel is being towed away from inhabited coastal areas.

6,114 grt 2005-built cargo vessel M/V Eren C, Mariupol to Karabiga, reported engine failure in the Bosporus. Vessel is anchored in Beykoz Bay, north of Istanbul.

22ft. F/V Rufo stranded on Cayo Diablo, Puerto Rico due to bad weather conditions, rescued by U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen

French barge Shema IX ran aground in Théoule-sur-Mer, Provence-Alpes-Côte, on the breakwater while trying to pull it round. Some hours later only the fenders were showing as the ship sank bow first on the rocky ground.

Cargo vessel M/V Heimdal suffered engine failure on Feb. 18 shortly after departing Kotka for Kemi, Finland. The vessel was towed back to Kotka by tug M/V Viikari.

79m inland water craft M/V Labe 10, carrying a load of soy, suffered 30cm gash in its hull and became in danger of sinking close to Hamburg-Wilhemsburg on the Elbe. Fire fighters prevented the vessel from sinking with additional pumps and patched the leak. Vessel was taken to a yard in Hamburg.

1421t. German 80mt. inland M/V Elbe (homeport Buxtehude) -- caught fire shortly after having entered the East basin of the Elbe harbor Brunsbuettel -- was to take a cargo of copper ore for the "Norddeutsche Affinerie" in Hamburg. When berthing a short circuit in bow thruster room led to a fire accompanied by dense fume so that the bow thruster could not be stopped. Capt. informed the Harbor Master about the mishap -- who informed 9 men of the fire brigade of Brunsbuettel who were just 300 m away on the 5,00T coal freighter M/V SA Konnet for training. Soon they had reached M/V Elbe. Fire brigade of the Bayer Works came with further 12 men as well as the tugs M/V Bugsier 11 & M/V Parat, both fitted out with fire fighting equipment. Fire brigade Itzehoe sent divers to the scene. Fire fighters shuttled to M/V Elbe which was lying 10 metres away from the quay. Fire was under control & completely extinguished at 10 p.m.

Russian F/V Pashkovskiy (dwt 87 tonns, L/B 30/7 meters, crew 13, owner Salmo Co., port of registry Petropavlovsk, Russia flagged) at Okhotsk Sea, at 13.00 LT Feb. 19 during hauling propeller tangled in net, vessel adrift, dropped both anchors in 53.01N 155.53 E, later wind strengthened to 30m/sec NW, vessel drifting on both anchors to shore at 1.5 knots, distance to shore 10 nm. Same-type vessels close-by can't help due to their specifications. Icing. By 24.00 Feb. 20 wind calmed down to 12-15 /sec, swell 1.5-2 meters, drifting stopped, 6.5 miles to shore. Salvage tug M/V Predanny steaming to scene, ETA Feb. 22.

Taiwanese F/V Jin Long Tong 33 -- engulfed in flames, 640 miles E-NE of Guam, according to U.S. Coast Guard - vessel caught fire early Feb 18 & crew of at least 11 sailors forced to evacuate the ship into life rafts. Everything after the forward bow has been consumed by flames. U.S. Navy aircraft expected to circle above the ship to keep watch over the crew through the night & until they can be picked up by a merchant M/V Vioc Rose.

44ft. P/Y Sure Fire, with 2 aboard, hit S. jetty of Charleston Harbor entrance at 6:30 p.m. traveling from Beaufort, S.C, vessel began to take on water. Rescue coordinators at U.S. Cost Guard Sector Charleston launched rescue boat from Station Charleston & rescue helicopter from Air Facility Charleston to assist the couple. The two were brought back to Sector Charleston & arranging for commercial salvage for their vessel.

1,1935gt. Norway flagged M/T Sten Nordic (IMO 9351567) in collision with Netherlands flagged 5,602gt. dry cargo M/V Zillertal (IMO 8918734). Both vessels sailing from S.Petersburg to Rotterdam, M/T Sten Nordic loaded with 13,500 tons gasoline, M/V Zillertal loaded with 6,489 tons of steel. Preliminary report no spill, no injured. Both vessel under i/b Kapitan Sorokin ice-channelling, diverted to Tallinn port for damage inspection, ETA 12.00 msc February 20.

M/V Ostedijk - afire - Spanish Emergency Response Authorities has brought the situation on board under control in co-operation with SvitzerWijsmuller Salvage B.V. Cargo has been treated in the core of the hot-spots with special injection pipes to prevent excess free water in holds as much as possible. Plans are set into motion in conjunction with the ship-owners to        restart the normal ships' systems & deliver the cargo to a destination. SvitzerWijsmuller Salvage B.V. in co-operation with the casualty's owners have succeeded in bringing the situation on board M/V Ostedijk under control. Vessel brought back in an autonomous condition, weighed anchor & departed Feb 28. Vessel had a SvitzerWijsmuller Salvage expert team & specific salvage equipment on board for contingency purposes & escorted by salvage/fire fighting tug M/V Svitzer Leixoes. M/V Ostedijk reached Bilbao Mar 1 at 11 a.m. & redelivered to her owners.

660t. German Navy minesweeper Grömitz refloated by 2974t. French anchor chaser M/V Bourbon Dolphin after 3 attempts of smaller tugs had failed, at 4.51 p.m. with the rising flood. M/V Bourbon Dolphin pulled the Grömitz with the power of its 16,300 hp into deep water. Then she was escorted to Hakonsvaern for inspections.

Norwegian coastal-express M/V Nordstjernen -- in trouble in the night, as engines stopped & she drifted towards land. She also had a slight touch with the seabottom off Værlandet. Luckily there were already tugs in the area to assist the German Navy minesweeper Grömitz that went aground the night before. M/V Nordstjernen towed to Florø for further inspections.

87-foot trawler F/V Lady Helen with 100,000 pounds of croaker -- struck bottom in Oregon Inlet, a waterway known for its quick currents & ever-shifting shoals -- loses cargo worth US$20,000.

6555 gt. Netherlands general cargo M/V Jumbo Challenger (built 1983) in the port of Los Angeles conducting offload operations -- one of the vessel's 2 cranes gave way & dropped the top portion of a 638 metric ton petroleum reactor onto the pier. The reactor, which is used in the oil refining process, was destined for the BP Oil Refinery in Carson, Calif. The vessel sustained damage to her hull & crane and will require repairs prior to departing Los Angeles. No injuries. U.S. Coast Guard, Los Angeles Port Police, Los Angeles Fire Dept. responded & working with cargo facility and vessel's representatives to safely move the heavy cargo. Cause of accident under investigation.

Sunken former Soviet Whiskey-class submarine U 194 was found by the Swedish wreck research vessel M/V Havkatten at a depth of 75m off the Danish coast. Sonar pictures proved that it was the missing ship which foundered while being towed from Polonia. The Danish inspection vessel Poul Lowenoern marked the wreck position with a buoy.

18.5mt. Dutch F/V Hoop op Zegen got a net entangled in her propeller & drifting off Frisian coast 20 miles W. of Sylt in the night of Feb 23 while winds were up to 10 Bf -- rescue boat M/V Vormann Jantzen rescued crew & towed the ship into the Danish port Havneby within 9 hours.

M/V SA Helderberg in collision with M/V Ocean Sapphire requires dry docking. M/V SA Helderberg commenced her voyage in South Africa and it is likely that she was carrying cargo from this country and this will in all likelihood be discharged once the vessel reaches Singapore. Safmarine is believed to have already made arrangements for a replacement vessel to take her place on the Safari II service between the Far East & South Africa.

Slovakian reefer M/V Novaya Zemlya (IMO No: 8514796 - homeport Bratislava) damaged when being "sandwiched" between M/V Kapitan Buga & M/V Morskoy Priboy in Port of Kollafjørur. Accident caused by strong NE winds.

90ft. Norwegian F/V Lifjell, in danger of sinking after ingress of water at 8 p.m. Crew alarmed police in Ibestad, where ship was berthed at Breivoll quay, ship had problems with its vents, situation could be brought under control.

German F/V Cap Arcona - SD 8 (homeport Friedrichskoog) sank on 1.40 a.m. after having caught fire the evening before 12 miles W. of Hoernum, Sylt, when the electricity of the 21mt. ship failed on Feb 25, 8.45 p.m. Capt. went to engine room to check & encountered flames & dense fumes. F/V Cap Arcona had departed Buesum Feb 25 & intended to stay on sea until Mar 1. All crew rescued by F/V Liekedeeler.

German hotel ship M/V Böttcher in collision with a pile of the Marienbridge in Dresden. Ship was underway from a yard in Dresden-Laubegast into the harbor towed by 2 tugs. When hitting the bridge the upper superstructure of the ship was damaged. Whether strong winds or faults of the tugs led to the collision still being investigated as well as amount of damage.

85mt. Estonian cargo M/V Kurske in collision with 195mt. container M/V MSC Bulgaria in Hamburg. M/V Kurske hit M/V MSC Bulgaria which was already berthed, while berthing manoevres. M/V MSC Bulgaria suffered a gash of 2mt. length in hull. Also the superstructure of M/V Kurske damaged. No injuries. Both ships were not allowed to leave port. Investigations were started by the police using VHF traffic & radar pictures.

M/V Repubblica di Venecia involved in a collision in the morning. The ship was in collision with the bulkcarrier M/V New Venturer 1 in the Northsea Canal between Amsterdam and Ijmuiden. M/V New Venturer 1 suffered serious bow damage, and M/V Repubblica de Venecia a large crack in the hull on one of her upper car decks. Possibly M/V Repubblica di Venecia had suffered engine failure before.

GRIMALDI Lines’ 1988-built, 42,567 gt ro-ro Repubblica di Genova capsized in the Verrebroekdok at Antwerp yesterday morning (11/3 2007). It is not known why the vessel suddenly took a list and then sank, lying partially submerged on its side. There were no injuries and the crew all disembarked safely.The company says it started an internal inquiry into the incident to the Italian-flag ship. It was about to sail for Luanda with a cargo including cars and containers. There has been no pollution but a boom has been deployed.

1305 LT in position 18:27.4N 038:17.8E, Red Sea. Pirates in a wooden boat armed with AK-47s approached a research ship underway conducting surveying operations and  fired upon the ship.  A Sudanese navy vessel  came to its assistance and  detained the pirates. After 20 minutes the pirates were released. No injuries to crew.

Russian cargo M/V Glorius sank yacht S/Y Habit in the Bosporus. Ship had a steering failure & drifted helpless towards Bebek, a part of Istanbul. 40 metres off the coast the ship which carried a cargo of wheat hit the yacht which was anchoring there. Tugs were sent by the Turkish authorities to tow M/V Glorius to a safe anchorage.

Cambodian flag dry cargo M/V Sinara, Japan for Vladivostok with 78 automobiles & 10 Russian passengers, suffered fire 30 miles off Vladivostok but has moored at the Vladivostok sea port. Border guards were 1st to go aboard to observe the necessary formalities despite the fire. 20 fire-fighting brigades on standby at the mooring berth. No flames seen on deck. Crew continues to perform their duties, rescuers said. The fire started in one of the ship's holds when the ship was 30 miles off Vladivostok. Rescue M/V Topaz & M/V Yuri Orlenko sent to the rescue of the ship on fire, came close to ship on way to Vladivostok. By 14:30 Moscow time on March 13 fire extinguished at Berth #15. 8 cars in hold destroyed, no injures, no spill. Salvage vessel M/V Orlenko left scene, another salvage vessel M/V Topaz, left standing by till March 14, daylight. March 14 port authorities started investigation.

6,361tn. cargo M/V Winona, homeport St. Johns, towed into port of Terneuzen with considerable collision damage to her starboard side in stern region. Vessel hit in the North Sea by a trawler -- incident happened in spite of some course alterings of both ships. Stern of M/V Winona which has a length of 132.2 mt. suffered gash of 6 mt. length & more damage. Ship meanwhile berthed in Antwerp where cargo bound from Klaipeda is discharged.

3,000ton cargo M/V Daina detained in Brunsbuettel as the Capt. had 2,09 pormille alcohol, some other of the crew even more -- will be fined

Russian 970dwt trawler F/V Mys Levenorna (built 1994) with 55 crew, propeller entangled in own net, adrift in Okhotsk Sea, 15.30 LT Okhotsk sea in 54.56 N 150.42 E. Port of registry Nevelsk (Sakhalin), owner Sakhalinrybaksoyuz Co. Vessel adrift in a group of other fishing vessels, ocean trawler F/V Ostrov Sakhalina coordinating salvage. Salvage vessel F/V Predanny dispatched to scene, steaming from Russkaya Bay (near Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy), ETA March 18, 19.00 LT. No injures, no spill, no immediate danger. Weather: light wind, ice cakes 7.

Bahamas-flagged Wilson Lines cargo M/V Salmo with 9 crew, aground off Hvaler, Norway night of Mar 16 a pilot was on board. No injuries & no leaks.

260 ft-cargo M/V Korimu became another artificial reef off the coast of Palm Beach County after the county's Dept. of Environmental Resources Management sank it stern first 3 miles NE of the Lake Worth Inlet. The ship was stripped of pollutants or toxins so it could be used for reefing, then towed north from the Miami River. Originally named "Celtic Crusader", the freighter was built in the Netherlands in 1970. In the 1980s it was owned by Miami-based Bernuth Shipping Lines and used to move goods between the Caribbean & Central America. The derelict ship joined 2 others previously sunk at the site, more than 200 feet deep. It is easily accessible for boaters & divers.

Swedish tug M/V Bohus (built in Åmål, Sweden in 1974) with 4 crew, grounded outside Käringön on the Swedish west coast. Crew rescued, but salvage is not possible becaus of bad weather. M/V Bohus operated by Röda Bolaget (owned by Switzer).

52,191gt. Chinese container M/V MSC Sweden (IMO No: 0086182, built 1989) needed the assistance of the Spanish tug M/V VB Sonador in Valencia. The bow anchor on port side had twisted in the hawse-pipe & was caught there. Tug came to assist & helped to remove it.

Cosco Shenzhen-operated bulker M/V Peng Yan in collision in China's Zhoushan archipelago in the Yangtze river-mouth with Tianjin Tianhui Shipping operated bulker M/V Hui Rong and sank within 15 minutes of the collision with 9 drowned & 8 missing. 12 seafarers picked up, including 1 who had been in the water for 6 hours. These men are reported to be in a stable condition at hospitals in Shanghai. Zhejiang Maritime Safety Bureau has attributed collision to combination of heavy traffic, strong winds & fog. The archipelago lies in the Yangtze river-mouth, close to several busy ports, in the middle of N-S routes and is one of China's major fishing grounds. A day after the collision, a fishing boat collided & sank, but its crew of 12 rescued.

Passenger ferry M/V American Pride, with 17 passengers & 3 crew, grounded on Triangle Reef, just off the Charlotte Amalie, Saint Thomas Harbor, U.S. Virgin Islands. All rescued from M/V Sea Tow, Saint Thomas, in the March 20 morning, no injuries. Vessel had just departed the Saint Thomas Harbor for Tortola, British Virgin Islands when she ran aground. U.S. Coast Guard was 1st notified about the grounding by a 911 operator. Portside fuel tank of M/V American Pride had ruptured & 350 gallons of diesel fuel released into the water, starboard tank of vessel remains intact & is currently holding another 350 gallons of diesel fuel. Extent of the damage to the vessel's hull and to the coral reef will not be known until the vessel is refloated and a more comprehensive ocean-bottom survey is conducted. Owner of M/V American Pride hired Titan Marine Salvage to free vessel from Triangle Reef & mitigate damage to coral reef.

Cargo M/V Thea Marieke entered the Brunsbuettel locks with an anchor chain hanging down from the bow & could continue her voyage to Szczecin in Poland. In the lock divers found an anchor chain of an Elbe buoy & rope in the ship`s own anchor chain which had caught while anchoring on Brunsbuettel roads waiting for the canal passage. A crane of M/V Wasser-and Schifffahrtsamt was called to get the chain out of the water in joint action with divers & ship`s crew.

Eletson Corp's 46,538-dwt Greek-flagged products carrier M/T Samothraki (built 1989), with 44,100 metric tons of fuel oil loaded in Libya, touched bottom off the Port of Gibraltar as ship was embarking crew off the Port of Gibraltar, ship has sustained damage to her #1, #2 & #4 starboard water ballast tanks, together with an ingress of water. No pollution or injuries.

Tug M/V Aegean Pelagos arrived in Algericas bay. She towed in a large crane called ITALIA. The crane will be used in the next couple of weeks to lift off the reefer M/V Sierra Nava which went aground in Algeciras.

1,293-gt Cambodia flagged M/V Zhong Sheng (built 1979) suffered fire to her cargo of scrap metal in the port of Kisarazu, Chiba in the morning. All 11 Chinese crew members escaped unharmed from the blaze. Firefighters and a patrol boat were called to the scene of a burning general cargo ship in the E. Japanese port.

485-foot cargo M/V Tong Cheng has been repaired & departed Barbers Point-Kalaeloa Harbor en route China. Repairs were made to crack in the vessel's hull and the repair was certified by the vessel's Classification Society. U.S. Coast Guard marine inspectors conducted consistent oversight of the repairs. All cargo & debris was reloaded for the vessel's return to China. The vessel entered Barbers Point-Kalaeloa Jan. 26 2007 after suffering damage to hull in heavy weather in late Dec. 2006.

Cargo M/V Thea Marieke slid over the lock rails of the old Brunsbuettel locks with both anchor chains & anchors when entering in the evening. Divers were to investigate the damage caused under water. Ship was detained.

5,000t cargo M/V Silver hit the wall of the lock of Brunsbuettel when entering. The ship had before berthed at the oil bunker station in Brunsbuettel with a list to starboard.

Two cargo ships collided in the East China Sea, killing at least 8 people, 12 sailors were rescued while another 9 still missing from the weekend collision, which sank one of the ships, Xinhua News Agency said, 8 bodies recovered. Collision occurred off Zhejiang province between cargo ship from China & Hong Kong-registered vessel. Hong Kong ship, with 29 crew, sank immediately. Emergency crew have found eight bodies of the 29 sailors, collision occurred 11 p.m. on the sea near Langgang islands, NE of Zhoushan Island, Zhejiang Province. Hong Kong registered M/V Huirong sank immediately & its 29 sailors on board were marooned on the sea. The other ship M/V Pengyan was from Shenzhen Ocean Shipping Co., Ltd. More than 40 vessels and 3 helicopters from the East China Sea Fleet, East China Sea Rescue Bureau, & local maritime safety authorities in Zhejiang have joined the rescue efforts.

Cargo M/V Hannelore in collision with mole 3 of the old Brunsbuettel lock when entering. Possible damage is still to be assessed.

5,000t cargo M/V Walsertal had rudder failure after engine failure in the Kiel Canal at Breiholz & came to rest perpendicular to the traffic. The ship could free itself & proceeded with slow speed to the passing point Breiholz where it was berthed at the pilings with assistance of the tug M/V Bugsier 14 which at that time escorted the roro M/V Timca. The passing shipping was slowed down until M/V Walsertal was safely berthed.

4,000-ton M.V Unicorn Ace, Malaysia for Taiwan with with lumber products, suddenly met with bad weather in the South China Sea and sank within 30 minutes. It was night when the ship went down & some of the 19 crew depended on one rubber life boat, as another of the only 2 life boats had been torn apart by falling lumber, some of the crew never made it to the life boat. Eleven crew rescued by M/V Prabhu Yukika, an Indian bulk ship which was passing the site 6 hours after the disaster took place. Crew on the Indian ship saw the click of a red light on the life boat & arrived immediately to save 11 people who were one the brink of drowning & being frozen to death, 2 other crew members rescued by another ship, which also found a dead body, while 5 remain missing.

Swiss passenger M/V Ravek ran aground at 06.42 a.m. on rocks on the Rhine River at Duisburg Rheinhausen with 107 passengers & 37 crew. Ship stuck fast at River-Km #777. The Belgian inland container M/V Richardus started rescue efforts & succeeded in 2nd attempt to get M/V Ravek free at 08.27 a.m. During salvage attempt the Rhine traffic was temporarily stopped, 10 ships had to wait. Police Duisburg started investigations regarding the cause of the grounding on the krib. M/V Ravek was underway from Amsterdam to Basel and sustained no damage in the grounding. No persons were injured.

Greek cargo M/V Ice Queen in the foremidday hours collided with pilings of the new lock in Brunsbuettel. For investigation of the damage the ship had to remain in the lock.

Container M/V Kobe Express outbound from Bayonne, N.J. enroute its next foreign port of call lost propulsion and ran aground in a rocky area near Swinburn Island outside of the Ambrose Channel. M/V Kobe Express used emergency maneuvers & anchors attempting to regain control of the vessel after losing propulsion. A Sandy Hook Pilot was onboard the vessel. 4 tugboats arrived on scene to keep the ship stable while she awaited the rising tide. A Captain of the Port Order was issued for the ship to proceed to anchorage to undergo hull inspection & U.S. Coast Guard assets will continue to monitor the situation.

Greek flagged M/T Samothraki ran aground off Europa Point in Gibraltar, ship has taken a list but no oil spill has been observed. It was then surrrounded by the locally based tugs M/V Mumbles, M/V Sun, M/V Swale & M/V Egerton & the local MoD tug M/V Capable.

Maltese flag 9,963GT. Ro-Ro cargo M/V Humber Way, with mixed cargo, 20 crew & 3 cadets, from Belgium to Immingham when its cargo shifted in gale force winds, developed a 12- 15 degree list in gale force weather off Spurn Point, East Yorkshire, which later increased to 20- 25 degrees. Humber Coastguard initially received the call from VTS Humber & contacted vessel directly. Humber Coastguard broadcasted a Pan Pan (urgency) call informing vessels in the area of the situation. M/V Humber Way began listing after its cargo of lorries & trailers slipped in heavy seas 20 miles (32km) off Spurn Point on the East Yorkshire coast. M/V Humber Way meanwhile completed a difficult turning maneuver & headed for the Humber. By 2000 GMT, she was 12 miles off the Humber estuary & listing at about 15 degrees, correcting from the earlier 25 degree list.

A team of SMIT Salvage re-floated in Callao (Peru) the forward section of the sunken 23,701 DWT bulk carrier M/V Twin Star, with rolled steel coil, out of mud from a depth of 27 meters. Ship had sunk on Jan 27, 2006, after in very heavy fog was, after collision with, Cypriot M/V Pintail. M/V Twin Star sustained severe damage on her starboard side and, as a consequence, began to sink slowly, until only her antenna jutted out above water. Some of her fuel oil tanks were ruptured, causing a minor leakage of oil. SMIT was contracted to remove the remaining bunker & fuel oil.

German Navy U-boat ex-U-18 faced problems when trying to enter the New Lock of the Kiel Canal, on the Elbe River at Brunsbüttel, attempt to get a pilot had to be cancelled due to stormy weather. Short time later ship suffered engine failure & rope got entangled in her propeller. Tug M/V Bugsier 12 towed the ship to the South Quay in Brunsbüttel where it was berthed & propeller cleared. Then ex-U-18 could continued her voyage towards Kiel.

5,014-gt cargo M/V Unicorn Ace (built 1998) sank 80 miles off Currimao Point, Luzon in the north of the country. 13 crew, Chinese & Taiwanese rescued by a passing vessel. 5 are still missing. Major search & rescue operation underway involving country's coast guard & authorities in Hong Kong. Not yet known what caused the vessel to sink though it did send out an automatic distress signal early morning of Mar 21 which was picked up by the Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Center. Spotter planes have been dispatched from Hong Kong which a Philippines Coast Guard helicopter and the Philippines navy are also involved in the search effort. Wisdom Marine Lines of Taiwan are managers of the vessel which is NK classed and has P&I cover with Britannia Steamship. 8501 DWT. built Miura Shipbuilding Co., Ltd.; Saiki (Japan); yard no. 1206. Ex-Asian Rainbow 1998-0,1 ex-Million Star 2001, ex- Unicorn NO.5 2001-05, ex-Union Ace 2005-06, Unicorn Ace 2006.

Oil drilling jack-up rig Dolphin III was run aground in the morning to prevent it from sinking 1 mile offshore & 6 miles S. of the Port Aransas jetties. Tug M/V Vinton Crosby towing -- radioed watchstanders at U.S. Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi at 3 a.m. this morning reporting the jack-up rig, which they were towing, was listing to one side and in danger of sinking or capsizing. At 6 a.m. tug crew was able to get the rig into shallow water.Dolphin III is owned by Nabors Int'l out of Houston, Texas.

80 FT. S/V Dennis Sullivan suffered puncture to its hull while rescuing 3 fishermen off the coast of Islamorada, Fla., in Florida Keys in night of Mar 22. S/V Dennis Sullivan was en route to Key West, Fla., with 29 high school students on board from Riviera Beach Maritime Academy webfeature, when students saw 3 red flares in their vicinity. The students on S/V Dennis Sullivan located the 3 fishermen near their partially submerged vessel at about 12:06 this morning & quickly brought them on board S/V Dennis Sullivan. While conducting the operation S/V Dennis Sullivan struck fisherman's submerged vessel, causing puncture to S/V Dennis Sullivan 's hull. 110ft. U.S. Coast Guard Cutter USCGC Knight Island sheaparding all to port.

LT dry cargo M/V Aliotwhile in collision in Taganrog, Azov sea with oil recovery M/V Sborschik-348, berthed at berth 4, Taganrog port, Azov sea.

Swedish bunker vessel M/V Pallas ran aground between Hönö & Grötö in Göteborgs archipelago. Swedish Coast Guard sent its units KBV 050 & KBV 288 In the afternoon the ship was refloated and taken into harbor. Coastguard divers here inspected the shìp`s bottom for damage.

Cargo M/V Cemvale, with cement, collided with bitts at the cement loading quay in Brunsbuettel when berthing, suffered a large hole in bow above water. Tug M/V Bugsier 11 towed herto the South Quay in Brunsbuettel where repairs are to be carried out.

6,00ton container M/V RBD Alexa suffered a failure of its bowthruster when entering the North basin of the New Lock in Brunsbuettel. Due to the strong East wind ship had to undertake an emergence anchoring which at least prevented it from a more serious collision.

14,919gt. Color Line ferry M/V Peter Wessel suffered fire & was slowly heading towards Frederikshavn on Mar 23 due to a lack of capable towing capacity & expected there in the foremidday hours. Ship will probably be repaired at Ørskov Yard & rejoin service to Larvik on Mar 30. One crew member was evacuated by helicopter after smoke inhalaltion & flown to Alborg for medical treatment. At 10.45 a.m. Mar 23 M/V Peter Wessel was towed into Frederikshavn by the tug M/V Svava assisted by M/V Oden & M/V Freja. Color Line ferry M/V Peter Wessel finally came into port in Frederikshavn at 11:00 a.m. Mar 23 after an unusually long voyage from Larvik. The 357 passengers on board have been wined and dined by Color Line (most of them are Norwegians on a day-trip).

Sydney Ferries 100-gt 393-passenger ferry M/V Sirius (built 1984), with 100 passengers ploughed into whale-watching vessel in Darling Harbour before hitting Pyrmont Bridge -- suffered technical fault & unable to stop as she headed towards a Darling Harbour wharf to berth. The whale-watching cruiseship, which was moored at the nearby Aquarium Wharf, received minor damage when it was struck by the ferry.

Unidentified ferry, capsized in a river south of Yangon as she tried to steer away from a whirlpool at convergence of the Kunchyankone & Toe rivers in Myanmar, 60km (35 miles) S. of Yangon. The ship was carrying about 70 passengers, of which 42 had been rescued. Rescue teams continued to search for survivors. At least 16 people were killed and another 12 missing.

Russian cargo M/V Volgo Balt 209, with 2,960 tons coal from Russia, grounded on Scharhoern reef in the night and had the Weser pilot on board. First ship on scene was DGzRS-rescue boat Hermann Helms from Cuxhaven, Germany. Tugs M/V Taucher Otto Wulf 3 from Cuxhaven & M/V Parat from Brunsbuettel reached the ship, but tide too low for refloating the ship. M/V Volgo Balt 209 finally refloated & towed to Cuxhaven with 9,5 degrees list to port. 2 of 3 ballast water tanks breached when grounding. Ship then berthed in the Amerikahafen (America Harbor) in Cuxhaven. Divers from the company Kirchgaessner surveyed the vessel on Mar 24. and found hull damaged on a length of 30mt. with dents & breaches. Both propellers are seriously damaged & will have to be replaced. Cargo of M/V Volgo Balt 209 was transferred to M/V Volgo Balt 210 in the America harbor of Cuxhaven during the recent days. Transfer had started 1 week ago & lasted on Apr 26. M/V Volgo Balt 210 was still alongside its sister ship on Apr 26. There is still no clarity of the further proceedings of M/V Volgo Balt 209 as she is not allowed to move to a yard via open sea due to leaks in ballast tanks.

Bulk M/V Angela, damaged previously in collision with M/V Theareston off Richards Bay, docked in Durban.

62 ft. commercial F/V Emerald Sea aground on sandbar near 36th Street of Newport Beach, CA, pulled off. Preliminary reports point to navigational error.

Brand new cargo M/V Marc André, in collision with an opened bridge on the way from its building yard in Kampen to Harlingen on the Rijkswaterstaat. The ship had been caught by a sudden strong wind -- concrete structure of the bridge damaged. The bridge belongs to the locks of Kornwerderzand. Traffic over the bridge had to be led over the North bridge. The repair of the bridge is estimated to last some weeks. M/V Marc André returned to the building yard in Kampen for repairs.

New Orleans Canal Street ferry M/V Thomas Jefferson in collision with a dock, while approaching east bank moorings M/V Thomas Jefferson experienced power loss causing her to collide with the dock. Three passengers treated for minor injuries by local EMS. The ferry was taken out of service pending repairs.

Japanese whaling F/V Nisshin Maru caught fire and was stranded near the Antarctic coast & returned to port Mar 23 with a haul of 508 whales after cutting short her trip. Fire aboard F/V Nisshin Maru, the 8000-ton flagship of Japan's whaling fleet, in Feb. left hercrippled & raised fears that oil or chemicals could spill into the Southern Ocean, close to the world's biggest Adelie penguin breeding colony. This was the first time in 20 years that Japan was forced to shorten its Antarctic whaling expedition, and its fleet took 505 minke whales and three fin whales instead of a planned 850 minkes and 10 fin whales. Japan began what it calls "scientific research whaling" after commercial whaling was banned. The meat from the whales it catches ends up on supermarket shelves and restaurant tables, although it is far from a daily menu choice for most Japanese.

1757gt. dry cargo M/V Beka I (built 1968, Cambodia flag) & 2,457gt. M/V Phoenix (built 1972, Comorros flag), in ballast, drifted aground & thrown against each other during storm in Black sea 23-24 March 2007, Karolino Bugaz beach, Ukraine. Poor weather conditions have prevented tug boats from attempting to re-float the vessels.

ro/ro M/V MN Pelican (ex-Trans Bothnia) collided with new Northern lock of the Kiel Canal thereby damaging metal installations of a building site within. The ship was on the way from Lübeck to France. The damage is being investigated.

Timber carrier M/V Pavel Korchagin in collision with steel pontoon of floating movable crossing in timber mill #23 area in Arkhangelsk, Russia. No injures, no spill, vessel undamaged, but channel closed.

46,700-dwt M/T Serifopoulo (built 1995) will receive the cargo of 44,100 metric tons of fuel oil at Gibraltar from the 46,500-dwt M/T Samothraki (built 1989) which suffered ballast tank damage when she touched bottom. Temporary repairs have now been carried out on 2 of 3 damaged tanks with the 3rd not requiring immediate attention. The vessel's list has been corrected through a partial transfer of cargo onboard. Lightering is due to begin on 29 March & expected to take 3 days. A statement from Greek company reiterated that there was no pollution as a result of the incident which happened as the ship was embarking crew off the Port of Gibraltar. The Hanjin-built ship subsequently moved under its own power to a safe anchorage inside Gibraltar Bay.

Danish Scandlines ferry M/V Tycho Brahe suffered smoke development in engine room on Mar 25 at 1 p.m. in Helsingborg, ship drifted for 1 hour in the harbor of Helsingborg until she was brought under control & berthed by tug M/V Henry Dunker & and tug. Inciedent was caused by short circuit in the electrical system. After berthing, unclear whether the ship could open its gates for the 259 passengers & 43 crew, but at 4.40 p.m. she boarded.

93-foot catamaran P/Y Anzhela Explorer, with 3 crew, began sinking a half- mile off Hollywood Beach, Fla., vessels crew unable to deploy life raft & were clinging to the bow of the vessel as U.S Coast Guard assets arrived on scene. Rescued by U.S. Coast Guard Station Fort Lauderdale

4,400 dwt Cyprus-flagged cargo M/V Skarpoe (built 2005) Port of Bruegge for port of Parnu in Estonia to pick up cargo of peat moss, ran aground off Bornholm. 1st Officer has been arrested on suspicion of being drunk -- man was released later pending further investigations having given a blood sample to Danish police. If 1st Officer found over the legal blood-alcohol limit while operating M/V Skarpoe he may face criminal charges. On Mar 27 a spokesperson for company said that, although it was too early to say what could have caused the vessel to ground, weather conditions at the time were "not bad". Incident occurred close to a stretch of The Baltic Sea where it is strongly recommended, though not compulsory, to use pilot assistance. There were no injuries amongst the ship's crew of 8 and no pollution has been reported, though it is unclear if the ship, which was in ballast at the time, has sustained any damage. Refloated on 05.53 a.m. on Mar 28. After having been surveyed by divers ship allowed to proceed to Litva for repairs.

U.S. F/V Luke & Jodi sank in Frenchman's Bay, Maine, near Egg Rock,11:30 p.m. Crew rescued by U.S. Coast Guard Sector Northern New England.

Russian 335dwt F/V Ekarma-2 (built 1994, flag Russia) got propeller entangled in net, at Okhotsk Sea. Salvage M/V Predanny on the scene, towing trawler to refuge in nearby ice to clear propeller. Position 54.02.5 N 150.00.8 E by 06.00 moscow time March 28. Weather wind NW 15 m/sec, ice floes.

M/V tug C.J. Queenan with 15 barges, in collision with the H. Carpenter bridge at Huntington, W.Va. in St. Mary's at mile marker 155.5 along the Ohio River. Barges empty at the time & no reports of injuries or pollution, preliminary reports indicate very minor damage to bridge & barges.

58ft. F/V Flamingo began taking on water early in the afternoon, 35 miles west of Grays Harbor. U.S. Coast Guard Cutter USCGC Monsoon based in San Diego, was on patrol in area & diverted to scene.

Sydney HarbourCat ferry M/V Pam Burridge crashed into a 34ft. recreational vessel on Sydney Harbour. The ferry was not in-service at the time but returning to its base from Circular Quay. Upon impact passengers of the private vessel were thrown into the water 3 confirmed dead & 1 person sustained loss of part of a leg. A 14-year-old girl is still missing. Eight others were injured in the collision. A number of helicopters, police divers and several boats being used in search for missing girl who was knocked off the cruiser which crashed with the HarbourCat ferry.

Russian 304dwt F/V Navoysk (built 1980) trawler totally destroyed by fire at Avacha Bay.

Dutch cargo M/V Crownbreeze in collision 1:30 a.m. with 16,000 ton bulkcarrier M/V Silver Lakes near Duekerswisch on the Kiel Canal. Both ships could continue their voyages in directions Brunsbuettel respectively Kiel where they berthed for damage survey.

Three crew members have reportedly been killed and 14 others were injured following an explosion onboard an Aboitiz-operated ferry in the Philippines. The blast occurred in the engine room of the 4,048-gt Butuan Bay 1 (built 1989) shortly after it left a port in Cebu City on Tuesday evening with 513 passengers onboard. The three deceased were working in the engine room at the time of the blast with seven other crew members injured and a further seven passengers injured by falling debris blown from the shipʼs stack. It is not known whether the explosion was part of a terrorist attack or was caused by mechanical failure onboard the Philippines-flagged vessel. Onboard power was cut initially after the blast which triggered some flames that were soon extinguished by crew. The Equasis database lists Aboitiz Transport System Corp as the vesselʼs manager and owner with insurance cover provided by the Standard P&I Club.

An India-flagged bulk carrier grounded in the Suez Canal this weekend (23-24 June 2007)briefly disrupting traffic through the waterway. No damage was reported to the 47,442-dwt ABG Narayana (built 1983) which briefly touched bottom on Sunday morning near Ismailia. There have been reports that the ship's navigational systems malfunctioned but a statement from its Mumbai-based manager, Eurasia Maritime Management, denied there had been any machinery failure or problem with the navigational equipment. Eurasia said an investigation is ongoing into the cause of the incident.
The handymax bulker was travelling south through the canal with a cargo of scrap metal from Turkey bound for Qatar.
Eurasia's statement said that the ship was under pilot and being escorted by tugs when it "swerved slightly to one side and touched bottom on sides temporarily." Seven oil tankers heading north through the canal were said to have been affected by a delay to traffic after the incident which lasted two hours. A Eurasia spokesperson said that the vessel is not in need of repairs and is currently underway to continue its voyage. The ABG Narayana is owned by ABG Shipping of Mumbai, classed by Lloyd's Register and has insurance cover with the London P&I Club. 

India's coast guard has rescued 20 crew from two ships stranded off Gujarat's Porbandar coast. Eleven of the twenty were rescued from domestic owner Ocim Shipping's 39,000-dwt bulker Arcadia Progress (built 1982), said Navdeep Bakshi, a coast guard Commander. Ocim has hired a Singapore-based salvage company to bring the stranded vessels to shore, the Hindustan Times reported.

Eighteen crew members are still stuck on the 10,100-dwt multipurpose Shujaa 3 (built 1983), another ship owned by Ocim.
Loaded with iron pipes from Panama, Shujaa 3 is stranded 20 kilometres off Porbandar. There were reports of engine and power failure on the ships.

There are suspicions that a cargo vessel which has apparently disappeared off the coast of Somalia may not simply have become the latest victim of piracy. The ship's flag state along with other details regarding the vessel have led some sources to believe that it may have been involved in the transport of more than just food stuffs. Nothing has been heard from the North Korea-flagged general cargo ship after it sailed from neighbouring Djibouti on May 11 2007 destined for two ports in Somalia's north.
It is not known how many crew were onboard the 2,426-gt Sea Prince (built 1969) when it left Djibouti on 11 May destined for the northern Somali ports of Berbera and Basasso apparently with 2,400 tons of grain. A source familiar with the regional industry said it was almost unprecedented that a cargo vessel would leave Djibouti to take the comparatively short trek to the two northern Somali ports in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland. The ship had been due to dock in the Tanzanian port of Dar es Salaam by now to pick up another cargo. The registered owner of the Sea Prince is Odessacity based in the US with Nasser Maritime of the Ukraine as shipmanager. Calls to the Odessa office of Nasser were not answered on Friday.

A tanker carrying more than 19 million gallons of fuel oil grounded off New York City on Thursday but was not leaking, the U.S. Coast Guard said. The White Sea ran aground off New York's Sandy Hook at approximately 6:30 a.m. EDT after losing steerage, said U.S. Coast Guard spokesman Bob Laura. "It is a double-hulled vessel and the crew deployed some spill booms after it went aground," said Laura. Tugs will attempt to free the vessel later on Thursday morning but some of the cargo may have to be removed before the ship can be refloated, he added. Fuel-oil spills from tankers in Europe in 1999 and again in 2002 caused serious environmental damage to coastlines in France and Spain. Fuel oil is a heavy fuel used in power stations and for ship engines and is particularly difficult to clean up as it does not easily evaporate or disperse in water.

IMO number : 8920206
Name of ship : WHITE SEA
Call Sign : A8FO2
Gross tonnage : 57082
Type of ship : Crude Oil Tanker
Year of build : 1991
Flag : Liberia

Somali pirates have hijacked a Japanese ship in the latest such seizure in the notoriously lawless waters of the Horn of Africa country, regional maritime officials said on Monday.
Andrew Mwangura, head of the Kenya-based East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme, said shipping sources in both Somalia and Japan had told him the ship, possibly a tanker, was seized 8.0 nautical miles (14.9 km) offshore on Sunday.
The 12,000 deadweight-tonne Golden Nory was seized late on Sunday night, said an official from the International Maritime Bureau's Piracy Reporting Centre in Kuala Lumpur. "She has been taken into Somali waters, and we haven't heard anything from her since," the official said. (Additional reporting by Luke Pachymuthu in Singapore)