Tanker Assists Sailor in Distress in the Caribbean Sea
A Marshall Islands registered chemical tanker came to the aid of a sailor in distress Saturday morning in the Caribbean Sea, approximately 57 nautical miles southeast of Puerto Rico.U.S. Coast Guard watchstanders in Sector San Juan received a VHF-Channel 16 communication from the sailing vessel Tao at 1:45 a.m. Saturday reporting the vessel lost steering and the sole boater on board, an 80-year-old man, had lost the ability to simultaneously access the vessel’s compass and emergency…
6 Missing in Singapore Strait Collision
Six crew members are still missing after a general cargo freighter sank in the Singapore Strait following a collision with a chemical tanker at 8:14 p.m. (1214 GMT) on Dec. 16. The 10,385 deadweight tonne (dwt) cargo freighter Thorco Cloud, operated by Danish shipper Thorco Shipping and registered in Antigua and Barbuda, had a crew of 12. Singapore's Police Coast Guard, supported by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), rescued five of the crew members, while the chemical tanker picked up a sixth, the MPA said. The rescued seamen were sent to Singapore General Hospital for observation, it said. Search and rescue operations continued for the six missing crew members, said an MPA spokesman in an update.
Seafarers Set Adrift in Liferafts After Hijack
Fourteen Indonesian seafarers were found adrift in life rafts after their tanker was hijacked by pirates. The pirates left the crew in the life rafts and sailed off in the tanker. The crew were physically unharmed. The seafarers were found on 31st January near Indonesia’s Lembeh Island due south of the Philippines. The Indonesian-flagged chemical tanker “Rehobot” is still missing. The tanker was boarded by pirates near Lembeh Island, North Sulawesi in Indonesia, at 2330hrs local time on 28 January. Eight masked pirates armed with long knives boarded the vessel from a small wooden motorboat and took over the “Rehobot”. The tanker was carrying a cargo of 1,100 tonnes of diesel fuel at the time. It is the second small tanker to be hijacked in South East Asia waters in less than a week.
Drunk Master Sentenced to Jail
In the UK’s Snaresbrook Crown Court on Nov. 19, Captain Gonchar Volodymyr aged 53, was sentenced to two months in jail, and will be deported upon completion of the sentence after pleading guilty to being the Master of a ship whilst being over the alcohol limit. On the 4th November 2008, Gonchar Volodymyr, a Ukrainian, was Master of the Cypriot registered chemical tanker; Elousa Trikoukiotisa bound for London from Rostock in Northern Germany. The vessel was laden with Ammonium Nitrate in liquid form and had a crew of 15 on board.
Vessel Charged with Illegal Discharge in Canadian Waters
Transport Minister David Collenette today announced that the federal government has successfully prosecuted the MV Cape Benat, a Liberian-registered chemical tanker, for spilling canola oil in Vancouver Harbour. The pollution incident occurred while the vessel was loading canola crude oil at Vanterm, in the Port of Vancouver, on November 23 and 24, 1999. The MV Cape Benat is owned by the Cape Benat Navigation Company of Liberia and operated by Columbia Ship Management of Cyprus. The vessel was charged with unlawfully discharging a noxious liquid substance into Canadian waters, a violation of the Canada Shipping Act. The British Columbia Provincial Court imposed a $60,000 penalty on the vessel owner, the Cape Benat Navigation Company.
Fishing Vessel and Tanker Collide Near U.K.
A Brixham fishing vessel is now on its way back to Brixham after it collided with a chemical tanker 33.5 miles off Start Point. Brixham Coastguard overheard a conversation between two fishing vessels in the early hours of this morning on Channel 16 and contacted the vessels for further information. The 24 metre beam trawler ‘De Vrow Marie’ was fishing and showing its trawling lights when it was approached by a chemical tanker. The chemical tanker was head on with the fishing vessel and when it was 200 yards away took drastic action to avoid the fishing vessel. At the same time the fishing vessel took action to remove itself from the path of the tanker. However, the fishing vessel steered to starboard, as is the correct procedure, but the tanker steered to port and the two vessels collided.
