Fatal Bulk Carrier Explosion off Cape Cod
An explosion aboard Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier Tamar has killed one crewmember and left three others severely injured roughly 1,300 miles offshore Cape Cod, Mass.
At approximately 7 a.m., Tamar’s captain contacted watchstanders at the U.S. Coast Guard command center reporting an explosion in the ship’s forward storeroom killed one crewmember and caused three others to suffer massive burns and are in need of immediate medical attention.
The U.S. Coast Guard is coordinating with the New York Air National Guard’s 106th Rescue Wing and the Canadian and Portuguese Coast Guards to provide a medical emergency response.
The New York Air National Guard’s 106th Rescue Wing launched an HC-130 aircrew with six pararescuers and one combat rescue officer. The air crew is estimated to reach the Tamar at approximately 6:30 p.m. The pararescuers will jump from their HC-130 with a small boat and advanced life-saving equipment to provide medical treatment for the crewmembers.
The Canadian Coast Guard has diverted two warships with physician assistants aboard estimated to arrive after midnight.
The fire resulting from the explosion has been extinguished.
The ship’s engineering plant was unaffected, and the crew is continuing on its transit to the Azores, Portugal. The ship’s last port of call was Baltimore.
The cause of the explosion is unknown.