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Friday, July 26, 2024
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Casualties News

26 Jul 2024

Towboat Fire Damage Limited by Crew's Quick Response

Desperado (Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)

When a fire broke out in the engine room of a towboat in Louisiana, the situation could have easily escalated to become much worse, but the quick actions of the vessel's crew helped to contain the blaze and limit the damage significantly, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said.The vessel Desperado was transiting in Lake Salvador near Bayou Perot, La., on February 17, 2023, when a ruptured hydraulic hose spraying fuel on a hot engine sparked a fire on board. An attempt to extinguish the fire with portable extinguishers proved unsuccessful…

24 Jul 2024

Italian Government Angered by Legal Probe Into Migrant Shipwreck

© ernestos / Adobe Stock

Prosecutors in the Italian city of Crotone said on Tuesday they have informed six police and coastguard officers that they may face trial over alleged failures to avoid amigrant shipwreck that killed at least 94 people.The move was denounced by Italy's right-wing government who defended the two coastguards and four police officers."Not only do they risk their lives every day to save others, but they even run the risk of being arrested in the event of a disaster," said Matteo Salvini…

24 Jul 2024

Oil to Be Transferred from Fire-hit Tanker in Singapore

(Photo: Republic of Singapore Navy)

Ship owner Hafnia, operator of the Hafnia Nile oil tanker, is in discussion with Singapore's Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) about transferring the damaged ship's cargo of naphtha to a safe location, the MPA said on Wednesday.The Singapore-flagged Hafnia Nile and the Sao Tome and Principe-flagged Ceres I collided and caught fire about 55 km (35 miles) northeast of the Singaporean island of Pedra Branca early on July 19.The Hafnia Nile, a Panamax tanker chartered by Spanish energy firm Cepsa, was carrying about 300,000 barrels of naphtha which had been purchased by Japanese refiner Eneos.

23 Jul 2024

How the Ukrainians – With No Navy – Defeated Russia’s Black Sea Fleet

A view of the Russian warship Moskva just before it sank April 15, 2022. Blake Spendley/OSINTtechnical on X

Since the Russian invasion began in 2022, Ukraine has successfully resisted its opponents on many fronts, but its most surprising success came in a theater where few expected Ukraine to prevail: the Black Sea.In 2022, the consensus among military analysts was that Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s military would most likely crush Ukrainian forces in the air, on land and at sea. With a vast infusion of financial assistance and weapons from the U.S. and Western nations, Ukraine has, however, fought Russia to a standstill on land.

23 Jul 2024

Bridge Errors Led to Bulk Carrier Grounding -NTSB

American Mariner (Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)

The U.S. registered bulk carrier American Mariner was leaving a dock near Sault Sainte Marie, Ontario, last year when the master — acting alone on the bridge during complicated maneuvers — overshot a turn and grounded on shoals, damaging three ballast water tanks, according to a report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).The vessel — owned by American Steamship Company and operated by Grand River Navigation Inc. — was heading outbound in the Vidal Shoals Channel enroute to Superior, Wis., when it grounded.

22 Jul 2024

Oil Tanker that Fled Collision Site is Detained in Malaysia

(Photo: Republic of Singapore Navy)

A tanker that fled the scene of a fiery Friday collision off Singapore entered the area of Malaysia's Bertam floating oil terminal on Monday after being tracked down and intercepted by Malaysian authorities, shipping data from LSEG and Kpler showed.The Sao Tome and Principe-flagged supertanker Ceres I had left the scene of the collision with the Singapore-flagged tanker Hafnia Nile about 55 km (35 miles) northeast of the Singaporean island of Pedra Branca without explanation.The Ceres I…

21 Jul 2024

Fire Breaks Out On Maersk Containership Off Coast of India

(Photo: Indian Coast Guard)

Maersk on Friday said there was a fire incident on one of its chartered vessels sailing from Mundra, off the western coast of India to Colombo, Sri Lanka.The fire started due to a short circuit resulting in explosions and the death of a seaman from Philippines, local media said, adding that there were 21 crew members on board.The vessel is in stable condition, the company said in an emailed statement to Reuters."At the moment, we are unable to confirm whether and to what extent is the impact of the fire," it added in the statement.The fire was reported around 2:30 p.m.

19 Jul 2024

Oil Tankers on Fire After Colliding Close to Singapore, Crew Rescued

(Photo: Republic of Singapore Navy)

Two large oil tankers were on fire on Friday after colliding near Singapore, the world's biggest refuelling port, with two crew members airlifted to hospital and others rescued from life rafts, authorities and one of the tanker operators said.Singapore is Asia's biggest oil-trading hub and the world's largest bunkering port. Its surrounding waters are vital trade waterways between Asia and Europe and the Middle East and among the busiest global sea lanes.The Singapore-flagged…

17 Jul 2024

Nine Crew from Capsized Oil Tanker off Oman Rescued, One Dead

(Photo: Indian Navy)

At least nine of the 16-member crew of a Comoros-flagged oil tanker that capsized off Oman on Monday have been rescued while one was found dead, officials said on Wednesday, two days after the incident was first reported.The Prestige Falcon, a 117-meter oil product tanker, was heading to the Yemeni port of Aden with a crew of 13 Indians and three Sri Lankans when it capsized off Oman's major industrial port of Duqm. The cause was not immediately known."Search and rescue operations have successfully found 10 crew members of the oil tanker Prestige Falcon, 9 found alive.

16 Jul 2024

NTSB Unable to Pinpoint Cause of Research Vessel Fire in Alaska

Qualifier 105 on fire in the Northern Enterprises Boat Yard in Homer, Alaska on Jan. 19, 2023. (Source: Homer Volunteer Fire Department)

The exact cause of a 2023 fire aboard a research vessel in Alaska has eluded investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which issued its final report on the incident on Tuesday.On January 19, 2023, small vessel Qualifier 105 was being stored ashore for the winter in the Northern Enterprises Boat Yard in Homer, Alaska when a fire started in a stateroom below the main deck. The local fire department extinguished the fire and no pollution or injuries were reported.

15 Jul 2024

One Dead, One Missing After Tanker Strikes Passenger Boat in Texas

(File photo: U.S. Coast Guard)

One person has died and another is missing after a commercial tanker struck a recreation vessel near Port Aransas, Texas.The U.S. Coast Guard said it received a call from a good Samaritan via channel 16 at 5:28 a.m. reporting the collision between. The recreational vessel, reported to be a commercial pleasure boat, became partially submerged, and the four people on board went into the water.After receiving the call, the Coast Guard issued an urgent marine information broadcast…

11 Jul 2024

Rush to Prevent Oil Spill from Grounded Ship off South African Coast

(Photo: South African Maritime Safety Authority)

Salvage operations were in high-gear on Thursday to prevent a potential oil spill and pollution along South Africa's west coast from a grounded general cargo vessel, authorities said.The Panama-flagged "Ultra Galaxy" ran aground close to Doring Bay, some 300 km north of Cape Town, late on Tuesday after it started listing badly.

11 Jul 2024

CMA CGM Vessel Drops 44 Containers in Heavy Seas

© foto-select / Adobe Stock

French shipping and logistics company CMA CGM said on Thursday that its ship "Benjamin Franklin" had lost 44 containers in difficult weather conditions off the coast of South Africa on Tuesday."No injury to the crew has been reported, no pollution, no strong damage to the vessel which remains fully seaworthy," the company said, adding that 33 additional containers had been damaged.The ship was traveling westbound from Asia to Europe when it encountered "unexpectedly strong adverse weather conditions"…

09 Jul 2024

US Navy Officer Relieved After Ship Grounding off Gabon

Capt. Lenard Mitchell, commanding officer of the expeditionary sea base USS Hershel "Woody" Williams (ESB 4) addresses the crew during an All Hands Call in the hangar bay. (Photo: Ridge Leoni / U.S. Navy)

The captain of U.S. Navy ship USS Hershel “Woody” Williams has been relieved of his duties after the ship went aground under his command earlier this year.The Navy is still investigating the incident, which saw the 784-foot Lewis B. Puller-class expeditionary mobile base vessel go soft aground near Gabon's port of Libreville on May 9. But it said "sufficient findings of fact emerged during the investigation to warrant the relief" of commanding officer Capt. Lenard Mitchell."The U.S.

09 Jul 2024

Chart Error Led to ATB Grounding in Alaska

Track of the Cingluku/Jungjuk as it approached Shakmanof Cove, overlaid on
NOAA ENC US4AK5PM. (Background source: NOAA ENC as viewed on Made Smart
automatic identification system. Courtesy NTSB)

An articulated tug and barge (ATB) hit a known underwater rock near Kodiak, Alaska, last year, leading to a grounding that caused $1.4 million in damages, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Tuesday.The Brice Marine-owned and -operated tugboat Cingluku and barge Jungjuk were transiting into Shakmanof Cove from Marmot Bay on May 25, 2023, with six crewmembers onboard. The Cingluku and Jungjuk operated together as an ATB, and were primarily used to transport containerized cargo and vehicles.

09 Jul 2024

Iranian Warship Sahand Entirely Sinks Despite Rebalancing Efforts

Iranian Navy frigate Sahand sank in shallow waters in the southern port of Bandar Abbas (Photo: Social media)

The Iranian Navy frigate Sahand entirely sank in shallow waters on Tuesday in the southern port of Bandar Abbas, Nournews agency said, after it was briefly repositioned following its initial capsizing on Sunday."The Sahand warship, which was rebalanced on the water with great difficulty on Monday, has now sunk after the rope holding the ship broke," said Nournews, a news agency affiliated to the Supreme National Security Council.On Sunday, state media said the ship had capsized during repairs at a wharf due to water ingress and that efforts were being made to rebalance it.The Iranian-built ste

03 Jul 2024

Military Groups Say They Set Fire to Russian Warship

Serpukhov (Credit: GAlexandrova, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons)

A Ukrainian military intelligence official said on Wednesday that a fire on a Russian warship in the Baltic Sea in April was caused by a joint operation conducted by his GUR agency and a pro-Kyiv Russian military group.On April 7, the Serpukhov missile ship stationed in Russia's Kaliningrad region was set on fire, the GUR intelligence agency said at the time. It did not claim responsibility earlier.GUR spokesperson Andriy Yusov told Reuters the operation was conducted in tandem with the Freedom of Russia Legion.

03 Jul 2024

Houthi Explosive Drone Boat Attacks Escalate Red Sea Danger

© Sunday Stock / Adobe Stock

Yemen's Houthis are sending drone boats packed with explosives into the Red Sea as they intensify their attacks on merchant ships that have little defense against the "sophisticated shift" in tactic, maritime security sources say.Iran-aligned Houthi militants first launched aerial drone and missile strikes on the trade route in November in what they say is solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. In over 70 attacks, they have sunk two vessels, seized another and killed at least three seafarers.In recent weeks…

03 Jul 2024

Abandoned Tanker Lavant Has Likely Sunk off Yemen

Russian shipping group Sovcomflot said it rescued the crew of the tanker Lavant, which was taking in water off Yemen's coast (Photo: Sovcomflot)

An abandoned tanker that was drifting off Yemen's coast in June has disappeared and is believed to have sunk, three navy and security sources said, the latest vessel lost in the strategically important Red Sea.The area, on the main shipping route from Europe to Asia, is considered high risk as Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi militants have launched more than 70 attacks on merchant vessels since October in what they say is solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.Maritime security sources said last week the abandoned tanker, the Lavant, was unlikely however to have been targeted by the Houthis.

02 Jul 2024

Deadly Hurricane Beryl Churns Toward Jamaica

(Image: NOAA)

Hurricane Beryl barreled toward Jamaica as a powerful Category 4 storm on Tuesday after battering smaller islands in the eastern Caribbean, and scientists cited human-caused climate change as the likely culprit for the storm's rapid strengthening.The unusually early hurricane felled power lines and unleashed flash floods. It has so far claimed at least three lives.Beryl, the 2024 Atlantic season's first hurricane and the earliest storm on record to reach the highest category on the Saffir-Simpson Scale, hit St.

27 Jun 2024

Cargo Vessel Attacked Near Yemen's Port of Hodeidah

(Image: United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations)

A merchant vessel reported being hit by a projectile in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen on Thursday, British security firm Ambrey said.No injuries or damage were reported in the incident, which occurred 84 nautical miles west of Yemen's port of Hodeidah, Ambrey added.The vessel was headed for city of Dammam in Saudi Arabia.The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations also said it had received a report of the incident.UKMTO added that the vessel and crew were reported to be safe and the vessel was proceeding to its next port of call."The nature of the attack is reported as a waterborne impro

27 Jun 2024

Greek Coastguard Officers to Testify as Suspects in Migrant Shipwreck Probe

©Hellenic Coast Guard

Greek coastguard officers will testify as suspects as part of a disciplinary investigation into their role in a deadly migrant shipwreck off Greece, three sources told Reuters on Thursday.Hundreds are feared to have died when a vessel, monitored by the Greek coastguard for several hours, capsized and sank in international waters off the southwestern Greek coastal town of Pylos on June 14, 2023.Up to 700 people were in the trawler which left Libya heading for Italy. Some 104 survivors were rescued but only 82 bodies were recovered.

26 Jun 2024

Yacht Crew Expected to Deny Arson Charges Over Fire on Greek Island

© burnstuff2003 / Adobe Stock

The crew members of a yacht accused of starting a forest fire last week on the Greek island of Hydra are expected to deny arson charges when they appear before a judge on Wednesday, a legal source said.Wildfires are common in the Mediterranean country but they have become more frequent and devastating due to hotter, drier and windier weather, which scientists link to climate change. Greece has in recent years beefed up penalties for arson.The fire, which is believed to have been sparked by fireworks…