ruben.maritime

LA CORUNA 19 February– Spanish maritime safety agency Salvamento Maritimo is evacuating the eight remaining crew members of the stricken Antigua and Barbuda-flagged cargo ship Ostedijk, before an attempt is made to flood the ship’s burning cargo of fertiliser. The ship is under tow and will be taken to about 10n-miles of Estaca de Bares, near Cape Viveiro, Galicia, where a tug will pump water onto the ship. The salvage operation will take place in sheltered waters and not at a port, the Salvamento Maritimo spokesman added. Four Filipino crew members suffering from the effects of gas intoxication were airlifted off the Ostedijk yesterday afternoon. This new crisis off the coast of Galicia started when the Dutch-operated, 7,300dwt ship called for emergency assistance in the early hours of Saturday. It is reported to have been en route from Norway to Valencia. The ship was towed to around 14 miles off La Coruna where it was later allowed to continue sailing. However, it made a second emergency call little more than 12 hours later, on Sunday morning, from around 34n-miles off Cape Vilan. The crew members have since been released from hospital but have complained to local media that they should have been evacuated after the first emergency call was made.

Etiquetas: maritime incident, spain

MADRID 08 February – Spain’s Ministry of Public Works has launched an enquiry into the absence of recordings of conversations held between the captain of the grounded reefer vessel Sierra Nava and the country’s maritime safety agency Salvamento Maritimo. The opening of the enquiry comes after the director of the Merchant Marine Authority, Felipe Martinez, said on Tuesday he could not say for certain whether the recordings of the conversations existed or not. The recordings, together with those held between the Harbour Master Authority of Algeciras and the master of the Sierra Nava, would provide vital evidence on the key moments leading up to the grounding of the ship at the mouth of the Bay of Algeciras. However, Martinez did confirm that a power failure had affected the conversations over the rescue of 14 crew members of the Sierra Nava in the night of 27 January. It is now known that stormy weather was the reason for loss of radar coverage at a maritime safety control tower in Tarifa near Algeciras. More than 170 tonnes of fuel has been recovered from a beach in Algeciras since the vessel hit rocks on a beach. Meanwhile salvors have extracted 106 tonnes of bunkers from the reefer’s tanks.

Etiquetas: maritime incident, spain

LYME BAY 07 February – Salvors working to remove containers from the beached MSC Napoli on the UK south coast have relocated the shuttle barge back to Portland port ahead of poorer weather and bigger sea swells. So far 314 of the 2,318 containers have been removed, 69 yesterday. Priority is being given to dangerous goods. Robin Middleton, Secretary of State’s Representative in Maritime Salvage and Intervention, advised that more containers are likely to be lost overboard during the period of bad weather, although the removal of oil will continue as long as the work is deemed safe. Reconnaissance flights will help to identify missing containers and enable security officers to reach them before members of the public. A statement issued by the UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency underlines that “normal arrangements in terms of recovery of wreck material through voluntary salvage do not apply in the case of the MSC Napoli” because the owners of the ship [Metvale Ltd/Zodiac Maritime Agencies Ltd] have placed “comprehensive salvage contracts … to recover all items from the vessel, including those lost overboard and washed ashore.”

 

Etiquetas: maritime incident, MSC Napoli, salvage

TOKYO 31 January – NYK Cruises, the wholly-owned cruise subsidiary of NYK Line, has carried out a severe accident response training exercise last week involving its Japan-flagged liner Asuka II. The 25 January exercise, carried out in co-operation with the Japan Coast Guard, involved a scenario in which a fire in passenger accommodation required a firefighting operation and the evacuation of casualties from the ship. In accordance with the company’s emergency response plans, a task force was immediately set up at the company’s head office in Tokyo and a simulated call-out request was made to the JCG. NYK said it was satisfied with its assessments of staff performance during the exercise, which included requiring decisions to be made on the destination of the vessel after the incident as well as press liaison carried out by senior executives. External consultants were appointed to provide their comments throughout the exercise. Japanese public attention was focused on cruise ship safety after the yard fire that severely damaged Princess Cruises’ Sapphire Princess at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ Nagasaki yard in 2002, although domestic cruise passenger numbers have grown considerably in subsequent years.

 

Etiquetas: cruises, maritime incident

 ANCHORAGE 30 January – Princess Cruises will pay $750,000 following the 2001 death of an endangered humpback whale in the vicinity of a Dawn Princess Alaskan cruise. According to court documents obtained by Fairplay, Princess agreed to pay the maximum fine of $200,000 plus a payment of $550,000 to the National Park Service Foundation and will serve a one-year probation. Princess does not specifically admit that it killed the pregnant humpback whose body was found in Alaska’s Glacier Bay National Park on 16 July 2001. However, it does admit that it is guilty of a Class A misdemeanour by violating federal regulations and failing to operate the Dawn Princess at a safe speed while knowingly in the presence of two humpback whales on 12 July 2001. The Dawn Princess was sailing at 14kt upon its departure from Glacier Bay when one eyewitness reported hearing a “resounding thud”. According to the statement of facts: “The vessel made no report of a possible collision and the captain did not preserve the recording of the bridge conduct on the vessel’s black box.” On 6 August 2001, Princess implemented a speed limit of 10kt for vessels transiting Alaska’s Icy Strait.

Etiquetas: cruises, maritime incident

LYME BAY 30 January – Salvage work on the beached container ship MSC Napoli is progressing, with about 60% of the bunkers now safely pumped from the vessel and the first containers removed. The port side bunker tanks and first of the starboard tanks are now empty: 2,105 tonnes of the estimated 3,600 tonnes have been pumped into the chartered Forth Fisher. The latest reports suggest pumping might be completed by Friday. The number of boxes on board has been recalculated: Fairplay now understands there were 2,318 boxes on the MSC Napoli when it departed from Antwerp. Of these, 103 were lost overboard: 57 have been accounted for, 46 are still being searched for in the waters of the English Channel. Yesterday 15 containers were removed from the ship onto the waiting barge, and the hope is that at least 30 can be transferred each day, depending on the weather. Salvors suggest the operation will take about four weeks. Containers washed onto nearby Branscombe beach are being retrieved using a landing craft.

 

Etiquetas: maritime incident, MSC Napoli

 COCHIN 29 January – Kerala high court has ordered the "arrest" of cruise ship Super Star Libra for criminal negligence following the death of a 14-month old US citizen of Indian-origin, Neuna Shah. The toddler drowned off Kadamat Island near Lakshadweep on 21 November 2006, after a vessel carrying her and her parents from the cruise ship to the island capsized; the court acted on a criminal negligence petition filed by Shah's parents. The Libra departed from Mumbai yesterday evening heading for Lakshadweep with a team of lawyers on board headed by Seap Hong Wong, an official from Star Cruises India confirmed. The Shahs are also pursuing a $10M compensation suit against Star Cruises in a Malaysian court. At least 10 passengers, including her parents, were in the boat when it turned over. The incident brought into focus the safety measures provided by cruise companies. The Kerala court has directed the port officer of Lakshadweep administration to arrest and detain the vessel as and when it arrives in any of the ports under the control of the Lakshadweep administration and release it only on furnishing a bank guarantee of Rs1M ($22,000) by ship's master.

Etiquetas: cruises, maritime incident

LYME BAY, UK 24 January – Salvors working on the MSC Napoli casualty began pumping oil from the ship's bunker tanks yesterday afternoon into the 5,000-dwt tanker Forth Fisher. The transfer of about 3,500 tonnes of fuel is expected to take 1-2 weeks, weather permitting. Some of the tanks are under water, and salvors will hot tap the oil in those tanks. Oil leakage, estimated at 60-200 tonnes, has only come from the flooded engine room. Meanwhile, the 135-m barge Bigfoot left Rotterdam today with arrival in Lyme Bay expected late on Friday or early on Saturday; the smaller barge from Rouen is expected at the site tonight. The barges will lift the ship's containers and shuttle them to a reception area on shore. 103 containers were lost overboard: 50 are being recovered from the beach, 20 have been located in the sea and a further 33 remain missing. The Napoli was carrying a total of 165 IMO containers: four were lost overboard. However, salvors say sea fastenings remain secure, and transfer of the boxes should begin at the weekend. After the hazardous boxes have been removed, salvors will then identify containers to be taken off to reduce stress on the hull. At that point a decision will be made as to refloating the ship. Weather conditions remain favourable with a northerly wind and calm sea state.

Etiquetas: maritime incident, MSC Napoli

 LYME BAY, UK 23 January – Netherlands-based Smit Salvage has started work to remove bunkers and containers from the stricken MSC Napoli. The company has signed a Lloyd's Open Form salvage agreement and SCOPIC has been invoked. The 5,000-dwt tanker Forth Fisher arrived this morning to take the 3,600 tonnes of bunker fuel pumped from the Napoli's tanks. Salvors now believe the oil will flow through the pipelines and pumping will begin today from the fuel tanks, which remain intact. Meanwhile the salvage work vessel Union Beaver is also at the scene to provide a base for salvage equipment and a diving team. A spokesman today confirmed that 103 containers are no longer on the Napoli, of which 76 have been recovered or located pending recovery. A total of 161 IMO containers are on board, but all are reported to be safe and secure. Work to remove the containers will focus on those in areas where the ship is showing most signs of stress. Two large barges are to be brought to the scene, a 135-m, two-crane barge from Rotterdam and a smaller vessel from Rouen. Boxes will be lifted from the Napoli onto the larger barge, then transferred to the smaller barge for shipment to an as-yet-undetermined shore location. Discharge is expected to begin at the weekend. The salvage team say the site is protected from the northerly winds by the nearby cliffs, and the forecast is for a favourable weather window for the short-term.

Etiquetas: maritime incident

CADIZ 23 January – Spanish maritime authorities are attempting to extract 600 tonnes of bunker fuel from the Bahamas-flagged bulker Ocean Globe, which ran aground last night in the Bay of Cadiz, just outside the Cadiz Bay port, in Southwest Spain. Four tugs are in attendance, safeguarding the casualty and further anti-pollution equipment is being sent to Cadiz. Spanish maritime authorities will this afternoon attempt to refloat the ship, which is carrying 38,000 tonnes of coal. An initial attempt to refloat the vessel at 0600 failed. However Salvamiento Maritimo, Spain's maritime safety agency, said the Ocean Globe faces no risk of sinking as its hull is on the seabed at low tide. The Ocean Globe arrived in Spanish waters from Texas.

Etiquetas: maritime incident, spain

 17 January 2007

Search and rescue boost for Atlantic and Indian Oceans -
South African Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) inaugurated



Another gap in the effective search and rescue coverage along the coast
of Africa and out into the Indian and Atlantic Oceans has been filled
with the inauguration of a new Maritime Rescue Co ordination Centre
(MRCC) in Cape Town, South Africa.

The MRCC was commissioned, on 16 January 2007, by IMO Secretary-General
Efthimios E. Mitropoulos during an official visit to South Africa.

The commissioning of the Centre was preceded by the formal signing of a
Multilateral Agreement between the Governments of the Comoros,
Madagascar, Mozambique and South Africa on the co-ordination of maritime
search and rescue services in areas adjacent to their coast.

Mr. Mitropoulos, who unveiled a plaque at the new MRCC alongside South
Africa's Transport Minister, Mr. Jeff Radebe, described the centre as
"a major step forward for this country and for this region, but also
for the maritime and shipping world as a whole and for the international
community of seafarers upon whom we all rely so much."

"Situated at the hub of one of the world's busiest trade routes, on
the southern tip of the great continent of Africa, this regional
Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre will plug one of the remaining gaps
in the global search and rescue network and help to put at rest the
minds of all those whose work takes them into its area of coverage,
whether they be deep sea mariners or the 27,000 or more South Africans
employed in the fishing industry," he said, adding that, despite its
benign name, the Cape of Good Hope frequently exposes seafarers to the
extremes of weather and sea conditions.

More than 4,000 ships in transit pass by the Cape of Good Hope every
year as they navigate South Africa's coastline of nearly 3000km.

The opening ceremony was also attended by Ms. Lindiwe Mabuza, Permanent
Representative of South Africa to IMO and High Commissioner for the
Republic of South Africa in London.

In addressing the staff of the Centre, Secretary-General Mitropoulos,
having congratulated them for the humanitarian task they were asked to
perform, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, gave them some
advice: "Never be complacent, never allow routine and boredom to
impair your actions and decisions, never underestimate the seriousness
of any distress incident you handle and never consider any incident to
be the same as others you dealt with in the past - because each has its
own peculiarities and special characteristics that demand special
attention. Remain focused and, every time you co-ordinate a SAR
operation, give your undivided attention to the task in hand. And never
forget that you represent the last hope of those seafarers for whom fate
has in store the bitter experience of a shipwreck. You will be the
first they will thank once rescued and safe on solid ground; and you
will have their eternal gratitude and that of their families."

Etiquetas: maritime incident, maritime safety

Tuesday January 23 2007, From Lloyd's List

FATIGUE cracking of the type which caused the water ingress and subsequent abandonment of the MSC Napoli has been recognised as a problem of which operators of larger containerships need to be aware.



Long, narrow vessels such as containerships flex more than many types of ship in a seaway and care needs to be taken with the weight distribution in the cargo holds and tanks to minimise stresses.



They are also subject to torsional stresses in a quartering sea or with a swell on the bow that can contribute to fatigue stresses and even structural failure. Cracking in longitudinals, which have propagated to neighbouring structure and shell plates, have occurred to a number of large container vessels — not necessarily old ships.



Alerting owners to such problems, classification society Det Norske Veritas last October pointed out that side shell fatigue “had been of concern for some time”, with fatigue life on some designs found to be less than 10 years on some ships operating in particularly harsh conditions.



In its regular Container Ship Update, DNV, which happens to be the class society for the stricken British ship, suggests that regular visual inspection by ship staff, in areas where fatigue cracking is most likely, is a sensible precaution.



The society has developed a scheme, the Planned Inspection and Maintenance System, under which a ship-specific hull inspection manual would be produced for a containership, while ship’s staff would be trained to identify the first signs of fatigue cracking, along with a reporting system.



Using this system, a fatigue crack was discovered on a ship less than five years old. It is pointed out that such an inspection regime can be critical, as by the time a crack visibly manifests itself, some 90% of the fatigue life of the structure has elapsed.



Investigation into the causes of the incident are also expected to inquire whether the full sea speed grounding of the vessel on a coral reef in 2001 under its previous CMA CGM ownership might have some bearing on the subsequent structural problems.



The vessel, which was severely damaged in its forepart after being ashore on a pinnacle for nearly two months, was repaired in Vietnam and was bought by Zodiac soon after.

 

Etiquetas: maritime incident

SIDMOUTH, UK 22 January – Salvors hoping to begin pumping oil from the stranded container ship MSC Napoli today have faced technical problems that have delayed operations until tomorrow. The ship was beached at the weekend in Lyme Bay, off the UK south coast, after cracks developed in its hull on Thursday during a voyage from Antwerp to Sines. Flooding of the engine room appears to be the cause of the sheen of oil spreading from the vessel, but the oil is breaking up and dissipating. A report issued early this morning by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said there was "increasing confidence" that no major bunker tanks have been breached. More than 150 containers have been lost overboard; of these, 63 have been identified and their positions plotted. The contents and stowage positions of almost all the remaining 2,100 containers of the cargo manifest have also been identified. MSC Napoli's stern is fast in the sand, but its bow has been stabilised by an anchor to prevent it moving in the tide. The ship has developed a 25 degree list in high water, reducing to 18 degree in low water. The 26 crew members were winched from their lifeboat by Royal Navy helicopters and taken to safety.

 

Etiquetas: maritime incident

LONDON 22 January – Salvors are seeking a meeting with EU maritime affairs commissioner Joe Borg to push their case for new maritime emergency response measures. These proposals, as set out by the International Salvage Union, call for commercial arrangements between the European Maritime Safety Agency and salvors to run in parallel with steps already taken by EMSA to reinforce spill clean-up capability; a fund for environmental awards to reward salvors who, as a consequence of rendering salvage assistance to shipping casualties, prevent or minimise pollution in EU coastal zones; the use of this fund to compensate and reward coastal communities providing places of refuge for ship casualties; and the introduction of EU-wide responder immunity for salvors. The IMO’s Bunker Spills Convention excludes responder immunity, despite the fact that salvors have to confront the threat of environmental damage from bunkers in almost every salvage case, the ISU argues. The ISU is drafting guidelines for best practice regarding marine casualty management, which it hopes the EU will adopt, and is calling for salvage tugs to provide a guaranteed level of protection for all the EU coasts rather than relying on chance. Tug availability needs to be monitored, the organisation says, along with an inventory of tug and equipment.

 

Etiquetas: international maritime affairs, maritime incident

SOUTHAMPTON 19 January – The cracked container ship MSC Napoli may be towed to Lyme Bay, off the UK’s south coast, and contracted salvor Smit International is understood to be mobilizing maritime salvage equipment from the Netherlands. The 4,700-teu Napoli is currently making its way up the English Channel under tow by the French tug Abeille Bourbon, with escort from the UK tug Anglian Princess. There are 2,394 containers on board, some carrying industrial and agricultural chemicals. Robin Middleton, the UK Secretary of State’s Representative for Salvage and Intervention said he has been working with the French government and salvors “to carry out a risk assessment of the various options available to us”. The most favourable option is to tow the vessel to a sheltered location where the salvage operation to remove the containers or make out temporary repairs can be carried out. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency Counter Pollution and Response branch will be working with the Salvage Consortium and other agencies to minimise any risk of pollution or damage to the environment.

Etiquetas: maritime incident

BUENOS AIRES 19 January – Pullmantur’s 46,000-gt cruise ship Sky Wonder (until last year P&O Cruises Australia’s Pacific Sky) was refloated yesterday in a 20-hour operation in the River Plate. The vessel departed from Buenos Aires on Wednesday evening but was pushed out of the navigation channel by strong winds about 7km from the Argentine port. There were 570 crew and 1,612 mostly-Brazilian passengers on board. With the aid of three tugs and a favourable tide, the Wonder was freed at 1530 local time; after inspection, it continued its passage to Punta del Este, Uruguay. Argentine coastguards told Fairplay the grounded cruise ship did not obstruct the main channel – large container ships arrived at and departed from Buenos Aires unhindered. As Pacific Sky, the vessel ran aground south of Noumea in September 2005, lost cruises through gearbox failure in May 2005, suffered a blown boiler valve and engine breakdown in November 2004, and in March 2003 was found to have “very, very serious” corrosion that was so bad that some internal bulkheads had parted from the hull. Last year Pullmantur was taken over by Royal Caribbean Cruises.

 

Etiquetas: cruises, maritime incident

ENGLISH CHANNEL 18 January – All 26 crew of the container ship MSC Napoli have been picked up from their lifeboat by rescue helicopters today after they abandoned ship in the English Channel. The 4,700-teu vessel sustained damage to its hull from an unconfirmed cause this morning. The engine room was reported to have flooded and the ship began to list, prompting a distress call from a position in the French search and rescue area, 45n-miles off the Lizard peninsula in Southwest England. A French salvage team is now on board the Napoli and will try to attach a line to one of the emergency towage vessels at the scene. Fairplay understands that all containers on board remain safely secured. The 1991-built Napoli is registered in the UK; it is owned and managed by London-based Zodiac Maritime Agencies and operated by Mediterranean Shipping Co. It departed from Antwerp and was outbound for the Far East when it ran into severe gale force 9 winds and 8-9m swell. There is no indication of what caused the hole in the hull and no reports of injury to the seafarers.

Etiquetas: maritime incident

MESSINA 16 January – Four officers on an Italian high-speed ferry were killed yesterday evening when the vessel was in collision with a container ship in the Strait of Messina between Sicily and the Italian mainland. Reports say at least 80 of the ferry's 130 passengers were injured when the bow of the Susan Borchard smashed into the bridge and mid-section. Many passengers panicked and jumped into the sea. The Segesta Jet is operated by the state rail company Rete Ferroviaria and was approaching Messina after a crossing from Villa San Giovanni (Calabria). It was carrying commuters and students. Although it remains unclear what caused the collision, observers appear to be in no doubt that the container ship hit the ferry; the captain of Messina port has been quoted as suggesting that a third vessel was close to the scene at the time. The dead are the Segesta Jet’s captain, 54-year-old Sebastiano Mafodda; engineer Marcello Sposito (41), and navigating officers Lauro Palmiro (50) and Domenico Zona (42). None of the Susan Borchard's crew was injured, and the ship is now in Messina. Reports say it will take much of the day to stabilise the casualty after water was pumped on board to extinguish the fire. Four investigations are now underway.

Etiquetas: Italy, maritime incident

TOYKO 11 January – The Japanese government has called for a full investigation into how a US nuclear-powered submarine managed to hit a VLCC on Monday night in the Strait of Hormuz. The ‘K’ Line tanker Mogamigawa sustained damage to a ballast tank about 70m from its stern, but there were no injuries to seafarers on either vessel. Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki was quoted yesterday as saying that the cause of the collision was still under investigation and it was too early to place the blame. Shiozaki said Japan was informed that US Central Command was engaged in operations for maritime security in the area when the incident occurred and that the bow of the USS Newport News had been damaged. Divers inspected the tanker’s ballast tank No.5 while the ship was at Khor Fakkan yesterday and confirmed there was one dent 10m long x 3.5m wide with two holes, about 20cm x 10cm and 40cm x 20cm; another dent 4m long x 2m wide with three holes, about 10cm x 5cm, 10cm x 5cm and 20cm x 10cm; a third dent measuring 10m x 2m. The holes have been plugged and flooding of the ballast tank stopped. ClassNK has recommended that permanent repairs should be carried out by 9 February after cargo has been unloaded. Mogamigawa departed from Khor Fakkan last night and is expected to arrive in Singapore on 20 January. No repair yard has yet been selected.

Etiquetas: Asia, maritime incident

JAKARTA 04 January – Indonesia has launched an investigation into last week's sinking of the ferry Senopati Nusantara. More than 400 of the almost 700 passengers and crew are still missing. Indonesian government sources told Fairplay that rescue work is continuing. News of the investigation comes as seasonal bad weather sweeps across the area, prompting the country's transport department to ban ro-ro vessels from setting out on routes linking Java Sea ports. The Senopati Nusantara was just one of five ferry and ro-ro vessel incidents reported over the past weekend; yesterday, a vessel carrying cattle from Kalimantan to Java had to offload livestock into the sea after that ship was hit by heavy weather, according to news agency Bernama. The seaworthiness of the Senopati Nusantara and the ship's safety equipment will be the focus of the investigation. The ferry was also carrying motorcycles, according to a spokesman at the rescue co-ordinating base in Semarang on the island of Java. The number of confirmed survivors is now 227, some of whom have been found clinging onto oil platforms; only seven passengers have been confirmed dead.

 

Etiquetas: maritime incident