The 94 meter long, 4999 dwt tanker Key Fighter allided with the quay at Fynsværket, Denmark. The tanker was headed to Odense when it crashed into the dock. No reports of injuries or any pollution released. The Key Fighter was able to continue on to Odense. Authorities were notified of the incident. Reports state a pilot was on board at the time of allision.
The 174 meter long, 29810 dwt tanker Pratibha Cauvery went aground near Besant Nagar, India. The vessel had unloaded its cargo at Chennai when a cyclone struck. The rough seas and high winds pushed the vessel aground just meters from shore. Twenty-two of the 37 crewmen on board decided to abandon ship by using one of the vessel’s lifeboats. However, the rough seas quickly capsized the lifeboat sending the men into the water. Six men were washed away while the others held onto the capsized lifeboat. Local fishermen, Indian Coast Guard and Navy were able to rescue the men. No reports of pollution released. Authorities state the tanker will be refloated.
Reports state one of the two missing crew was located by rescuers. The crewman was found unresponsive and flown to a North Carolina hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The Coast Guard has continued the search for the vessel’s captain who was swept overboard by a large wave before he and one other crewman could get into the vessel’s liferaft.
The HMS Bounty had left Connecticut on October 25 headed for St. Petersburg, Florida. The crew hoped the sailing vessel would be able to safely skirt by Hurricane Sandy, but the vessel caught part of the hurricane off North Carolina. The Bounty lost power and began to flood as winds reached 40 mph and 18-foot seas. The crew was able to send out a distress call to the Coast Guard who dispatched aircraft and helicopters to the scene.
