The 111 meter long oil rig Scarabeo 5 caught fire while at Keppel Verolme Yard at Botlek, Rotterdam, Netherlands. Three yard workers were injured in the blaze. Two suffered from smoke inhalation while the other suffered burns. The blaze was extinguished a short time later. The cause of the fire was not yet known.
Video Report: http://youtu.be/kDTNvy5YEwY
On May 31, 1931 the passenger steamship Harvard went aground off Point Arguello, California. The Harvard was running its regular schedule between San Francisco and Los Angeles with 500 passengers when it went hard aground during the night in heavy fog. The sea was calm and there was no panic among the passengers. The Harvard’s lifeboats were lowered and stood by until a passing freighter arrived on scene. The passengers would later be transferred to the U.S. Navy cruiser U.S.S. Louisville which had been at anchor at Los Angeles harbor. The Harvard broke up and became a total loss before it could be refloated. The 3700 ton Harvard was launched in 1907 at Chester, Pennsylvania. The vessel served a short time in World War I as a troopship before going back into service as a passenger steamship.
The 45 meter long chemical tanker Zebron went aground off Akers Runö near Stockholm, Sweden. The authorities were alerted and the Swedish Coast Guard responded sending aircraft and rescue boats to the scene. The Zebron was found hard aground, but no injuries, damage or pollution released. The Zebron was proceeding in ballast with only 32 tons of bunker oil on board. Reports state that alcohol may have been a factor why the vessel went aground. The water police has launched an investigation into the incident.
