On the morning of July 3, the fishing vessel Sr. Fernando II collided with the ro-ro passenger ferry Peñafrancia VI in Tayabas Bay off the port of Lucena, Quezon, Philippines. The two vessels collided head-on resulting in damage to the Peñafrancia VI‘s starboard section of the bow and ramp. The Sr. Fernando II also sustained bow damage. There were no injuries to the 82 passengers and 18 crew on the ferry and the 16 crew on the fishing vessel. No pollution was released.
Photo: Philippines Coast Guard
Photo: Philippines Coast Guard
Photo: Philippines Coast Guard
Photo: Philippines Coast Guard
Photo: Philippines Coast Guard
Photo: Philippines Coast Guard
The Philippine Coast Guard were alerted and ordered the Peñafrancia VI back to port. The Coast Guard then assisted having all passengers and vehicles off the ferry while the Peñafrancia VI was inspected for damage. An investigation found the fishing vessel had made an error with steering causing it to turn towards the approaching ferry. Reports state the owners of the vessels have settled over the costs from the incident.
On the afternoon of July 5, an 40-seat passenger excursion vessel capsized at Dongjiang Lake near the city of Zixing, China. Reports state a strong sudden gust of wind reaching 30 meters per second struck the passenger ship causing the vessel to capsize and sending 29 people into the water. Twenty-seven would be later rescued, but 2 people would perish during the incident. A search and rescue would recover the bodies by the following day.
Photo: xinhua
Photo: xinhua
Photo: nfnews.com
Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident. Initial reports state the vessel was not overloaded and there were no prior issues with the vessel. The name of the vessel was not disclosed.
On the afternoon of July 6, the 148 meter long, 19477 dwt chemical tanker Fulda (IMO: 9185865) exploded if the Gulf of Kurch near the port of Kandla, Gujarat, India. The Fulda had completed a discharge of a cargo of methanol at the Oil Jetty No. 2 in the port in Kandla and proceeded to leave port bound for Port Sohar, Oman. A few hours later the Fulda would explode ripping up most of its top deck apart. Witnessed by the nearby 175.5 meter long, 31858 dwt bulk carrier Team Focus (IMO: 9424132), the Fulda sustained massive damage but was still afloat. The master of the tanker stated there was no underwater damage and none of the 384 tons of fuel had not been released into the water.
However, the Fulda may have suffered some water ingress to its ballast tanks as it developed a 22 degree list to starboard that shifted to port as the crew attempted to stabilize the vessel. The 21 crew on board the tanker were later evacuated by the 31.5 meter long tug Orchid Star (IMO: 9658850) which had been dispatched from Kandla. No details were reported if any crew had been injured from the incident.
Indian authorities dispatched multiple vessels from the Coast Guard along with multiple tugs to monitor the Fulda. The Coast Guard has sent out alerts to keep all vessel traffic away from the tanker due to the potential of fire or pollution being released. Latest reports state the Fulda was taken under tow back to Kandla.
Photo: x.com
Photo: x.com
Photo: x.com
Photo: x.com
Photo: x.com
The cause of the explosion is under investigation. Initial reports suggest the explosion was due to the improper venting of flammable vapors during the discharge. There has been no reports if the Fulda was in the practice of using inert gassing or if it allowed an air-vapor mixture to to build up in the tanks like what occurred on the Sansinena explosion in 1976. That explosion was so massive that sections of the vessel sent burning rivets into the air into the surround area and lead to changes to regulations on how venting was done on tankers.
