On the morning of June 6, the container barge Marco Polo 802 ran aground off Tanjong Beach in Sentosa, Singapore. The barge loaded with containers had run ashore in the coastal shallows which resulted in the lagoon being partially blocked. Some sea barriers in the area were damaged by the barge, but there was no reports of damage to barge hull.
Authorities reported the barge was in stable condition with no pollution released. The Singapore authorities dispatched tugboats which were able to pull the Marco Polo 802 free a short time later. The barge was towed to a nearby anchorage area for inspection. The incident is under investigation.
Around midnight on June 3, the 183 meter long, 12250 dwt car carrier Morning Midas (IMO: 9289910) caught fire in the North Pacific Ocean some 300 miles south of Adak, Alaska. The Morning Midas departed from Yantai, China with over 3100 vehicles with 65 electric and over 600 hybrid vehicles bound for Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexico. While en route the crew detected smoke from one of the vehicle decks. The crew attempted to contain the blaze by using the vessel’s onboard fire suppression system. Unfortunately, the system was unable to stop the blaze which continued to spread to other decks on the vessel.
By the afternoon of June 3, the fire was out of control and the crew alerted the United States Coast Guard. The Coast Guard sent out a broadcast alerting vessels in the area to assist while multiple Coast Guard aircraft were deployed from bases in Adak and Kodiak. The 22 crew on board the Morning Midas safely evacuated into the vessel’s life raft and were rescued by the 355.5 meter long containership Cosco Hellas (IMO: 9308510) which had responded to the distress call. There were no injuries reported.
Photo: USCG
The Coast Guard has stated they are monitoring the car carrier as smoke could still be seen billowing out from its decks. The vessels owners have arranged for a tug with firefighting equipment be sent in the hope the fire can be extinguished and the Morning Midas can be taken under tow. News reports state the fire may have started by possibly one of the lithium-ion batteries used by electric cars. If a lithium-ion battery fire is not detected early, there is a high risk of a runaway thermal reaction.
Photo: USCG
Photo: USCG
Photo: USCG
Photo: USCG
The Coast Guard is also monitoring the situation for possible oil pollution if the Morning Midas sinks before the fire is extinguished. Reports state there is 350 tons of diesel and 1530 tons of fuel oil on board the car carrier.
On the afternoon of June 4, the 99 meter long, 4469 dwt suction dredger Ijsseldelta (IMO: 7737690) allided with a bridge on the Dortmund-Ems Canal near Lingen, Germany. The Ijsseldelta was headed for Meppen when the starboard side of the foreship struck the the bridge. The impact caused a main girder to crack and collapse. Authorities quickly closed the bridge as there was a risk the entire bridge may collapse into the canal. There were no injuries reported.
Photo: waslosin.de
Photo: emstv.de
Photo: ndr.de
Photo: ndr.de
Reports state the bridge was initially inspected and found that the bridge could not be quickly repaired. One report estimated that the damage to the bridge may result in damage in the millions of euros. The water police conducted an investigation and found the area was safe enough to allow river traffic to continue. The cause of the allision was under investigation. Authorities did not. explain why the dredger had not lowered itself enough to pass safely pass under the bridge. The Ijsseldelta was allowed to proceed on to a harbour in Lingen-Holthausen.
