On September 15, the fishing vessel INDAPV5MM 495 caught fire in the Bay of Bengal off the coast of Visakhapatnam, India. The fire started from a mechanical fault and quickly engulfed the vessel. The five crew on board were forced to abandon ship into the sea. The vessel INDAPV5MM 894 was nearby and was able to rescue all five crew. No reports of injuries and all the crew was taken to shore safely. Reports state the fishing vessel was a total loss.
On August 27, the 135 meter long, 4539 dwt ro-ro passenger cargo vessel Istanbul N became disabled on the Sea of Marmara off Balıkesir, Turkey. The Istanbul N had suffered a power blackout while en route from Bandırma Çelebi to Ambarli. The vessel had engine failure caused by a fault in the electrical system. Unable to repair the fault and the vessel adrift, Authorities dispatched a tug along with a rescue boat to the scene. The tug Kurtarma 2 took the Istanbul N under tow to Bandırma Çelebi. Reports state there were no injuries to the 68 passengers and vehicles on board or any pollution released.
On August 25, the 72 meter long, 2156 dwt cargo vessel ITT Puma (IMO: 8116128) sank in Bay of Bengal some 90 nautical miles south off Sagar Island, India. The ITT Puma departed from Kolkata on August 24 partially loaded with general cargo bound for Port Blair. During the night of August 25, the ITT Puma lost stability and capsized in bad weather before it finally sank.
Indian authorities received a distress signal from the ITT Puma. The Indian Coast Guard dispatched a helicopter along with the rescue vessels Amogh and Sarang. The Coast Guard was able to locate 11 survivors after they had fired red flares from the life raft. The crew received medical treatment and transported to Paradip. Three crewmen were reported missing.
The Indian Coast Guard is monitoring the location where the ITT Puma sank. There was some concern that pollution may be released from the fuel tanks.