The 81 meter long, 3959 dwt Kemal Kuru went aground in Dardanelles near Gallipoli, Turkey. No reports of injuries, damage or pollution released. Authorities stated that the vessel was spotted on radar heading towards shallow water, but were unable to contact the Kemal Kuru. The cause of the grounding was not reported.
The 138 meter long, 5223 dwt freighter Kapitan Skachkov went aground on the Volga River near Astrakhan, Russia. Attempts to refloat the vessel failed. The crew requested assistance with another freighter and a floating crane arriving on scene to begin lightering. After lightering, a tug will assist in refloating. No reports of injuries, damage or pollution released. The Kapitan Skachkov was loaded with 4750 tons of sulphur cargo at the time of incident.
The 232 meter long, 97220 dwt VLCC tanker Katja went aground in the North Sea off the island of Minsener Oog near Wangerooge, Germany. The tanker suffered a slight list while stuck on the sandbank, but no water ingress. Four tugs responded along with an anti pollution vessel to the scene. The tugs were able to refloat the Katja a few hours later with the rising tide. The vessels then proceeded to Wilhelmshaven where the Katja berthed where it unloaded its cargo of 87,000 tons of crude oil. The tanker will undergo an inspection looking for any possible damage. No reports of injuries or pollution being released. The authorities have launched an investigation into the incident.
