On the morning of December 17, the 27 meter long fishing vessel QNa 91917-TS caught fire in the Gulf of Thailand approximately 110 nautical miles northeast of Da Nam Island, Vietnam. The QNa 91917-TS had been fishing for squid when a fire broke after an electrical short in the engine. The fire quickly spread through the vessel and could not be contained by the crew.
The QNa 91917-TS sent out a distress call with Vietnamese authorities responding. Authorities reached out to nearby fishing vessels to assist. The Ng 95454-TS, QNg 95179-TS, QNa 91234-TS, and PY 90779-TS responded and proceeded to the aid of the QNa 91917-TS. Before the fishing vessels could reached the stricken QNa 91917-TS, all 52 crew members were forced to abandon ship into life rafts before the vessel succumbed from the fire and sank. The 52 crew were rescued by the fishing vessels a short time later. The crew were later transferred to a Vietnamese Coast Guard vessel which proceeded to Song Tu Tay Island.
On the afternoon of December 15, the fishing vessel QT-90559-TS capsized in the East Vietnam Sea 3 nautical miles northeast of Cồn Cỏ Island, Vietnam (17.10’55” North, 107.24′.42” East). The fishing vessel had capsized and sank in large waves whiles fishing off the island. Vietnamese authorities received a distress signal and launched a rescue mission. Fortunately, the fishing vessel QT-91090-TS was nearby and rescued all 6 crew members from the QT-90559-TS. The crew were later safely taken ashore where they received medical treatment.
An initial investigation found the QT-90559-TS and fishing gear onboard had suffered severe damage. Reports state the cost of the damage was estimated to be around 3 billion VND.
On the evening of November 19, the 170 meter long, 6499 dwt ro-ro passenger ferry Queen Jenuvia II (IMO: 9901386) ran aground in the Yellow Sea near the uninhabited island of Jokdo and Jangsan Island in the southwestern edge of South Korea. The Queen Jenuvia II had departed from Jeju with 267 passengers and crew bound for Mokpo. As the vessel approached the area off Jangsan Island, the vessel struck a rocky outcrop. The grounding caused the vessel’s main engines to power down and caused a 15 degree list to port, but there was no reports of flooding.
Authorities were alerted and dispatched all possible resources to rescue passengers off the Queen Jenuvia II. The Coast Guard dispatched 17 patrol boats, 4 coastal rescue vessels, and 1 aircraft which arrived an hour later. After 3 hours, all 246 passengers would be safely rescued off the ferry. The 21 crew members would remain onboard to assist with towing operations. Twenty-seven passengers had suffered minor injuries and would be taken to hospital for treatment.
Photo: chosun.com
The ferry would later be pulled free and towed to a nearby port. An inspection found the ferry had sustained significant hull damage with part of the bow crushed. The full extent of damage has not yet been released.
According to initial investigation by authorities, the South Korean Coast Guard identified the cause of the grounding. The ferry was left on autopilot in an area requiring manual operation. The officer handling navigation was reported to be distracted by their mobile phone at the time of the incident. The Coast Guard stated the navigation would be typically handled by the first officer who was not on the bridge nor the master at the time of the incident. There are plans to purse criminal charges against those found responsible for operational negligence.
