The 88 dwt fishing vessel Donets collided with an anchored submarine while passing through Avacha Bay, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, Russia. The Russian Navy confirmed that the collision was with one of it’s nuclear submarines stating there was no significant damage in the collision. No reports of injury or pollution. An investigation team has reported that the entire crew of the Donets was intoxicated at the time of the incident.
The 220 dwt tug Courbet was headed for Lagos from Rotterdam with two vessels under tow, the 90 meter long Vestland and 109 meter long Atlantic Trader. The Courbet had radioed that it had problems with the two vessels. The Vestland and Atlantic Trader were not designed for ocean travel, but were designed as powered canal boats. When the trio were in the Bay of Biscay, they ran into stormy conditions. The Vestland was empty and riding badly in the storm. The Courbet changed course to meet with the salvage vessel Abeille Bourbon in an attempt to keep the Vestland afloat. However, the seas were too much and the Vestland broke-in-two off Penmarch, France. The bow section was taken under tow by the Courbet while the Abeille Bourbon secured the stern section. An hour later the stern section was unable to keep afloat, and sunk in 2000 meters of water. The bow section stayed afloat until the next night when it sank. The fate of the Atlantic Trader has not been reported, but it did not have an AIS, Automated Identification System, on board and will be difficult to track. Various reports state there was no pollution released, but one states there was 7 metric tons of fuel in its bunkers. Three men were reported to be on board the Vestland when it broke-in-two. The men were rescued by the Courbet. No reports of injuries.
The 86 meter long tanker Somtrans IX allided with the Konrad-Adenauer-Allee Bridge on the Rhine-Herne Canal at Oberhausen, Germany. The tanker sustained damage to its helm with the upper control booth being crushed against the bridge. The tanker was able to continue under it’s own power to a nearby quay where it moored. No one was injured. The water police are conducting an investigation into the cause of the incident.
