The 110 meter long self-propelled barge Uniqueship suffered an explosion and fire while at Rotterdam, Netherlands. Two crewmen were caught in the explosion with one jumping into the water. Both men suffered injuries to the arms, legs and back. Both crewmen were rescued and taken to hospital. The local fire brigade arrived on scene and extinguished the fire. No further details reported.
The 19 meter long tug Ursus became disabled while in the port of Rønne, Denmark after it’s propeller was fouled by a rope. The port’s pilot boat was able to tow the tug back to the pier. No reports of injuries or pollution being released.
The 150 meter long, 25269 dwt chemical tanker Stolt Valor suffered an explosion while proceeding through the Persian Gulf near Jubail, Saudi Arabia ( 27.5072° / 50.26581). Twenty four of the 25 crew on board abandoned ship into the vessel’s life rafts. All were quickly rescued by a nearby naval vessel. One crewman was reported missing but was confirmed dead the next day. Authorities have dispatched fire fighting tugs to the scene. The Stolt Valor had departed from Jubail with 13000 metric tons of Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE) bound for Bahrain. Reports state MTBE is highly toxic and is a known to cause cancer.
The Stolt Valor was held off Somalia in 2008 after being hijacked by pirates. The vessel remained in pirates hands for two months until it was released.
