On the morning of November 18, there was a report that the 240 foot long, 2338 gt barge Mighty Quinn ran aground on a sandbar on the Thames River near Gales Ferry, Connecticut. Reports stated there were no injuries and no pollution released, but there was a mistake. The vessel stranded was not the barge but the 35 meter long, 485 gt tugboat Arctic Dawn (IMO: 7404047). The Arctic Dawn had been pushing the empty barge Mighty Quinn from Ledyard when it struck the sandbar. The tugboat remained stuck for several hours until it could be freed. No reports of damage on the Arctic Dawn.
On the afternoon of November 18, the 150 meter long, 3909 dwt former passenger ship Orient Princess (IMO: 6708109) caught fire while berthed in Tianjin City, China. The fire was caused from sparks caused by workers doing renovation work on the vessel. The sparks ignited insulation materials and quickly spread through several decks at the stern of the vessel. Local fire fighters were called to the scene and was able to extinguished the blaze an hour later. The stern of the vessel sustained fire and smoke damage. No reports of injuries.
The Orient Princess had been permanently berthed in Tianjin as a tourist attraction with multiple restaurants atop the former cruise ship.
On the evening of November 15, the 38 meter long, 147 dwt catamaran passenger ferry Princ Zadra (IMO: 8822363) ran aground in the Adriatic Sea off the island of Premuda, Croatia. The Princ Zadra, loaded with 70 passengers, was running its route from Zadar and the offshore islands of Premuda, Silba and Olib when it ran up onto rocks off Premuda. The vessel requested assistance as the catamaran was hard aground at the bow.
Authorities from Zadar arrived on scene and found all 70 passengers were uninjured and began evacuation. Passengers were transferred to private boats and the passenger ship Vladimir Nazor which had been diverted to the area to assist in the evacuation. No reports of injuries to crew or passengers.
The following day the Princ Zadra was pushed by strong winds and slipped off the rocks. With extensive hull damage the ferry quickly flooded and sank by the stern. The vessel now rests under 50 meters of water. There has been no reports of pollution so far. Reports do state authorities have launched an investigation into the incident.
