On the early morning of January 6, the 28 meter long fishing vessel Kvalnes (IMO: 9853450) ran aground near Hellbergsøya, Norway. The Kvalnes sent out a distress call with the NSSR rescue boat Harald V dispatched to the scene. The fishing vessel was found stable, but would remain aground until the next high tide before any attempts to have it refloated. The Kvalnes did not sustain any hull damage, injuries or any pollution released.
On January 4, the 190 meter long, 53514 dwt bulk carrier Panoria (IMO: 9480930) caught fire in South China Sea some 23 miles off Cape Eluanbi, Taiwan. The Panoria was headed to Nantong from Singapore when a fire broke out in the engine room. The crew after some effort were able to extinguish the blaze, but not after the main engine sustained damage. The cargo vessel lost power and and went adrift. Three crew suffered burns from the incident and one crew member was seriously injured and required medical treatment.
The Taiwan Coast Guard received a distress call from the Panoria and dispatched five vessels and a helicopter to assist. The helicopter arrived a few hours later and was able to safely evacuated all four injured crew. The helicopter took the injured crew to Kaohsiung where they were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
A tug was requested to take the Panoria under tow to Kaohsiung. The Coast Guard stated it would monitor the situation. No reports of pollution released.
On the night of January 2, the 154 meter long, 7226 dwt ro-ro cargo vessel Glyvursnes caught fire while berthed at Hirshals, Denmark. The Glyvursnes had arrived from Iceland when a fire broke out in the engine room. The local fire brigade was called out and was able to contain the blaze an hour later. One crew member perished in the fire while another was badly injured from burns. Reports state there was heavy smoke and some crew suffered smoke inhalation.
Danish Maritime Authority is inspecting the vessel for the extent of damage caused by the fire. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.