On July 20, the 65 meter long, 1207 dwt cargo vessel ITT Panther sank in the Bay of Bengal off Diglipur, Andaman Islands. While proceeding from Kolkata in heavy seas, the cargo vessel suffered a cargo shift. The 11 crew on board abandoned ship as the developed a heavy list. All the crew were able to reach vessel’s life raft before the ITT Panther capsized and sank.
Photo: news18.com
Photo: news18.com
Photo: news18.com
Indian authorities dispatched 2 coast guard vessels to the scene. The 11 crew were rescued 10 hours later by the Indian Coast Guard ship Rajkamal. No reports of injuries. Reports state the ITT Panther had been carrying miscellaneous cargo including 500 tons of sand, 200 tons of steel along with 29 containers
On July 17, Typhoon Talas struck in the Gulf of Tonkin causing damage to multiple vessels along Vietnam’s coast.
VTB 26
The cargo vessel VTB 26 capsized in the the Gulf of Tonkin. The vessel was headed to Nghe An from Quang Ninh with 4700 tons of coal. The VTB 26 attempted to ride out the typhoon at anchor some 4 kilometers off the coast.
Authorities were alerted after communication was lost to the ship. The tanker Lam Hong 99 spotted a overturn hull near Hong Ngu Island. Not until conditions improved several hours later, authorities launched a search and rescue operation. Nine vessels began a search of the area for survivors. Some 12 hours later, seven crew from the VTB 26 were rescued. Two bodies were also recovered. Suvivors were taken to hospital for treatment.
The captain of the VTB 26 was one of the survivors. He stated that the vessel had capsized by strong waves throwing many of the crew into the sea. He stated several crew were trapped below decks. Reports state 4 crew were still missing.
Photo: Vietnam Border Authorities
Minh Cong 68
The cargo vessel Minh Cong 68 went ashore in the port of Hon La, Vietnam.
The 92 meter long cargo vessel Truong Thanh 88 and the 4281 dwt cargo vessel Thai Ha 26 ran aground during the typhoon. Both vessels had been at anchor off Cua Lo when strong waves push both vessels ashore. Reports state both vessels were to be salvaged. The 70 meter long Viet Dung 36 was in the port of Cua Lo unloading 3000 tons of salt cargo before the typhoon struck. The vessel attempted to ride out the storm in the Lam River, but was blown onto a river bank with its bow completely out of the water. The cargo vessel Minh Khanh 09 also was blown onto a river bank. The vessel had also tried to ride out the typhoon on the Lam River but its anchor dragged.
The 88 meter long, 4285 dwt cargo vessel Southern Phoenix capsized and sank in Suva Harbor, Fiji. The Southern Phoenix was berthed loading containers when it suffered water ingress. The crew attempted to stop the inflow, but the flooding could not be contained. The cargo vessel began to list to its port side as it continued to fill with water. Eventually the crew decided there was nothing they could do and evacuated the vessel. The mooring lines were cut loose and a tug pulled the Southern Phoenix away from the berth.
The Southern Phoenix capsized and sank just a short distance away from the pier. Multiple containers broke free and spilled into the water. Several floated and were secured with ropes. Authorities deployed booms around the partially sunken Southern Phoenix to contain any pollution released. No reports of injuries.
