On June 16, the 120 meter long, 8057 dwt heavy list vessel Industrial Challenger (IMO: 9213935) caught fire in the Çanakkale Strait off Kumkale, Turkey. The Industrial Challenger was headed to Yalova from Marmaris when a fire broke out in the engine room. Reports state the fire was extinguished, but the heavy list vessel sustained engine damage and went adrift. The KEGM dispatched tugs which took the Industrial Challenger under tow to a nearby anchorage. No reports of injuries or pollution released.
On the evening of June 16, the 336 meter long, 156452 gt VLCC tanker Front Eagle (IMO: 9855343) collided with the 274 meter long, 164551 dwt Suezmax tanker Adalynn (IMO: 9231767) in the the Gulf of Oman some 22 nautical miles off Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates. The Front Eagle had departed from the Khor Fakkan anchorage fully loaded when it completed a starboard turn bound for Zhoushan. During the maneuver the Front Eagle struck the aft port quarter of the passing Adalynn. The collision resulted in a hull breached and massive fire on the Adalynn. The blaze quickly spread and consumed the superstructure of the tanker. With the fire out of control the 24 crew of the Adalynn abandoned ship and rescued by UAE National Guard. The fire had spread onto the deck of the Front Eagle. The crew of the Front Eagle were able to extinguish the fire. No reports of injuries.
Photo: Front Eagle
Photo: Adalynn
Photo: x.com
Reports state the cause of the incident may have been a navigational error on the Front Eagle. However, there have been prior incidents of GPS signals being spoofed. UAE authorities have stated the incident is not “security related”. News accounts stated the fire continues to engulf the Adalynn. No word if UAE or other authorities in the area will attempt to extinguish the fire or just allow the tanker to sink.
Reports state the container vessel Wan Hai 503 which has been ablaze since June 9 has been successfully secured with a towing hawser. The towline was secured to the Indian Coast Guard vessel Samudra Prahari which keeping the container vessel from drifting closer to the shoreline. The Coast Guard plans to hand the towing to several tugboats which will pull the Wan Hai 503 further away from shore.
Four Indian Coast Guard vessels, Indian Air Force helicopters and salvage teams have now reported the fire approximately 40 percent under control. Multiple inner decks are still ablaze and dense grey smoke still emits from the forward cargo holds. Some 20,000 litres of fire fighting foam is being transported from Mumbai to help extinguish the fire. Helicopters are using dry chemical agents while vessels continue to spray water onto the vessel.
Indian Authorities still have concerns of the environmental impact if the blaze ignites the 2128 metric tons of fuel or reaches the hazardous cargo within some of the containers onboard. Officials have stated that some 24 containers had fallen into the sea with some possibly still afloat, but most have sunk.
