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Category: Grounding

Ashore at Órzola

Ashore at Órzola

Ashore at Órzola
Photo: lavozdelanzarote.com

On the morning of September 10, a fishing vessel (Moroccan flagged; name not disclosed) ran aground on the Atlantic Ocean off the island of Lanzarote, Canary islands.  The tuna boat had sailing off the coast of the island near the town of Órzola when it ran aground on the rocky shoreline.

Witnesses alerted authorities which arrived on site and found all five crew were stable.  Local firefighters assisted all five crew to evacuate the vessel safely to shore. Reports state the crew of the fishing vessel had not eaten a meal for four days. Two crew were taken to hospital for treatment for hypothermia.

Authorities were investigating the incident to determine the circumstances. There is some speculation the fishing vessel was stolen or the crew had not been paid by the owners. It wasn’t clear if the tuna boat had accidently grounded on the Canary Islands by chance or if was intentional.

Reports stated the tuna vessel had later caught fire. Authorities stated they were looking a way to dispose of the vessel with minimal environmental impact.

CMA CGM Mermaid

CMA CGM Mermaid

CMA CGM Mermaid
Photo: postimees.ee

On the morning of September 8, the 204 meter long, 31114 dwt container ship CMA CGM Mermaid (IMO: 9961283) ran aground in the Gulf of Finland at the port of Muuga, Estonia. The CMA CGM Mermaid had completed a voyage from Kotka to Muuga when it approached the berth at the container terminal. For undisclosed reasons, the container ship’s bow struck head on into quay. There were no reports of injuries, but the quay and the berth the 182 meter long, 30695 dwt bulk carrier Belasitza (IMO: 9498262) were damaged.  The CMA CGM Mermaid was later listed as have run aground at the same location.  No further details reported.

Thamesborg

Thamesborg

Thamesborg

On the early morning of September 6, the 172 meter long, 21359 dwt cargo vessel Thamesborg (IMO: 9546459) ran aground in the Franklin Strait off Prince of Wales Island, Nunavut, Canada. The Thamesborg had departed from Lianyungang, China bound for Baie-Comeau, Quebec when it stranded. The cargo vessel sustained hull damage with multiple ballast tanks holed, but the cargo holds and fuel tanks remained intact.

The Canadian Coast Guard was alerted and dispatched the 83 meter long buoy tender Sir Wilfrid Laurier (IMO: 8320456) which arrived at the incident site some 9 hours later. The 147 meter long, 12396 dwt  heavy lift vessel Miena Desgagnes (IMO: 9700380) was nearby and proceeded to the area to assist. Reports state that a salvage team were proceeding to the area in the effort to refloat the Thamesborg.

Authorities did not disclose the cause of the grounding.  There were no reports of injuries or pollution released.