The 126 meter long, 7228 dwt container ship HC Rubina went aground in the port of Messina, Italy. The vessel’s hull was holed at the bow. All 19 crew were safely rescued. Two Italian Coast Guard vessels and two tugs have responded to the scene. Pollution control vessels are also on scene in the event that there are any fuel leaks. Reports state the HC Rubina was not following the proper route to berth at the port. The vessel was en route to Marina di Carrara from Iskenderun in ballast.
The 220 meter long, 41792 dwt container ship Bareli went aground in the East China Sea near Xiangshan, China. The vessel was bound for Africa in bad weather when it hit bottom and firmly aground. The container ship suffered severe hull damage with a large fracture nearly breaking the vessel in two. Several sections of the vessel has suffered heavy flooding causing the vessel’s bow to sink below the surface. The crew sent out a distress call with a rescue boat arriving on scene an hour later. All of the vessel’s 21 crew were safely rescued.
The remains of the Container Ship Rena March 2012. Photo: LOC
Emergency response teams have been deployed to cope with the environmental impact from the fuel spilling or cargo falling into the sea. The Bareli was reported to have 1913 containers on board. The owners have stated none of the containers contain any hazardous materials. Anti pollution vessels were to have several oil booms, a skimmer vessel and several aircraft were ready to drop dispersants if required.
Several vessels were dispatched to the scene to start salvage work. The crane ship Marine 1 along with supporting tugs reached the scene and plan to unload containers immediately. This quick response may avoid some of the issues when the container ship Rena went aground in October 2011
The remains of the Container Ship Rena March 2012. Photo: LOC
The 46 meter long high speed ferry Bravest ran aground near Middletown, New Jersey. The ferry was en route to Belford, New Jersey when it veered to close to shore during an extremely low tide. The ferry had mooved out of the center of the navigation channel to allow another vessel to go by. No passengers were on board at the time of the grounding. A tugboat was able to pull the vessel free a few hours later. There was no damage and the ferry proceeded back to port. The vessel returned to service on the same day. No injuries or pollution released.
