On June 20, the cargo landing craft vessel Alur Barito sank on the Barito River near Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, Borneo. The Alur Barito was proceeding to a mining company with 300 tonnes of explosives on board when it ran aground. The vessel suffered water ingress and sank. No reports of injuries. Reports state the vessel may have been overloaded.
On June 17, the 33 foot long wooden fishing vessel Robert C sank on Dogfish Bar off Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. The Robert C had collided with the 40 foot fishing vessel Pedlar a few miles off the coast. The wooden vessel quickly sank in 50 feet of water. The one person on board was rescued by another nearby vessel. No reports of injuries, but some pollution was spotted over the wreck. Reports state the Robert C will not be salvaged. Divers were sent the following day to plug the vessel’s vents to prevent any further fuel from leaking out. The United States Coast Guard has launched an investigation into the incident.
The 34 meter long tanker Wan Dong Fang 298 capsized and sank on the Yangtze River near Nanjing, China. The tanker with 2 crew were proceeding to Hefei from Taizhou with 280 tonnes of liquid sodium hydroxide when it lost stability and rolled over and sank. Authorities were alerted and a search and rescue operation as launched for the missing crewmen. Reports state the vessel’s cargo tanks were still intact, but some diesel fuel was released into the river. A salvage operation is underway to raise the tanker from the water and tow it to the shoreline.
