On April 22, the 100 foot long cargo vessel Maavaa Star sank in the Indian Ocean off Vaavu Atoll, Maldives. The fully laden cargo vessel had run aground on a patch reef near Fulidhoo Island. The vessel contacted authorities and were later rescued. No reports of injuries to the 5 persons on board at the time. No further details reported.
On April 13, the 55 foot long towboat Charley Wallace sank on the Ohio River near Cairo, Illinois. Reports state the towboat had over 1000 gallons of diesel fuel on board when it completely sank on the river. Authorities state a sheen can be seen above the wreck. The Coast Guard has dispatched an unit from Paducah to the scene. No reports of injuries. The incident is under investigation.
On April 6, the 97 meter long cargo vessel Da Pu Jiang sank off Zhejiang Province, China. The cargo vessel was headed for Wufu from Caofeidian when it sank in waters near Ningbo, China.
Authorities launched a search and rescue operation. A rescue vessel and arrived to find 10 of the 13 crew on board had been able to abandoned ship into the vessel’s life raft. A helicopter located two more crew men in the water and hoisted them to safety. Rescuers later discovered the body of the remaining crewman in the water.
The cause of the sinking has not been disclosed.