On July 9, the 48 meter long towboat Eric Haney sank on the Mississippi River near Cairo, Illinois. Reports state all 9 crew was able to evacuate safely when the vessel sank. The towboat had some 79,000 gallons of diesel fuel on board at the time of the sinking. Just after the sinking, a light sheen could be seen a short distance down river, but no further pollution was reported.
The Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit out of Paducah, Kentucky were dispatched to the scene to conduct an initial assessment. Authorities have deployed a boom around the vessel to contain any pollution that may be released. A salvage plan to pull the towboat out of the river is being worked on.
The Coast Guard has launched an investigation into the incident.
On June 26, the 99 meter long, 6764 dwt tanker Rama 2 sank in bad weather in the Gulf of Aden near Socotra Island, Yemen. The Rama 2 was en route to Al Hamriya, UAE with 5500 tons of gasoline. While off Oman, weather conditions worsen with waves reaching 5 meters. The tanker had suffered some structural failure and developed a heavy list to starboard. The crew sent out a distress call stating the Rama 2 was sinking and needed assistance. As the list increased, the crew attempted to abandon ship. However, the vessel’s lifeboat was unable to launch leaving the 14 crew to use the vessel’s life rafts.
Photo: Combined Maritime Force
Photo: Combined Maritime Force
Rama 2 formerly the Saxen
The distress call was relayed to the Combined Maritime Force which launched a search and rescue plan. Multiple UK Naval ships and aircraft along with three commercial vessels tanker MTM Tortola, LNG tanker Soyo and tanker Sea Power assisted in the operation. The MTM Tortola arrived on scene and was able to rescue 10 crew from the water. Two more crew were rescued by the Sea Power. The remaining two crew were still missing. One was spotted by aircraft and later hoisted to safety by a UK helicopter. The remaining crewman could not be recovered and was reported to be deceased.
Reports state there was a large oil slick where the Rama 2 had sunk, but the heavy seas was dispersing the pollution.
The multi-deck passenger ship El Almirante sank on the Peñol-Guatapé Reservoir near Guatapé, Antioquia, Colombia. Just after the El Almirante departed from the pier between 130 to 170 passengers, there was a loud bang below decks right before the vessel began to sink. One account states the passengers were ordered to one side of the vessel then another before directing them to the forward section as the vessel sank. Passengers on the lower decks were ordered to break the glass and jump into the water. Another account states some passengers on the lower decks were blocked by other passengers on the higher decks. A survivor stated he had to wait until the vessel sank before he could reach safety of the upper decks.
All accounts state the El Almirante sank in less than 15 minutes trapping multiple persons on the lower decks. Several small boats nearby witnessed the sinking and rushed to the scene. Pulling people from the water, they saved nearly 100 people.
Initial reports state some 99 people had been rescued, but 9 persons had perished. Some 28 persons were reported missing while 24 had been taken to hospital due to injuries.
A report states that the El Almirante did not carry enough life preservers for all 170 passengers on board at the time of the incident. It concluded that several more passengers may have been saved as many had been able to escape the sinking vessel, but could not swim and drowned. Authorities have dispatched a group of divers to the scene to search the vessel for any missing persons.
Photo: Minuto30.com
Photo: Minuto30.com
Photo: Minuto30.com
Photo: elcolombiano.com
Photo: elcolombiano.com
Photo: elcolombiano.com
The cause of the water ingress is not yet known. Reports state the vessel had been in two previous incidents, one near a place called Fantasy Island and another off Malecón. One survivor stated the vessel was overloaded and in poor condition. Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident.
