On January 24, the towboat Virginia Renee sank on the Mississippi River at Hickman Landing near Blytheville, Arkansas. The towboat had sunk at its berth releasing oil pollution into the river. Booms and absorbent pads were placed around the Virginia Renee to contain the pollution.
Reports state the towboat had some 10,000 gallons of diesel fuel on board at the time of the sinking. The Coast Guard has launched an investigation into the incident. No reports of injuries.
The 71 meter long, 1600 dwt cargo vessel Jian Hong No. 1 sank in the Taiwan Strait near Wenzhou, China. The Jian Hong No. 1 was en route to South Korea from Taichung with a cargo of sugar when it sank between Taiwan and Wenzhou. The crew was able to send out a distress call before the vessel sank. A dual search and rescue operation from China and Taiwan found two crew members of the Jian Hong No. 1 alive. The two were pulled from the sea and hoisted to safety by search helicopters. Eight crew were still reported as missing. The cause of the sinking was not reported. The Mongolian registered vessel was built in 1980 and may have suffered hull failure during the voyage.
On January 27, the 77 meter long supply vessel Caballo Eclipse capsized and sank off Carmelite Island, Mexico. The unmanned Caballo Eclipse had been at anchor off the coast since 2017 when storm waves caused hull failure. A meter long crack on the port hull allowed uncontrolled water ingress into the vessel. The Caballo Eclipse partially filled with water before it capsized and partially sank with the hull resting on the bottom. No reports of injuries.
Reports state some diesel fuel had been released, but no details to the quantity of pollution was provided. Authorities did not state if any salvage or scrapping will be done to the vessel. The Caballo Eclipse had been considered abandoned since 2017 when her owners suffered financial problems.