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Category: Sank

Rama 2

Rama 2

Rama 2

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.

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.

El Almirante

El Almirante

El Almirante
Photo: elcolombiano.com

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.

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.

Putri Sea

Putri Sea

The 46 meter long tanker Putri Sea sank with all hands in the Singapore Strait near Johor, Malaysia. Authorities were first alerted when the tanker’s agent could not contact the vessel. The Putri Sea had been last reported proceeding with six crew and a cargo of crude oil off  Johor.

Authorities launched a search and rescue operation. A patrol vessel from Tanjung Sedili arrived 4.6 miles off Tangjung Pengelih.  Multiple patrol vessels began a search of the area as it was near the last reported position of the tanker. The search did not find the Putri Sea. However, searchers did find a recent oil spill in the water. Authorities believe the oil spill is from the Putri Sea. The six crew of the Putri Sea are reported as missing.

Some reports speculate the tanker had suffered an explosion and fire before sinking. However, there is no official confirmation of the cause to the loss of the Putri Sea. No details reported if authorities will conduct further investigation into the incident.