On August 29, the towboat Espiritu Paraguayo sank on the Paraná river near Bella Vista, Argentina. The towboat was pushing a string of barges when it struck an unknown underwater object puncturing the vessel’s hull. The Espiritu Paraguayo later sank with the hull on the bottom with only part of the superstructure remaining above the water. Authorities arrived on scene and stopped the traffic near the tug. Oil pollution was spotted around the towboat. No reports of injuries.
On August 27, the 12 meter long towboat Intrepide partially sank while moored at a quay in Baasrode, Belgium. The towboat became flooded when one of the mooring lines became trapped when the tide changed. The Intrepide became trapped and the vessel’s stern slowly sank The local fire brigade was alerted and attempted to pull the Intrepide back to the quay, but the towboat was too waterlogged and the mooring line had to be cut. The Intrepide sank by the stern. No reports of injuries.
The 71 foot long, 110 gt fishing vessel Lydia & Maya suffered uncontrolled flooding in the Gulf of Maine off Southwest Harbor, Maine. The crew alerted the Coast Guard that the fishing vessel was taking on water. A short time later, the EPIRB from the Lydia & Maya was sounded. The Coast Guard launched the 47-foot long response boat along with a Jayhawk helicopter to the scene. The helicopter arrived on scene and found the four crew of the Lydia & Maya in a life raft. All four crew were hoisted to safety. All four men were suffering from hypothermia and were taken to hospital for treatment. The fate of the Lydia & Maya was not reported. The Coast Guard has launched an investigation into the incident.