Sank - Shipwreck Log

Geumseong 135

November 11, 2024 Paul Hancock

On the early morning hours of November 8, the 36.67 meter long, 129 ton fishing vessel Geumseong 135 (IMO: 8916592) sank in the Korea Strait near Jeju Island, South Korea. The Geumseong 135 had been hauling in its catch when it lost stability, rolled over and sunk. A few minutes after the vessel sank, the Coast Guard received an alert and quickly responded. The Coast Guard deployed 14 patrol vessels and 4 helicopters to search for survivors. The Coast Guard had requested additional vessels and aircraft to assisted in the search. Rescuers found 15 of the 27 of the Geumseong 135 crew. Two of the crew rescued were found in cardiac arrest and were later declared deceased.

Over the following days, the Coast Guard recovered two additional bodies from the sea with 10 crew still missing. An oil sheen was visible over the wreck which rests in a depth of 80 to 90 meters.

Reports state the reason the Geumseong 135 lost stability due to the size of the catch in the net was 3 to 5 times greater than normally be caught. The incident is under investigation.

Odyssey FR70

November 7, 2024 Paul Hancock

On the morning of October 29, the 23 meter long, 140 gt fishing vessel Odyssey FR70 (IMO: 8644876) sank in the North Sea some 140 miles east of the Firth of Forth, Scotland. Authorities and nearby fishing vessels were alerted when the Odyssey‘s EPIRB distress beacon had been activated. Authorities launched a fixed-wing aircraft and sent out broadcasts to nearby fishing vessels to begin a search and rescue for the crew of the Odyssey. Fortunately, a nearby fishing vessel found all six crew of the Odyssey safe in a life raft. No reports of injuries.

Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident. The cause of the sinking was not disclosed. The status of the investigation by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch can be viewed here.

Maristela 2

November 3, 2024 Paul Hancock

On the morning of October 27, the tugboat Maristela 2 sank on the Iloilo River while berthed along Muelle Loney in Iloilo City, Philippines. The master was the sole person onboard the tug having his morning coffee when he felt the tugboat tilting over. He quickly disembarked onto the quay before the tugboat sank. Authorities were alerted and found an an oil sheen extending up to 250 meters around the site. The Philippine Coast Guard deployed an oil boom to contain the oil pollution while the tug owners, International Builders Corporation (IBC) of Iloilo brought a crane to the scene. The crane was able to recover the vessel on the early morning of October 28. No reports of injuries.

The Philippine Coast Guard released an initial report on the incident. They state the owners and the master of the tugboat may be held liable for the incident. The report states the Maristela 2 had been improperly moored. The mooring lines were set to tight which caused the tugboat to tilt on the ebb tide. The tugboat lost stability allowing water ingress resulting in its sinking. At the time of the incident, the Maristela 2 had some 200 litres of diesel fuel on board.