The 19 ton tugboat Meiyu No. 18 capsized and sank in the Tsugaru Strait off Hokkaido, Japan. The Meiyu No. 18 was proceeding form Hakodate with a pontoon barge loaded with ship parts when the tug lost stability and rolled over. One crewman on board was lucky enough to find a small breathing space in the cabin. He was spent 15 hours trapped until he was later rescued by the Japanese Coast Guard. Three other crewmen perished with two of their bodies recovered.
The 35 foot long fishing vessel Nellie M sank while berthed on the Quillayute River at La Push, Washington. The vessel sank during the night with no one on board. A sheen was reported around the sunken fishing vessel as 600 gallons of diesel fuel was on board at the time. The harbormaster placed a boom around the site to contain the pollution released. Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident.
The 454 gt cargo vessel Kumala Endah sank off Belawan, Indonesia in the Strait of Malacca. The Kumala Endah was en route to Borneo with 700 tons of steel from Belawan when it struck an underwater object. The Kumala Endah suffered hull damage and water ingress. The cargo vessel quickly sank with 5 crewmen able to swim ashore. Another 9 crew were reported as missing. Reports state the Kumala Endah may have struck a shipwreck which had been reported in the area where the incident occurred.