On February 20, the 77 foot long tugboat Miss Kate along with its 135 foot long barge in tow ran aground in Atlantic Ocean near Absecon Inlet on Brigantine Beach, New Jersey. The tug had lost power and drifted ashore near the inlet. No reports of injuries. The Coast Guard was notified and arrived on scene to monitor the situation. The Miss Kate and barge were later pulled off the beach and refloated a few days later. No reports of damage or pollution released. Both vessels were en route to Great Egg Harbor Inlet.
On November 18, the 142 meter long passenger cruise ship Le Boréal became disabled while en route to South Georgia from Ushuaia, Argentina on a 15 day cruise in the South Atlantic Ocean and Antarctica. The Le Boréal had suffered an engine room fire while off the Falkland Islands. The crew was able to extinguish the blaze, but the cruise ship had sustained significant damage resulting with a total loss of all power. Adrift, the Le Boréal was being driven towards Cape Dolphin, East Falkland by a strong northwesterly gale. With no possibility of restoring power and a risk of going aground, the Le Boréal sent out a distress call and ordered everyone on board to abandon ship.
Authorities on the Falklands Islands received the call and with British Forces dispatched helicopters and vessels to the scene. When rescuers arrived on scene, they found multiple life rafts from the Le Boréal with over 200 persons while a small number still on the deck of the cruise ship. Rescue helicopters lifted 79 off the deck while the HMS Clyde rescued over 200 people from the life rafts.
Authorities later reported that all passengers and crew had been accounted and were safely taken to the Falklands. Two tugs were dispatched and was able to keep the Le Boréal from going aground. Reports state the tug and salvage crews were to assess the condition of the Le Boréal. No reports of injuries or pollution released.
The 21 meter long fishing vessel Atlantic Charger sank in the North Atlantic off Resolution Island, Nunavut, Canada. The trawler was fishing turbot when the found the vessel had suffered a leak. The water ingress could not be controlled by the vessel pumps. The crew requested assistance. Authorities dispatched an aircraft and after a few hours flying, the aircraft found the Atlantic Charger sinking by the stern. The nine crew on the Atlantic Charger had donned survival suits and abandoned ship into the vessel’s life raft. The crew spent 10 hours in the raft until they were safely rescued by the fishing vessel Katsheshuk from Greenland. No reports of injuries. The cause of the sinking was not reported.
