On November 30, the 67 meter long, 2103 dwt tanker Brisen (IMO: 9970595) ran aground in the Baltic Sea near Sandhamn, Sweden. The Brisen was en route to Stockholm from Karlskrona with a cargo of bunker oil when it grounded and sustained hull damage. Authorities found the vessel had sustained several holes in the vessel’s ballast tanks. The tanker would be refloated the next day and proceeded to Stockholm. No reports of injuries or pollution released.
Authorities launched an investigation into the incident. Reports state the Brisen did not have a pilot on board at the time of the grounding.
On the evening of November 28, the 70 meter long, 1827 dwt cargo vessel Sofia (IMO: 8616087) suffered an explosion and fire in Baltic Sea some 30 nautical miles off the coast of Bornholm, Denmark. The Sofia was proceeding in ballast from Poland to Karlshamn when the vessel alerted authorities a mayday alert and the crew needed to abandon ship. Both Danish and Swedish authorities dispatched helicopters and vessels to the scene. Reports state a Swedish rescue helicopter was first to arrive over the Sofia and were able to winch up all 5 crew safely. The helicopter took the crew to Kristianstad and were reported unharmed from the incident. Polish authorities also dispatched the rescue vessel Kapitan Poinc along with a tugboat towards the drifting Sofia.
Photo: tvn24.pl
Reports state the vessel’s owners had dispatched a tug from Rostock to take the Sofia under tow and take it to a shipyard for repair. No details on the cause of the explosion nor the extent of damage caused by the explosion and the fire. Authorities stated the Sofia was not a threat to navigation in the area.
On the morning of October 11, the 73 meter long, 1646 dwt tanker Annika caught fire while in the Baltic Sea several kilometers off Kühlungsborn, Germany. The tanker, loaded with 640 tons of crude oil, had departed from Rostock bound for Travemünde when a fire broke out on the vessel. The fire released out large plumes of dense black smoke and spread over the superstructure.
The Annika sent out a distress call with authorities dispatching a DGzRS rescue boat to the scene. The rescue boat Wilma Sikorski arrived a short time later and rescued all seven crew off the tanker. Some of the Annika crew sustained slight injuries and taken to hospital.
Photo: DGzRS
Additional vessels arrived on scene to conduct firefighting including the DGzRS vessel Arkona and tug Baltic along with the fireboat Albert Wegener and several water police vessels. These vessels doused the tanker with water bringing the fire under control on deck, but were unable to extinguish the blaze completely below deck. The Annika was taken under tow by two salvage tugboats to Rostock where the local fire brigade would continue the effort. Reports state fire fighters were able to completely extinguish the blaze the following day.
Authorities have blocked access to the vessel as they conduct an investigation. Divers did inspect the hull for heat damage while an oil boom was placed around the the Annika to contain any pollution released. Initial reports state the fire engulfed the entire stern of the vessel severely damaging the engine room and destroying the tanker’s lifeboat. Conflicting reports state the fire may have started in the vessel’s paint room or possibly the engine room. The cargo tanks were reported to be intact and were not involved with the fire.
