On August 19, the 100 meter long, 4798 dwt cargo vessel EFES (IMO: 9197686) caught fire in the Bay of Bengal some 540 miles east of Chennai, India. The EFES was en route to Port Klang from Visakhapatnam when it reported a fire on board the vessel. Authorities have requested vessels in the area to assist. No further details reported.
The 157 meter long passenger cargo vessel Swaraj Dweep suffered water ingress in the Bay of Bengal off Car Nicobar Island, India. The vessel had 250 passengers bound for Nancowry when the vessel sprung a leak in cargo hold 2. The vessel’s pumps were unable to control the flooding and was in danger of sinking. The crew requested assistance with the Indian Coast Guard vessel responding. The Coast Guard provided a dewatering pump which was able to dewater the cargo hold and bring the flooding under control. Another vessel was dispatched to the scene to unload the passengers off the Swaraj Dweep. No reports of injuries.
On July 20, the 65 meter long, 1207 dwt cargo vessel ITT Panther sank in the Bay of Bengal off Diglipur, Andaman Islands. While proceeding from Kolkata in heavy seas, the cargo vessel suffered a cargo shift. The 11 crew on board abandoned ship as the developed a heavy list. All the crew were able to reach vessel’s life raft before the ITT Panther capsized and sank.
Indian authorities dispatched 2 coast guard vessels to the scene. The 11 crew were rescued 10 hours later by the Indian Coast Guard ship Rajkamal. No reports of injuries. Reports state the ITT Panther had been carrying miscellaneous cargo including 500 tons of sand, 200 tons of steel along with 29 containers