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Tag: Bay of Biscay

Florece Lost

Florece Lost

The 187 meter long, 53082 dwt tanker Afrodite collided with the  88 meter long, 2803 dwt freighter Florece off Land’s End in the Bay of Biscay.  The Afrodite sustained minimal damage, but the Florece hull was cut open and quickly began to fill with water.   The Florece’s seven crew abandoned ship into the vessel’s two liferafts before the vessel sank.  The Afrodite attempted to deploy a rescue craft to rescue the Florece crew, but sea conditions prevented it.  The Florece’s EPIRB alerted the Falmouth Coastguard who contacted the Afrodite who inform the authorities of the collision.  The Coast Guard contacted the Spanish Coast Guard and alerted vessels in the area for assistance.   The 120 meter long container ship Ocean Titan responded.  The Ocean Titan proceeded to the scene and was able to rescue the crew.   All seven crew of the Florece were reported safe on board with no injuries.  The Ocean Titan will proceed to Lisbon where the crew will be met by Spanish authorities.

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Elite Disabled

Elite Disabled

The 149 meter long, 11243 dwt container ship Elite became disabled in the Bay of Biscay after the vessel suffered a major engine breakdown.   Attempts by the crew to repair the engine failed and a tug was requested to take the Elite under tow to a French port to undergo repairs.  No reports of injuries, damage or pollution being released.

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Strange Fate of the Vestland

Strange Fate of the Vestland

The 220 dwt tug Courbet was headed for Lagos from Rotterdam with two vessels under tow, the 90 meter long Vestland and 109 meter long Atlantic Trader.    The Courbet had radioed that it had problems with the two vessels.   The Vestland and Atlantic Trader were not designed for ocean travel, but were designed as powered canal boats.   When the trio were in the Bay of Biscay, they ran into stormy conditions.  The Vestland was empty and riding badly in the storm.   The Courbet changed course to meet with the salvage vessel Abeille Bourbon in an attempt to keep the Vestland afloat.   However, the seas were too much and the Vestland broke-in-two off Penmarch, France.   The bow section was taken under tow by the Courbet while the Abeille Bourbon secured the stern section.  An hour later the stern section was unable to keep afloat, and sunk  in 2000 meters of water.   The bow section stayed afloat until the next night when it sank.    The fate of the Atlantic Trader has not been reported, but it did not have an AIS, Automated Identification System, on board and will be difficult to track.   Various reports state there was no pollution released, but one states there was 7 metric tons of fuel in its bunkers.   Three men were reported to be on board the Vestland when it broke-in-two.  The men were rescued by the Courbet.   No reports of injuries.

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