On July 5, the 69 meter long, 1952 dwt cargo vessel An Phu 868 was lost off Vung Tau, Vietnam. The An Phu 868 sailed from An Giang enroute to Hai Phong and Phan Thiet when it struck a shoal. The cargo vessel split-in-two and the cargo holds rapidly filled with water. The crew sent out a distress call and abandoned ship into the vessel’s life raft. Authorities alerted nearby vessels to assist in rescue efforts. The cargo vessel Truong Hai Star 3 responded and rescued all 9 crew of the An Phu 868. No reports of injuries. Reports state that the vessel remains on the shoal and a salvage team plans to remove the 10 tons of bunker fuel off the An Phu 868.
On August 27, the 114 meter long, 3348 dwt bulk carrier Leonardo broke-in-two and sank on the Black Sea off Kilyos, Turkey. The Leonardo was en route to Istanbul to undergo repairs at the Tuzla shipyard. The vessel was waiting at anchor off Kilyos when it suffered a structural failure. A large crack developed amidships and the vessel began to hog. The Leonardo sent out a distress call and the 11 crew on board were rescued by the Coast Security General Directorate and the Coast Guard. No reports of injuries.
https://youtu.be/YKrutRzdb9M
The crack increased in size and eventually the vessel broke-in-two. The forward section of the Leonardo drifted away from the stern, filled with water after several hours and eventually sank. The stern section was taken under tow and taken to the shoreline where it was driven aground in order to avoid it from sinking. Conditions prevented from emptying the fuel tanks on board immediately. It would take a few additional days before salvage operations could reach the tanks and begin removal of the fuel.
On August 23, Typhoon Hato landed near Hong Kong, China. Authorities issued a typhoon 10 warning due to the storm’s sustained winds of 78 miles per hour and gusts reaching over 129 miles per hour. Reports state that four vessels requested assistance that were in Hong Kong or the Pearl River estuary. Reports state three vessels had run ashore, one had capsized and another broke-in-two releasing pollution into the water.
From Hong Kong news reports:
During the typhoon Typhoon several cargo ships were stranded, 39 crew members were trapped on board or falling into the sea, and more than 10 were injured. Authorities received a report at about 1 pm, from a cargo vessel stranded in the southwest of Hong Kong with 14 crew on board. The crew requested assistance with three helicopters dispatched to the scene. Rescuers had a difficult time with the waves between ten to fourteen meters. Despite the bad conditions, rescue helicopters found the cargo vessel and rescued twelve crew off the vessel and two crew from the water who had fallen overboard. Several crew had sustained injuries.
Helicopter search during the scene found other vessels stranded. Rescue operations were able to rescue over 25 crew. One crewman was found unconscious and another who was suffering from hypothermia. Both were taken to hospital for treatment. The search and rescue operation was suspended at night after eight sorties had rescued a total of 28 crew members.
Photo: MRCC
Photo: MRCC
Photo: MRCC
Photo: MRCC
Photo: MRCC
Photo: MRCC
Photo: MRCC
Photo: sina.com.hk
Vessels reported that requested assistance:
The 88 meter long, 3382 dwt tanker Gem No. 8 (IMO: 9332482)
The 144 meter long, 19822 dwt tanker Rainbow Island 88 (IMO: 9286542)
The 97 meter long tanker Kai Shun You 7 (MMSI: 413444170)
The 141 meter long cargo vessel Xin Hau Tai (MMSI: 413701730)
The 63 meter long cargo vessel Yuhai1 (MMSI: 413831041) abandoned and crew abandoned ship into the water near the shore in Discovery Bay.
