The 47 meter long dredger Sandstrand ran aground at Karmøy, Norway. The Sandstrand was blown onto the rocks by strong winds. No reports of injuries to the three crew on board, damage or pollution released. Authorities at Killingøy were alerted as the Sandstrand had one ton of fuel aboard. Reports state the Sandstrand was later refloated and berthed at Karmøy later the same day.
The 80 meter long, 1915 dwt dredger Ming Guang capsized and sank off Aomori Prefecture, Japan. The Ming Guang was en route to Gwangyang, South Korea from Hakodate with a cargo of scrap metal when it suffered a leak in the Tsugaru Strait. The crew was unable to stop the water ingress and the dredger began to list over. The 10 crew sent out a distress call and abandon ship before the Ming Guang capsized and sank. The Japan Coast Guard responded quickly and pulled all 10 crew members from the water. However, three of the crewmen were unconscious and later perished before they could reach hospital. Local reports state the chief engineer and captain of the Ming Guang lacked documentation to operate the vessel. Additional reports state the men had worked as labourers before being appointed as captain and chief engineer.
The 38 meter long suction hopper dredger Johanna Josephine ran aground and sank near the GDF Suez power plant in Wilhelmshaven, Germany. The dredger had struck a submerged piling of the cooling water outlet just as the vessel was about to unload its cargo of stones. The Johanna Josephine hull was breached and the dredger suffered water ingress. The dredger flooded and sank leaving only the deck excavator and the stern visible. No reports of injuries. A DGzRS lifeboat and water police boat responded to the incident. Divers sealed the leak and the Johanna Josephine was refloated. The cargo of stone was lightered off before the dredger was towed to a shipyard in Wilhelmshaven.
