The 284 meter long, 163554 dwt bulk freighter Bet Prince became disabled in the East China Sea near Zhoushan, China. The Bet Prince had suffered engine failure and gone adrift. The vessel was able to drop anchor while the crew attempted to make repairs. No further details reported.
The 78 meter long, 2724 dwt freighter Longshan went aground in the East China Sea at Jeju Island, South Korea. The Longshan struck a reef off the coast causing hull damage with ballast and fuel tanks breached on the port side. The crew contacted the Coast Guard who dispatched rescue crafts to the scene. The 12 crew on board were safely rescued. A large oil spill formed estimated around 2,000 litres from the ruptured fuel tanks. The authorities placed booms around the vessel to contain the pollution released while response crews begin clean up operations. Reports state the Longshan had some 35 tons of fuel oil with another 5 tons of diesel fuel on board. Local residents reported the strong smell of the oil pollution caused headaches and nausea with some to vomit. The Coast Guard stated the Longshan would be towed off the reef at the next high tide.
The 220 meter long, 41792 dwt container ship Bareli went aground in the East China Sea near Xiangshan, China. The vessel was bound for Africa in bad weather when it hit bottom and firmly aground. The container ship suffered severe hull damage with a large fracture nearly breaking the vessel in two. Several sections of the vessel has suffered heavy flooding causing the vessel’s bow to sink below the surface. The crew sent out a distress call with a rescue boat arriving on scene an hour later. All of the vessel’s 21 crew were safely rescued.
Emergency response teams have been deployed to cope with the environmental impact from the fuel spilling or cargo falling into the sea. The Bareli was reported to have 1913 containers on board. The owners have stated none of the containers contain any hazardous materials. Anti pollution vessels were to have several oil booms, a skimmer vessel and several aircraft were ready to drop dispersants if required.
Several vessels were dispatched to the scene to start salvage work. The crane ship Marine 1 along with supporting tugs reached the scene and plan to unload containers immediately. This quick response may avoid some of the issues when the container ship Rena went aground in October 2011
