On the night of July 23, the 61 meter long, 900 dwt hopper dredger Ingulsky J (IMO: 9646912) exploded on the Danube near Vilkovo, Ukraine. The Ingulsky J while dredging in the Bystre estuary when it struck a mine which exploded. The dredge sustained significant damage and sank in the waterway. The explosion killed 3 crew and injured 8 others on board the dredge. The injured crew were taken to hospital for treatment. Reports state the Danube remains open with the southern Sulin Channel open to commercial traffic. The Bystre has been open to commercial vessels after Ukraine liberated Snake Island from Russian control. Ukrainian authorities are investigating incident.
On the afternoon of July 14, the fishing vessel KM Argo Mulyo caught fire in the Java Sea at the port in Tegal City, Indonesia. Witnesses stated they heard an explosion on the KM Argo Mulyo right before the fishing vessel caught fire. The fire quickly spread through out the fishing vessel engulfing the superstructure in flames.
Photo: tribunnews.com
The crew attempted to extinguished the blaze using a portal extinguisher before requesting assistance from the local fire brigade. The fire fighters along with emergency responders were deployed to the scene. To avoid the fire spreading to other nearby vessels, the KM Argo Mulyo was towed away and isolated from the other moored vessels. Reports state the fire gutted the KM Argo Mulyo. No reports of injuries.
On the afternoon of July 6, the 148 meter long, 19477 dwt chemical tanker Fulda (IMO: 9185865) exploded if the Gulf of Kurch near the port of Kandla, Gujarat, India. The Fulda had completed a discharge of a cargo of methanol at the Oil Jetty No. 2 in the port in Kandla and proceeded to leave port bound for Port Sohar, Oman. A few hours later the Fulda would explode ripping up most of its top deck apart. Witnessed by the nearby 175.5 meter long, 31858 dwt bulk carrier Team Focus (IMO: 9424132), the Fulda sustained massive damage but was still afloat. The master of the tanker stated there was no underwater damage and none of the 384 tons of fuel had not been released into the water.
However, the Fulda may have suffered some water ingress to its ballast tanks as it developed a 22 degree list to starboard that shifted to port as the crew attempted to stabilize the vessel. The 21 crew on board the tanker were later evacuated by the 31.5 meter long tug Orchid Star (IMO: 9658850) which had been dispatched from Kandla. No details were reported if any crew had been injured from the incident.
Indian authorities dispatched multiple vessels from the Coast Guard along with multiple tugs to monitor the Fulda. The Coast Guard has sent out alerts to keep all vessel traffic away from the tanker due to the potential of fire or pollution being released. Latest reports state the Fulda was taken under tow back to Kandla.
Photo: x.com
Photo: x.com
Photo: x.com
Photo: x.com
Photo: x.com
The cause of the explosion is under investigation. Initial reports suggest the explosion was due to the improper venting of flammable vapors during the discharge. There has been no reports if the Fulda was in the practice of using inert gassing or if it allowed an air-vapor mixture to to build up in the tanks like what occurred on the Sansinena explosion in 1976. That explosion was so massive that sections of the vessel sent burning rivets into the air into the surround area and lead to changes to regulations on how venting was done on tankers.
