On the afternoon of December 17, the 163 meter long, 10554 dwt livestock carrier Zein 1 (IMO: 7622041) caught fire in the Sea of Marmara while berthed at the Kuzeystar Shipyard, Turkey. The Zein 1 was undergoing maintenance when a fire broke out on the vessel. The Tuzla port authority and local fire fighters were able to respond and quickly extinguish the blaze. There were no reports of injuries and no pollution was released. The extent of damage caused by the fire was not disclosed.
On the morning of December 17, the 27 meter long fishing vessel QNa 91917-TS caught fire in the Gulf of Thailand approximately 110 nautical miles northeast of Da Nam Island, Vietnam. The QNa 91917-TS had been fishing for squid when a fire broke after an electrical short in the engine. The fire quickly spread through the vessel and could not be contained by the crew.
The QNa 91917-TS sent out a distress call with Vietnamese authorities responding. Authorities reached out to nearby fishing vessels to assist. The Ng 95454-TS, QNg 95179-TS, QNa 91234-TS, and PY 90779-TS responded and proceeded to the aid of the QNa 91917-TS. Before the fishing vessels could reached the stricken QNa 91917-TS, all 52 crew members were forced to abandon ship into life rafts before the vessel succumbed from the fire and sank. The 52 crew were rescued by the fishing vessels a short time later. The crew were later transferred to a Vietnamese Coast Guard vessel which proceeded to Song Tu Tay Island.
On the early morning of December 8, the 115 foot long passenger vessel Adirondac caught fire while berthed on Lake George, New York. Witnesses alerted the local fire department that the excursion vessel had caught fire. Flames quickly engulfed the superstructure whipped up by winds off the lake. Local fire fighters, assisted by additional teams from nearby communities, fought frigid temperatures but were able to successfully extinguish the blaze a short time later. Large section of the upper deck and wheelhouse were heavily damaged by the flames. Authorities report the area around the vessel was surrounded by pollutants and efforts to minimize the environmental damage. There were no reports of injuries.
The Adirondiac had been scheduled to sail on voyages through December and January 1. Reports state that the vessel would be dismantled onsite. The local fire department has launched an investigation into the incident.
The Adirondiac was launched in 2004 and can hold up to 400 passengers.
