The 20 meter long fishing vessel HK-80 Sarah caught fire while berthed in Den Oever, Netherlands. The shrimper had gone into a shipyard for maintenance when flames erupted from the engine room during a routine test. The fire quickly spread through the superstructure and consumed the wheelhouse. Local fire brigade responded, but little could be done to stop the blaze. Reports state the fire damage was considerable. No reports of injuries.
During the early morning hours of April 3, the 107 meter long, 6852 dwt tanker Sun Flora collided with the wooden 83 gt fishing vessel Sri-nopparat 11 in the Gulf of Thailand off Sattahip, Thailand. The trawler quickly broke apart sending its 8 crew overboard into the water. A passing trawler saw the incident and was able to rescue all 8 crewmen. The Sun Flora did not stop and continued on to Bangkok. No reports of injuries or damage to the Sun Flora. Local authorities were alerted and have launched an investigation into the incident.
On March 7, the 70 foot long wooden fishing vessel Pacific Pearl sank off Naden Harbour, Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia, Canada. The crew had alerted authorities that the trawler had sprung a leak and the pumps were unable to control the flooding. The RCMP and Canadian Coast Guard responded sending vessels to the scene. Rescuers arrived and placed dewatering pumps on the Pacific Pearl and safely transferred all 5 crew off the fishing vessel. The Pacific Pearl was taken under tow, but the pumps were unable to keep up with the flooding. The Pacific Pearl sank and a red buoy was placed over the wreck. No reports of injuries.
