On the morning of December 23, a 50 foot fishing vessel Sea Dragon II ran aground in the Pacific Ocean at Ventura Beach, California. The Sea Dragon II with 3 crew members on board had run up unto the beach leaving the fishing vessel high and dry. Authorities arrived to the site and found all 3 crew were uninjured.
Reports state the cause of the grounding was due to the crew were asleep when fishing vessel ran ashore. No reports of damage or pollution released.
On the morning of December 16, the 21 meter long, 87 gt fishing vessel Carlos Cunha (MMSI: 263422240. Portuguese Reg: AN-197-C) sank in the Atlantic Ocean approximately 200 nautical miles off Aveiro, Portugal. The Carlos Cunha had reported to the 33 meter long fishing vessel Artur e Teresa (IMO: 9010187) that the vessel had been struck by a wave and suffered water ingress when communication was lost. Only when when authorities received a distress signal from the vessel’s EPIRB, that Carlos Cunha had foundered. The Artur e Teresa was nearby and headed to the last known location of the Carlos Cunha. The Artur e Teresa would find 3 of the crew of the Carlos Cunha in a life raft. Unfortunately, one crew member in the raft had suffered cardiac arrest and would perish shortly after being rescued. The surviving crew members reported that all 7 crew on the Carlos Cunha abandoned ship, but only a few were able to get into the life raft.
Authorities launched a search and rescue mission for the missing 4 crew members. The Portuguese Navy and Air Force searched the vicinity where the fishing vessel had foundered, but no additional survivors would be found.
Reports state the Carlos Cunha had been lost before. On February 22, 2005, the fishing vessel (sailing under the name of Siempre Casina) sank in the Bay of Biscay off the coast of Ribadeo, Spain. Eight of the nine crew members perished during the incident. The investigation after the incident found the vessel had sunk quickly by the stern when the fishing holds flooded. The investigation suggested that modifications to the vessel may have contributed to the loss, but were later dismissed after a hull inspection.
On the morning of December 23, an 55 ton fishing vessel (name not disclosed) caught fire in the Sea of Japan some 20 kilometers southeast of Songjeong-dong, Busan, South Korea. The fire broke out in the vessel’s engine room and could not be contained. The vessel requested assistance with the South Korean Coast Guard responding. Reports state that all 8 crew were rescued off the fishing vessel by the Coast Guard. The fishing vessel was last reported as completely gutted by the fire and was a total loss.
The Coast Guard has launched an investigation into the incident. No details disclosed if any of the 8 crew on the fishing vessel sustained any injuries from the incident.