On the morning of January 11, a fire broke out on the 225 meter long, 75399 dwt bulk carrier Avax (IMO: 928312) in the Irish Sea while berthed at Ringaskiddy, Ireland. Reports state the fire started by a fault with a piece of cargo handling equipment. The local fire brigades from Carrigaline and Crosshaven were able to contain the blaze. No reports of injuries. No details to extent of damage to the cargo or to the bulk carrier. The Avax had arrived at Ringaskiddy from Liverpool on January 6.
On the early morning of November 6, the 33.5 meter long, 301 gt fishing vessel Armaven Tres (IMO: 9144641) caught fire in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Kerry, Ireland some 25 miles west of the Blasket Islands. The blaze had broken out on the vessel’s engine room and the crew requested urgent assistance. The fire had disabled the Armaven Tres engine and the trawler had gone adrift.
The RNLI lifeboat out of Valentia was dispatched along with the patrol vessel LÉ James Joyce (IMO: 9614672) and a Coast Guard helicopter. The rescue operation took some 15 hours to extinguish the blaze. One crew on the Armaven Tres required medical treatment for smoke inhalation. The fishing vessel sustained significant damage to its engine and required to be later towed back to port of Castletownbere by a tug. No reports of pollution released.
The 77 meter long, 1640 dwt cargo vessel Alta went ashore off Ballycotton, Cork, Ireland. The Alta had been blown ashore by Storm Dennis. Local authorities dispatched a helicopter and found the Alta was high and dry on the rocks. An inspection found the vessel had been a derelict for some time just like the Mary Celeste. No reports of pollution.
Photo: mirror.co.uk
Photo: twitter
Photo: rte.ie
Photo: twitter
Photo: twitter
Photo: twitter
Unlike prior ghost ships in the Atlantic Ocean, there are accounts of the Alta. The Alta had been last reported in September 2019 when it was found abandoned in the mid-Atlantic Ocean. The Royal Navy HMS Protector found the Alta over 1000 miles from the Caribbean Sea and 1500 miles off Africa.
Photo: uscg
Photo: uscg
An investigation found the vessel had originally departed from Greece and was en route to Haiti in October 2018 when it became disabled. The 10 crew had abandoned ship and spent 20 days in lifeboats before the United States Coast Guard rescued them. Reports state the ship’s owner had contracted a tug to take the Alta under tow to Saint Maarten, but this proved to be false. Between 2018 and 2019, the Alta had been reported as hijacked off Guyana before it was left abandoned.
