The crew of the 315 dwt offshore crew vessel Esnaad 715 abandoned ship in the Bay of Biscay off La Coruna, Spain. The crew alerted the Spanish MRCC that the vessel was in danger of sinking after encountering 10 meter waves. A helicopter was dispatched to the scene and was able to hoist the 5 crewmen to safety. No reports of injuries. Reports state the vessel was still afloat.
On December 17, the 97 meter long self-propelled tanker barge Frisius broke-in-two while off La Coruna, Spain. The Frisius and another barge was under tow by the 32 meter long tug Sun Essex when the vessels encountered bad weather. The vessels diverted for La Coruna, but the Frisius broke-in-two before reaching shelter. The remaining half of the Frisius and the other barge were towed back to La Coruna. No reports of injuries. The vessels had departed from Rotterdam bound for Lagos.
The 12 meter long fishing vessel Tabar sank after being struck by the 88 meter long, 3622 dwt freighter Estesky off La Coruna, Spain. The Tabar was struck at the stern of the vessel where the four crew were cleaning the catch. All the men were thrown into the water as the Tabar quickly went down. A nearby yacht who witness the accident sent out a distress signal to authorities then was able to rescue one of the crewmen. Two other crew were rescued by another nearby vessel. One crewman was listed as missing. Reports state the visibility at the time was limited to just 15 to 20 meters. Two crewmen were injured in the collision. No reports of injury or damage on the freighter Estesky. Authorities are continuing search operations for the missing man.
