On September 28, the 39.5 meter long passenger ship Schwerin (MMSI: 218027930) ran aground on Lake Schwerin near Leezen, Germany. The vessel was on a cruise with 50 persons on board when wind caused the vessel to drift towards the shore and onto a sandbar. The passenger ship was unable to free itself and requested a tug. A few hours later the tug arrived and was able to free the Schwerin. No reports of injuries, damage or pollution released. The Schwerin proceeded under its own power to a pier in Schwerin.
On September 7th, Super Typhoon Yagi, also named Tropical Storm Enteng in the Philippines, made landfall in Vietnam as a Category 5 storm. Yagi had winds over 160 miles per hour when it struck the Vietnam coast near Quang Ninh. The storm surge and large waves quickly impacted vessels anchored in the port Tuần Châu in Quảng Ninh. Many vessels had been securely moored prior to the storm landing, but many vessels were swamped by the waves. Crews did attempt to pump out the water ingress, but they were unable to save the vessels which sunk by the stern.
Reports say over 30 vessels damaged or sunk by the Typhoon. Here is a partial list of vessels impacted by Super Typhoon Yagi:
Passenger Ship Victory Star, QN-8899 capsized by strong winds and partially sunk off Ha Long.
Passenger Ship Hai Ninh, 48 QN-6108 sunk by the stern at Tuần Châu.
On August 14, the 292 meter long, 7500 dwt passenger cruise ship Mediterranea caught fire while arriving at pier 8 in Jeju, South Korea. The Mediterranea had departed from Tianjin, China when smoke was spotted near the engine room. A fire had started in a machine room caused by a mechanical failure in the air conditioning system. The fire while contained below decks had spewed out toxic smoke along large section of the starboard side of the vessel.
Fortunately, the crew was able to respond quickly to the blaze. An automated water sprinkler system was engaged and extinguished the fire. All passengers on board were safely disembarked with no reports of injuries to the 2436 passengers on board.
Three crew suffered smoke inhalation that received emergency treatment on site. The Korean Coast Guard and local fire deparment inspected the vessel for damage and concluded the Mediterranea was cleared to proceed on its next port of call at Fukoka, Japan. Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident.
