On the afternoon of June 18, a fire broke out on the 104.5 meter long, 1810 dwt fishing vessel Kapitan Maslovets (IMO: 8859811) in the Sea of Japan while berthed at Nakhodka, Russia. The Kapitan Maslovets was moored at berth 61 when a fire broke out in the engine room. The crew was able to extinguish the blaze and there were no injuries. Russian authorities have launched an investigation into the incident. The extent of damage caused by the fire was not disclosed.
On March 26, the 135.5 meter long 8053 dwt refrigerated cargo vessel Crystal Asia (IMO: 9053957) caught fire in the Sea of Japan off Busan, South Korea. The Crystal Asia had travelled just 5 miles from the port of Busan when a fire broke out in the engine room. Alerted by the dense smoke billowing from the reefer, authorities dispatched multiple rescue boats. The rescue boats arrived on site and firefighters boarded the Crystal Asia where they extinguished the blaze.
The rescue boats were able to safely evacuate all 23 crew off the Crystal Asia. Six crew sustained injuries with 2 suffering severe burns while 4 others with minor burns. Reports state the severely injured crew were taken to hospital for treatment. A tug was later dispatched and towed the Crystal Asia back to port. Authorities were able to do an inspection of the vessel. An initial report indicates that there may have been an explosion that started the fire and not a malfunction in the engine room.
On the afternoon of January 16, the 90 meter long cargo vessel Stepan Geyts (IMO: 8308939) sustained damage in the Sea of Japan while berthed at Plastun, Russia. The Stepan Geyts was loading a cargo of timber when it developed a list to starboard. The list was severe enough that some of the crew on the cargo vessel abandoned ship onto the quay. However, the timber cargo on top of the deck slipped overboard allowing the vessel to right itself. Local authorities stated 1,000 cubic meters of timber fell into harbor and would require several days to be removed. The Stepan Geyts sustained some damage from the incident. No reports of injuries.
The Stepan Geyts had been detained in November 2024 due to deficiencies that required repairs. Authorities have stated the incident may have been caused by improper loading of the timber cargo, insufficient ballast and not properly securing the timber cargo. Some reports suggest the vessel was overloaded. The incident is under investigation.