The 183 meter long, 37384 dwt tanker King Edward became disabled off Sanyer Bebek, Turkey. The King Edward had departed from Istanbul bound for Kavkaz when it suffered rudder failure. The tanker went adrift and was headed toward the shoreline. Tugs were dispatched and monitored the King Edward while the crew resolved the problem. An hour later the rudder was fixed and the King Edward proceeded on its way. No reports of injuries, damage or pollution released.
The 80 meter long self-propelled barge Ella collided with the 144 meter long tanker Mar Elena 1 at Hamburg, Germany. The Ella was proceeding from a quay into the turning basin when it was spotted by the Mar Elena 1. The tanker reversed engines and turned hard to port to avoid the collision, but it still swiped the barge with its forepeak. The Ella sustained multiple hull breaches and its cargo holds began to flood. Authorities quickly responded to the scene with dewatering pumps. Pumps ran continuously while several other barges were brought to the scene to help lighter the Ella’s cargo of 1100 tons of wheat. Divers were later able to make temporary repairs to allow the Ella to proceed to a shipyard. The Mar Elena 1 was allowed to proceed on its voyage to Oxelösund. The water police has launched an investigation into the incident. Reports state that alcohol and drug tests were negative.
The 186 meter long oil tanker Maersk Etienne collided with the 225 meter long bulk carrier Coral Opal in the Irbe Strait near Mikelbaka, Lativa. The two vessels collided while doing a maneuver during the night resulting in both vessels being slightly damaged. The Coral Opal sustained damage to a ballast tank, but was allowed to proceed after a visual inspection. No reports of injuries or pollution released. The Maerks Etienne was en route to Riga from Rouen while the Coral Opal was headed to Amsterdam from Riga.
