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Tag: Tug

Strange Fate of the Vestland

Strange Fate of the Vestland

The 220 dwt tug Courbet was headed for Lagos from Rotterdam with two vessels under tow, the 90 meter long Vestland and 109 meter long Atlantic Trader.    The Courbet had radioed that it had problems with the two vessels.   The Vestland and Atlantic Trader were not designed for ocean travel, but were designed as powered canal boats.   When the trio were in the Bay of Biscay, they ran into stormy conditions.  The Vestland was empty and riding badly in the storm.   The Courbet changed course to meet with the salvage vessel Abeille Bourbon in an attempt to keep the Vestland afloat.   However, the seas were too much and the Vestland broke-in-two off Penmarch, France.   The bow section was taken under tow by the Courbet while the Abeille Bourbon secured the stern section.  An hour later the stern section was unable to keep afloat, and sunk  in 2000 meters of water.   The bow section stayed afloat until the next night when it sank.    The fate of the Atlantic Trader has not been reported, but it did not have an AIS, Automated Identification System, on board and will be difficult to track.   Various reports state there was no pollution released, but one states there was 7 metric tons of fuel in its bunkers.   Three men were reported to be on board the Vestland when it broke-in-two.  The men were rescued by the Courbet.   No reports of injuries.

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Aries Sinks

Aries Sinks

 

The 68-foot tug Aries sank in the Bering Sea east of St. Paul Island.   The tug was towing a barge when the crew discovered the vessel was taking on water.   The weather was rough with 11 foot waves and 30 mile per hour winds.   The tug’s crew contacted the Coast Guard that they were in need of assistance.  The Coast Guard dispatched a HC-130 Hercules airplane which reached the scene to see only the barge afloat.  The crew of the Aries had transferred over to the barge before the tug sank.   A Coast Guard helicopter arrived a few hours later and hoisted the 4 crewmen off the barge.   They were safely taken to St. Paul Island.    The Aries sank with 29,000 gallons of diesel fuel on board.   Reports state there is a visable oil slick.   Authorities have deployed vessels to handle environmental issues and to see if the tug could be salvaged.    The reason for the Aries sinking has not yet been determined.

The Aries is a Gulf Coast style tug built in 1980 in Gibson, Louisiana.   The vessel was recently refurbished in Seattle before being leased to C & K Marine from Olympic Tug & Barge, Inc. of Seattle.

More information on the Aries and Rescue at the Bitterend Blog

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Tug Sank

Tug Sank

The 51 meter long, 910 dwt tug VB Antartico sank off the northwest coast of Portugal.   The tug was sailing from Cartagena to La Coruna with a floating platform under tow when it encountered heavy seas.   The tug then lost power by a mechanical failure and went adrift.   The master of the VB Antartico contacted the Portuguese Rescue Service for assistance.    Before any rescue craft could reach the tug, it was pulled by the current until it struck the floating platform.  The collision ruptured the hull of VB Antartico allowing water ingress into the vessel.   As the tug settled lower into the water,  the 11 crewmen on board hurried to the lifeboats.    Luckily, the crew were quickly rescued by the nearby vessels LNG tanker Arctic Voyager and the tanker Elizabeth.  Why did the tug lose power and sink?  The owners released a statement stating the sinking was “by reason and due to unpredictable weather.”  Other reports stated that the crew lacked the necessary expertise.   This is supported by several maneuvers done by the tug’s master along with that the tug went to sea without enough fuel.   The report suspects the vessel ran out of fuel which led to the power loss.    The VB Antartico was built in 1977 as the Shoei Maru.

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