On August 21, the 32 meter long, 421 dwt tugboat Locar LH XXIV ran aground in the South Atlantic off Maria da Rosa beach, Brazil. Reports state that several attempts were made to free the tugboat. Two tugboats attempted to pull the Locar LH XXIV free, but the towline snapped.
It would not be until August 24 before the Locar LH XXIV was finally refloated during high tide. No reports of injuries. No further details were reported.
On the morning of August 26, the 17 meter long former tugboat San Esteban ran aground on the Ría de Vigo at Plaia América, Spain. The tugboat had suffered a mechanical failure and drifted ashore onto the beach. The San Esteban remained aground until later that afternoon when it refloated by the 15 meter long rescue vessel Punta da Guía (MMSI: 225990314) on the rising tide. The Punta da Guía took the San Esteban under tow back to the Baiona docks. No reports of injuries or pollution released.
The San Esteban was built in 1902 as a fishing vessel named Venture. The vessel was converted into a tugboat in 1907 and served in the port of San Esteban until it was decommissioned in 1970. The vessel was restored in the late 1990s and recently in 2021.
On the evening of July 24, the 27 meter long tugboat Orca (MMSI: 211513200) sank on the Weser River at Bremen, Germany. The Orca was supposed to push a barge with a drilling crane to a construction site when suddenly the crane toppled over. The crane struck the tugboat with enough force that it severely damage the hull allowing uncontrolled water ingress. The crew was able to escape to safety before the Orca sank to the bottom of the harbour. One person suffered minor injuries and received treatment.
Authorities responded to the scene and found diesel fuel sheen around the sunken tug. Booms were deployed around the sunken Orca to prevent the pollution from spreading further into the river. A salvage company was contacted to recover the tugboat and the crane from the water. A few days later a crane was used to lift the Orca from the bottom. The cause for the crane to collapse had not yet been determined.