The 40 meter long tugboat Squall sank south of the Kerch Strait near the Crimean Peninsula. The tug had suffered steering failure in heavy seas allowing water ingress. The seven crew abandoned ship into the vessel’s life raft before the Squall sank. Authorities were alerted and dispatched several vessels to the scene. A cargo vessel came upon the life raft and rescued all seven crew of the Squall. No reports of injuries.
On September 4, the 30 meter long, 442 gt tugboat Kyuei Maru No. 18 and the 2500 gt crane barge Tukasa ran aground on a breakwater at Hyogo, Kobe, Japan. The vessels had been at anchor when typhoon Jebi made landfall nearby. Strong winds caused the anchor lines to drag and the vessels were blown up on a breakwater. Both the Kyuei Maru No. 18 and the Tukasa sustained hull damage. Reports state an oil boom was placed around the Kyuei Maru No. 18 as some fuel pollution had been released. No reports of injuries.
On August 14, the 18 meter long tugboat George H. Ledcor sank on the Fraser River between Vancouver and Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. The tug was towing a gravel barge when it suddenly capsized and sank. The four crew on board were thrown into the water and later rescued by a nearby tug. No reports of injuries.
A sheen was spotted over the sunken tug as diesel fuel is released. Authorities place booms around the wreck site and divers are dispatched to plug fuel vents on the tugboat. Reports state the George H. Ledcor had nearly 22,000 litres of fuel on board at the time of the sinking.
A crane barge was dispatched to raise the George H. Ledcor from the bottom. The Canadian Coast Guard has launched an investigation into the incident.