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.
Photo: butenunbinnen.de
Photo: nwzonline.de
Photo: butenunbinnen.de
Photo: butenunbinnen.de
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.
On the morning of July 1, the 28.5 meter long, 161 dwt tugboat Bikin (IMO: 9402134) allided in the Sea of Japan with the 56 meter long, 594 dwt fishing vessel Solveiga (IMO: 85220173) at Nakhodka, Russia. The Bikin was proceeding at full speed in the port of Nakhodka and struck head on into the moored Solveiga. The port side of the Solveiga was severely damaged with a large section of the hull stoved in above the waterline. The Bikin then immediately proceeded to back away from the Solveiga and departed from the area. There were no reports of injuries and no pollution was released.
This unusual “hit and run” incident was caught on video and presented to Russian authorities. The prosecutor in Nakhodka has launched a criminal investigation into the incident. Initial reports state the master of the Bikin had lost consciousness while at the wheel and there were no one else in the pilothouse at the time of the incident. The master stated he was exhausted from work as he had been working over a month without a single day off. However, Russian authorities did not disclose the reason for the tugboat to immediately turn and leave the scene after the allision. Nor there was any explanation why the crew on the Bikin didn’t check to see if anyone had been injured by the allision.
A “hit and run” allision typically occurs in anchorages and rarely if ever in a harbor. These incidents usually involve larger vessels who have failed to keep a proper watch and strike an other vessel at anchor. Depending on the size of the vessel, there are many cases where large container ships, bulkers and tankers have struck smaller fishing vessels and were completely unaware the incident took place. However, there are only a few examples of a tugboat striking a moored vessel then leaving the site with someone at command.
