On the morning of July 1, the 82 foot long towboat Jackie Lee Anderson (MMSI: 368926691) and another towboat capsized on the Ohio River near the Olmsted Locks and Dam in Illinois. Details of the incident have not been released to the public, but one of the towboats completely turned over while another capsized onto its port side.
Authorities from multiple local agencies and the United States Coast Guard responded to the incident. News reports state all the crew were rescued. Accounts do not state there were any injuries or any medical treatment was required. The incident is under investigation. The name of the other towboat is suspected to be the #775 workboat, but no details about this vessel could be confirmed.
Photo: kbsi23.com
Photo: paducahsun.com
Photo: wsiltv.com
Photo: kbsi23.com
The Jackie Lee Anderson was launched in 2023 for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District. The vessel was assigned to the Olmsted Locks and Dam as a workboat.
On June 23, the the 183 meter long, 12250 dwt car carrier Morning Midas (IMO: 9289910) sank in the Pacific Ocean some 450 miles southwest of Alaska’s Aleutian Island of Adak after being on fire for nearly 3 weeks. The salvage company Zodiac Maritime stated the vessel had suffered water ingress from the fire damage causing the vessel to finally sink. The car carrier sank to a depth of 16,404 feet.
POLLUTION
There was no reports of visible pollution at the site of the sinking. The United States Coast Guard reported they have vessels on scene ready to respond to any pollution released. Currently, the salvage vessels 47 meter long Garth Foss (IMO: 9070266) and 69 meter long Salvage Worker (IMO: 9250024) were onsite and equipped with pollution response equipment. Additionally, the 57 meter long offshore supply vessel Endeavour (IMO: 8623468) had departed from Dutch Harbor with oil pollution containment equipment and will be on site of the wreck by June 26.
Photo: USCG
The Coast Guard nor the Zodiac Maritime have no reported if any oil pollution had been released between June 9 through June 23. The Morning Midas may still have 1,530 metric tons of fuel oil along with 350 metric tons of gas oil (MGO) within its fuel tanks. Even if the fire onboard burned some of the fuel, there will be a significant amount of fuel that maybe released. This may not result in any oil pollution reaching the surface due to the depth of the wreck. In research after the Deepwater Horizon disaster (Fisher, C.R., P.A. Montagna, and T.T. Sutton. 2016. Oceanography 29(3):182–195), oil pollution can remain on the ocean bottom rather than appear on the surface as an oil slick.
INVESTIGATION
There has been no press release if the incident will be investigated any further. Some news accounts stated the Morning Midas was already unsalvageable before the Zodiac Maritime vessels arrived on site. Due to its location and great depth (the Morning Midas is nearly 3/4 of mile deeper than the wreck of the Titanic), the investigation may not include any underwater surveys using ROVs. It is also doubtful any voyage data recording devices survived the fire prior to the sinking. Additionally, the car carrier sank in international waters and may not require any US Coast Guard or other United States authorities to investigate.
Just after midnight on June 20, the 124 meter long, 9060 dwt cement carrier Sunnanvik (IMO: 7633375) allided with the boardwalk on the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio. The Sunnanvik was loaded with 3500 tons of cement dust was maneuvering to the Ontario Stone Company dock located on the west bank when it struck the boardwalk on the east bank. The cement carrier was wedge tight between the east and west banks blocking river traffic.
Tugs were dispatched and were able to pull the Sunnanvik free a few hours later. The United States Coast Guard stated there were no injuries from the incident. The extent of damage and cost of repairs to the boardwalk have not yet been released. The Coast Guard has launched an investigation into the incident.
