Stellar Daisy
The 322 meter long, 266,141 dwt VLOC bulk carrier Stellar Daisy sank in the South Atlantic Ocean some 2000 miles off Montevideo, Uruguay. The Stellar Daisy had departed from Brasil bound for China on March 26 with 24 crew on board.
On March 31, one of the crew of the vessel sent out a text message to the shipping company stating the vessel was taking on water and was sinking. Afterwards, the company tried to contact the vessel, but all attempts failed.
Uruguayan Navy and Brasilian authorities were alerted when an emergency satellite signal had been received from the Stellar Daisy. A search and rescue operation was launched in the area of the signal. Four nearby commercial vessels were asked to assist in search effort while Brasilian Air Force dispatched a fix wing aircraft from Rio de Janeiro.
On April 1, the Uruguayan Navy reported finding an oil sheen and flotsam along with a strong smell of fuel. A short time later two liferafts from the Stellar Daisy were located by one of the commercial vessels. Two of the 24 crew were found inside the lifeboats. The search continued for the remaining missing 22 crewmen. The Stellar Daisy had six lifeboats on board, two 30-seat lifeboats and four 16-seat lifeboats.
Early reports suggest the Stellar Daisy had lost stability and quickly sank. One report suggested the bulk carrier had capsized and sank. Another report suggest a cargo shift could explain the cause of stability. Cargoes like liquefied nickel has been documented to have caused ore bulk carriers to become unbalanced and suddenly sink.
