Ferries

   The ferry Super Shuttle Roro 1 ran aground in the Looc Bay, Tablas Island in Philippines. The vessel was operating on route from Dumaguit to Batangas, when due to the tropical storm and heavy sea ran aground near the Tablas Island. The vessel had 57 passengers, 16 vehicles and 48 crew members on board. The ship got large hole into the hull and signed water ingress in the engine room. The water in the engine room cause short circle and the super structure caught fire. All the crew and passengers were evacuated to the life rafts and when the rescue boat arrived at the scene of the accident the ship was almost sank. One crew member of the ferry Super Shuttle Roro 1 died in the fire and explosion on board, but all other people were saved. The local authorities are investigating the reason for the accident and mostly the fire, which started in the engine room.

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   The passenger ferry OceanJet 6 ran aground in the port of Cebu City, Philippines. The vessel ran abround near the pier into the aquatory of the port with 197 passengers on board. The vessel was on route from Tagbiliran, Bohol to Cebu and almost finished the voyage, when the ship hit a mud banks and was not able to refloat by itself. The navigation officers from the ferry OceanJet 6 send signal to the coast guard for the accident and the ship BRP Davao del Norte transfered the passengers to the pier. The accident finished without any injured people and with no serious damages of the ferry, but many of the passengers were scared, as there were no information how and when they will be rescued. They reported that waited more than 2 hours before the ship BRP Davao del Norte started the rescue operations.

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   More than 100 people are missing, when the ferry Skagit capsized on route between Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania and Zanzibar with 281 passengers on board. The rescue boats and helicopters saved more than 150 people with slight injuries and recovered 25 bodies in the waters of Indian Ocean. The local authorities report that more than 100 people are still missing and the search and rescue operations were not able to find them. The accident happened, when strong winds and waves hit the board of the ferry and the got a water ingress into the compartments. The ship Skagit lost stability and capesized with all the people on board. According to the witness evidences the passengers and the crew had no time for reaction, as the ship sank for a minutes. The local authorities continue the search and rescue operations in spite of the bad weather and heavy sea.

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   The ferry Ebba Brahe hit a dock in the port of Granna on the Lake Vattern. The ferry was operatingon regular voyage from Visingso to Granna with 22 cars and 199 passengers. During the maneuvers for berthing on the quay of Granna port, the ship collided with the stone pier. The maneuvering was made with higher speed than usual, which caused the accident. After the collision of the ferry Ebba Brahe, a few passengers fell overboard and several car crashed each other. The ship also suffered sufficient damages in the bow and was not able to continue the planned voyages. A few passengers were transported in the local hospital with slight injuries. The local authorities are investigating the reasons for the accident. The ship was taken to the dry dock for recovery and repair, which will take at least 1 week.

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