The towing tug Phil Pasig capsized and sank in Philippines. The vessel ran aground a few days ago, during barge towing, hit by storm. On board of the towing tug were 5 crew members, who requested assistance from the port authorities. The harbor tug Alphard refloated the vessel Phil Pasig and saw that there was sufficient damage of the hull and propulsion system. The salvage operations continued and the tug Phil Pasig was towed to the harbor, when due to large waves the tug capsized and sank. The 5 crew members on board were into a trap, but four of them were able to escape and were rescued. However, one of the Phil Pasig's crew died into the waters of the sea.
Hurricane Isaac closed Florida’s ports
The tropical storm Isaac gained more speed and power and transfered to Hurricane Category 2. The strong winds and rains attacked the Florida and closed many ports. The shipping in the region is highly disturbed by the strong winds and heavy sea, as port of Palm Beach, Miami and Everglades were closed. The winds are ranging between 96 and 110 miles per hour and the rain is pretty strong. The crude extraction platforms in the Eastern and Central part of the Gulf of Mexico were evacuated, as the authorities highly recommend the ships to round the hurricane if possible and even to stay away, drifting out of the danger area. The US Coast Guard also halted all cruise and cargo ships moving into and out of Tampa Bay, because of the powerful storm. There is no exceptions before the storm reduces its power and intensity
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Two Italian ships arrested in Singapore for unpaid debts
The Singapore's Maritime Administration and Supreme Court detained the crude carrier Adele Marina Rizzo and the bulk carrier Cavaliere Grazia Bottiglieri, in occasion with unpaid debt to the companies Fratelli Cosulich Hong Kong Limited and Madeira Lda. The two maritime companies from hong Kong picked up indictment to the Italian shipowner for outstanding debt of about 4.7 million USD. The Singapore's authorities detained the two vessels and started negotiations with the owner to cover the debts. From the Italian company explained the situation with delayed payment and absolutely disagreed with the court decision. According to them, there is no need to hold the two vessels, which value is absolutely not commensurate with the debt. However, the two ships will be detained in the Singapore's port before clearing of the details in the financial relationships.
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General cargo ship ran aground in Volga river
The cargo ship Kapitan Skachkov, carrying 4750 tons of sulphur, ran aground in Volga river. The accident happened near the southern European Russian city Astrakhan. The vessel was operating on the river, but hit a mudbank and seriously stuck into the bottom. The main reason for the accident was the low level of the water into the river and ignoring the warnings for dangerous areas in Volga river. The ship was not able to re-float by itself, because of the cargo on board. If the salvage team tries to tug is back into deeper water, the ship might get a hull damage. The port authorities and ship's crew prefered to lighter the general cargo vessel Kapitan Skachkov before start the towing operations. There are no sufficient damages of the hull and no holes into the cargo holds. The port authorities informed in press release that the ship caused no pollution into the river and there are no injured people during the accident.
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High speed ferry Provincetown III ran aground in Boston
The catamaran ferry Provincetown III ran aground in the Marble Head, Boston. The ship was navigated and maneuvered by trainee skipper, who hit a sandbar into the harbor. The ferry was carrying 145 passengers on board and 4 crew members. There are no injured persons during the accident, but the hull of Provincetown III was seriously damaged by the ground. The passengers were transfered to another ferry of Bay State Cruise Co, which transported all of them to the destination point. The coast guard reacted immediately with re-floating of the vessel, as three tugs were sent to the scene of the accident. The re-floating is planned for the next high tide, which will support the salvage operations. After the vessel is re-floated it will be tugged to the dock for repair and inspection into the Boston harbor. The line of the ferry Provincetown III was suspended before the vessel is ready to operate in service again.
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Cruise ship Yorktown ran aground in Detroit River
The cruise ship Yorktown ran aground in Detroit River, carrying 100 passengers on board. The accident happened near West Jefferson Avenue in Ecorse. The ship was on 8-day trip to Canada with 100 passengers and 26 crew members, when due to the low tide and officer's mistake hit a sand bank and ran aground. The distress signal was sent to the port authority, which send tug boat, to help in the salvage operations. The vessel was successfully re-floated and headed to Detroit for survey and inspection. The hull has no serious damages and the cruise ship Yorktown continued its voyage to Canada passing through Cleveland, Montreal and reaching Quebec City. During the accident there were no injured people and no water pollution in Detroit River. The local port authorities are investigating the reason for the accident and might head accuse to the shipowner and fine it, for the grounding.
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Evacuation in the Gulf of Mexico because of the Tropical Storm Isaac
The crude extraction companies began evacuation of some platforms in the Gulf of Mexico in anticipation of the Tropical Storm Isaac. The storm is now near the Dominican Republic and Haiti, but the crude extraction facilities will be at risk, if Isaac head to the Gulf of Mexico and reach hurricane power. Currently the winds are at speed of 100 km/h and the speed of storm movement is 26 km/h with course North-West. The Tropical Storm Isaac will reach Cuba in a few hours and from there is expected to move into the Gulf of Mexico, when will lose large of its power. However the BP (British Petroleum) evacuated a lot of its workers in the East and Central part of the Bay and started process of stopping the oil and gas extraction there. The same actions were taken from the other companies working on extraction and drilling into the Gulf - Murphy Oil Corporation and Royal Duch Shell.
Product tanker hijacked in Gulf of Guinea for cargo theft
The product oil tanker Anuket Emerald was hijacked in Gulf of Guinea and released a few days later. The ship was missing for a few days, after it was hijacked during the passage near the coast of the African country on 18th August 2012. The ship was carrying petroleum products and a skiff with armed men attached it from the port side. The tanker tried to maneuver, but after a few shots from the pirates, the captain gave command to stop the engine. The pirates got control of the vessel and headed it to some of their ports, where large part of the cargo was discharged. The pirates wanted only to stole the cargo, which is their usual purpose when hijacking ships. According to the seamen operating in this region, Gulf of Guinea is very dangerous, as there are pirates attacks on more than 200 nautical miles off the shore. Usually the pirates attack the ships, which are drifting in the Gulf of Guinea and waiting for entering in Lome, Lagos or other ports. Usually…
Thermopylae Sierra sank off Colombo
The bulk carrier Thermopylae Sierra sank off Colombo, Sri Lanka. The cargo ship was anchored on the road to the harbor since 2009, when the ship was arrested because of court disputes between the shipowner and the crew and court order about the cargo. The ship was abandoned and left without maintenance since the arrest time, which caused serious damage of the hull, rust and deterioration of the seaworthiness and safety. The local authorities were warned by environmental organizations about the danger of sinking, but no actions were taken. The ship had 70 tons for fuel on board, which may cause serious ecological disaster. The local authorities neglected the situation with the bulk carrier, as it was left to sank in the route of Colombo, Sri Lanka.
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Maritime Labour Convention enters into force in 2013
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) received the thirtieth ratification of the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC, 2006). This is the final condition for the first global standard that will affect shipping and maritime transport. The Maritime Labour Convention was adopted unanimously in 2006, but the requirements for at least 30 countries, which should form at least 33.33% from the world gross tonnage to sign its Ratification prevented its entry into force. Currently the countries, which ratified MLC 2006 accounted for 60% of world shipping gross tonnage, which means that more than 50% of all sailors in the world will fall under the "cover" of the Convention.
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