Freighter Lady Alida lost propulsion power about 3nm south of Gwennap Head while en route from Terneuzen to Waterford. It suffered a complete engine failure and the crew was unable to restart the engine. A strong south-westerly wind combined with currents to push the vessel toward the rocks. All-weather lifeboat Ivan Ellen went to assist, arriving within 25 minutes and attaching a towing line. Lady Alida, which had a cargo of sand, was towed southwards to safer waters. Lifeboat City of London III arrived later and attached another tow rope, initially planning to tow Lady Alida to Mount’s Bay anchorage. However, the strong south-westerly wind made it difficult to turn the vessel. At the moment Lady Alida is anchoring in deeper water south off Gwennap Head. Meanwhile, a salvage team was contracted and a towing tug was en route from Falmouth. The lifeboats remained on standby in case the situation worsened. No injuries or pollution reported. Salvage expected to start late Monday. Lady Alida is 2,544grt. No insurance details found in databases.
General cargo ship Riga suffered engine cooling system failure north of Fecamp, France in the English Channel and remained adrift in a heavy traffic area, while en route from Dunkirk to Caen with cargo of ore. The crew was unable to fix the problem so dropped anchor to prevent a grounding or collision. With night soon to fall, the local authorities decided that the vessel was a threat to shipping in the area and ordered French salvage tugs Abeille Languedoc and Abeille Liberte to tow Riga to Caen Anchorage, where she was secured for repairs. According to the shipowner, the vessel was not causing danger to shipping in the area and was anchored outside the shipping way. No injuries or water pollution reported. Riga is 4,220dwt and 2,810grt. According to database, Riga is covered for Loss of Hire by Gard As (claims
leader) on behalf of Vertom-Bojen Bereederungs GmbH & Co.KG. P&I is through Hanseatic Underwriters.
Ferry Beaumont Hamel suffered engine failure shortly after leaving Portugal Cove, Canada en route to Bell Island. The vessel remained adrift in the strait, with the Captain dropping anchor to prevent grounding. The ship’s engineers repaired the engine problem after just over an hour. Beaumont Hamel then lifted anchor and resumed its voyage to Bell Island, arriving more than two hours late. The vessel was inspected by the authorities and was passed fit for service. Beaumont Hamel is 215dwt and 831grt. According to database, Beaumont Hamel is covered by Shipowners’ P&I Club through Member The Province Of Newfoundland & Labrador.
China-flagged tanker Xing Long Zhou 569 suffered an explosion and fire at around 17.00 local time on March 19th in the Yellow Sea, some 115 nm east of Qingdao. Two salvage ships, Bei Hai Jiu 112 and Bei Hai Jiu 201, and a helicopter were sent to assist. Three of the 16 crew are reported missing Xing Long Zhou 569 is 6,678dwt. As of March 20th it appeared to be on tow back to port. No details of vessel in insurance databases.