Accident round-up : 5th May 2017

Passenger RoRo cargo ship Giraglia (IMO 8013235) suffered a failure of one of its engines on May 2nd while transiting between Sardinia and Corsica, forcing the ferry to return early in the morning to Porto Longonsardo, northern Sardinia. There were 60 passengers on board. The ship was repaired and returned to service later the same day. Giraglia suffered a mooring accident at Bonifacio, southern Corsica, late last month. According to database, 1981-built Giraglia (2,123 gt) is entered with Standard Club on behalf of Moby SpA.

Bulk carrier Teizan (IMO 9460784) en route from Callao in Peru, hit a berthing site of local vessel on the afternoon of May 3rd while mooring at Valparaiso, Chile. At least six small vessels were reported damaged. Teizan berthed in Valparaiso. According to database 2011-built Teizan (29,104 gt) is entered with UK P&I Club on behalf of Member Olamar Navegacion SA.

High-speed passenger ro-ro ferry Condor Liberation (IMO 9551363) hit a mooring pontoon at St Peter Port harbour in Guernsey on May 3rd, reports Vessel Tracker, apparently damaging a moored yacht, but causing no injuries and no damage to the ferry. The departure of Condor Liberation from Guernsey to Poole was delayed for just under an hour after it arrived in Jersey. According to database, 2010-built Condor Liberation is entered with Shipowners’ P&I Club on behalf of Member Condor Ltd.

The salvaging has begun of cargo ship Sirena (IMO 9491824), which ran ashore on Caribbean Netherlands island Sint Eustatius on August 11th 2016. The inter-island cargo vessel ran aground on the northern side of Jenkins Bay with seven crew members on board while en-route from Marigot in French St. Martin to Martinique. The cargo, fuel and lubricants were removed but attempts to refloat the vessel were

unsuccessful. Sirena soon broke in two. It is thought that the salvage will be completed before the start of the hurricane season. No details of insurance of vessel found in databases. https://thedailyherald.sx/islands/65599-cargo-vessel-sirena-finally-being-salvaged

Container ship Van Manila (IMO 9412816) has been seized after a ruling from the Shanghai Maritime Court, which followed legal action from the relatives of Xiang Zhou’s (IMO 8747147) missing crew. The latter vessel sank on April 6th after a collision with Van Manila, leaving 12 of the 14 crew missing presumed dead. Van Manila appeared to have been leaving Shanghai when the collision occurred. The vessel was ordered back to Shanghai, where it has been at anchorage since April 6th. According to database, 2007-built Van Manila (17,225 gt) is entered with North P&I on behalf of Rupert Investment Corp.

The Gibraltar coroner is to open an inquest into the deaths of two Filipino crew members on bulk carrier Tamar (IMO 9456226) following an explosion on board the vessel while it was en route for Gibraltar. The bodies were disembarked on May 3rd and post-mortem examinations were likely to take place this week. The Marshall Islands, being the flag under which Tamar sailed, had already conducted an investigation and concluded that it was an accident. Two crewmembers who sustained serious injuries in the explosion were airlifted by Portuguese maritime rescue services to the Azores and are now being treated in Lisbon. The explosion was apparently caused by an accumulation of gases. According to database, 2010-built Tamar (32,300 gt) is entered with Steamship Mutual on behalf of Member Femshipping Corp. Also covered for Marine Loss of Hire with Gard AS for client Peter Döhle Schiffahrts-KG.