The outermost part of the ferry trapdoor on the 362 dwt Frafjord (IMO 7728508) failed completely when a truck drove off it on the morning of April 5th – 40 bolts broke right off, reports Vessel Tracker. The door fell into the port of Brekstad. Frafjord serves the Brekstad-Valset route. Divers and cranes were deployed to raise the hatch from the water. The ferry service was resumed on the evening of the same day. According to database, Frajford is entered with Skuld for Member and owner Norled AS. For Hull and Machinery, Frafjord is entered with Norwegian Hull Club.
General cargo ship BBC Sapphire (IMO 9504798) allided with moored tug Lieven Gevaert (IMO 9120140) while turning inside the access channel to the Zandvliet lock on the afternoon of April 4th. The tug was severely damaged but the crew were unharmed. The hull on the starboard side was dented under the water line, and the engines were shifted. BBC Sapphire berthed in Antwerp and left the port early on the morning of April 6th, en route to Aberdeen. According to database BBC Sapphire is entered with Swedish Club for Briese Schiffahrts GmbH & Co. KG MS “Sapphire”. Belgium-flagged Lieven Gevaert entered with Shipowners’ Club for Member Kotug Smit Holding BV.
Somalian pirates are reported to have hijacked Pakistani cargo ship Salama 1 off the coast of Hobyo in the central part of Somalia. The pirates apparently headed for Elhur town, near the port of Hobyo, Puntland, where it was anchored and boarded by other armed men.
Chinese general cargo ship Xiang Zhou sank on the Yangtze River estuary off Nantong, reportedly having capsized after a collision 13 nm off the Chinese coast while en route from Nantong to Busan, South Korea. Two seamen were rescued by nearby ships, but 12 remain missing. Shanghai Maritime Search and Rescue Centre deployed five professional rescue ships, 10 past merchant ships and two emergency sweepers to the scene of the accident for SAR operations. The cause of the accident remains unclear and, if there was a collision, the other party is not yet known. Xiang Zhou (IMO: 8747147) is 6,033 dwt and 2,971 grt. According to database, Xiang Zhou is entered with MS Amlin’s fixed premium P&I operation Raets Marine.