Oil products tanker Dong Fang Glory (IMO 9554872) exploded and caught fire in Sg Belawai during the morning of March 13th, critically injuring two Indonesian crew members. The vessel was anchored at the time in the middle of the river for maintenance. There were 17 crew members and five workers of the Berjaya Dockyard on board. An explosion occurred on the deck of the vessel followed by a fire. The explosion tore apart the tanker’s upper deck. Crew members managed to douse the flames before the firemen arrived. The two Indonesians suffered burns on their body while the captain of the vessel sustained light injuries on his face. They were taken to the Sibu Hospital for treatment.
Sarawak Zone 4 Fire and Rescue Department chief Misran Bisara said that “we are not discounting the possibility that the explosion was triggered by sparks from the maintenance work reacting to remnants of gas or vapour from the cargo hold.
2010-built, Malaysia-flagged, 4,347 gt Dong Fang Glory is owned by Glow Quest care of manager Grolite Shipping Sdn Bhd of Sarawak, Malaysia. It is entered with Shipowners’ P&I Club on behalf of Grolite Shipping Sdn Bhd.
Repairs to damage suffered by general cargo ship Yuksel Imamoglu (IMO 7702425) on January 25th could not be carried out at Tuzla shipyard due to the expense of the proposed repairs and the age of the vessel. Tug Kurtkulagi was appointed to tow the vessel from the Tuzla shipyard area to an Aliaga scrap yard. The towing began on the morning of March 13th. During the Canakkale Strait passage a Coastal Safety tug will provide escort service for the vessel and strait traffic safety. The ship reached Aliaga anchorage during the morning of March 15th. 1980-built, Turkey-flagged 1,923 gt Yuksel Imamoglu is owned and managed by Imamoglu Denizcilik Ve Kara of Istanbul, Turkey. It is entered with Lodestar on behalf of Imamoglu Denizcilik Ve Kara Nakliyat Ticaret AS.
Danish RoRo ferry Primula Seaways (IMO: 9259513) remained at the Lindoe Shipyard OSS in Vigeroe after her collision with containership MSC Madrid (IMO 9480198) off Flushing on March 11th, but the latter sailed from Antwerp Shiprepair on the morning of March 13th, heading for Rotterdam as her first port of call after repairs. It berthed at the ECT Delta Container Terminal Europahaven that evening. After cargo operations she was to continue to Bremerhaven, ETA March 15. 2004-built, Denmark-flagged, 37,985 gt Primula Seaways is owned and managed by DFDS AS of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is entered with West of England Club (Claims Team 3) on behalf of DFDS AS.
2011-built, Liberia-flagged, 61,870 gt 5,500 teu MSC Madrid is owned by CPO Bilbao Offen Reederei care of manager Reederei Claus-Peter Offen GmbH & Co KG of Hamburg, Germany. It is entered with Standard Club (Europe Division) on behalf of CPO Bilbao Offen Reederei,
Passenger RoRo cargo Kihnu Virve (IMO 9753129) ran aground in the bay of Munalaiu Harbour, Estonia, shortly after leaving port bound to Estonian island Kihnu during the evening of March 11th. The ship then returned to Munalaiu. There were no injuries but departures the following day were cancelled due to inspections for underwater hull damage. The cause of the accident is not yet known ans is being investigated. 2015-built, Estonia-flagged, 924 gt Kihnu Virve is owned by Estonia Govt Maritime of Tallinn, Estonia, and managed by Kihnu Veeteed of Parnu, Estonia.
The port captain of Oristano, Sardinia, took general cargo ship TK Rotterdam (IMO 9045613) into custody after its arrival from Caen on March 9th. Following an injury to one of the 20 crew members an inspection was carried out and some irregularities were detected, in particular relating to the rescue systems and allegedly non-compliant fire-fighting devices. The grain-carrying ship which was detained until the deficiencies were addressed. 2001-Liberia-flagged, 6,036 gt TK Rotterdam is owned by Atlanta Oceanways Ltd care of manager Pasifik Gemi Isletmeciligi ve Ticaret AS of Istanbul, Turkey. It is entered with Skuld (Business unit Skuld Copenhagen) on behalf of Pasifik Gemi Isletmeciligi.