Seven dead, 15 missing in sinking off the Dominican Republic

     A vessel believed to be carrying illegal Dominican migrants to Puerto
Rico sank the morning of 24 Jan. off the southern coast of the Dominican
Republic. Seven people - four women and three men - were killed and 15 are
missing. The vessel left eastern Boca Chica the night of 23 Jan. with 35
people aboard. It sank near Oviedo apparently after bad weather forced it
off course. Thirteen people were rescued by Dominican military personnel.

Six rescued as fishing vessel sinks off Massachusetts

     On 17 Jan., the 26-meter/86-foot fishing vessel Commodore began taking
on water 108 kilometers/94 miles east-southeast of Nantucket, Mass. The six
crew activated an E.P.I.R.B. and boarded a liferaft. All six were rescued
by a U.S. Coast Guard HH-60J Jayhawk from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod,
Mass. The Commodore is owned by Scott M. Nolan and homeported at New
Bedford, Mass.

Stolt Spray loses steering, releases gas on Mississippi River

     The Stolt Spray (Liberian-registry 25,200-dwt, 165-meter/541-foot
tanker built in 1974, operated by Stolt-Nielsen Inc.) suffered a steering
failure and collided with a grain barge on the lower Mississippi River on
18 Jan. As a result of damage, 17,000 liters/4,400 gallons of pyrolysis gas
leaked and the Stolt Spray ran aground near Wallace, La. The river was
closed from mile marker 134 to mile marker 145 and about 100 people were
evacuated. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission placed the Waterford No.
3 nuclear power plant on vapor alert due to the spill. Remaining gas in the
damaged tank was transferred to other tanks and the Stolt Spray was
refloated. Stolt Spray is currently restricted to an anchorage.

Collision in the Bosporus Strait damages Romanian-registry ship

     The Barbarossa (Italian-registry 12,927-gt, 22,649-dwt tanker built in
1982, operated by Mediterranea di Navigazione Srl) collided with the
Hagieni (Romanian-registry 5,906-gt, 8,750-dwt dry cargo ship built in
1982, operated by Navrom S.A.) in the Bosporus Strait near Istanbul,
Turkey, on 25 Jan. The Barbarossa was not carrying any cargo and was
sailing to Russia while the Hagieni, with soda ash, was sailing to France.
The Hagieni was run aground on a sandbank after the ship began taking on
water in cargo holds 1 and 2.

Barge capsizes in Cook Inlet

     The Oregon (U.S.-registry 120-meter/400-foot barge owned by Crowley
Marine Services), loaded with 12,500 tons of urea and 6,100 liters/1,600
gallons of diesel fuel, capsized 25 Jan. in Cook Inlet, Alaska, after
colliding with the tug towing it from a Unocal facility. The barge arrived
at Homer on 26 Jan. The hatch covers remained closed in the capsizing.

Terningen damaged in grounding

     The Terningen (Norwegian-registry 631-gt general cargo vessel) ran
aground 29 Jan. at Lysoysund, Norway, while sailing from Trondheim, Norway,
to Tana, Norway. The ship suffered a port side bottom fracture seven
meters/23 feet to eight meters/26 feet long. The ship is carrying 460 tons
of fodder and temporary repairs are being made.

Bulk carrier runs aground off Saudi Arabia

     The Qena (Egyptian-registry 24,106-gt, 38,391-dwt bulk carrier built
in 1986, operated by Egyptian Navigation Co.) ran aground 28 Jan. at
Dammam, Saudi Arabia. The ship was sailing from Australia to the Persian
Gulf with 33,988 tons of barley.

Talava runs aground in Denmark

     The Talava (Latvian-registry 17,521-gt, 27,480-dwt tanker built in
1978, operated by Latvian Shipping Co.) ran aground 28 Jan. in Denmark at
55 degrees 53.8 minutes north, 10 degrees 56.36 minutes east. The Talava is
carrying 25,000 tons of diesel fuel and the Samburga (Latvian-registry
17,200-dwt tanker built in 1976, operated by Latvian Shipping Co.) will
lighter part of the cargo to refloat the ship.

Fishing vessel aground in Norway

     The Oldersund (Norwegian-registry 271-gt fishing vessel) ran aground
north of Rorvik, Norway, on 30 Jan. The 11 crew were rescued by helicopter.

Theresa Marie III disabled, towed to Maine

     On 18 Jan., the fishing vessel Theresa Marie III (U.S.-registry)
suffered steering and engine problems and became disabled 101 kilometers/63
miles east of Cape Ann, Mass. The fishing vessel Olympia took the Theresa
Marie III in tow, but abandoned it in heavy seas. The U.S. Coast Guard
Bear-class Medium-Endurance Cutter U.S.C.G.C. Seneca (WMEC 906) then took
the vessel in tow to the Coast Guard Capstan-class Small Harbor Tug
U.S.C.G.C. Shackle (WYTL 65609), which towed the Theresa Marie III into
Portland, Maine.

U.S. Coast Guard aids damaged fishing vessel

     A large wave hit the fishing vessel Lady Maria (U.S.-registry) 166
kilometers/104 miles northeast of Provincetown, Mass., on 17 Jan. The
pilothouse windows were destroyed and the vessel's electronic equipment
became inoperative. The crew activated a 406 megahertz E.P.I.R.B., and the
U.S. Coast Guard Bear-class Medium-Endurance Cutter U.S.C.G.C. Spencer
(WMEC 905) located the Lady Maria. The Spencer made replacement windows
from Plexiglas so the vessel could proceed and escorted the Lady Maria
towards port. The Spencer was later relieved by the Coast Guard
"Island"-class Patrol Boat U.S.C.G.C. Monomoy (WPB 1326).

Master of Nakhodka found, theory on sinking

     The master of the Nakhodka (Russian-registry 13,157-gt, 20,471-dwt
tanker built in 1970, operated by Primorsk Shipping Co. and owned by Prisco
Traffic Ltd.) has been found. The ship broke in half 0250 2 Jan. about 130
kilometers/81 miles northeast of the Oki Islands, Shimane Prefecture,
Japan. Thirty-one of 32 crew were rescued. The body of Valery Melnikov, 47,
was found on a beach near Echizen, Fukui Prefecture, Japan, the morning of
26 Jan. He was wearing only jeans and leather shoes. Oil from the tanker
has not affected eight prefectures. The spill is estimated at more than
five million liters/1.3 million gallons or 5,000 tons. The Nakhodka carried
19,000 tons of grade C heavy fuel, or 19 million liters/five million
gallons or 133,000 barrels. Efforts to remove oil from the bow near Mukuni,
Fukui Prefecture, continue, with 150 meters/490 feet of a road completed.
On 27 Jan., it was reported a Russian government group investigating the
incident concluded that the Nakhodka broke up after hitting a
semi-submerged object. Two possibilities offered by the group were either
the hull of a sunken vessel or a target used in military training. On 28
Jan., Japan denied the report. Japan and Russia have agreed to form a joint
commission to determine the cause of the sinking.

Six Greek Coast Guard officers disciplined in Dystos inicident

     Six Greek Coast Guard personnel have been disciplined for negligence
in responding to the capsizing of the Dystos (Greek-registry 6,197-dwt bulk
carrier built in 1972, converted to a cement carrier in 1985, classed with
Lloyd's Register, owned and operated by Heracles Shipping Co.) on 28 Dec.
off Kimi, Evia Island, Greece. The vessel sank 2 Jan. Seventeen people were
killed and three are missing. One person survived. The M/V Dystos was
carrying 5,300 tons of cement from Volos to Piraeus. In addition to the
crew, one crewmember was travelling with his wife while another
crewmember's wife and 12-year-old daughter were also aboard. The first
Greek Coast Guard personnel arrived at the Dystos 10 hours after the
capsizing. On 29 Jan., it was announced that two officers in charge of the
Greek Merchant Marine Ministry's operations facility have been dismissed,
while four Coast Guard personnel from the Kimi Port Authority have been
suspended without pay for two to six months. The ministry has announced its
operations facility will be upgraded with a permanent staff trained in
search and rescue operations.



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