Eighty-two dead, 26 missing after ferry capsizing in Indonesia

     A ferry capsized in Lake Toba, Indonesia, on 13 July, killing 82
persons. Another 26 may be missing, including the master, Opo Siho Tang.
The K.M. Pedaltari, a small wooden ferry, had more than 150 people aboard,
even though it had a capacity of 50 to 60 people. Some 50 passengers
reportedly swam to shore. Most of those aboard were returning to Samosir
Island after attending a cultural festival in Parapat.

At least 54 drown in India

     At least 54 persons drowned near Khagaria, India, on 11 July after
their vessel capsized on the Bagmati River. The overloaded vessel had 60
passengers aboard, and six swam to shore.

Two vessels capsize during storm between Belize and Honduras, 22 missing

     Twenty-two people are missing after two vessels sailing from Belize to
Honduras capsized in a storm. Most are Honduran farm workers. One vessel,
the Denovve, was found by fishing vessels near Puerto Cortes, Honduras, on
13 July. It had 15 people aboard and left Belize on 8 July. The Nancy, with
seven aboard, left port on 12 July.

Fourteen missing in Aegean Sea

     A boat carrying Iraqi migrants from Turkey to Chios Island, Greece,
capsized and sank 9 July. At least 14 Iraqi citizens are missing and 26
were rescued. The boat foundered 15 minutes after leaving Turkey. Each
passenger paid U.S.$1,000 and an Iraqi citizen and a Turkish citizen have
been arrested.

U.S. Navy searching Arabian Gulf for survivors of dhow sinking

     Two Iranian citizens, found adrift in the Arabian Gulf, were rescued
by the U.S. Navy's Kitty Hawk-class Aircraft Carrier U.S.S. Constellaton
(CV 64) on 14 July. The two men were found clinging to floating debris
about 130 kilometers/81 miles northwest of Bahrain. They said they had been
adrift for five days, after the Ramazan, an Iranian-registry dhow, broke-up
in heavy seas. Eight other people were aboard and are being sought by
helicopters from Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light 37's Detachment
9, from the Ticonderoga-class Guided-Missile Crusier U.S.S. Lake Erie (CG
70), and Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light 42's Detachment 5, from
the Spruance-class Destroyer U.S.S. Thorn (DD 988).

Four killed in chemical tanker fire

     The Freja Nordic (Bahamian-registry 6,482-gt, 11,910-dwt chemical
tanker built in 1980, operated by Freja Tankers A/S) had an explosion and
fire in its engine room the night of 15 - 16 July. Four crewmembers were
killed. The vessel is now anchored off Bandar-e Khomeyni, Iran.

One killed, one missing after vessel capsizes off Nova Scotia

     A lobster boat capsized in heavy seas off Donkin, Nova Scotia, Canada
on 15 July. The body of one of the two men was found, while the other is
missing. The vessel drifted ashore where a chainsaw was used to enter its
hull. An empty liferaft was found washed up nearby as well.

One dead after tug sinking off Washington

     The Marie M. (U.S.-registry 26-meter/84-foot tug) capsized and sank 3
July after taking a heavy strain from a barge in tow near Point Chehalis,
Wash. One of the crew was killed while the other five were rescued.

Crewmember missing after collision off Japan

     A 70-year-old man is missing after the Kazusa Maru (Japanese-registry,
697-dwt) hit the tug Bokka (75-dwt) off Shimokita Peninsula, Japan, early 7
July. The tug was towing a Cambodian-registry vessel in dense fog. The ship
rescued three of the tug's crew, but Chief Engineer Kihachiro Abe is
missing.

Ferry allision injures passengers, one crewmember

     The ferry Thomas Rennie, which operates to Toronto Island, Ontario,
Canada, rammed a dock at 1030 11 July. Reportedly, the vessel was not able
to slow its speed. One crewmember and several passengers were given medical
treatment, while other passengers were injured but did not require
assistance.

Freighter sinks off Japan following collision

     The Bifuku Maru (499-gt vessel) sank the morning of 11 July after a
collision with the Showa Maru (460-gt tanker), 50 kilometers/31 miles south
of Cape Inubosaki, Japan. The five crew of the Bikfuku Maru were rescued
after the tanker's bow rammed the ship's starboard hull during poor
visibility and mist about 0420. The Bikfuku Maru was carrying "building
stones" and the tanker was empty.

Greek-registry ship disabled in the Mediterranean

     The Comet (Greek-registry 16,481-gt motor container/general cargo ship
built in 1978), sailing from Alexandria, Egypt, to Piraeus, Greece, in
ballast, had an engine room fire on 18 July, 288 kilometers/180 miles
southeast of Crete, Greece. The fire has been extinguished but the ship is
disabled.

Passenger ship with 260 aboard aground in Norway

     The Hanseatic (Bahamian-registry 8,378-gt, 1,023-dwt motor passenger
ship built in Finland in 1991, owned by Hanseatic Tours and operated by
Hanseatic Cruises GmbH) ran aground on sand and rocks off northern
Spitsbergen Island, Norway, on 13 July in the Hinlopen fjord, west of
Nordaustlandet Island. The ship had 145 passengers, many of whom are German
tourists with an average age of 70, and 115 crew. There were no injuries or
damage. The Hanseatic was sailing from Norway to Iceland. The Origo
(Swedish-registry passenger ship) attempted to tow the Hanseatic free but
was unsuccessful. On 17 July, with two Norwegian Coast Guard vessels
arrived nearby and the passengers were evacuated by helicopters. They were
lowered to a large, flat icefloe at the stern, where the helicopters
landed. Some may also have been taken off by boat. The passengers were
taken to the lead ship of the Norkapp (W 320)-class Patrol Ship. The
Tromsoe (Norwegian-registry) was also nearby. After 480 tons of fuel was
unloaded, Hanseatic was then towed free and the all the vessels sailed to
Longyearbyen, Norway, where the passengers boarded a flight to Hamburg,
Germany.

Engine room fire aboard containership off Japan

     The Bunga Suria (Malaysian-registry 53,000-gt, 49,936-dwt
containership built in 1979) had an engine room fire aboard 16 July a few
hours after leaving Yokohama, Japan, for Pusan, South Korea. None of the 49
aboard were injured and it was brought under control. The ship came within
2.7 kilometers/1.7 miles of Yokohama, where Japanese Maritime Safety Agency
and Yokohama Fire Department vessels met it.

U.S. Coast Guard comes to aid of sinking fishing vessel

     The Pina (U.S.-registry 22-meter/72-foot fishing vessel, homeported at
Gloucester, Mass.) took on water 17 July, 96 kilometers/60 miles east of
Gloucester. The U.S. Coast Guard's "Island"-class Patrol Boat U.S.C.G.C.
Jefferson Island (WPB 1340) spotted the Pina just before 1800, when its
master, John Prudensy, reported the vessel's engine room was flooding at a
rate of 76 liters/20 gallons to 114 liters/30 gallons per minute. A team
from the patrol boat went aboard the Pina with pumps and worked to stop the
flooding, while a Coast Guard HU-25A Falcon from Coast Guard Air Station
Cape Cod, Mass., dropped three more pumps. The Pina was then towed to
Gloucester in 40-knot winds and steady rain. About 0800 18 July, the tow
was transferred to a 14-meter/47-foot motor lifeboat from Coast Guard
Station Gloucester.

Tow groundings close Ohio River

     On 13 July, the John Strong, pushing 13 coal barges, ran aground at
mile marker 926.5 in the Ohio River. Five barges blocked the river and 10
vessels were delayed. They were lightered and refloated the same day, with
most traffic allowed to pass. On 14 July, the Paul, with two rock barges,
grounded at mile 926, closing the river again and delaying 35 tows with 425
barges. A cut in the shoal was marked so that the area could reopen for
one-way traffic during daylight.

Bulk carrier grounds off Australia

     The Dakshineshwar (Indian-registry 28,739-gt, 47,277-dwt motor ulk
carrier built in 1987, owned and operated by Shipping Corp. of India Ltd.)
ran aground 12 July in the Torres Strait off Australia. The ship, carrying
coke, had steering problems, which caused it to ground on a sandbar one
kilometer/0.6 miles off Wednesday Island at 10 degrees 30.3 minutes south,
142 degrees 17.9 minutes east. It had loaded the coal at Hay Point,
Australia, and was sailing to Visakhapatnam, India.

Swedish-registry ship grounds en route to Italy

     The Hamlet (Swedish-registry 3,638-gt, 610-dwt ro/ro motor ferry built
in 1968, operated by SweFerry A.B.) ran aground 12 July northeast of
Valgrundet, Sweden. The vessel was sailing to Italy and was refloated on 13
July. The Hamlet was towed to Malmo, Sweden, for an underwater hull
inspection.

Fire on the Anafi extinguished, crewmember remains missing

     The fire aboard the Anafi (Maltese-registry 40,269-gt, 74,099-dwt bulk
carrier built in 1974, operated by Sougerka Maritime Co. Ltd.) at the Port
of Piraeus, Greece, was extinguised 11 July. The ship, sailing from
Shanghai, China, to Fos, France, with 46,000 tons of coal, had an engine
room fire that spread throughout the superstructure beginning 8 July. The
chief engineer, George Markoulis, is missing, while the remaining 30
crewmembers were uninjured.

Update on the Canadian Navigator

     The Canadian Navigator (Canadian-registry 18,788-gt, 31,650-dwt,
12,830-nt, 222.2-meter/729.0-foot motor bulk carrier built in 1967 by J.
Readhead & Sons Ltd. at South Shields, England; operated by Upper Lakes
Group Inc.'s ULS Corp.) ran aground at 2130 10 July in the St. Clair River
near St. Clair, Mich. The ship reportedly grounded on a soft bottom. It was
carrying stone to be unloaded at Courtright Supply Dock Ltd. in Courtright,
Ontario, Canada, and the Mueller Dock of Standard Aggregates Division in
Sarnia, Ontario. After grounding, the ship drifted lengthwise across the
river. A bow thruster problem is suspected.

Report issued on the Sea Empress

     The British Marine Accident Investigation Branch issued its report on
the grounding of the Sea Empress on 16 July. Late 15 Feb., 1996, the Sea
Empress (Liberian-registry, 147,273-dwt, 274-meter/900-foot long
single-hull tanker built in 1993 by Astilleros Espanoles S.A. in Spain;
owned by SeaTankers's Alegrete Shipping Co. and operated by Acromarit
(U.K.) Ltd. with 28 Russian crew) ran aground, 180 meters/600 feet off St.
Ann's Head near Milford Haven, Wales. Ruptured cargo tanks spilled about 72
million liters/19 million gallons of oil, or 72,000 tons. On 21 Feb., 1996,
the ship was refloated with 12 tugs. It was on charter to Dreyfus Energy
and was carrying 140.0 million liters/36.75 million gallons of North Sea
light crude in 17 tanks from Hound Point, Scotland, to a Texaco Inc.
refinery in Wales. The report faults pilot error for the grounding as the
immediate cause, but found several underlying problems. There were no tugs
at the port able to assist the ship, bad weather hampered clean-up and
relations between the pilots and Milford Haven Port Authority was strained.
The master and the pilot also failed to agree on a passage plan. The report
recommends the port authority conduct better training, examination and
management of its pilots. Acomarit (U.K.) should have its masters
understand and follow its standing orders on pilots. And the British Marine
Safety Agency, British Coastguard Agency and British Department of
Environment, Transport and the Regions should ensure that all ships have
spill plans in place and can access computerized information on structural
integrity and damage calculations when an accident occurs. The report also
suggests double-hulls extend to pump rooms and possibly engine rooms.
Finally, MARPOL regulations on bottom raking should be tightened. John
Prescot, secretary of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, has
ordered an independent review of salvage agreements and the port authority.
As a result of the report, the British Environment Agency has started
criminal proceedings against the Milford Haven Port Authority and its
harbormaster, Mark Clive Andrews. Both have received summonses. The
authority is charged with being a nuisance to the public, as it "failed to
regulate navigation" and prevent the spill under the British Milford Haven
Conservancy Act of 1983. It also failed to provide proper pilotage under
the British Pilotage Act of 1987. The authority and Andrews were also
charged under Section 85 of the British Water Resources Act of 1991 for
pollution. Andrews was also charged with being a nuisance to the public.