Collision in Indonesia kills 28

     A passenger vessel carrying 65 people in Borneo, Indonesia, collided
with a tug 19 Oct. on the Barito River. Twenty-eight people were killed and
37 rescued. Visibility at the time was 4.6 meters/15 feet at most due to
heavy smoke from forest fires in the area.

Four killed and one missing after North Atlantic sinking

     Ten crewmembers of the Vanessa (Bahamian-registry 4,000-gt ship, owned
by Norwegian interests) were rescued after the ship sank in the North
Atlantic the night of 23 Oct., about 675 kilometers/419 miles east of St.
John's, Newfoundland. Four were killed and one is missing. The Summer Wind
(Bermudan-registry 13,636-dwt refrigerated ship built in 1985, operated by
Cool Carriers A.B.) rescued nine crewmembers from a liferaft and found two
other liferafts empty. The nine climbed boarding nets draped over the
ship's hull. The Choyang World (South Korean-registry 44,006-dwt
containership built in 1991, operated by Cho Yang Shipping Co. Ltd.) was
the first vessel to arrive and established radio contact with the nine
survivors. The ship backed off due to its size. Two Canadian Air Command
aircraft, a CP-140 Aurora and a CC-130 Hercules, marked the area with
flares and buoys and dropped survival gear including suvival suits, rafts
and food. The tenth crewmember was rescued 24 Oct. after at least 18 hours
in the water by the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans lead ship
of the Cape Roger-class Fisheries Patrol Ship. He suffered from severe
hypothermia and two medical personnel parachuted to the ship to treat him.
In all, the response involved six commercial vessels, the Cape Roger, the
two Canadian aircraft and a U.S. Coast Guard aircraft. The Cape Roger took
the 10 survivors aboard and is sailing to St. John's. The Vanessa sank
after its cargo of ammonium nitrate and calcium nitrate shifted weather of
Beaufort Force 8 or 9, roughly 6.1-meter/20-foot seas and winds of about 40
knots. It sent a distress call at 1300 after developing a starboard list.
The Vanessa was sailing from Sweden to Colombia with a crew of 10
Philippine citizens, four Myanmar citizens and a Dutch citizen. Those
killed include two Myanmar and one Philippine citizen while the missing
crewmember is from the Philippines. There are conflicting reports as to the
vessel's specifics, with most stating it is either a bulk carrier or
refrigerated vessel.

Sinking of the Marine Star M leaves five missing

     The Marine Star M (Honduran-registry 1,346-gt, 3,086-dwt general cargo
ship built in 1974, operated by Sea Bridge Corp. Ltd.) sank 21 Oct. after
colliding in dense fog with the Dong Bang No. 103 (2,741-gt, 4,000-dwt
motor dry cargo ship built in 1996, operated by Dong Bang Forwarding Co.
Ltd.). Of the Marine Star M's crew, five were rescued and five are missing.
The Marine Star M was sailing from Russia to Inchon, South Korea, with
steel scrap while the Dong Bang No. 103 was in ballast sailing between
Inchon and Kwangyang.

Syrian-registry ship sinks off Tantous, five missing

     The Zakaria (Syrian-registry 1,186-gt general cargo ship) has sunk 32
kilometers/20 miles off Tantous. It was sailing from Greece to Lebanon with
1,300 tons of soil for ceramics. Five of the 10 crew are missing.

One missing as bulk carrier sinks in Aegean Sea

     The Black Sea T (St. Vincent and the Grenadines-registry 6,390-gt,
10,157-dwt bulk carrier built in 1969, operated by Altonia) sank late 19
Oct. off Hios Island, Greece, at 38 degrees 09 minutes north, 25 degrees 55
minutes east. The ship, carrying rapeseed and wheat, was sailing from
Constanta, Romania, to Haifa, Israel, when it began listing to starboard.
One of the 25 crew is missing and is being sought by Greek aircraft and
vessels. Most of the crew, including the missing man, are Turkish citizens.
High winds were reported in the area of the sinking.

Refigerated ship drifts after engine room fire off Scotland

     The Bolivar (11,695-gt, 10,679-dwt motor refrigerated ship built in
1981, operated by Enterprises Shipping & Trading S.A.) suffered an engine
room fire 18 Oct. about 920 kilometers/575 miles off western Scotland at 57
degrees 49 minutes north, 21 degrees 54 minutes west. The fire was
extinguished but the vessel drifted without power and communications failed
shortly after a distress call was sent. The Portosalvo (Italian-registry
2,085-dwt tug built in 1982, operated by Rimorchiatori Napoletani Srl) took
the ship in tow t 0930 20 Oct. The ship, empty with 24 crew, was sailing
from Gdansk, Poland, to South America.

Canadian fisheries patrol ship sustains minor damage in fire

     A fire began in a hold of the Canadian Department of Fisheries and
Oceans' Cape Roger-class Fisheries Patrol Ship Cygnus at 2100 20 Oct. while
the ship was moored at Dartmouth Marine Slips. More than a dozen
firefighters extinguished the fire and no one was injured. The fire caused
minor damage.

Marshall Islands-owned ship declared total loss

     The Juk Ae, owned by the Marshall Islands, was declared a total
constructive loss 23 Oct. after running aground on on a coral reef at Mejit
Island 10 days before. Salvage attempts were abandoned. The 100-gt ship,
operated on contract by a private company, was at Mejit to collect copra
and sell items. It was bought new for U.S.$750,000 earlier this decade.

More on tanker collision off Singapore

     The masters of two tankers involved in a collision off Singapore last
week have been arrested and charged. The Orapin Global (Thai-registry
129,702-gt, 268,450-dwt tanker built in 1975; owned and operated by Thai
International Tankers Co. Ltd. and managed by Denholm Ship Management Ltd.)
and the Evoikos (Cypriot-registry 75,428-gt, 140,218-dwt tanker built in
1977, operated by Papaphilippou) collided at 2054 15 Oct. about five
kilometers/three miles south of Pulau Sebarok. The Evoikos was sailing from
Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, to Singapore with 120,000 tons/840,000
barrels or 137 million liters/36 million gallons of marine fuel oil. It was
to unload the cargo at Caltex Trading Co. Ltd. and Singapore Petroleum Co.
Ltd. Two or three cargo tanks ruptured spilling at least 25,000 tons or 27
million liters/seven million gallons of oil and the ship anchored three
kilometers/two miles southeast of Pulau Sebarok. Damage includes a gash on
the port side 50 meters/164 feet long and 10 meters/32 feet wide, from the
deck to below the waterline. The Evoikos was chartered by Metro Trading
International. The Orapin Global was sailing in ballast to the Arabian Gulf
after having left the Singapore Eastern Anchorage.

     Clean-up of the spill has involved 57 vessels and a helicopter and oil
has been removed from the Jong, Pandan and Sinki Fairways, the Western
Anchorage and anchorages in the West Jurong area. Oil has also been
reported at Selat Puah Anchorage, West Jurong Anchorage and Selat Sultan
Shoal Lighthouse. Six oil spill experts from Japan are also assisting with
two recovery systems. Two representatives of the International Oil
Pollution Compensation Fund are also on-scene. At last report, a slick 33
kilometers/20 miles long was in the southern Strait of Malacca and nearing
Malaysia between Pulau Pisang and Pulau Lyu Kechil Light. More than a
kilometer/0.6 miles of containment booms had been laid along Johor.

     The masters are Michael Chalkitis, 58, of the Evoikos, a Greek
citizen, and Jan Sokolowski, 54, of the Orapin Global, a Polish citizen.
Visibility at the time of the collision was eight kilometers/five miles and
both vessels had been warned of a collision course by the Singapore Vessel
Traffic Information Service. Both ships acknowledged the communication. The
first warning came at 2041 to the Orapin Global and on 20 Oct., radar data
released by the traffic service indicated that the ship had crossed from
the westbound to eastbound lane. Another warning was issued at 2046 and the
Evoikos was contacted at 2048. Denholm Ship Management has maintained that
the vessel was in its correct lane when the collision occurred and had
earlier sailed into the wrong lane to avoid colliding with another vessel.
On 22 Oct., the two masters were charged with reckless navigation.
Chalkitis was accused of a breach of duty, failing to reduce speed and
preventing the Evoikos from being seriously damaged under the Singapore
Merchant Shipping Act. He could be sentenced to two years in prison, a fine
of Singaporean$50,000/U.S.$32,000 or both. Sokolowski was accused under
Singapore's penal code of navigating recklessly, endangering lives and
failing to take action to avoid a collision. He could be sentenced to six
months in prison, a S$1,000/U.S.$600 fine or both. Sokolowski was hired in
1982 and has been a master of very large crude carriers since 1986. He
reportedly has extensive experience with the Strait of Malacca.

     On 24 Oct., oil was reported as far north as Muar and 600 meters/2,000
feet of booms had been deployed by four vessels to protect fish and prawn
farms. Some 1,100 meters/3,600 feet of boom has been used in the clean-up.
The same day, Malaysia detained the Orapin Global for illegally anchoring
in its territorial waters near Pulau Kukup.

Albanian People's Navy vessel sunk in collision has been raised

     An Albanian People's Navy vessel carrying Albanian migrants to Italy
that capsized and sank 28 March in the Adriatic Sea has been raised and
towed to Brindisi, Italy. About 83 people were killed and 34 were rescued.
Many of the survivors said that the ship sank after colliding with the
Italian Navy Minerva-class Corvette Sibilla (F 558). The sunken vessel was
reportedly stolen from Sarande, Albania, on 26 March and then sailed to
Vlore, Albania. Survivors said the vessel was deiberately rammed, once
astern and once on a side. Italy said the vessel was evading Italian ships
and sailed on a collision course. The commanding officer of the Italian
ship, Maurizio Laudadio, was relieved of his duties 30 March. Eleven bodies
have been removed.

Additional information on ferry incident in Manila

     About 15 barrels of bunker fuel were spilled 0100 5 Oct. when the
Superferry II (Philippines-registry 11,405-gt, 2,000-passenger ferry owned
and operated by Willaim Gotong and Aboitiz Co.) lost control as it
approached Pier 4 in North Harbor of Manila, the Philippines. Two ferries
and four tank vessels were damaged including a tank vessel that sank at
Pier 5. There were no injuries. The master of the ferry has been suspended
and the vessel left Manila after repairs the same day. The ferry apparently
lost power and hit the Ocean Trader II, Ocean Trader III, Prince I and
Prince II and the ferries Garuda and Starlite Express. The Ocean Trader II
sank while the Prince II had a 13-centimeter/five-inch hole just above the
starboard waterline and the Starlite Express had several dents.

Master of the Grand Caribe charged

     The U.S. Coast Guard has charged Brendan MacGillivay with negligent
operation. He was the master aboard the Grand Caribe (55-meter/180-foot
long passenger ship built in 1997, owned by American Canadian Carribean
Line) when, with 92 passengers and 18 crew, it hit the Sara Mildred Long
Memorial Bridge over the Piscataqua River between Portsmouth, N.H., and
Kittery, Maine, early 23 July. The Coast Guard said MacGillivay misjudged
the tide leaving the New Hampshire Port Authority State Pier. The bridge
had about U.S.$1,000 in damage.