Strait of Malacca collision leaves 29 missing

     The ICL Vikraman (Indian-registry 31,734-gt, 55,851-dwt bulk carrier
built in 1979, homeported at Madras and operated by India Cements Ltd.)
sank at 2300 26 Sept. in the Strait of Malacca near Tanjung Tuan, Malaysia,
after colliding with the empty Mount 1 (85,963-gt, 161,805-dwt motor
combination ship built in 1973) at 02 degrees 18.5 minutes north, 101
degrees 51 minutes east. Twenty-eight crewmembers of the ICL Vikraman and a
2-year-old boy are missing and five were rescued. The ICL Vikraman sank
after breaking in half. The ship was hit on the starboard side amidships
and top of its mast with a radar and antennas is visible above the water.
The Mount 1 suffered a large hole near the watermark above the bulbous bow
and anchored at Port Dickson, Malaysia. The five rescued from the ICL
Vikraman include a cadet, Carthic Visakhapatnam, 21; the second engineer,
Sanabala Kamaraju and his wife, S. Neezima; the electrician, S.
Puroshomyaman; and another crewmember, V. Baharani. The missing 2-year-old
boy is the son of Kamaraju and Neezima. The five were rescued by the
Laemthong Glory (Thai-registry 15,069-dwt dry cargo ship built in 1976,
operated by Neptune Orient Lines Ltd.) and the Royal Malaysian Navy's
Kasturi-class Frigate K.D. Lekir (26). The ICL Vikraman was sailing from
Antwerp, Belgium, to Kaohsiung, Taiwan, with steel products while the Mount
1 was sailing in ballast from India to Singapore.

Seven dead, 17 missing after vessel capsizes off Spain

     Seven people were killed and 17 are missing after a vessel sailing
from Ceuta, Spain, capsized near Tarifa, Spain, early 16 Sept. Seven people
were killed and 17 are missing. The group of about 30 people apparently
included Moroccan citizens attempting to enter Spain and two Spanish
citizens who arranged the transport. A French-registry yacht sailing from
Gibraltar rescued five survivors while Spanish government personnel found
one other person.

Four missing after vessels collide in Hong Kong

     The Magway (Myanmar-registry 13,055-dwt dry cargo ship built in 1985,
operated by Myanma Five Star Line) and a fishing vessel collided in the
inbound lane of the Lanma Channel in Hong Kong the morning of 26 Sept. Four
members of the fishing vessel's crew are missing. One person was rescued.

Crew rescued after Chinese patrol boat catches fire off Hong Kong

     The crew of the Gong Bian (D 4406), a People's Liberation Army Navy
patrol boat from the Shenzhen Border Defense unit, were rescued 25 Sept.
after it caught fire off Sai Kung, Hong Kong.

Two stranded aboard fishing vessel in the Pacific

     The Kaioni (U.S.-registry fishing vessel) ran aground on Beveridge
Reef late 16 Sept., 221 kilometers/138 miles southeast of Niue. The two
crewmembers (one British and one U.S. citizen) boarded a liferaft but it
was holed and they reboarded the vessel. The Pacprincess (Liberian-registry
36,913-dwt bulk carrier built in 1986, operated by Lasco Shipping Co.)
arrived in the area 17 Sept. but weather prevented a rescue. Two Royal New
Zealand Navy ships, the frigate H.M.N.Z.S. Canterbury (F 421) and the
replenishment ship H.M.N.Z.S. Endeavour (A 11), were to arrive in the area
shortly after.

Palm kernel oil spilled in English Channel collision

     The Allegra (Liberian-registry 11,844-gt, 20,287-dwt,
163.5-meter/536.5-foot motor tanker built in 1986, operated by Seaarland
Shipping Management GmbH) and the Ciboney (St. Vincent and the
Grenadines-registry 1,933-gt, 2,980-dwt motor bulk carrier built in 1978,
operated by Wind Shipping ApS) collided 1 Oct. at 49 degrees 48 minutes
north, 03 degrees 18 minutes west, in the English Channel. The Allegra,
carrying 20,000 tons of palm kernel oil, was sailing from Belawan,
Indonesia, to Rotterdam, the Netherlands, with 32 crew, while the Ciboney
was sailing from Immingham, England, to Spain with grain. The No. 1 port
cargo tank aboard the Allegra ruptured and at least 900 tons of palm kernel
oil spilled. The Ciboney suffered damage to its forecastle and bow area.
The ships were sailing in fog 46 kilometers/29 miles off Devon, England.

Fishing vessel damaged in collision with ro/ro off North Carolina

     The Century Highway No. 1 (Panamanian-registry 15,237-dwt,
167-meter/549-foot ro/ro built in 1984, operated by Kobe Nippon Kisen
Kaisha Ltd.) and the Strawberry (12-meter/40-foot fishing vessel) collided
27 Sept., 56 kilometers/35 miles southeast of Cape Lookout, N.C. The bow of
the Strawberry was damaged and the vessel began to flood but the crew was
able to seal the forward compartment. The Strawberry was to be escorted to
Morehead City, N.C., by the U.S. Coast Guard's "Point"-class Patrol Boat
U.S.C.G.C. Point Huron (WPB 82357). The Century Highway No. 1 resumed its
voyage to Baltimore. A helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth
City, N.C., evacuated one person from the Strawberry after a request by the
master. However, there were no injuries on either vessel.

White Angel sinks near Quad Cities area

     The White Angel sank in Dedermans Pond in the Quad Cities area of the
Mississippi River on 22 Sept. The vessel is lying on its side in up to 4.6
meters/15 feet of water with 35,000 liters/9,300 gallons of fuel aboard.
The three crew were rescued.

Tug sinks off Colombo

     The tug Nigiri sank off Colombo, Sri Lanka, late 24 Sept. in a storm.

Moored barge damaged by tanker near Quebec

     The Vekua (Maltese-registry 10,948-gt, 16,231-dwt,
151.31-meter/496.42-foot motor tanker built in 1987, operated by
Anglo-Georgian Shipping Co. Ltd.) allided with the Elmglen (13,884-gt,
207-meter/678-foot barge built in 1952 by Port Weller Dry Docks Ltd. at St.
Catharines, Ontario, Canada; operated by Groupe Ocean Inc.) on 1 Oct. near
Quebec at 46 degrees 49 minutes north, 71 degrees 12 minutes west. The
Vekua sustained slight damage to its upper bow and has sailed for Tampa,
Fla. The Elmglen, formerly a bulk carrier, suffered a 0.6-meter/two-foot
gash about 6.1 meters/20 feet above the waterline and a 3.0-meter/10-foot
dent.

Bulk carrier damages dock in Windsor

     The Nea Doxa (Greek-registry 17,882-gt, 30,820-dwt,
188.14-meter/617.25-foot motor bulk carrier built in 1984, operated by
Fafalios Shipping S.A.) allided with a dock at Morterm Ltd. in Windsor,
Ontario, Canada, on 1 Oct. The ship sustained a small dent to its starboard
side but the dock has considerable damage.

Malaysian-registry tanker hits object in Strait of Malacca

     The Rohas Ria (Malaysian-registry 6,000-gt, 7,276-gt tanker built in
1991, operated by Maritime Consortium Management Sdn. Bhd.) collided with
an object in the Strait of Malacca at 0150 28 Sept. The ship lost a
lifeboat in the collision and it reportedly sustained a dent to its
starboard hull. The Rohas Ria was sailing from Penang, Malaysia, to Port
Dickson, Malaysia, and was not carrying any cargo.

U.S. Coast Guard assists flooding fishing vessel

     The Persuit (U.S.-registry 21-meter/70-foot fishing vessel homeported
at Portland, Maine) began taking on water 29 Sept., 54 kilometers/34 miles
northeast of Gloucester, Mass. A portable de-watering pump was lowered to
the three crew by a U.S. Coast Guard HH-60J Jayhawk helicopter and the
flooding was brought under control. The Coast Guard's "Island"-class Patrol
Boat U.S.C.G.C. Adak (WPB 1333) then escorted the fishing vessel to
Portland.

L.P.G. carrier grounds in Suez Canal

     The Havprins (Norwegian-registry 33,535-gt, 40,605-dwt liquified
petroleum gas carrier built in 1974, operated by Bergesen dy A/S) ran
aground at Kilometer 125 of the Suez Canal on 30 Sept. while northbound.

Passenger vessels ground in Nile River

     Two passenger vessels ran aground 30 Sept. in the Nile River in Egypt
and four more stopped operating after water levels dropped. Water was later
released from Lake Nasser through the Aswan High Dam, but it is not known
if the vessels have been refloated. Hundreds of people were stranded aboard
the ships.

Passenger ship with over 1,000 aboard loses power in Gulf of St. Lawrence

     The Dreamward (Bahamian-registry 39,172-gt, 5,589-dwt,
190-meter/623-foot passenger ship built in 1992, owned operated by
Norwegian Cruise Line Ltd.) docked in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada, early 1
Oct. after drifting in the Gulf of St. Lawrence for more than 17 hours with
1,567 people aboard. An electrical problem disabled propulsion on 30 Sept.
The Canadian Coast Guard's research vessel Hudson escorted the ship to
Sydney. The Dreamward left Montreal on 27 Sept. with 1,053 passengers and
514 crew on a cruise chartered by a French firm. It then called at Quebec
and was sailing to Sydney when it lost power. The cruise will end in New
York, after a rotation that included New York; Boston; Halifax, Nova
Scotia; Montreal; Quebec; Sydney; and New York.

Bulk carrier able to reach Oswego after propulsion failure

     The Cuyahoga (Canadian-registry 8,796-gt, 16,104-dwt, 6,436-nt,
189-meter/620-foot steam bulk carrier built in 1943 by American
Shipbuilding Co. at Lorain, Ohio; operated by Black Creek Shipping Co.
Ltd.) had a propulsion failure at 1100 29 Sept. off Oswego, N.Y. The ship
was able to reach port at 1600 for repairs.

JIT-Trans suing FG-Shipping

     JIT-Trans is suing FG-Shipping Oy A.B. regarding the capsizing of a
pusher barge in late December 1990. The vessel operated from Finland.
JIT-Trans is claiming 28.9 million Finnish marks/U.S.$5.44 million
involving interests and expenses. However, FG-Shipping says it was the
manager while JIT-Trans was responsible for its operation, and so it is not
responsible.

More on the sinking of the Astoria

     The Astoria (St. Vincent and the Grenadines-registry 1,140-gt motor
vessel built in 1956 in Germany, owned by Astoria Shipping Co.) sank in a
storm early 25 Sept. off Colombo, Sri Lanka, at 06 degrees 56.20 minutes
north, 79 degrees 49.00 minutes east. The ship was carrying 900 tons of
bagged cement and rice and was waiting for clearance before sailing to Sri
Lanka's Jaffna Peninsula. The crew of 25, including 12 Sri Lankan citizens
and two Philippine citizens, were rescued. The Goodwill (Pvt.) Ltd., the
Astoria's local agents, reported that the ship was anchored in the outer
harbor and sank after its cargo hold flooded.

Update on collision between the Sunwind and the Kamogawa

     The Sunwind (St. Vincent and the Grenadines-registry 9,767-gt,
15,855-dwt motor dry cargo ship built in 1979, owned by Cometas Shipping
Co. Ltd.) and the Kamogawa (10,829-gt, 17,712-dwt motor tanker built in
1993, operated by Miwa Kaiun Co. Ltd. and owned by Tokyo Marine Co.)
collided 19 Sept. in the Strait of Malacca, 32 kilometers/20 miles from
Port Kelang, Malaysia. The bow of the Sunwind was torn off and its
forward-most cargo hold began flooding. It was taken in tow by a tug to
Singapore after having departed the port with rice for Africa. The Kamogawa
was sailing to Singapore but anchored at Port Kelang.

Eklof Marine to pay U.S.$7 million in fines for oil spill

     Eklof Marine Corp., two subsidiaries and its president have agreed to
pay U.S.$7 million in fines as part of a plea agreement relating to Rhode
Island's worst oil spill. On 19 Jan., 1996, the North Cape (U.S.-registry
104-meter/340-foot long single-hull tank barge, built in 1976, owned and
operated by Eklof Marine) ran aground off Moonstone Beach near South
Kingstown, R.I. It was carrying 15 million liters/four million gallons of
No. 2 heating oil and damage to nine of 16 cargo tanks caused a spill of
3.15 million liters/828,000 gallons. The barge was being towed from IMTT
Terminal in Bayonne, N.J., to Providence, R.I., by the Scandia
(U.S.-registry 35.1-meter/115-foot long tug, with 4,000-horsepower, built
in 1969, owned and operated by Eklof Marine) when an engine room fire began
during in a storm. The six crew abandoned the tug and were rescued. The tow
then went aground. The barge was refloated a week later and towed to New
York while the tug was pulled off the beach a month after the incident. As
part of the agreement, Eklof Marine acknowledges that the spill was the
result of criminal negligence that resulted in a tow improperly equipped to
navigate in the weather it experienced. The tug's master and the companies
also said the spill occurred after storm warnings were ignored. The
agreement must be reviewed by federal and state courts. The fine would be
the largest criminal fines paid in Rhode Island's history and the largest
environmental fines ever in New England.