Two killed in engine room fire aboard L.P.G. carrier

     Two South Korean citizens were killed at 0650 15 Sept. in an engine
room fire aboard the Pioneer Louise (Liberian-registry 52,224-dwt liquified
petroleum gas carrier built in 1976, owned and operated by Sanko Kisen
K.K.) off the United Arab Emirates. The United Arab Emirates has begun an
investigation into the deaths of Lee Yang Gi, 40, and Na Jong Won, 30. Gulf
Agency Co., the ship's agent in the United Arab Emirates, reported 17 Sept.
that the Pioneer Louise anchored off Khor Fakkan for repairs but did not
have power. The ship was sailing from Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, to South Korea.

General cargo ship listing off Japan

     The Wasan (North Korean-registry 2,425-gt general cargo ship) ran
aground on sand 16 Sept. in high winds at 31 degrees 24.3 minutes north,
130 degrees 01.78 minutes east, off Shibushi, Japan. The ship was sailing
from Nampo, North Korea, to Sakaide, Japan, with granite and straw. The
ship developed a list and was abandoned by the crew.

Ro/ro grounding off Norway spills small amount of fuel

     The Balduin (Norwegian-registry 10,320-dwt ro/ro built in 1975, owned
by Bonheur and Ganger Rolf and operated by Fred Olsen & Co.) ran aground at
0100 17 Sept. in a gale south of Fredrikstad, Norway. Nine people of 27
aboard were airlifted from the ship, including a passenger and eight crew.
The Balduin took on water and developed a slight list, but flooding was
contained and three tugs arrived to stabilize the ship. The Balduin was
sailing from Fredrikstad to Porsgrunn, Norway, with 160 cubic meters/208
cubic yards of oil and 20 tons of fuel. A minor fuel leak was reported.

Fire aboard ro/ro in the North Atlantic contained

     The crew of the ASL Sanderling (Canadian-registry 14,741-gt,
15,175-dwt motor ro/ro built in 1977, operated by Oceanex Inc.) contained a
fire aboard the ship 16 Sept. in the North Atlantic at 47 degrees 13
minutes north, 52 degrees 37 minutes west. The ship has been escorted to
St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada.

Greek-registry ferry refloated after drifting

     The Express Santorini (Greek-registry 4,140-gt, 1,189-dwt ro/ro ferry
built in 1974, operated by Agapitos Express Ferries) drifted on 16 Sept.
and ran aground near Mykonos, Greece. It had sailed for Mykonos from Syros,
Greece. The ferry was refloated the same day and towed to Mykonos.

L.P.G. carrier runs aground in Scheldt River

     The Eeklo (Kerguelen Islands-registry 23,519-gt, 28,993-dwt liquified
petroleum gas carrier built in 1995, operated by Exmar N.V.) ran aground 14
Sept. at Buoy 51 in the Scheldt River near Hansweert after propulsion
problems. The ship was refloated the same day with the assistance of 15
tugs and continued its voyage to the AGT-Kallo Terminal in Antwerp,
Belgium.

Trawler aground near Monterey

     The Vito C (22-meter/73-foot trawler) ran aground about five
kilometers/three miles northeast of Monterey, Calif., early the morning of
11 Sept. It has 1,500 liters/400 gallons of diesel aboard and at last
report, was to be salvaged by Parker Diving.

Norwegian-registry bulk carrier has engine failure

     The Enterprise (Norwegian-registry 6,389-gt, 8,709-dwt bulk carrier
built in 1985, operated by Jebsens Ship Management Holding A/S) had a main
engine failure on 12 Sept. at 38 degrees 38 minutes south, 148 degrees 29
minutes east. The Enterprise was sailing to Port Kembla, New South Wales,
Australia, and was taken in tow to Port Kembla by a tug.

Some 172 now reported killed in ferry sinking, 62 survivors

     Official figures indicate that 172 persons were killed and 62 survived
following the capsizing and sinking of the Fierte Gonavienne ("Pride of
Gonave," 18.30-meter/60.00-foot long ferry built in 1943 with
5.49-meter/18.0-foot beam) off Montrouis, Haiti, early 8 Sept. Efforts to
recover victims, led by 23 U.S. Navy personnel from Mobile Dive and Salvage
Unit Two based in Norfolk, Va., have ended. The recovery was named
Operation Restore Dignity. Recovery was carried out from the U.S. Coast
Guard's Reliance-class Medium-Endurance Cutter U.S.C.G.C. Confidence (WMEC
619) and the Navy's Safeguard-class Salvage Ship U.S.S. Grasp (ARS 51).
About 400 U.S. Army soldiers assisted along with the Army Transportation
Corps' Runnymede-class Utility Landing Craft U.S.A.V. El Caney (LCU 2017).
Haitian President Rene Preval said 12 Sept. that the government would pay
for funeral costs for any more victims who are found and would pay some
financial support to relatives. However, those that cannot be identifed
will be buried in a mass grave and a national service will be held. A
monument to those killed will be erected in Montrouis. As previously
reported, some residents of the area believe that that other ferry
operators turned to a voodoo priest to cause the sinking, as they were
losing money to the more popular Fierte Gonavienne. On 11 Sept., relatives
of victims of the sinking burned a boat of a competing ferry line. The
owner, Tio Djo, has now fled to Miami and local residents reportedly
attempted to lynch his wife.

More on Sin Kriangkari explosion

     The Sin Kriangkari (Thai-registry tanker) exploded, caught fire and
sank in the Andaman Sea off western Thailand early 10 Sept. The ship was
carrying 35,000 liters/9,100 gallons of diesel when the fire began about 48
kilometers/30 miles off Phuket. The ship was lightering cargo from another
tanker when the explosion occurred. The master was killed, two crew are
missing and two more were injured. There have been rumors that the diesel
was for use by a covert Bangladesh military force.

(AT) LAST...BUT NOT LEAST...

U.S. Navy submarine located 56 years after sinking

     The U.S. Navy's O-1-class (or Holland type) attack submarine U.S.S.
O-9 was located 15 Sept. in 128 meters/420 feet of water, 27 kilometers/17
miles off New Hampshire. The submarine sank 20 June, 1941, with its crew of
33. Klein Associates Inc. used a side-scan sonar aboard a University of New
Hampshire vessel to locate the partially crushed hull. The submarine, lying
on its side, has its forward section reportedly almost intact. The
refurbished submarine sank on a test dive after being reactivated to train
submarine crews at New London, Conn. The search for the submarine was led
by Glen Reem, 68, a former member of the U.S. Naval Reserve who was later
an engineer for Raytheon Co. The area will be designated a naval burial
ground.