Two people were killed and three injured during a lifeboat safety test 25 Nov. aboard the M/T Jahre Viking (Norwegian-registry 564,763-dwt ultra large crude carrier built in 1976, operated by Jorgen Jahre Shipping A/S) at Dubai Dry Docks in the United Arab Emirates. Leandra Torcelo and Richard Baquisat, both Filipino citizens, were killed when a lifeboat overturned and fell 35 meters/120 feet into the water below. Three others, two Filipinos and an Indian citizen, suffered minor injuries. The M/T Jahre Viking, the largest tanker in the world, had been under repair and inspection for Det Norske Veritas since 5 Nov. The ship left Dubai on 30 Nov. to load oil at the Ras Tanura terminal in Saudi Arabia for the U.S. Gulf coast.

The F/V Ida E (16 meters/52 feet) sank 28 Nov. near Buoy 8 on the Columbia River bar. The vessel was headed out on its first voyage in two years when bilge and lazarrette alarms sounded. All three crewmembers were rescued by the F/V Prowler and transferred to a U.S. Coast Guard Station Cape Disappointment, Wash., motor lifeboat. The Captain of the Port of Portland, Ore., ordered a closure of the northern section of the channel between Buoys 8 and 10 until the F/V Ida E was found. The vessel was located by an HH-65A Dolphin helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Astoria, Ore., and the wreck was marked by the Balsam-class Seagoing Buoy Tender U.S.C.G.C. Cowslip (WLB 277).

The yacht Sundowner, on a party cruise, caught fire at 2115 7 Dec. while returning to its dock in Marina del Rey, Calif. Six of the 70 passengers and crew suffered minor burns. Several people jumped overboard, with some swimming the 18 meters/60 feet to shore while others were rescued by nearby vessels. Several sought refuge in the Santa Monica Yacht Club. The passengers were employees of Trust Company of the West, a money management firm based in Los Angeles. The vessel was severely damaged.

The M/T Asphalt Champion (Greek-registry 19,216-gt, 32,004-dwt tanker built in 1973, owned and operated by by Chronos Shipping Co.) struck a dolphin while docking in Mobile Bay, Ala., late 8 Dec. The ship's starboard quarter was breached and 16,000 liters/4,200 gallons of asphalt spilled into the bay.

The M/V Ocean Phoenix (U.S.-registry 17,845-gt, 19,286-dwt, 90 meter/300 foot "fish factory" built in 1964, operated by Premier Pacific Seafoods Inc.) suffered a fire in her living quarters while moored at Pier 28 in Seattle at 2300 11 Dec. The fire was extinguished in an hour, and is believed to have been caused by an electrical problem.

A barge loaded with 19,000 kilograms/42,000 pounds of explosives ran aground on a beach near Yakutat, Alaska, early 1 Dec., after the towline to a tug broke while sailing from Seattle to Seward, Alaska. The 90 meter/300 foot barge is loaded with 940 sacks of ammonia nitrate, gunpowder and blasting agents for dynamite. It is owned by Sea Coast Towing Co.

On 3 Dec., the U.S. Coast Guard Polar Star-class Icebreaker U.S.C.G.C. Polar Sea (WAGB 11) launched an HH-65A Dolphin helicopter to search for a U.S.-registry sailing vessel with three people aboard, about 160 kilometers/100 miles northeast of Port Vila, Vanuatu. The vessel sent out a distress signal that was received by a Qantas Airline aircraft, which responded in morse code. The vessel told the aircraft it had left Port Vila sailing northeast two days earlier.

The M/V Lady Dotic (Egyptian-registry, 3,415-tons) allided with a small lighthouse and ran aground in the Bosporus Strait near Istanbul, Turkey, on the night of 9 Dec. The ship, sailing from Ukraine to Egypt, is carrying sunflowers. The M/V Lady Dotic is on a sandbank 200 meters/650 feet offshore and has taken on water.

The M/V Finnfellow (Finnish-registry 14,297-gt, 4,995-dwt ro/ro built in 1973, operated by FG-Shipping) ran aground at 60 degrees 47 minutes north, 21 degrees 13 minutes east, near Uusikaupunki, Finland, on 9 Dec. The vessel was sailing to the port from Hargshamn, Finland. The six passengers aboard were evacuated but the 18 crewmembers remain aboard. The M/V Finnfellow's bottom and starboard side were reportedly damaged.

The M/V Anangel Wisdom (Greek-registry 12,941-gt, 22,363-dwt bulk carrier built in 1974, owned and operated by Anangel Shipping Enterprises S.A.) ran argound near Buoy 6 of the Punta Indio Channel in the Rio de la Plata on 6 Dec. The ship was reportedly sailing to Chile with wheat.

The M/V Parnasos (Cypriot-registry 3,997-gt, 6,016-dwt bulk carrier built in 1978, operated by Kavadas Shipping), sailing from La Pallice to Suda Bay with 5,800 tons of wheat, ran aground at Suda Bay during the night of 9 - 10 Dec. A tug is sailing to the ship.

The M/V Ypapadi (Panamanian-registry 17,977-gt, 30,866-dwt bulk carrier built in 1982, operated by Zephyros Agencia), carrying 25,000 tons of copper concentrate, ran aground at 48 degrees 51 minutes north, 64 degrees, 25.2 minutes west, on 7 Dec. The ship is aground on sand off the Gaspe Peninsula, Quebec, Canada.

The M/V Utviken (Bahamian-registry 17,191-gt, 30,052-dwt, 189 meter/621 foot long bulk carrier built in 1987, oprated by Viken Shipping) has been refloated. The vessel, sailing from Richards Bay, South Africa, to Detroit with titanium slag, ran aground in U.S. waters on a shoal along the southern bank of the St. Lawrence River below Massena, N.Y., on 26 Nov. The ship suffered electrical problems in her steering console, which is believed to have caused the grounding. The cargo was lightered before the refloating attempt. The M/V Utviken has damage to the port side forward and amidships. The forepeak tank and the No. 1 double-bottom tank flooded in the grounding.