As many as 83 killed in Adriatic sinking, Albania blames Italy

     An Albanian People's Navy vessel carrying Albanian migrants to Italy
capsized and sank 28 March in the Adriatic Sea after colliding with the
Italian Navy Minerva-class Corvette Sibilla (F 558). Four bodies (three
women and one man) were found and 34 people were rescued. The vessel sank
in water 730 meters/2,400 feet deep and was reportedly stolen from Sarande
on 26 March. Italy is searching for the vessel. Albania declared a day of
mourning 31 March, and flags were flown at half-mast. Albanian President
Sali Berisha called for a minute of silence at noon and asked that
vehicle's sound their horns to remember 83 people the Albanian government
said were killed. Church bells rang along with sirens, and state radio and
televison played solemn music. The mobile telephone network closed for 15
minutes. Survivors said that the Sibilla deliberated rammed the Albanian
vessel, which had left Vlore. At that port, at least 3,000 people attended
a rally to denounce Italy. In Rome, Albanian Ambassador to Italy Pandeli
Pasko presented a list of 117 names of people he said were aboard the
sunken vessel. Most were women and children, and the names were supplied by
the survivors. Pasko said the survivors reported the vessel was rammed
twice, one astern and once on a side. Responding to Pasko, Italian Foreign
Minister Lamberto Dini said the Albanian vessel attempted to evade Italian
ships and then sailed on a collision course with the Sibilla. The
commanding officer of the Italian ship, Maurizio Laudadio, was relieved of
his duties 30 March. Weather conditions in the area at the time of the
collision reportedly included high winds and storm conditions.

Two injuried in ferry fire in the Philippines

     Two people, including an electrician, were injured 26 March when the
Superferry 7 (Philippine-registry 4,847-gt, 3,199-dwt ro/ro ferry built in
1980, operated by Oshima Unyu and owned by WG & A Lines, formerly the
Mabuhay II) caught fire in the North Harbor of Manila, the Philippines. The
ferry was preparing to sail to Cebu and Dumaguete from Pier 4 and had
arrived from Cagayan de Oro. As 572 passengers disembarked, there were two
explosions aboard, followed by a fire near crew cabins above the engine
room. As the fire spread, the ferry was towed away from the pier. The ferry
is essentially destroyed, and the hull is half-submerged, lying on its side
in an anchorage. Damage is estimated at 800 million Philippine
pesos/U.S.$30.4 million. The Superferry 7 could carry 2,015 passengers and
110 TEUs. A preliminary investigation concluded that "illegal electrical
connections" in a crewmember's cabin short-circuited, starting the fire.
The crewmember said an electrical extension cord connected several
appliances to an overhead outlet. It probably could not handle the load.
Cabin 23 was assigned to contractual workers doing repair work aboard.

Some 51 evacuate platform in well blowout off Louisiana

     An offshore petroleum production platform 160 kilometers/100 miles
southeast of Cameron, La., was severely damaged early 1 April after a well
blowout and fire. The platform of American Exploration Co. was drilling a
well in East Cameron Block 328 when a noise alerted the crew that the new
wellhead could blow out. The 51 aboard closed other wells on the platform
and boarded an offshore supply vessel before the fire began. Pride
Petroleum Services was reportedly operating the platform.

Taiwanese naval vessel with hundreds in collision

     A Republic of China Navy vessel collided with a South Korean-registry
ship off Keelung, Taiwan, on 28 March. The naval vessel carried hundreds of
civilians, but there were no casualties.

Barge carrying styrene holed near Baton Rouge

     A 195-foot tank barge was holed by a tree in a fleeting area of the
Mississippi River early 3 April near mile 227 at Baton Rouge, La. The river
section was closed three hours. The barge was under tow, and hit the tree
while its tug attempted to ground it to avoid a collision with another tow.
An unknown amount of styrene leaked from the seven centimeter/three inch by
13 centimeter/five inch hole. The barge has a 10,000 barrel capacity.

Chemtrans Belocean runs aground at Head of Passes

     The Chemtrans Belocean (Liberian-registry 44,910-gt, 75,500-dwt
ore/bulk/oil carrier bult in 1982, operated by Chemikalien Seetransport
G.m.b.H.) ran aground 1 April, 1.6 kilometers/one mile below the Head of
Passes in the Southwest Pass of the Mississippi River mouth. The ship is
carrying coal and was refloated with tug assistance 3 April.

General cargo vessel grounds off Norway

     The Tanto (Norwegian-registry 1,003-gt general cargo vessel) ran
aground near Rovdeforden, Norway, on 30 March. The ship, sailing from
Kristiansund to Spain with 600 tons of dried fish, was refloated by the
salvage vessel Mega Mammut (Norwegian-registry) and towed to Aalesund the
same day.

Bulk carrier allides with Michigan seawall

     The Wilfred Sykes (U.S.-registry 11,701-gt, 7,148-nt,
207-meter/678-foot bulk carrier built in 1949 by American Shipbuilding Co.
at Lorain, Ohio; owned and operated by Inland Steel Co.) allided with the
seawall entering Grand Haven, Mich., at 0700 2 April. About 18 meters/60
feet of the wall near Franklin Street was damaged. The ship docked in
Ferrysburg.

Cargo shift aboard vessel in Cabot Strait

     The Dennis Danielsen (Cypriot-registry 2,537-dwt, 79-meter/260-foot
dry cargo vessel built in 1978, operated by Delta Shipping and Trading
BVSA) sent out a broadcast 3 April that its cargo had shifted during a
storm in the Cabot Strait. A Canadian Air Command CC-130E Hercules
contacted the ship off Newfoundland and the ship reported all 10
crewmembers were safe. The cargo shifted as the vessel sailed into the Gulf
of St. Lawrence.

Philippine Navy assists cargo vessel

     The Tayabas Bay, sailing from Dipolog to Dumaguette in the
Phillipines, was assisted by the Philippine Navy 26 March after it
developed engine problems. The ship, with 19 crew aboard, began drifting 23
March after the trouble began near Siaton Point. At 0830 25 March, the
Philippine Navy Miguel Malvar-class Corvette B.R.P. Cebu (PS 28) found the
Tayabas Bay 136 kilometers/85 miles northeast of Coronado Point,
Pangasinan, Zamboanga del Norte. The ship was spotted by a Navy BN-2A
Islander aircraft. The B.R.P. Cebu towed the ship to Santa Maria, Siocon,
arriving the morning of 27 March.

Tank barge righted in Louisiana

     The IB 960, a tank barge owned by Ingram Barge Co. carrying 1.5
million liters/400,000 gallons of benzene and toluene, was righted on 28
March and floated down the Mississippi River. The barge was part of a tow
of 25 pushed by the F.R. Bigelow that allided with the U.S. 190 bridge at
Port Allen, La., at 1700 17 March. The IB 960 capsized and began leaking
its cargo. After the tow broke apart, the barge was pushed downstream to
the Placid oil refinery on the west bank and removal of the cargo began 24
March.

Cita written off by hull insurers

     The Cita (Antigua and Barbuda-registry 3,083-gt, 3,900-dwt dry cargo
vessel built in 1976, owned and operated by Reederei Gerd A. Gorke; classed
by Germanischer Lloyd) has been declared a total constructive loss by its
hull insurers. The ship was sailing from Southampton, England, to Belfast,
Northern Ireland, with 220 containers, when it ran aground early 26 March
west of St. Mary's off Newfoundland Point in the Isles of Scilly. The ship
is at 49 degrees 54.79 minutes north, 06 degrees 16.79 west. The eight
crewmembers, all Polish citizens, abandoned the ship and one suffered a
broken leg. Some 100 containers were lost overboard, loaded with clothing,
tires, tobacco and vehicle batteries. Smit Tak B.V. has removed 100 tons of
fuel from the ship and is continuing salvage operations. The ship was on
time-charter to Bugsier-Reederei-und Bergungsgesellschaft.

Bodies of crewmembers missing from Greek Navy sinking recovered

     The bodies of four Greek Navy personnel were recovered the afternoon
of 29 March from the Antipliarchos Lascos-class Guided-Missile Patrol Boat
H.S. Antipliarchos Kostakos (P 25). The vessel was raised 15 March by
Tsavliris after sinking at 1845 4 Nov. after it was in a collision with the
the Samaina (Greek-registry 3,783-gt, 810-dwt ro/ro and passenger ferry
built in 1962, owned and operated by Arkadia Lines Naftkik Eteria) off
Vathi, Samos Island, Greece. The H.S. Antipliarchos Kostakos sank in 151
meters/495 feet of water about one kilometer/0.6 miles from Samos. The
bodies of three petty officers and a warrant officer - identified by family
names as Anadranisiakis, Asprogerakas, Kokkinis and Mavrogiorgos - were
found when the vessel was examined at the Salamis naval facility. Funerals
were held the afternoon of 31 March.

Egypt announces findings of investigation into the Amira Jihan sinking

     An Egyptian report into the capsizing and sinking of the Amira Jihan
at 1530 14 Nov. concludes that the vessel had design and structural flaws
and had been altered to carry more passengers than it was allowed. The
vessel, carrying mostly Czech, Egyptian and Slovak tourists, sank in a
storm near Al-Mufalsa on the Nile River. Seventeen Egyptian passengers and
crew and three Czech and Slovak citizens were killed. The vessel was
sailing from Aswan to Luxor with 77 passengers and 51 crew.

Rumors on the Estonia report

     Reports suggest that the forthcoming investigation into the sinking of
the Estonia will not implicate the crew, but rather weak construction of
the vessel's bow door and vehicle ramp. The vessel sank 28 Sept., 1994,
sailing from Tallinn, Estonia, to Stockholm, Sweden, when seas tore the
door off the ship. At least 852 people were killed. The report will
reportedly not name who is at fault for the doors.

Venezuela reports on Virgen del Valle fire

     The Venezuelan Congress has released its report on the Virgen del
Valle (Venezuelan-registry 1,100-dwt, 200-meter/660-foot ferry, owned and
operated by Consolidada de Ferrys). The vessel caught fire and was
destroyed at La Cruz, Venezuela, on 7 Aug. with 100 vehicles aboard. The
800 passengers aboard, headed for Margarita Island, were not injured. The
engine room fire spread to at least one fuel tank. The ferry was insured
for U.S.$8.5 million. A report by the Commission for Administration and
Services cites problems with safety equipment and crew trining for the
spread of the fire. In addition, a Venezuelan Ministry of Transport
certificate issued to the vessel in 1974 allowed the ferry to carry cargo
and no more than 12 passengers. A judicial inquiry is being sought.