As many as 100 missing after collision in Nigeria

     Two vessels carrying passengers and cargo collided in limited
visibility due to rain on a river 48 kilometers/30 miles from Port
Harcourt, Nigeria, on 26 Aug. As many as 100 people are missing. The Ibiton
sank while the Coon made it to shore.

Two dead, four missing, 16 rescued in sinking off Dakar

     The lead ship of the Canadian Maritime Command H.M.C.S. Halifax (FFH
330)-class Frigate rescued 16 crewmembers of a fishing vessel on 27 Aug.
after it sank off Dakar, Senegal. Six persons are missing. The warship was
sailing to Dakar to refuel when it learned the 30-meter/98-foot vessel had
sunk approaching the harbor in bad weather. When rescued, the 16 had been
in the water for 45 minutes, about 1.6 kilometers/one mile from the harbor.
Three boats from the frigate and the ship's CH-124A Sea King helicopter
searched the harbor and rescued the 16. One was treated for burns and
another for internal injuries. Among the missing are the master and chief
engineer. Survivors said the vessel sank in five-meter/16-foot seas and
high winds after its cargo shifted.

One dead, two missing in collision off Japan

     One person is dead and two are missing after the No. 81 Kumano Maru
(184-gt fishing vessel) was in a collision with a merchant vessel,
reportedly the Pacduke (Liberian-registry 14,000-gt, 26,670-dwt bulk
carrier built in 1975, operated by Lasco Shipping Co.), 55 kilometers/34
miles off Kushiro, Japan, on 25 Aug. The fishing vessel had 17 aboard and
five were knocked overboard. All were rescued but two. However, Kenji
Ogawara, 54, later died at a hospital.

Tug sinking in Singapore kills one

     A Honduran-registry wooden tug capsized and sank off the Pasir Panjang
Container Terminal in Singapore the night of 26 Aug., killing a crewmember.
The tug was towing a Singaporean-registry deck barge loaded with heavy
machinery from the terminal to Malili, Indonesia. Two Indonesian citizens
and a Singaporean citizen were rescued by another tug while the body of a
Singaporean crewmember was recovered near the Selat Pauh Anchorage.

U.S. Military Sealift Command vessels rescue seven

     The U.S. Military Sealift Command Powhatan-class Fleet Tug U.S.N.S.
Narragansett (T-ATF 167) recently rescued four men off Singapore. A fifth
crewmember is missing. The four were the crew of a fishing vessel that was
cut in half in a collision with a ship. The crew, from Sumatra, Indonesia,
had been adrift on debris for three and a half days. All were treated for
minor injuries as well as dehydration and malnutrition. After a search for
the missing crewmember, the tug sailed to Singapore were the Indonesian
Embassy and Singaporean police took the four ashore for additional
treatment before they were taken home. Also, the Green Wave (U.S.-registry
9,521-gt, 12,487-dwt, 154.57-meter/507.12-foot motor general cargo ship
built in 1980 by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft AG in Kiel, Germany), which
is chartered from Central Gulf Lines Inc., rescued three people in the
Atlantic Ocean during a storm 16 Aug. The ship was sailing from Sunny
Point, N.C., to Bremerhaven, Germany, with ammunition when the Taxi, a
12-meter/40-foot yacht registered in Bermuda, sent out a distress call.
Shortly after the Green Wave rescued Leroy Brockman and Howard Young Jr. of
South Portland, Maine, and Samuel Coolidge of St. Barre, Vt., the sailboat
sank. The three stayed aboard until the Green Wave reached the Brixham Sea
Pilot Station of the United Kingdom. The Taxi was sailing to Cape Cod,
Mass.

Meridian sinks in South China Sea

     The Meridian (Thai-registry 2,540-gt, 7,468-dwt general cargo ship
built in 1970, operated by Kun Yuan Navigation Co. S.A.) capsized and sank
26 Aug. at 08 degrees 15 minutes north, 105 degrees 32 minutes east.

Honduran-registry ship sinks in Mediterranean

     The Liberta (Honduran-registry 643-gt general cargo ship) sank 28 Aug.
in the Mediterranean Sea at 39 degrees 10.2 minutes north, 03 degrees 11.8
minutes east. The ship left Palma, Majorica, Spain, for Russia. The eight
crewmembers were rescued.

Gerry Roufs' yacht, missing since January, found off Chile

     The Groupe LG2, the 18-meter/59-foot yacht sailed by Gerry Roufs, has
been found, his wife, Michele Cartier, said 22 Aug. Just after midnight 8
Jan., Roufs, 43, radioed in on schedule as he sailed the Groupe LG2 in the
Vendee Globe Challenge, a solo, around-the-world race, somewhere between
New Zealand and Chile. After not hearing from him again, several vessels
and aircraft in the area were asked to keep a lookout for the Groupe LG2.
On 16 Jan., the Chilean government reported that it received a brief radio
message from Roufs. An expanded search involving vessels and aircraft from
Argentina and Chile, several merchant vessels and reconnaissance and
surveillance satellites failed to locate Roufs or his yacht. On 16 July, a
Panamanian-registry vessel found the Groupe LG2 floating off Chile. The
yacht was positively identified by a Chilean military aircraft two days
later but Chile decided against an announcement of official identification.
Roufs, 43, of Montreal, remains missing.

Fishing vessel catches fire in Maine

     The Celtic Pride II (U.S.-registry fishing vessel) caught fire 22 Aug.
while moored at its homeport of Portland, Maine. The vessel was pushed by a
tug to a mud flat near the base of the Million Dollar Bridge in South
Portland, Maine. The fire was first spotted by the U.S. Coast Guard's
"Island"-class Patrol Boat U.S.C.G.C. Monomoy (WPB 1326), which was joined
by the local fire department and commercial response units to fight the
fire.

Russian-registry tanker holed in grounding near Nakhodka

     The Orktyabrsky (Russian-registry tanker), loaded with 750 tons of
fuel oil, ran aground near Cape Goly, Russia, in the Ussuri Gulf during a
storm late 21 Aug. The ship was sailing to Bolshoi Kamen, Russia, and was
near Nakhodka, Russia, when it ran aground. None of the six crewmembers
were injured. The tanker was holed but after it was refloated by the tug
Silach on 22 Aug. and inspected, it sailed to Nakhodka.

Allision at seaway lock causes fuel spill

     About 150 people were evacuated from Barnhart Island in the St.
Lawrence Seaway between Ontario, Canada, and New York state the morning of
24 Aug. after the Vekua (Maltese-registry 11,231-dwt, 151-meter/496-foot
motor tanker built in 1987, operated by Anglo-Georgian Shipping Co. Ltd.)
spilled about 1,140 liters/300 gallons of jet fuel. The Vekua suffered a
10-centimeter/four-inch gash in a starboard cargo tank as it was entering
the Snell Lock. The Vekua has a liquid cargo capacity of 17,000 metric
tons.

Tanker grounds off Suva

     The Fong Seong 888 (Panamanian-registry 1,734-gt, 2,300-dwt tanker
built in 1996) ran aground at the harbor entrance of Suva, Fiji, on 23 Aug.
The ship was refloated by tugs the next day.

Belle of Louisville partially sinks at dock

     The Belle of Louisville, homeported in Louisville, Ky., since 1962,
partially sank the morning of 24 Aug. Built in 1914, the vessel was bought
by Jefferson County, Ky., and is operated with Louisville as an excursion
vessel. Flooding was stabilized after the tug Sharon M. wedged itself
against the Belle of Louisville to prevent it from sinking further. The
Belle of Louisville is the oldest authentic Mississippi River-style
steamboat.

U.S. Coast Guard aids flooding fishing vessel off New Jersey

     The Miss B (24-meter/79-foot trawler) broadcast a distress call at
1830 23 Aug. after it began flooding 24 kilometers/15 miles off New Jersey.
The Miss B was sailing from Manesquan, N.J., to Seaford, Va., with a crew
of six. While pulling in its nets, a piece of wood punctured the hull. A
U.S. Coast Guard HH-65A Dolphin helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station
Brooklyn, N.Y., transferred a pump to a 12-meter/41-foot utility boat from
Coast Guard Station Manesquan Inlet. It was then taken to the Miss B. After
partial dewatering, the Miss B made it to port where Budget Towing and
Salvage repaired the hull.

Marine construction vessel contains flooding, but cited for violations

     The Roxanne (20-nt, 12.2-meter/40-foot marine construction vessel)
sent out a distress call at 1010 23 Aug., reporting that it was disabled
and taking on water. The two crewmembers were able to contain the flooding
by the time a 12.5-meter/41-foot utility boat from U.S. Coast Guard Station
Milford Haven, Va., arrived. However, the vessel was cited by the Coast
Guard for not being documented, not having a bell or garbage placard and
not having a waste management plan while the master was cited for having an
invalid license. The Roxanne was towed to the Chesapeake Boat Basin near
Kilmarnock, Va.

Passenger ferry towed to Corfu with engine problems

     The Queen Vergina (Maltese-registry 11,286-gt, 1,681-dwt passenger
ferry built in 1967, operated by Vergina Ferries Ltd.), sailing from
Igoumenitsa, Greece, and Bari, Italy, had engine problems 26 Aug. off
Corfu, Greece. The ship anchored off the islet of Peristera, Greece, and
was towed by tugs to Corfu.

Stern trawler towed to port after propellers fouled

     The New Dawn (British-registry 194-gt stern trawler) was towed to port
27 Aug. after its propellers were fouled by a net at 59 degrees 45 minutes
north, 00 degrees 44 minutes west. A lifeboat from Lerwick, Scotland, towed
the vessel to port, arriving at 0555 28 Aug.

King Rogers not licensed to carry passengers

     A preliminary investigation into the sinking of the King Rogers
(5.46-ton, 15.7-meter/51.5-foot long wooden vessel) on 15 Aug. in Manila
Bay, the Philippines, has revealed that it was not commercially licensed to
carry passengers. In addition, the vessel was supposed to have only one
deck, not two. Seven people were killed when the boat sank, only 9.1
meters/30 feet from the pier. The 39 others aboard were rescued.

Containers spilling from sunken ship at Mumbai

     Some of the 60 containers aboard the Vishva Nandini (Indian-registry
11,001-gt, 13,715-dwt motor dry cargo ship built in 1978, owned and
operated by Shipping Corp. of India Ltd.) have begun to spill off the ship.
The vessel partially sank at the Port of Mumbai, India, on 7 Aug. after its
engine room flooded and its stern came to rest on the harbor bottom. The
Vishva Nandini reportedly hit a submerged object, suffering a
two-meter/6.5-foot gash below the waterline.

More on Catatumbo grounding

     The Catatumbo (10,276-dwt dredging vessel built in 1979, operated by
Canalizaciones Instituto) ran aground in Venezuela's Lake Maracaibo at 2210
18 Aug., blocking the channel to oil tankers for 17 hours. The grounding
was at Buoys 24/26. According to the institute that is in charge of the
lake and its channel, material entered the dredger's suction pump and
caused a mechanical failure. The vessel was then navigated out of the
channel so that it would not block it during repairs, but while doing so,
ran aground.

Judge suspends license of master in collision that killed three

     On 28 Aug., the U.S. Coast Guard's Chief Administrative Law Judge,
Joseph N. Ingolia, suspended the Coast Guard license and the merchant
mariner's document of Michael Simpson for four months. Simpson was the
master of the Houma (27-meter/87-foot long, 1,950-horsepower twin-propeller
tug, owned and operated by Eklof Marine), towing the empty tank barge Essex
(82.9 meters/272 feet long), when it collided with the Heather Lynne II
(14-meter/45-foot long fishing vessel, homeported in Salisbury, Mass.) on 5
Sept., 16 kilometers/10 miles off Cape Ann, Mass. The three crew on the
fishing vessel, Kevin Foster, Jeffrey Hutchins and John Lowther, were
killed when the boat hit the tow line and capsized. The Heather Lynne II
was then run over by the barge. On 30 June, the Coast Guard issued its
final report, in which it concluded the likely cause of the collision was
the failure of the operator the Houma to take sufficient action and the
failure of the Heather Lynne II to provide a lookout. On 13 Aug., Simpson
was charged with one count of misconduct and negligence and pleaded no
contest in a joint motion. The four-month suspension is retroactive to 15
July. He will then be on probation for one year and must complete a bridge
resource management course no later than 1 March.