Fire aboard ship carrying paper leaves one missing

     A fire aboard the Gokalp-I (Turkish-registry 702-gt, 1,214-dwt general
cargo vessel built in 1974, operated by Vakif Deniz Finansal) has left one
crewmember missing. The fire aboard the ship, sailing from Derince to
Izmir, Turkey, with paper, began 22 March after the Gokalp-I sailed through
the Dardanelles Strait. Nine others aboard abandoned the ship and were
rescued. The Gokalp-I was taken in tow to the Karanlik Liman anchorage off
Istanbul.

Master killed in trawler collision

     The master of the Exodus (Irish-registry trawler) was killed 9 March
after a collision with the Sea Horse (British-registry fishing vessel with
a Spanish crew) off southern Ireland. Two people were injured. The Sea
Horse is under arrest in Bantry.

Storm off Bangladesh leaves vessels missing, damaged

     Several fishing vessels are missing in the Bay of Bengal and three
ships were damaged recently after a storm hit Chittagong, Bangladesh. The
Kota Berjaya (Singaporean-registry 18,283-dwt dry cargo ship built in 1978,
operated by Pacific International Lines Pte. Ltd.) broke her moorings and
hit the Banglar Kallol (Bangladeshi-registry 17,223-dwt bulk carrier built
in 1980, operated by Bangladesh Shipping Lines Ltd.) from astern.

North Korean-registry ship sinks off Japan

     The Myo Hyang San (North Korean-registry 821-ton general cargo vessel)
sank early 25 March off Iki Island, Japan, after running aground. The 22
North Korean crewmembers, including master Kil Won-Woong, 54, boarded
lifeboats and were rescued by the Japanese Maritime Safety Agency. The ship
was sailing from Shimonoseki, Japan, to Sinuiju, North Korea, after having
unloaded clams.

Collision in Chesapeake Bay

     The Saudi Makkah (Saudi Arabian-registry 22,639-dwt,
200-meter/657-foot ro/ro owned and operated by National Shipping Co. of
Saudi Arabia) collided at 1715 12 March with the Turtle Queen
(Panamanian-registry 146,019-dwt, 259-meter/800-foot bulk carrier built in
1987, owned by Caldonia Shipholding and operated by Shinwa Marine Corp.),
1.6 kilometers/one mile east of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. The Saudi Makkah
was inbound when it apparently lost steering and hit the Turtle Queen. Both
ships, which had pilots aboard, went to the Lynnhaven anchorage. The Saudi
Makkah was carry containers to Baltimore and Turtle the Queen had coal for
Africa. Both ships have extensive damage above the waterline.

Tug sinks off Louisiana

     The tug Sun Downer, with 11,000 liters/3,000 gallons of fuel, sank
recently off Venice, La.

Cita runs aground off the United Kingdom, 80 containers lost

     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),
sailing from Southampton, England, to Belfast, Northern Ireland, with 200
containers, 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,
have abandoned the ship. The Cita has a 60 degree starboard list with most
of the hull underwater and has lost 80 containers overboard. Smit Tak B.V.
has been hired to salvage the ship, with removal of 90 tons of fuel a
priority.

Tanker loaded with oil runs aground in Alabama

     The Faith IV (Singaporean-registry 63,765-dwt, 230-meter/750-foot
tanker built in 1987, operated by Transpetrol Services N.V.) ran aground 5
March near Fort Morgan, Ala. A pilot of the Mobile Bar Pilots Association
was aboard, taking the ship into Mobile Bay. There was no damage to the
ship, carrying 240,000 barrels of crude oil, as it grounded in soft sand
about 0.8 kilometers/0.5 miles east of the sunken Civil War vessel
Tecumseh.

Barge hits bridge on Ohio River, sinks

     A barge carrying coal sank the night of 13 March after alliding with a
bridge on the Ohio River near Old Shawneetown, Ill. The highway and the
river were closed for three and a half hours until the bridge was found to
have only minor damage. Fourteen other barges in the tow went adrift but
were secured without incident. The sunken barge is owned by Midland
Enterprises Inc.

Some 100 barges adrift in Louisiana

     Early 20 March, about 100 barges on the Mississippi River broke loose
near Laplace, La. The river was closed between miles 120 and 132 while the
barges were brought back under control. One barge leaked a small amount of
ammonia.

Moa, with engine problems, runs aground in the Scheldt

     The Moa (9,132-gt, 15,373-dwt dry cargo vessel built in 1979, operated
by Lovcen Overseas Shipping Ltd.) left Antwerp, Belgium, on 25 March for
Central America. After experiencing engine problems, the ship anchored in
the Scheldt River and made repairs. Sailing another hour, the ship anchored
again at Schaar Ouden Doel. On 26 March, the ship ran aground but was
refloated by four tugs and its returning to Antwerp.

Ship aground at mouth of the Mississippi

     The Ariel ran aground 20 March in the Southwest Pass at the mouth of
the Mississippi River.

Kapetan Christos suffers engine trouble, taken in tow

     The Kapetan Christos (Greek-registry 492-gt general cargo vessel)
suffered engine problems on 20 March in bad weather at 38 degrees 32
minutes north, 25 degrees 49 minutes east, in the Aegean Sea. The ship was
taken in tow by a fishing vessel to Chios, Greece.

Hester adrift in the English Channel

     The Hester (Dutch-registry 639-gt, 965-dwt general cargo vessel built
in 1979, operated by Soetermeer Fekkes' Cargadoorskantoor B.V.), sailing in
ballast to Ymuiden, lost power 21 March and drifted off Beachy Head,
England. The ship was reported at 50 degrees 23 minutes north, 00 degrees
40 minutes east. It was planned to take the ship in tow to Rotterdam, the
Netherlands.

Frauke towed to Colombo with engine problems

     The Frauke (Antigua and Barbuda-registry 5,782-gt, 7,750-dwt general
cargo vessel built in 1994, operated by KGP/H&K Heinrich G.m.b.H. & Co.),
sailing from Hamburg, Germany, to Jakarta, Indonesia, was towed into
Colombo, Sri Lanka, on 25 March with engine problems.

River traffic near Baton Rouge remains congested

     Plans to unload benzene and gasoline from a capsized tank barge were
put in jeopardy on 22 March. The IB 960 was part of a tow of 25 barges that
allided with the U.S. 190 bridge at Port Allen, La., at 1700 17 March. The
tank barge, owned by Ingram Barge Co.. capsized and began leaking its cargo
of 1.5 million liters/400,000 gallons forcing the evacuation of 16 homes,
Southern University, a jail at Port Allen and two riverboat casinos
including the Casino Rouge. The Atchafalaya Basin Levee District received a
temporary injunction in state court to prevent drilling holes in the hull.
They said that any risk of explosion could knock out a section of the
mainline levee protecting the west bank of river. An effort to use
submerged valves on the barge was delayed 23 March when some of the benzene
leaked from a valve being replaced. By daylight 24 March, 27 tows were
waiting to head downstream, as the area is restricted to one direction of
operation with one vessel or tow moving past the barge at a time. Traffic
heading downstream is limited to daylight. On 24 March, removal of the
barge's cargo began, but it is unclear how far the operation has
progressed. Benzene fumes were reported in downtown Baton Rouge for three
days, and on 27 March, at least one person became ill. Government offices
closed as a result of the fumes.

Canadian frigate damaged in October operation

     While persuing a vessel smuggling drugs in October, the Canadian
Maritime Command Restigouche-class Frigate H.M.C.S. Terra Nova (DDE 259)
allided with a dock in Port aux Basques, Newfoundland, Canada. Gale force
winds drove the ship's stern into a jetty during refueling, damaging the
hull and deck plates. Repairs cost Canadian$100,000/U.S.$70,000. A board of
inquiry concluded in January that the crew was not at fault in the 9 Oct.
incident. The ship, part of a Royal Canadian Mounted Police operation, was
tracking the yacht Dame Blanche, which was boarded 11 Oct. Eight tons of
hashish were found and three men aboard from California were arrested.