Crewmember missing after U.S. passenger vessel sinks

     The Tobias (U.S.-registry 32.0-meter/105-foot passenger vessel)
capsized and sank 10 May, 180 meters/600 feet offshore near Morgan City,
La., after hitting a Chevron Corp. satellite petroleum well that was not
active. Two of the three crewmembers were rescued but the master was
killed. About 1,400 gallons of diesel fuel spilled. The Tobias was salvaged
and placed on a derrick barge for shipment to Golden Meadow, La.

Collision off South Korea sinks general cargo ship

     The Jang Yung Lotus (South Korean-registry 1,921-gt general cargo ship
owned by Jang Yung Line Ltd.), sailing from Pusan, South Korea, to Moji,
Japan, with general cargo in containers, was in a collision early 14 May
with the Lucky Star (South Korean-registry 2,854-gt, 3,181-dwt general
cargo ship built in 1991, owned and operated by Nam Sung Shipping Co.). The
bow of the Lucky Star hit the Jang Yung Lotus on the starboard side,
puncturing the No. 2 cargo hold. Conditions in the area included dense fog.
The Jang Yung Lotus sank soon after in 100 meters/330 feet of water, at 34
degrees 58 minutes north, 129 degrees 10 minutes east, near Pusan. The crew
of 11 was rescued. A small fuel spill was reported and some of the Jang
Yung Lotus' 45 containers were reported afloat.

Crew rescued as tanker sinks in South China Sea

     The Ming Hui (Chinese-registry 434-gt tanker) and the Soon Li Fa
(Panamanian-registry 3,499-dwt bulk carrier built in 1969, operated by Foo
An Navigation) collided in the South China Sea on 7 May, 66 kilometers/41
miles southwest of Hong Kong. The crew of the Ming Hui was rescued after
the vessel caught fire and sank the next day.

Fire destroys vessel on Lake Victoria

     A vessel caught fire and exploded 10 May in Ugandan waters of Lake
Victoria. About 120,000 liters/31,000 gallons of fuel and the vessel's
cargo was lost. It caught fire after arriving at Nalugala, Uganda, from
Kenya with two fuel trucks and 20 drums of fuel and cooking oil. Police
said that the fire was likely caused by a generator used to siphon fuel
from the drums into trucks at the dock.

City of Corfu gutted in Greece

     The City of Corfu (Greek-registry 491-gt motor ferry) caught fire May
14 while moored at Mandouki, Corfu, Greece. The ship had been laid-up for
some time, and before the fire was contained, the interior was gutted.

Finnish-registry ship runs aground off Sweden

     The Sofia (Finnish-registry 3,826-gt, 4,402-dwt general cargo ship
built in 1989, operated by Oy Langh Ship A.B.) ran aground off Helsingborg,
Sweden, on 13 May, at 56 degrees 05.25 minutes north, 12 degrees 37.96
minutes east. The ship was sailing with containers from St. Petersburg,
Russia, to Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Lightering operations have begun. A
vessel of the Swedish Coast Guard is nearby.

Tug hits bridge in Lousiana

     The tug Miss Mildred, pushing a crane barge, allided with the Wagner
Bridge at mile 12 of the Intracoastal Waterway near Lafitte, La., recently.
The waterway was closed between mile 11 and mile 13 and Louisiana State
Police closed State Route 3130 over the bridge. Both waterway and roadway
were later reopened.

Barge dewatered in Ohio

     On 7 May, the fire department in Eastlake, Ohio, reported to the U.S.
Coast Guard in Cleveland that a barge was sinking at the dock at the
Chagrin River Lagoon Yacht Club in Eastlake. The Coast Guard sent personnel
from Cleveland and Coast Guard Station Fairport Harbor, Ohio, and with the
fire department and the vessel's owner, used six 10-centimeter/four-inch
pumps to dewater the barge.

Nichian grounds off Japanese port

     The Nichian (Japanese-registry 38,878-gt, 62,326-dwt tanker built in
1989, owned and operated by Nissho Shipping Co. Ltd.) ran aground 15 May
off Akita, Japan. The ship has been refloated and escorted to Hiroshima,
Japan.

Six crewmembers of the Vistafjord sent home

     Six crewmembers of the Vistafjord (Bahamian-registry 24,492-gt,
5,600-dwt, 191-meter/627-foot passenger ship built in 1973, operated by
Cunard Line Ltd.) have been sent home as an investigation continues into
two recent fires aboard the ship. The vessel suffered a laundry fire late 5
May while docked in Valletta, Malta. Most of the damage was caused by water
used to extinguish the fire. At 0140 6 April, about 32 kilometers/20 miles
south of Freeport, the Bahamas, a short circuit in chemical dispensing
equipment caused a fire aboard the ship. Stephen Moeller, a 26-year-old
German waiter, was found unconscious in a cabin on the deck above the fire
and died the morning of 6 April at a Freeport hospital. Another crewmember
suffered a broken ankle and a passenger had a broken arm. Damage was
limited to a linen locker on the third deck near the stern. The Vistafjord
had a previously scheduled repair period at Malta Drydocks from 21 April to
4 May. A 12-night cruise in Greece was canceled, with passengers spending a
night in a Valletta hotel before being reimbursed and flown home. The ship
is on charter from 19 May.