One dead, nine missing after tanker grounds off South Korea

     The Cheuk Yang (South Korean-registry 998-gt tanker built in 1961) ran
aground and capsized early 27 April off Chindo Island, South Korea, at 34
degrees 19.10 minutes north, 126 degrees 07.5 minutes east. The ship is now
partially submerged, with only a section of its bow visible. Of the crew,
one person was killed and nine are missing. The engineer, Kim Ha Bok, 50,
was rescued. All are South Korean citizens. The Cheuk Yang carried 800 tons
of liquified petroleum gas for producing vinyl chloride, and while the
cargo tanks are apparently intact, the fuel tanks ruptured, spilling Bunker
C. The ship was sailing from Japan to Kunsan, South Korea and was
reportedly turning around when it struck a rock. A three kilometer/two mile
exclusion zone has been formed around the ship.

French Navy ship sinks off Cherbourg; two dead, three missing

     The French Navy La Prudente-class Port Netlayer La Fidele (Y 751)
exploded and sank the morning of 30 April off Cape Levy near Cherbourg,
France. Two persons were killed and three are missing. About 12 people were
injured, four of them seriously, and they were rescued along with other
survivors by three Navy vessels, two lifeboats and a helicopter. The La
Fidele was carrying about 1,400 hand-grenades to sea where they were to be
destroyed, and the explosion aboard the ship was heard 30 kilometers/19
miles away. The grenades, totaling about 500 kilograms/1,100 pounds, were
for use against enemy divers. As six civilian weapons experts were working
at the stern, the explosion occurred. A machine primed the grandes before
they fell overboard and exploded. The La Fidele had 16 crewmembers and the
six civilian experts aboard. Since November, the Navy has conducted five
other operations to destroy 9,450 grenades. The La Fidele, launched by
Ateliers and Chantiers La Manche at St.-Malo, France, on 26 Aug., 1968, was
commissioned 10 June, 1969. The vessel, displacing 626 tons at full load,
was based at Cherbourg as a mooring-buoy tender with a 25-ton pivoting
gantry crane on its bow. The 43.5-meter/143-foot ship had a widened stern
at the main deck level.

Three kiled in fishing vessel sinking off California

     On 18 April, the fishing vessel Lindy Jane sank 11 kilometers/seven
miles north of San Nicholas Island, Calif. Two U.S. Coast Guard HH-65A
Dolphin helicopters from Coast Guard Air Stations Los Angeles and San Diego
rescued three people who were pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Tanker capsizing off Kobe kills two crew

     The Shoei Maru No. 7 (Japanese-registry 198-gt, 2,554-dwt chemical
tanker built in 1995, operated by Gouda Kisen K.K.), carrying 420 tons of
glycerine, capsized shortly after leaving Kobe, Japan, late 27 April.
Japanese Maritime Safety Agency divers found the bodies of two of the four
crew trapped in the vessel, with the other two having been rescued. Some of
the ship's fuel spilled.

Four killed in Ocean Trader fire

     Four people have now died as a result of a fire aboard the Ocean
Trader (Singaporean-registry 15,162-gt, 27,340-dwt tanker built in 1979,
owned and operated by Ocean Tankers (Pte.) Ltd.). The fire, at 1820 23
April, was at Berth 7 of Mobil Corp.'s terminal at Pulau Pesek near
Singapore.

Forty-seven rescued as platform sinks in the Gulf of Mexico

     The Pool Ranger IV (U.S.-registry 214-gt self-elevating ("jack-up")
platform built in 1977) capsized and sank 27 April at 29 degrees 06 minutes
north, 89 degrees 53 minutes west, in 12 meters/40 feet of water. All 47
people aboard the rig, at the Freeport McMoran Sulphur Platform in Grand
Isle Block 9, were rescued. A light sheen of oil was found on the water.
Reportedly, the platform capsized as the crew attempted to correct a three
degree list by filling ballast tanks.

Tow lost off Florida, seven rescued

     The tug Sampson and the tug Maluka, with two 40.8-meter/134-foot
barges, sank 23 April, 48 kilometers/30 miles east of Delray Beach, Fla.
The Sampson was towing the other vessels. A U.S. Coast Guard HH-65A Dolphin
helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Miami rescued four persons from the
tow, while a second Dolphin rescued the remaining three. A utility boat
from Coast Guard Station Fort Lauderdale, Fla., took the survivors to
shore, while the Coast Guard's "Island"-class Patrol Boat U.S.C.G.C.
Chandeleur (WPB 1319) establshed a safety zone in the area. A salvor has
been hired to recover the barges.

Ro/ro holed while docking in Canada

     The Kent Atlantic (Norwegian-registry 10,522-gt, 2,640-dwt ro/ro built
in 1973, operated by Swan Shipping A/S) struck the knuckle of a pier at
Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, while approaching a berth on 29 April.
The ship was holed 20 meters/66 feet aft of the port bow.

Containership aground off Germany

     The City of London (Cypriot-registry 17,414-gt, 25,329-dwt
containership built in 1983, operated by H.W. Janssen) ran aground 30 April
off Buoy 52/54 in Neufeld Roads after leaving Hamburg, Germany.

Salvage of Vikartindur cargo progressing

     Salvage of cargo from the Vikartindur (German-registry 8,633-gt,
907-TEU containership built in 1996) continues. The ship had an engine
failure at 1200 5 March, 10 kilometers/six miles off southern Iceland in a
storm. It was able to restart its main engine but at reduced power. The
ship drifted towards land until its anchor took hold about 2.7
kilometers/1.7 miles off the coast. At 1900, the anchor broke and the
vessel ran aground at 2100 at 63 degrees 43.9 minutes north, 20 degrees
52.4 minutes west. The Icelandic Coast Guard lead ship of the AEgir-class
Fisheries-Protection Ship attempted to attach a towing line, but the ship
was hit by heavy seas and one crewmember was lost overboard. Another
suffered a broken leg. The 19 crewmembers of the Vikartindur were rescued
by an Icelandic Coast Guard Super Puma helicopter. Vikartindur was sailing
from Torshavn, Faroe Islands, to Reykjavik, Iceland, with 2,900 tons of
cargo in containers. Forty containers were lost overboard and the ship
developed a 40 degree starboard list. The vessel had 350 tons of fuel
aboard. Fifty-nine containers were removed with one of the ship's cranes by
Titan Maritime Industries Inc. A 2.5-ton piece of steel was cut from the
crane's pedestal to counter the list and the crane was then brought to
vertical using heavy equipment, including a bulldozer pulling on a 100-ton
tackle. Once the wedge cleared, the pedestal was re-welded and the crane
was attached to a generator on shore. It has not yet been decided if the
ship will be salvaged.