Two loaded bulk container carriers have been involved in a collision on the Yangtze River. The collision took place on Tuesday, January 23rd, around 15 nautical miles off the Yangtze River Estuary. All the crew members are reported to be safe.
The collision involved the vessel “MIRABELLA,” which is a 1997-built 46,600 dwt vessel, and the “OMEGA,” which is a 2004-built 48,800 dwt vessel. The MIRABELLA is registered in the Cook Islands and owned by Safe Sea Services of Lebanon, whereas the OMEGA is registered in the Marshall Islands and is owned by Gamma Shipping, based in Turkey. The OMEGA has suffered heavy damage and is taking on water as a result of a breach in the ship’s number 5 cargo hold. The OMEGA was carrying 47,000 tons of steel billets when the collision took place.
According to a cargo claims expert, the ship is in danger of sinking. The 21 crew members on board the vessel were evacuated from the vessel. The MIRABELLA was headed from Tuticorin, India, to Taicang, China, at the time of the collision. It was carrying 45,000 tons of iron ore and had 24 crew members on board. The MIRABELLA, too, has sustained damages and is partly flooded. However, MIRABELLA managed to anchor in safe waters after the incident. Both the vessels are reported to have Protection and Indemnity cover from the fixed premium market.
