- Indian Navy Assists Fire-Stricken Yi Cheng 6 in Gulf of Oman
On 29th June, a fire broke out aboard the Palau-flagged oil product tanker Yi Cheng 6 in the Gulf of Oman. The incident occurred while the vessel, carrying 14 Indian crew members, was en route from Kandla Port in India to Shinas Port in Oman.
INS Tabar, an Indian Navy stealth frigate on a scheduled deployment in the region, received a distress call from Yi Cheng 6 following the outbreak of fire in the engine room, which resulted in a complete power failure.
INS Tabar promptly deployed thirteen naval personnel equipped with firefighting gear to the fire-stricken tanker using a small boat and a helicopter. The Indian Navy team, in coordination with tankers’ crew, successfully brought the fire under control.
Yi Cheng 6 is a 2003-built oil tanker measuring 89.9 metres in length and 14 metres in width, with a carrying capacity of 3,602 tonnes.
- 4 Killed In Gulf Of Suez Barge Accident
At least four people were killed and another 22 injured after a barge overturned in the Gulf of Suez, Egypt’s Health Ministry said Wednesday.
The injured have been rushed to local hospitals while rescue is still going on, the ministry said in a statement.
The Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources confirmed on Tuesday that the offshore barge “Adam Marine 12’’ owned by the Offshore Shukheir Oil Company, overturned earlier in the day in the Gulf of Suez.
In a statement, the ministry said it was closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with relevant authorities and companies in the area.
A team led by Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Karim Badawi, and Minister of Labour, Mohamed Gobran, has arrived at the site for rescue operations, said the statement
- Sea Rig Accident in the Gulf of Suez Claims 4 lives, 6 Still Missing
The sea rig “Adam Marine 12” capsized in the Gulf of Suez, north of Egypt’s Red Sea Governorate, on 1st July. The incident occurred while the rig was being towed by three marine units to a new work site at the Ashrafi Platform. As of now, four people have been declared dead, and the search is still ongoing for six others.
The incident triggered a distress call, which was received by the Gulf of Suez Petroleum Company’s Marine Tower. A quick response was organized, and Egypt’s Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources and Minister of Labor arrived at the accident site to oversee rescue and response efforts.
A total of 31 people were on board the rig at the time of the accident, and 21 of those crew members were successfully rescued. The bodies of 4 crew members have been recovered and have been sent to shore. The search for the remaining six crew members is still ongoing. The Egyptian Ministry is closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with relevant authorities.
The cause of the accident has yet to be declared by the officials.
- Crude Oil Tanker “Vilamoura” Suffers Explosion and Flooding Near Libya
The Marshall Island crude oil tanker Vilamoura suffered an onboard explosion approximately 80 nautical miles off the coast of Libya on 27th June.
The tanker sustained an explosion, followed by engine room flooding, which left it adrift. The incident occurred while the vessel carrying one million barrels of crude oil departed from the Libyan port of Zueitina en route for Gibraltar, Spain.
On 28th June, at around 09:17 UTC, the fire-fighting tug Boka Summit arrived to provide assistance to the distressed vessel. The two vessels are currently underway in the Eastern Mediterranean at reduced speed.
Vilamoura is a 2011-built crude oil tanker with a carrying capacity of 158,622 tonnes. The vessel has a length of 274.37 metres and a width of 48 metres.
Tugboat Sinks in Barcelona Port During Assistance Operation for Containership
The tugboat Cala Gullo sank within the Port of Barcelona, Spain, after a collision with the Malta-flagged container ship MSC Cape Sounio on Monday, 30th June.
The incident occurred at around 11:00 a.m. local time, when the tug was supporting the container ship in a turnaround manoeuvre during its departure from the Hutchison Ports Best terminal. As a result of the collision, the tug sank along with its three crew members.
Emergency response teams from the Port Authority were immediately activated, and a standby pilot boat successfully rescued all three crew members without any injury. No pollution has been reported.
Refloating operations for the sunken tug were ongoing as of Monday afternoon. An investigation into the cause of the collision is underway.
Following the collision, MSC Cape Sounio continued its scheduled voyage and departed Barcelona for La Spezia, Italy, where it is expected to arrive on 2nd July.
- Singapore Charges Two Sailors for Fatal Tanker Fire and Collision
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has charged two sailors in connection with the Hafnia Nile collision that occurred last year on July 19, resulting in the death of one individual. Both sailors have been charged under Singapore’s Merchant Shipping Act, and if convicted, the charged sailors will face up to two years in jail and a fine of $39,000.
The accident occurred in July 2024 when the vessel Hafnia Nile was traveling along the shipping channel in Singapore and collided with the shadow tanker Ceres I. This led to a fire that engulfed both vessels. The crews aboard both vessels were evacuated, but one crew member of the Ceres I lost their life, and another was injured.
The MPA has charged two sailors from the Hafnia Nile with failures in navigational duties, which led to the accident. The first is a 40-year-old Sri Lankan national who was serving as the Officer of the Watch on the Hafnia Nile. He is charged with failing to maintain situational awareness, not making a full appraisal of the navigational risks, and not ensuring a proper watch was maintained.
The second sailor charged by the MPA is a 35-year-old Indian national who was serving as a lookout on the bridge at the time of the incident. He is alleged to have not reported the Hafnia Nile approaching too close to the Ceres I, to have steered the vessel without being directed to do so, and to have failed to keep a proper lookout.
