· Cargo Ship collision sinks fishing boat off Vietnam, leaving one fisherman dead
A fishing vessel sank after colliding with a cargo vessel off the south-central coast of Vietnam on 6 July. One fisherman died, while the remaining were rescued by nearby fishing boats.
The incident occurred about ten nautical miles southeast of Phu Hai Port,in the Phan Thiet area, when the fishing vessel BTh 98379 TS carrying 17 fishermen collided with the Vietnam-flagged cargo ship Viet Thuan 1107.
The impact caused the fishing vessel to sink rapidly, throwing all 17 crew members into the water. Nearby fishing boats responded immediately and rescued all of the fishermen. However, one of the rescued fishermen later died.
Fifteen of the rescued fishermen along with the dead body of the deceased crew member, were transported safely to Phu Hai Port. One fisherman remained at the scene to assist authorities and monitor the sunken vessel.
· LNG carrier suffers damage in reported attack near Strait of Hormuz
Reuters news media reported that a liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier Al Rekayyat was attacked while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, citing four sources familiar with the incident. No injuries among the crew members were reported.
The vessel Al Rekkayat while sailing at Omani side of Omani side of the Strait of Hormuz was reportedly hit on its port side prompting the crewmembers to immediately issue distress signals. A fire broke out in the engine room, filling it with smoke and preventing the crew from assessing the full extent of the damage.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Organisation (UKMTO) also reported that on 7 July, a tanker approximately 8 nautical miles off Limah was struck on its port side by an unidentified projectile, triggering a fire on board.
.Al Rekayyat is a LNG tanker sailing under the flag of Marshall Islands. The vessel measures 315.16 meters in length and 50 meters in width. The tanker is owned and managed by Nakilat Qatar Gas Transport Company Ltd, and was carrying a cargo of LNG at the time of the incident.
· Crude oil tanker hit by drone near CPC loading terminal, all crew reported safe
Reuters news media reported that the Marshall-Island-flagged crude oil tanker Yasa Polaris was struck by a drone off Russia’s Black Sea coast on 7 July. All the crew were safe, and the vessel sustained no visible hull damage.
The tanker was drifting with no cargo onboard when struck near the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) loading facilities close to Novorossiysk. The tanker’s manager Yasa Tanker stated that the vessel departed from the area after the attack.
On the same day, Ukraine claimed to target around a dozen tankers linked to Russia’s so-called shadow fleet supplying fuel to Russian-annexed Crimea. However, Ukrainian authorities did not officially comment on the incident involving Yasa Polaris.
Yasa Polaris is a 2022-built tanker that measures 274 meters in length, 48 meters in width and has approximately 160,000 metric tonnes of crude oil.
· Ukraine claims drone strikes hit 14 vessels in the Sea of Azov
Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces (SBS) claim to have struck 14 vessels in the Sea of Azov using drones.
According to the SBS commander Robert “Madyar” Brovdi,the operation targeted 12 tankers, one dry cargo ship and a tug were hit on 9 July. Brovdi listed the names of vessels as Chelsea 6 , Aura, Sonar 1, Ilya Repin, Mercury, Galiasgar Kamal, Venus III, Penelope and tugboat Alfeo. Five additional vessels are still being identified.
In the latest round of attack, tankers Venus III and Penelopa were once again targeted. Both the vessels had been previously targeted during the earlier attack on 7 July.
Brovdi further claimed that SBS has struck a total of 35 vessels over the past week, including tankers, dry cargo ships, ferries and support craft, as part of a sustained campaign targeting what Ukraine describes as Russia’s “shadow fleet” that finance Russia’s war against Ukraine.
