- Fire breaks out on Liberia-flagged tanker in Turkish Strait
The Liberia-flagged tanker Havva Ana caught fire while transiting the Canakkale Strait in Turkiye in the early hours of 5 August. No injuries among the crew members or pollution were reported.
The incident occurred at 5:30 am local time while the vessel was in ballast when it suffered engine failure, and at the same time the fire was detected in the funnel while transiting Gallipoli.
Promptly, the captain of the tanker alerted the Dardanelles Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) Directorate. In response, Turkey’s General Directorate of Coastal Safety (KEGM) dispatched the rescue tugs Kurtarma 20 and Kurtarma 16 to assist the vessel.
Authorities also notified other ships scheduled to transit the strait about the incident to ensure navigational safety. Following this, the tanker was assisted by a pilot, and tugs were escorted to Şevketiye Anchorage Area.
Havva Ana is a 2024-built Asphalt/Bitumen Tanker that measures 119.99 meters in length and 18 meters in width. The vessel was en route from Bulgaria to Adana at the time of the incident.
- One killed and three injured in Russian strike on cargo vessel in the Black Sea
One sailor was killed and three others were injured in a Russian strike on the cargo vessel Mera Queen in the Black Sea. The vessel was transporting Ukrainian wheat.
The attack took place on the evening of 5 August, according to Oleh Kiper, head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration. It caused a fire on board that killed one Ukrainian sailor and injured three others. The remaining crew were successfully evacuated ashore.
The strike is reported to have damaged the vessel’s hull. According to Ukrainian authorities, the ship had been brought into port by the evening of 6 August, and damage assessment and efforts to stabilise the vessel are underway.
The Mera Queen is a general cargo vessel built in 2014. It has a length of 91 metres, a beam of 15.3 metres, and a gross tonnage of 2,995.
- Seventeen containers fall overboard from MSS vessel off Sri Lanka
The Maldives-flagged general cargo vessel MSS Graphene en route from Male Port in the Maldives lost 17 empty containers overboard after encountering rough weather approximately 17 nautical miles west of the Port of Colombo, Sri Lanka on 1 August. No damage to the remaining cargo was reported.
The Sri Lankan news media reported that the vessel, after arriving off Colombo, encountered adverse sea conditions. Strong winds and heavy swells caused the vessel to roll heavily, resulting in 17 empty containers stacked on deck falling into the sea.
Shortly after the incident, the vessel regained control and secured the remaining containers. The Sri Lankan Coast Guard has issued an advisory urging vessels in the area to remain vigilant of the drifting containers, while the relevant authorities are working to retrieve the containers.
MSS Graphene is a 2002-built vessel owned by Maldives State Shipping (MSS). The vessel measures 142.69 meters in length and 18.25 meters in width.
- Malta-flagged containership grounds while entering Chittagong
The Malta-flagged containership CNC Uranus ran aground after it struck a buoy while entering Chittagong Port in Bangladesh on 3 August. No injuries or pollution were reported.
The incident occurred at around 2:15 pm local time near Red Buoy No. 2, near the entrance to the Karnaphuli River. According to the Chittagong Port Secretary, the vessel suffered a steering gear malfunction while entering the port channel. Despite the incident, the vessel traffic through the port channel remained normal.
Two port tugboats, Kandari-4 and Kandari-11, along with the Navy and Coast Guard, arrived to assist the distressed vessel. The vessel refloated at around 7 pm local time and is currently at Chittagong Anchorage.
CNC Uranus is a 2017-built containership that measures 169.98 meters in length and 28.15 meters in width. At the time of the incident, the vessel was carrying 1,282 TEUs of containers from Shekou Port in China.
- Two merchant vessels safely escorted after machinery failures in Turkey
Turkey’s General Directorate of Coastal Safety (KEGM) responded to two merchant vessels’ machinery failure incidents on 6 August. The vessels were escorted to nearby anchorages without any report of marine pollution.
The first incident involved the Cameroon-flagged crude oil tanker Regal I with no cargo onboard, which suffered a machinery failure while transiting the Canakkale Strait off Gelibolu. The vessel went adrift, prompting KEGM to dispatch tug Kurtarma 18. The tug escorted the tanker safely to the Sevketiye Anchorage.
The second incident involved the Barbados-flagged general cargo vessel Ocean Mary that became disabled after experiencing a machinery breakdown in the Sea of Marmara near Gelibolu while sailing from Yalova to Aliağa. KEGM deployed tugs Kurtarma 19 and Kurtarma 18. The two tugs assisted the distressed vessel, subsequently escorted it to the Doganarslan Anchorage, where it safely dropped anchor.
Authorities reported no injuries, structural damage, or marine pollution in either incident.
