Disabled MT Pine Galaxy Arrives In San Francisco Bay

A Coast Guard Station San Francisco 45-foot Response Boat – Medium boat crew escorts the disabled mixed-products carrier Pine Galaxy as tug vessels tow the ship toward the Port of San Francisco, Aug. 27, 2014. U.S. Coast Guard Photo

The disabled MT Pine Galaxy was towed into San Francisco Bay on Wednesday exactly two weeks after an engine room fire cut power to the ship and killed one crewmember.

The mixed product tanker was towed by commercial tugs beneath the Golden Gate Bridge and SF-Bay Bridge for a shipyard in the port of San Francisco where the vessel will undergo repairs. AIS data from MarineTraffic.com showed the Pine Galaxy moored at San Francisco’s Pier 80 as of 4 p.m. PST.

The 12,105 gross ton MT Pine Galaxy suffered a fire in the machinery shop, located in the engine room, on August 13 while underway approximately 700 miles from the Oregon coast during a trip from Los Angeles to South Korea. The fire killed one crewmember and cut power and propulsion to the ship before it was extinguished by the shipboard firefighting system.

The vessel was adrift for several days before a commercial tug, the Millennium Falcon, arrived on scene and began towing the vessel towards the West Coast.

Media reports late last week indicated that the deceased crewmember was buried at sea.

According to a report from the Associated Press, the vessel was carrying a cargo of propylene tetramer, but the cargo area was not damaged in the fire. An update from the U.S. Coast Guard on Wednesday said that there are no reports of damage to the ship’s cargo tanks, fuel tanks or hull.

The Bahamas-flagged tanker had a crew of 22 people.

“This case is a noteworthy example of the Coast Guard and other partner agencies working closely with the ship’s owner to coordinate and ensure the safe arrival of the ship to port for repairs,” said Capt. Gregory Stump, commander, Coast Guard Sector San Francisco.

The MT Pine Galaxy is managed by Unix Line PTE LTD and operated by Tokyo Marine Asia PTE LTD.