The 150-member crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star fought a fire at approximately 9 p.m. PST Feb. 10 that broke out in the ship's incinerator room about 650 miles north of McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. After initial response efforts using four fire extinguishers failed, fire crews spent almost two hours extinguishing the fire. Fire damage was contained inside the … [Read more...]
What Went Wrong? Back-to-Back Casualties Kick Off 2019
It’s been an active beginning to 2019 in terms of maritime casualties. The phone at the Panama Marine Accident Investigation Department was likely ringing off the hook with three major incidents on Panama-flagged vessels in the first two days. The first three weeks of the year have produced a wide range of serious casualties...and they are likely just the tip of the … [Read more...]
Ferry Ignites With 1,016 POB In Greece
by Alkis Konstantinidis (Reuters) - A passenger ferry with 1,016 people onboard returned safely to the port of Piraeus in the early hours on Wednesday after it reported a fire while en route to Crete, the Greek coast guard said. There were no immediate reports of injuries, a coast guard official told Reuters. The Eleftherios Venizelos, carrying 875 passengers and 141 … [Read more...]
Port Kembla Reopens After Bulker Blaze
by Nick Ford (Reuters) - A fire in the hold of a bulker ship on Monday briefly closed Australia’s Port Kembla, the second-largest coal export port in New South Wales state, stopping shipping for eight hours. The port was shut soon after the blaze began before dawn on the MV Iron Chieftain as it unloaded dolomite, a mineral used in steelmaking which was destined for BlueScope … [Read more...]
Cargo Owners Still Waiting For Maersk Honam Containers
By Mike Wackett (TheLoadstar) A month after the blaze that claimed the lives of five seafarers on the 15,262 teu Maersk Honam, cargo owners still have no idea when they will receive their containers. Laden with 7,860 boxes, the ship caught fire on 6 March in the Arabian Sea en route to the Mediterranean, via Suez. According to the casualty website of Maersk-appointed … [Read more...]