A giant VLOC loaded with iron ore has run into trouble off the coast of Brazil.
The ship, Stellar Banner, began developing a severe list to starboard Tuesday evening around 9:30 p.m. local time after departing the Vale-owned Ponta da Madeira terminal in São Luís, Brazil. The vessel is now apparently also aground.
AIS ship tracking data shows the ship departed Madeira on February 24, bound for Qingdao, China.
The Marshall Islands-flagged Stellar Banner, with a deadweight of 300,000 tonnes, was built in 2016 and is owned and operated by Polaris Shipping of South Korea. It is chartered by the Brazilian mining company Vale.
Vale said it was informed that vessel suffered damage to its bow shortly after leaving the terminal and the Captain intentionally grounded the vessel to save it from capsizing or maybe sinking.
All 20 crew members were evacuated from the ship as a precaution and there are no injuries or deaths reported.
Global salvage firm Ardent has been hired to draw up salvage plans, which could become extremely complex given the size of the ship and how much cargo it is carrying.
As of now, the exact cause of the incident is still under investigation, but Vale says it was told the vessel may have struck something – most likely the shallow seabed as it left the port.
Vale released the statement below regarding the incident:
Vale S.A. (“Vale”) informs that it was made aware by the operator of the vessel MV Stellar Banner that the vessel suffered damage in the bow after leaving the Ponta da Madeira Maritime Terminal, on Monday night (24), outside the port access channel. It was also reported to Vale that, as a precautionary measure, the 20 crew members were safely evacuated and that the vessel’s captain agrounded the vessel about 100 kilometers off the coast of São Luís. The vessel, built in 2016, is owned and operated by the South Korean company Polaris. As port operator, Vale is offering technical-operational support, sending tug boats, and collaborating with maritime authorities. Port operations remains normal, with no impact on shipments.
Some new video shows the state of the wreck on Thursday:
by David Shepardson (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee will consider President-elect Joe Biden’s nomination of Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo to head the Commerce Department in a hearing...
By Ellen Francis (Reuters) – Interpol has issued red notices for the captain and owner of the ship that carried the chemicals which devastated Beirut in an explosion in August, killing 200...
By Chen Aizhu (Reuters) – China has issued 5 million tonnes of clean marine fuel export quotas in the first release for 2021, to five companies including a private refiner,...
December 31, 2020
Total Views: 4574
Sign Up Now for gCaptain Daily
Just enter your email and get hot news every morning
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.