On Nov 10, 2024, at 9.40 a.m. LT a fire broke out in the engine room of the 'Ukushima', while the minesweeper was sailing north of Fukuoka on the island of Kyushu, en route to southeastern Kyushu for mine warfare drills. An unitial attempt by the crew to contain the blaze failed. As the fire began to engulf the vessel, the Japan Coast Guard dispatched a fire fighting vessel to assist, while the MSDF redirected the minesweeper 'Toyoshima' to the scene. After several hours of fire fighting, the fire looked as if it was contained. However, it flared up again a short time later and spread through out the wooden hull. Firefighting efforts were ongoing as of 8:30 p.m. after the crew was evacuated to the 'Toyoshima'. When the evacuation was completed, a roll call found that the petty officer on duty in the engine room had been left on board the 'Ukushima'. Another crew member, was also on duty in the engine room at the time of the incident had to be taken to hospital for smoke inhalation. The flames continued to engulf the 'Ukushima' until the vessel capsized and sank. The Coast Guard have dispatched divers to inspect the wreck and search the vessel for the missing officer. The MSDF has launched an investigation into the incident. Report with video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-8ESzG3YQY&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fshipwrecklog.com%2F&source_ve_path=MjM4NTE
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GORINCHEM VIII
The 'Gorinchem VIII', operating between Gorinchem, Woudrichem and Slot Loevestein, suffered a short circuit in the battery charger on Nov 6, 2024. The fire brigade was mobilized at around 6.30 a.m. LT to extinguish the fire aboard the ship, which was moored at the quay outside the Waterpoort in Gorinchem. Just before the first departure to Woudrichem, The crew discovered that smoke was coming from the front hatch of the ferry. The fire brigade attended on the scene with three fire engines. The fire was quickly brought under control, after which the ship was ventilated. No one was injured. The cause of the fire was found to be a short circuit in the ship's battery chargers. The service was covered with another ferry, of the Veerdienst Riveer, so passengers hat no inconvenience. While the damage remained limited, the ferry was cleaned in the run of the day to get back operating again.
EXPLORER OF THE SEAS
On Nov 7, the 'Explorer of the Seas encountered a sudden gust of near hurricane-force winds sending the massive cruise ship into several exaggerated rolls. Passengers were sliding about and in the aftermath plates, glass, bottles at the bar, gift shop merchandise, and more all scattered about. In the immediate aftermath of the severe weather the ship was put into a safety protocol according to reports with all passengers asked to return to their cabins. The crew worked to account for everyone and determine the extent of injuries. Several crewmembers and passengers reported sustained injuries. One passenger is requiring more extensive medical care. The ship turned around to Las Palmas, where it arrived in Nov 9.
UR
The MAIB has published an investigation report into an incident where on July 29, 2021, at 1:53 p.m. the bosun of the 'Clipper Pennant', actually sailing as 'Ur', was fatally crushed when he became trapped between a moving vehicle and the vessel’s structure. The ship was alongside in Liverpool, England, loading a cargo of semi-trailers. A tractor unit driver pushed a semi-trailer into a corner space, marshalled by the vessel’s bosun in his assigned role as banksman. The driver then disconnected the tractor unit and drove away. Shortly afterwards, the bosun was found trapped between the rear of the semi-trailer and the vessel’s structure, having sustained fatal injuries. The accident happened because the tractor unit driver did not stop pushing the semi-trailer when they lost sight of the bosun during the manoeuvre. This was due to a procedural workaround that had become routine practice at the port, whereby the banksman was expected to move to an unsighted position behind a nearby semi-trailer. However, the bosun in this instance did not act as expected. He instead stood on a painted walkway located inside the vehicle lane to marshal the semi-trailer into the space, and so remained in its path as it approached. The semi-trailer had inadvertently been parked at an angle, encroaching the walkway and striking the bosun. The investigation found that the working practices on board the 'Clipper Pennant' did not reflect industry guidelines and company procedure; there was no documented procedure for stowing semi-trailers in the more hazardous corner stowage spaces, which led to the development of local workarounds that went unchallenged; and organisational oversight was insufficiently effective, both in the approach of the vessel’s operator, Seatruck Ferries Limited, to learning lessons from previous accidents and the management of the port and its tractor unit drivers by the vessel’s charterer, P&O Ferries Limited. Since the accident, Seatruck Ferries Limited has taken several actions to improve safety on its vehicle decks, including developing a new safe system of work that recognises dynamic danger zones and establishing standard loading procedures that better reflect the work performed. The company has also engaged with the industry to share its findings following several trials and tests of new procedures on company vessels and in various ports. A safety recommendation has been made to industry bodies to develop a jointly agreed and consolidated industry Code of Practice for vehicle deck safety on roll-on/roll-off vessels. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency and Health and Safety Executive are recommended to amend their relevant codes and guidelines to reflect industry best practice. Recommendations have also been made to: P&O Ferries Limited to review how it achieves assurance that its ports adhere to its operational procedures and that a jointly agreed safe system of work is in place on chartered vessels; and to CLdN RoRo Limited (formerly Seatruck Ferries Limited) to improve its organisational safety culture and ensure effective supervision of vehicle deck cargo loading operations. Fullö report: https://safety4sea.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/UKMAIB-ClipperPennant-2024_11.pdf
ARMAVEN TRES
O Nov 6, 2024, at 130 a.m. the Coast Guard in Valentia, County Kerry. received a distress call from the 'Armaven Tres',, after a fire broke out in the engine room. The ship had lost power and was drifting in the Atlantic. The Valentia RNLI lifeboat, a Coast Guard helicopter and the patrol vessel 'LÉ James Joyce' of the Irish Navy were dispatched, to the vessel, which was drifting some 40 nautical miles off the Kerry coast. The rescue operation lasted for 15 hours with the blaze successfully fought and the trawler was taen in tow by the tug 'Nomad' (MMSI: 250000353). One crew member aboard the trawler received treatment for smoke inhalation.