BOCCADASSE

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IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea to tanker crew and tug crew

The 2024 IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea were awarded are the Captain and crew of the 'Marlin Luanda', actrually sailing as 'Boccadasse', for containing a fire after the ship was struck by an uncrewed aerial device; and the Captain and crew of the tug 'Pemex Maya', for their rescue of six shipwrecked persons from four different vessels, during a hurricane. They received the medals and certificates during the annual IMO Awards Ceremony, held in London on Dec 2m 2024, in the frame of the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC 109) session, which is taking place from Dec 2 to 6. IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez commended the recipients of the IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea. Captain Avhilash Rawat and the crew of the'Marlin Luanda', nominated by the Marshall Islands, for their courage, determination and endurance demonstrated while coordinating firefighting and damage control efforts to combat the fire that broke out after an aerial device struck the vessel on the evening of Jan 26, while carrying 84,147 tons of Naphtha, en route from Suez to Incheon. The explosion ignited a cargo tank, creating a significant fire hazard with flames exceeding five meters. Despite the damage, Captain Avhilash Rawat swiftly organized firefighting efforts, ensuring the crew’s safety and maintaining the ship’s navigability amidst the chaos. With the starboard lifeboat being destroyed, the remaining crew mustered at the port side lifeboat station, ready for a potential evacuation. Despite the extreme danger and the constant threat of further attacks, the crew fought the fire using fixed foam monitors and portable hoses. The fire continued to spread, particularly affecting an adjacent tank, but the crew managed to contain it using seawater after foam supplies were exhausted. After 4,6 hours fighting the fire on their own, assistance arrived from the tanker 'Achilles', and later from the French frigate FS 'Alsace' and the frigate USS 'Carney', which provided additional firefighting foam and support, followed soon after by the Indian warship INS 'Visakhapatnam'. The fire reignited multiple times. The turning point came when professionally trained firefighters from the Indian Navy boarded the ship. They managed to get closer to the fire and their efforts, combined with those of the tanker crew, finally succeeded in extinguishing the fire and sealing a significant hull breach. 24 hours after the attack, the 'Marlin Luanda' sailed to safety under naval escort.  On Oct 25, 2023, hurricane Otis struck Mexico’s Pacific coast as an unprecedented category 5 storm. It rapidly intensified from a tropical storm to a major hurricane in just a few hours, hitting Acapulco with winds exceeding 300 km/h and waves over five meters high. As the hurricane approached, the crew of the 'Pemex Maya', led by Captain Galaviz, prepared for the storm by securing their vessel in the Bay of Santa Lucia. The extreme conditions prompted the crew to navigate away from the coast and assist others in distress. During the peak of the hurricane, the crew of the tig remained vigilant, searching for survivors amidst the chaos. At 02:30 a.m., they navigated towards light signals from three people in lifejackets fighting the turbulent waters and managed to rescue them, carrying out complex rescue manoeuvres in darkness. Shortly after, they rescued another survivor, who was found clinging to a piece of wood without a lifejacket. Continuing their rescue efforts, two more shipwrecked persons were spotted an hour later adrift with lifejackets. The crew had to execute risky manoeuvres again to rescue them with the help of lifebuoys. All six survivors were found to be in shock, exhausted, and suffering from bruises and scratches but fortunately without life-threatening injuries. At dawn, with the worst of the hurricane over, the Pemex Maya anchored in Acapulco, and the survivors were later transferred for medical attention. Captain Jorge Fernando Galaviz Fuentes was at the award ceremony to receive the medal and certificate. Reports with photos: https://safety4sea.com/tanker-and-tugboat-crews-receive-2024-imo-bravery-award/ https://seanews.co.uk/maritime/tanker-and-tugboat-crews-honoured-with-the-2024-imo-bravery-award/

Two tankers attacked by Houthi missiles - one hit

The 'Achilles', en route from Ust-Luga to India with a cargo of Russian oil, and the 'Marlin Luanda', en route to Singapore, suffered near-misses of missiles in the Red Sea on Jan 26, 2024. Both vessels were reportedly safe after seeing the explosion of projectiles in the water. The 'Malin Luanda' was about 60 nautical miles south of Aden in the Gulf of Aden, when the captain reported two missiles at port side. The tanker truck by a missile and caught fire. Firefighting equipment on board was being deployed to suppress and control the fire caused in one cargo tank on the starboard side.