SINGAPORE BULKER

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Bulk carrier rescued distressed fishermen, one dead, one missing

One fisherman died and another went missing after the Indian f/v 'Periya Nayagi' with 10 crew members on board had suffered a leak and started sinking 95 nautical miles off Chennai, approximately 60 nautical miles east of Krishnapatnam, late on April 3, 2024. Eight other fishermen were brought to safety by the Indian Coast Guard on April 4. The MRCC Chennai had received a distress call, relayed by the National Data Centre, Mumbai, and launched an SAR operation with the participation of Coast Guard ships and three merchant vessels passing through the area. The fishermen had reported flooding onboard and were bailing out water to prevent the 'Periya Nayagi' from sinking. The MRCC requested a nearby merchant vessel to take the boat crew on board, but they were reluctant to board the merchant vessel for fear of losing their ship. The Indian Coast Guard later facilitated a conference call through satellite phone between the crew and the owner of the 'Periya Nayagi' to encourage the crew to board the merchant vessel, but the crew decided to stay with their ship, which commenced its voyage to Krishnapatnam on April 3 at 9.30 p.m. Since the 'Periya Nayagi' was out of mobile coverage area and only had a VHF radio, which had a limited range, no communication could be established. Around 11.55 p.m., the MRCC received a distress call again 50 nautical miles east of Krishnapatnam. The 'Singapore Bulker', that was passing nearby, diverted and rescued nine castaways. But one of the fishermen who was in a critical condition died. The Indian Coast Guard Ship 'C-440' was deployed from Chennai. and the eight fishermen were taken on board. The body of the dead fisherman was handed over to the fisheries officials in Chennai on April 4. The eight survivors were healthy. A search is one for the missing fisherman.

Bottom struck off Chittagong

The "Singapore Bulker" on June 25, 2015, reported having contacted the bottom and struck an uncharted object in pos. 21 34N 091 45E, 45 miles south of Chittagong in the Bay of Bengal. No damages reported.

Bulkcarrier aground in Douala Channel

The "Singapore Bulker" ran aground off the Cameroon coast on Feb 11, 2015, enroute from Thailand to the Ivory Coast. The ship got stuck in the Douala Channel and was being assessed for a possible salvage operation. The bulkcarrier had sailed from Koh Sichang on Dec 12, 2014 and Abidjan on Jan 14, 2015.