An offshore supply vessel capsized in Brazil and a tug sank in the Caribbean during a busy week for salvors
According to local reports, 1987-built offshore supply tug Carmen developed a list, then capsized near Petrobras’ P-48 floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) ship in the Campos Basin on 20 November. The 43-m vessel then sank while carrying out routine operations near P-48, which produces oil from the Barracuda and Caratinga deepwater fields.
All 18 crew on Carmen were rescued by other offshore ships nearby and were safe, according to Fleetmon. Carmen sank in 250 m of water, around 55 nautical miles east of Cabo de Sao Tome in northeast Rio de Janeiro state. It had departed Niteroi, Brazil on 15 November with cargo for P-48.
In the US Virgin Islands, US Coast Guard said salvors were preventing pollution from sinking tugboat Cape Lookout. This was abandoned, damaged and polluting in Krause Lagoon in St Croix from 12 November. A Virgin Islands-based team from National Response Corp was conducting oil recovery and clean-up operations last week.
It placed a containment and absorbent boom around the vessel to keep the discharged oil contained and to facilitate its recovery. As of the end of last week, Cape Lookout was tied to a concrete platform and partially sunk with its bow out of the water.
In Finland, a ferry with 331 passengers on board grounded in strong winds and currents on 21 November. Viking Grace was bound for Turku from Stockholm, Sweden, when it was pushed ashore near Marienhamn. It remained there overnight and in the morning of 22 November, it was refloated with little damage to the hull.
In Norway, salvage operations were launched on 22 November as general cargo ship Wilson Parnu was drifting close to Sotra island coast, west of Bergen. Search and rescue and fishing vessels were launched after authorities were alerted to the potential danger when Wilson Parnu suffered engine failure in rough weather conditions.
Crew on the ship prevented further drifting by dropping anchors and were then able to restart the engines. Wilson Parnu was moved away from the coast to safe waters, and then proceeded to Bergen, escorted by a tug and rescue vessels.
In Greece, tugs were required to assist general cargo ship Seaven Star after it ran aground while transiting the Corinth Canal in an easterly direction on 21 November. Seaven Star was refloated and towed back to Gulf of Corinth, where it was anchored for inspection.
Vessels were also called upon to tow an abandoned tanker that was drifting close to islands in the Bay of Bengal. The Indian Coast Guard towed oil tanker Anastasia I on 23 November after it suffered power failure while sailing under ballast between the Nicobar Islands and Banda Aceh Sumatra, Indonesia.
In another incident, bulk carrier Asia Graeca was refloated with the assistance of tugs on 19 November in the Parana River. This ship ran aground downstream from San Lorenzo Port after being loaded with 39,300 tonnes of soybean meal from a terminal in the port.
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