330 passengers and crew rescued from two ferry accidents

330 passengers and crew rescued from two ferry accidents
Martyn Wingrove 06 Jan 2020 https://www.rivieramm.com/news-content-hub/330-passengers-and-crew-rescu...

More than 330 people were rescued from two ferries that grounded over the weekend, generating salvage opportunities for tug owners

Search vessels, tugs and patrol boats were sent to assist two grounded ferries to rescue passengers and begin salvage operations.

On 6 January, Oceanjet 7 ferry ran aground in the Philippines with 271 passengers and 17 crew on board, according to the Philippines Coast Guard. This 1979-built ship was sailing to Tagbilaran City in Bohol from Plaridel, Misamis Occidental, in northern Mindanao when it hit rough seas and weather that pushed it on to the shore. Several rescue boats were deployed to rescue the passengers and crew.

The previous day, a ferry with 45 passengers on board struck rocks in Greece. Proteus ran aground on 5 January at Skiathos on the island of Daskalonisi in the Aegean Sea. Patrol and search and rescue vessels were swiftly sent to the incident to transfer the passengers back to Skiathos port.

According to Fleetmon, Proteus’ hull was breached and water ingress was reported. Tugs will be required to assist in its salvage.

Also in the region, tugs helped to refloat a general cargo ship that grounded on the northern coast of the Marmara Sea. Nevado 35 grounded in the Sarkoy area, Tekirdag, Turkey, on 25 December 2019 while en route from Istanbul to Catania, Italy.

Attempts to refloat this ship failed during December and early January. Salvors lightered some of the sunflower meal cargo and were then able to refloat Nevado 35. Tugs towed the ship to Tekirdag anchorage for inspection.

Tugs also towed a stricken general cargo ship back to safety in Spain. Cargo vessel Moraime reportedly suffered mechanical failure while sailing from Vigo to Casablanca, Morocco. It was towed back to Vigo and berthed on 4 January.

In Russia, two general cargo ships collided on anchorage in Avacha Bay, Petropavlovsk, Kamchatka peninsula. Salvors and divers repaired Tanir, which suffered a hull breach below the waterline when Shantar’s bow struck its port side in Petropavlovsk.