Two crewmembers were killed, one is missing and another was injured following an explosion in an empty cargo tank aboard the Crane North (Philippine-registry 1,957-gt, 3,046-dwt motor tanker built in 1979, operated by VLK Traders Ltd.) on 19 July. The ship was anchored in an anchorage off Batangas, the Philippines.

The PetroLab (Canadian-registry 472-gt, 45-meter/148-foot motor tanker built in 1962) had an explosion and fire aboard on 19 July while preparing to load petroleum products at St. Barbe, Newfoundland, Canada. The fire aboard the ship was extinguished but the wharf continued to burn. The owner was killed and three injured. About 1,000 local residents were evacuated. The ship carries petroleum along the Labrador coast.

The Ibis (Antigua and Barbuda-registry 905-gt, 1,599-dwt general cargo ship built in 1965, operated by Gallega Maritima) sank 23 July after taking on water in a cargo hold. The ship was sailing from Casablanca, Morocco, to Algeciras, Spain, with 1,300 tons of barite. The seven crew was rescued.

A tank barge grounded off Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, on 11 July, spilling 2,500 metric tons of diesel fuel. The fuel contaminated the water supply for the city for two hours before the intakes were closed at a desalinization plant. The barge grounded in high winds and was refloated 13 July.

Three Mexican fishermen were rescued recently after more than two days adrift, with only abrasions and burns. On 13 July, the three were aboard a 7.6-meter/25-foot wooden fishing vessel when it sank 64 kilometers/40 miles west of Acapulco, Mexico, in a storm. After 55 hours adrift on debris, the three were rescued by the Magic (Dutch-registry 6,100-dwt refrigerated ship built in 1989, operated by Seatrade Groningen B.V.), which was carrying bananas from Panama to Long Beach, Calif. The three clung to a gasoline tank and later a filled plastic garbage bag in 3.7-meter/12-foot seas, with sharks occasionally circling them. The three were returning to Acapulco with 270 kilograms/600 pounds of shark.

The Eagle Dawn (Cypriot-registry 10,396-gt, 12,854-dwt motor containership built in 1992, operated by Columbia Shipmanagement) had a fire aboard off Somalia on 21 July at 13 degrees 35 minutes north, 48 degrees 19 minutes east. The fire was extinguished and the ship is being escorted to port.

The Vanadis (Swedish-registry 153,413-gt, 285,873-dwt tanker built in 1990, operated by ICB Shipping A.B.) began leaking crude oil 24 July from a hull crack, at 28 degrees 47 minutes north, 94 degrees 29 minutes west. The ship is anchored in the Gulf of Mexico. It is possible the crack is the result of a collision with a fishing vessel on 21 June, 72 kilometers/45 miles off Durban, South Africa. The ship is shifting oil among its cargo tanks to stop the leak.

A lift boat broke its mooring on 18 July and hit the Secor Vision near Pascagoula, Miss. About 13,000 liters/3,500 gallons of diesel fuel was spilled. It then came to rest against two double-hulled tank barges, one with 10,000 barrels of crude oil and the other with 10,000 barrels of diesel. The lift boat had eight persons aboard, but none were injured.

The Caroline (U.S.-registry fishing vessel) caught fire and sank at its mooring in Northport, N.Y., on Long Island, on 15 July. The next day, a boat from U.S. Coast Guard Station Eaton's Neck, N.Y., arrived to investigate and found several 19-liter/five-gallon fuel tanks linked to a timing device in the pilothouse of another vessel of the Caroline's owner. The Suffolk County (N.Y.) Bomb Squad defused the bomb.

The Grand Caribe (55-meter/180-foot long passenger ship built in 1997, owned by American Canadian Carribean Line), with 92 passengers and 18 crew, allided with the Sara Mildred Long Bridge over the Piscataqua River between Portsmouth, N.H., and Kittery, Maine, early 23 July. A tug pulled the ship free. The ship left Quebec on 11 July for Warren, R.I.

The Costa Classica (Liberian-registry 5,000-dwt passenger ship built in 1991, operated by Prestige Cruises Management S.A.M.) ran aground 19 July off Kythira Island, Greece, near Kapsali. It had 1,513 passengers, mostly U.S. citizens, and 544 crew aboard, and was anchored so that passengers could board tenders to be taken to the island. Heavy winds caused the ship to drag its anchors, and it grounded on a beach. The Costa Classica was refloated by two tugs 12 hours later and with only minor damage amidships, continued its voyage. The ship sailed from Venice, Italy, on 14 July for a cruise in Greece.

In preparation for Hurricane Danny in the Gulf of Mexico, several offshore platforms were evacuated last week, and the Louisiana Offshore Oil Platform suspended operations. While several fishing vessels and private craft were damaged, only one commercial casualty has been reported. On 19 July, a 36.6-meter/120-foot vehicle ferry broke its moorings as the storm passed over Dauphin Island, Ala. The ferry was last reported adrift in Mobile Bay, with the pier trailing behind.

The James R. Hines, under contract to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, damaged a bridge in Helena, Ark., on 16 July. The tug was pushing a deck barge, with a large crane aboard, northbound. The crane's boom hit four longitudinal girders, causing enough damage to close the bridge. It will reopen in about six weeks. At least 10,000 people use the bridge daily.

The Andacollo (Liberian-registry 19,354-gt, 29,985-dwt general cargo ship built in 1996, operated by Egon Oldendorff) had a gearwheel failure on 21 July at 18 degrees 59 minutes north, 158 degrees 39 minutes west. The ship was towed to Honolulu by the tug Manuokekai. The Andacallo was sailing from Callao, Peru, to Kobe, Japan, and was loaded.

The Chi-Cheemaun (Canadian-registry 6,991-gt, 4,821-nt, 111.3-meter/365.2-foot ferry built in 1974 by Collingwood Shipyards at Collingwood, Ontario, Canada; owned by Ontario Northland Transportation Commission and operated by Owen Sound Tranportation Co. Ltd.) lost power last week after a propulsion failure sailing to Tobermory, Canada. Sailings were canceled 17 July and 18 July, and were to resume 19 July. The Chi-Cheemaun can carry 530 passengers and 138 vehicles.

The body of Gordon Green, 37, was found in early 19 July in two meters/seven feet of water off Donkin, Nova Scotia, Canada. On 15 July, Green and Darin Eyles, 26, were aboard a lobster boat off Donkin when it capsized in heavy seas. The vessel drifted ashore while an empty liferaft washed up a short distance away. The body of Eyles was found late 15 July nearby. The two had been recovering 150 lobster traps on the last day of the season.

Contrary to information reported in the World Maritime News on 18 July, the Hanseatic (Bahamian-registry 8,378-gt, 1,023-dwt motor passenger ship built in Finland in 1991, owned by Hanseatic Tours and operated by Hanseatic Cruises GmbH) has continued its voyage. The ship ran aground on sand and rocks off northern Spitsbergen Island, Norway, on 13 July in the Hinlopen fjord, west of Nordaustlandet Island. It had 145 passengers, many of whom are German tourists with an average age of 70, and 115 crew. There were no injuries or damage. The Hanseatic had sailed 10 July from Honninsvag, Norway for Reykjavik, Iceland. On 17 July, it was refloated and sailed to Longyearbyen, Norway, where the passengers elected to continue. The Hanseatic was to arrive in Reykjavik on 22 July. The master when the ship grounded, Hartvig von Harling, has said he will not operate it again. He was the master when the ship grounded in the Arctic 10 months ago as well.

A preliminary report on the sinking of the Green Opal (Panamanian-registry 6,176-dwt bulk carrier built in 1976, owned by K.Y. Chu and operated by Dooyang Line Co. Ltd.) by the Port of Calcutta, India, cites one of the port's LASH barges as responsible. The Green Opal sank in the Hooghly River, 40 kilometers/25 miles east of Calcutta on 19 June after colliding with a tug towing several barges. All 20 crew were rescued. The ship was sailing to Keelung, Taiwan, with 7,000 tons of steel coils and billets. According to the preliminary investigation, the tow strayed off course. Meanwhile, the port has given the ship's owner one month to remove the wreck, and has filed a lawsuit with the Calcutta High Court.

The International Transport Workers' Federation and the South African government will jointly survey the Cordigliera (Panamanian-registry 12,025-gt, 16,525-dwt dry cargo ship built in 1979, operated by Transatlantica Esp.). The ship sank about 10 kilometers/six miles off Umzimvubu, South Africa, early 14 Nov. at 31 degrees 21 minutes south, 30 degrees 01 minutes east. All 30 Indian and South African citizens aboard were killed or are missing. It was sailing from Durban, South Africa, to Cape Town, South Africa, and then western Africa, including Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire and Lagos, Nigeria, before heading to the Mediterranean. The ship had a mixed cargo that included granite and conditions at the time included high winds and heavy seas. The exploration of the wreck will seek to determine why it sank so that the I.T.W.F. can seek compensation for relatives of the crew. In addition, any threat of pollution will be assessed. The ship must first be located using side-scan sonar and remote-operated vehicles.