Eighteen migrants killed trying to reach Greece

     Eighteen migrants are missing after a vessel carrying them from Turkey
sank the night of 16 March in Turkish waters, just off the islet of Ro,
Greece. An Iranian man notified local authorities after he said he swam to
Ro when the vessel sank. Two other male survivors were found. Reportedly,
21 people, including three women and three children, bought the unpowered
boat in Kas, Turkey, to reach Kastellorizo, Greece, where they would ask
for asylum. The three survivors are hospitalized in Kastellorizo, where
one, whose wife was four-months pregnant, is being treated for severe
shock.

Explosion at Greek shipyard kills one worker, injures seven

     An explosion aboard the Evgenia (Greek-registry 500-dwt tanker) the
afternoon of 15 March at a shipyard in Perama, Greece, killed one person
and injured seven. It is believed that welding work during plate
replacement ignited fumes in a cargo tank, while a crew was painting
nearby. As a result of the incident, labor unions at the yard called a
daylong strike and rally to protest what they say are unsafe working
conditions and a high unemployment rate in the area. Among the problems
noted was that a crew painting aboard the ship did not have a license from
the port authorities. The owner of the shipyard, Vardis Kelaidis, and
Panagiotis Fyntanis, responsible for the painting crew, were arrested 16
March. The master of the ship, Panagiotis Vryonis, was hospitalized with
burns and is to appear in court on charges of negligence. Arrest warrants
have been issued for the tanker's owners, Yiannis and Alexandros Boufis.

Crew rescued as the Sea Boekanier sinks north of Cuba

     On 8 March, a 406 Mhz emergency position indicating radio beacon was
activated about 34 kilometers/21 miles north of Nuevitas, Cuba, aboard the
Sea Boekanier (839-dwt dry cargo ship built in 1968). Shortly after, the
Solaro (37,700-dwt tanker built in 1996, operated by Carbofin S.p.A.)
reported a distress call from the ship. The Duden (Turkish-registry
26,975-dwt bulk carrier built in 1981, operated by Sohtorik Denizcilik San
Ve Tic A.S.), sailing in the area, was asked to divert and assist as part
of the Automated Mutual Vessel Emergency Response (AMVER) system. A U.S.
Coast Guard HU-25A Falcon from Coast Guard Air Station Miami located the
ship, which had a 50-degree list to starboard. The crew abandoned the ship
into a liferaft, and were rescued by the Duden. The Sea Boekanier, which
had recently been renamed from Briana, sank.

Bridge near Baton Rouge hit three times in as many days

     The U.S. 190 bridge over the Mississippi River at Port Allen, La., was
hit by vessels three days in a row recently. On 15 March, a tugboat allided
with the bridge and the next day, a tow of 14 barges hit the structure. The
most serious involved a tow of 25 barges, which allided with the bridge
about 1700 17 March. A section of river four kilometers/2.5 miles long, was
closed. A tank barge owned by Ingram Barge Co. capsized and began leaking
its cargo of 1.5 million liters/400,000 gallons of benzene and toluene,
forcing the evacuation of 16 homes, Southern University, a jail at Port
Allen and two riverboat casinos including the Casino Rouge. Half of the
2,600 students who live at the university went to the fieldhouse at
Louisiana State University, where they spent the night. The Advocate
newspaper pushed its deadline up in case the evacuation area was extended.
The barge was pushed downstream to the Placid oil refinery on the west
bank, where a crane from New Orleans will attempt to salvage it. The
allision broke the tow apart, with three carrying crushed stone sinking.
Two were refloated 18 March, while the third was positioned against the
capsized tank barge to stabilize it. Two other tugs reportedly ran aground.
Both the U.S. 190 bridge and the Interstate 10 bridge were closed for
inspection. On 19 March, another tow of 12 barges broke free about 10
kilometers/six miles downstream, but were quickly brought under control.

Danish-registry catamaran sinks fishing vessel

     On 13 March, the Cat-Link II (Danish-registry 250-dwt passenger
catamaran built in 1995, operated by Condor Ltd.) collided with a vessel in
the Strait of Kattegat in Denmark. The other vessel, a fishing vessel, sank
but the only person aboard, Preben Jensen, 61, was rescued. Apparently, the
Cat-Link II did not see the cutter by radar.

Bulk carriers in collision south of Malaga

     The Theodoros S. (Cypriot-registry 16,521-gt, 27,023-dwt bulk carrier
built in 1977, operated by Samios Shipping Co. S.A.) collided with the
Gulsum Ana (Turkish-registry 18,221-gt, 33,423-dwt bulk carrier built in
1975, operated by Mardeniz Denizcilik) about 48 kilometers/30 miles
southwest of Malaga, Spain, on 15 March. The collision was at 36 degrees
09.3 minutes north, 04 degress 36.5 minutes west. The Theodoros S. took on
water and had other damage, but was taken in tow by the Remolcanosa Cinco
(Spanish-registry tug) for Cadiz, Spain. The Gulsum Ana had minor damage
and anchored at Malaga.

U.S. Coast Guard cutter assists Massachusetts fishing vessel

     On 16 March, George Bragdon, of Dennisport, Mass., contacted his wife
from his 27-meter/90-foot fishing vessel Resolute, with six aboard, to say
that the vessel was disabled with engine problems. Just after 0700,
Bragdon's wife contacted the U.S. Coast Guard. After attempting to contact
the Resolute, homeported at New Bedford, for 30 minutes, an HU-25A Falcon
from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod was able to signal the vessel in
conditions that included 30 knot winds and three-meter/10-foot seas. The
Resolute was 176 kilometers/110 miles east of Provincetown. The Coast
Guard's "Island"-class Patrol Boat U.S.C.G.C. Jefferson Island (WPB 1340)
arrived at 1630 and began a tow to Provincetown. As of 17 March, it was
planned to transfer the tow to a commercial salvage vessel near Race Point.

Containership grounds entering Riga

     The Sea Regina (Cypriot-registry 8,902-gt, 8,968-dwt containership
built in 1984, operated by C.F. Peters) ran aground in poor visibility
entering the Port of Riga, Latvia, on the morning of 16 March. An attempt
by four tugs to refloat the ship the same day failed.

Eburna runs aground at Geelong

     The Eburna (Isle of Man-registry 18,659-gt, 31,374-dwt tanker built in
1979, operated by Shell International Trading and Shipping Co. Ltd.),
sailing from Geelong, Victoria, Australia, to Esperance, Western Australia,
ran aground leaving Geelong on 19 March. The ship sailed to Adelaide, South
Australia, where a survey found severe damage to shell plating on the port
side forepeak.

Tanker aground at Canakkale

     The Ahmed Karaosman (Turkish-registry 4,147-gt, 6,887-dwt tanker built
in 1982, operated by Ofisi Gemi Isletme Basmodurlugu), sailing from Aliaga
to Trabzon, Turkey, ran aground south of Kepez Lighthouse at Canakkale,
Turkey, on 18 March.

Japanese government giving 5.3 billion yen as spill compensation

     The Japanese government will pay 5.3 billion Japanese yen this month
to local governments as compensation for cleaning an oil spill. The
Nakhodka (Russian-registry 13,157-gt, 20,471-dwt tanker built in 1970,
operated by Primorsk Shipping Co. and owned by Prisco Traffic Ltd.) broke
in half 0250 2 Jan. about 130 kilometers/81 miles northeast of the Oki
Islands, Shimane Prefecture, Japan. Thirty-one of 32 crew were rescued and
the master was killed. The Nakhodka carried 19,000 tons of grade C heavy
fuel, or 19 million liters/five million gallons or 133,000 barrels. The
spill was estimated at more than five million liters/1.3 million gallons or
5,000 tons and has affected eight Japanese prefectures. The bow came ashore
at Mikuni, Fukui Prefecture. The money will cover 80 percent of the costs
of local governments, and another two billion yen has already been given to
local entities involved in the spill. In the latest amount, five billion
yen will be given to 12 prefectures and 143 cities, towns and villages.
Another 300 million yen will go to 17 prefectures and 464 cities, towns and
villages that sent people, equipment and supplies to assist.

Thomas G. Thompson investigating Derbyshire

     The lead ship of the Thomas G. Thompson-class Oceanographic Research
Ship, owned by the United States but operated by the University of
Washington, left Guamn recently for a 47-day study of the Derbyshire. The
bulk carrier sank in the South China Sea killing all 44 aboard in 1980. It
is hoped the expedition will answer several of the questions surrounding
the sinking. The Thomas G. Thompson will sail to Yokohama, Japan, at the
end of April.