One dead, three missing after collision in darkness off Japan

     The Seiun Maru No. 20 (Japanese-registry 499-gt motor vessel built in
1989) capsized and sank at 0200 15 Nov. after colliding with the Sumiho
Maru No. 75 (349-gt squid motor fishing vessel built in 1987) off Iwate
prefecture, Japan, at 39 degrees 54.2 minutes north, 142 degrees 02.9
minutes east. One of the Seiun Maru's crew was rescued, three are missing
and Masuaki Kurose, 49, was found dead. The vessels collided nine
kilometers/5.6 miles off Tanohata and none of the 12 people aboard the
Sumiho Maru were injured.

Green Lily breaks up off Shetlands, rescue helicopter crewmember killed

     The Green Lily (Bahamian-registry 3,624-gt, 4,348-dwt motor
refrigerated ship built in 1978, operated by Green Chartering A/S), sailing
from Lerwick, Scotland, to Las Palmas in the Canary Islands with frozen
fish, had engine problems off the Shetland Islands of Scotland at 59
degrees 55 minutes north, 00 degrees 49 minutes west, on 19 Nov. It was
taken in tow by the Gargano (Italian-registry 1,374-dwt tug built in 1975,
operated by Rimorchiatori Napoletani Srl.) but the tow parted and the Green
Lily ran aground. Battered by high winds and heavy seas, the ship broke up
20 Nov. One person, reportedly a crewmember of a rescue helicopter, was
killed during evacuation of the ship's crew.

Collision sinks Syrian-registry vessel

     The Nadine (Syrian-registry 1,498-gt motor vessel) sank after a
collision with the Fiandra (Greek-registry 704-gt tanker) on 21 Nov. at 38
degrees 39 minutes north, 25 degrees 56 minutes east, in the Aegean Sea.
The crew was rescued.

Grounding in Guam spills 38,000 liters/10,000 gallons of fuel

     On 5 Nov., the Shogun (Panamanian-registry) ran aground 90 meters/300
feet north of the main channel entrance at Rota, Guam. About 38,000
liters/10,000 gallons of No. 2 diesel fuel spilled and another 5,750
barrels were taken off the vessel.

U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker suffers fire

     On 1 Nov., the U.S. Coast Guard's lead vessel of the U.S.C.G.C. Polar
Star (WAGB 10)-class icebreaker suffered a fire 360 kilometers/225 miles
northeast of Molokai, Hawaii. Flames were found near the lagging at the
transition between the ship's gas generator and the main gas turbine room.
The Polar Star-class has a combined diesel and gas turbine propulsion
system, with six Alco 16V251 diesel engines at 2,200 kilowatts/3,000 brake
horsepower each and three Pratt & Whitney FT-4A12 gas turbines, each
down-rated with 19,000 kilowatts/25,000 shaft horsepower. With an electric
drive and three controllable-pitch propellers, the ship has 49,000
kilowatts/66,000 shaft horsepower. The fire was extinguished with PKP and
water but the area had a large amount of smoke. Four crewmembers were
treated for slight smoke inhalation and seven others for heat exhaustion.

Loaded tank barge grounds in Connecticut River

     The 89.0-meter/292-foot tank barge Hygrade No. 22 ran aground about
0300 18 Nov. in the Connecticut River near Higganum, Conn., about 90
meters/300 feet off Haddam State Park. The barge, with 2.71 million
liters/714,000 gallons of diesel fuel, was refloated at 1335. None of the
cargo spilled and after being refloated, the barge resumed its tow by the
tug Port Jeff to Amerada Hess Corp.'s Wethersfield, Conn., pier.

Ship with 4,000 tons of grain grounds in Don River

     The Strelets, carrying 4,000 tons of grain, remained aground as of 18
Nov. in the lower Don River in Russia. Over three days, three tugs and a
crane were used to dig a trench in sand alongside the ship and lighter 200
tons of grain. The vessel is reportedly aground on two small segments of
the Lisichansk-Tikhoretsk oil pipeline. The Strelets was to be refloated
but winds blew water from the river into the Sea of Azov.

Tow grounds in lower Mississippi River

     On 7 Nov., the Stonewall Jackson, with a tow of 30 barges, ran aground
at Mile Marker 437 in the lower Mississippi River. The area was closed to
navigation until the barges were removed later that day.

Barge loses cargo in bad weather on Lake Michigan

     A barge took on water the morning of 17 Nov. in bad weather, listed
and dumped its cargo five kilometers/three miles southeast of the Rawley
Point Lighthouse north of Two Rivers, Wis. About 4,900 tons of steel mill
scrap, a crane and a front-end loader sank in 46 meters/150 feet of water
after the scrap cargo shifted. The Chief Wawatam (2,891-gt, 2,891-nt,
106-meter/347-foot deck barge built in 1911, owned by J.W. Purvis Marine
Ltd.), has minor damage though not to its hull. It was being towed by the
Avenger IV (293-gt, 86-nt, 36.6-meter/120-foot motor tug built in 1962 with
1,800 kilowatts/2,400 horsepower, owned by J.W. Purvis Marine). After a
U.S. Coast Guard investigation, the tow was released at 1800 17 Nov. to
continue its voyage.

Bulk carrier drifts for eight hours in Lake Huron

     The Myron C. Taylor (U.S.-registry 8,233-gt, 6,552-nt,
184.02-meter/603.75-foot motor bulk carrier built in 1929 by Great Lakes
Engineering Works at River Rouge, Mich.; operated by USS Great Lakes Fleet
Inc.) lost power 16 Nov. in Lake Huron after loading stone at Drummond
Island, Mich. The ship drifted eight hours until the Philip H. Clarke
(U.S.-registry 12,342-gt, 9,372-nt, 234-meter/767-foot turbine bulk carrier
built in 1952 by American Ship Building Co. at Lorain, Ohio; operated by
USS Great Lakes Fleet) arrived, apparently with parts needed for repairs.
The Myron C. Taylor then sailed for Detroit.

Passenger ship towed to port after blackout

     The Edinburgh Castle (British-registry 32,753-gt, 9,000-dwt passenger
ship built in 1966, owned by Lowline Ltd., formerly the Eugenio Costa),
sailing from Genoa, Italy, to New York, had a complete electrical failure
following boiler problems 17 Nov. at 37 degrees 39 minutes north, 22
degrees 25.55 minutes west. It was towed to Ponta Delgada in the Azores
Islands, by the Fotiy Krylov (2,253-dwt tug built in 1989, operated by
Tsavliris). The Edinburgh Castle had been drydocked in Genoa and is to be
used as a gambling vessel in New York. This summer, the ship was chartered
by Direct Cruises for sailings in Scandinavia and the Meidterranean. The
summer cruises will be repeated for the next three years.

Update on spill in Humboldt Bay

     About 17,240 liters/4,537 gallons of bunker C fuel spilled 5 Nov. from
the Kure (Panamanian-registry 36,009-gt, 195-meter/639-foot motor bulk
carrier) in Humboldt Bay near Eureka, Calif. The ship punctured its after
fuel tank about 7.2 kilometers/4.5 miles north of the entrance to the bay
when it backed into pilings at the Louisiana Pacific Lumber Co. The U.S.
Coast Guard closed the area to navigation during clean-up, which involved
more than 400 people including Clean Bay Inc. and 32 U.S. Coast Guard
personnel. The Kure was to load wood chips for Japan.

Haji-Ioannous cleared in Haven explosion

     Loucas Haji-Ioannou and his son Stelios were cleared 21 Nov. of
manslaughter and four other charges in a court in Genoa, Italy, in
connection with the deaths of five crewmembers of the Cypriot-registry very
large crude carrier Haven, which exploded at Genoa on 11 April, 1991. The
ship was operated by Troodos Shipping Co. Ltd. and the ship exploded during
a cargo transfer.