Two dead, six missing after explosion aboard the Lancer

     The Lancer (Bahamian-registry 14,967-gt, 23,093-dwt chemical tanker
built in 1975, operated by A. & C. Anastassiou) had an explosion aboard on
1 Jan., shortly after departing Campana, Argentina. The crew abandoned the
ship but two were killed and six are missing.

All 28 crew rescued as the Merchant Patriot takes on water

     The Merchant Patriot (Hong Kong-registry 17,028-gt, 21,310-dwt,
150-meter/493-foot general cargo ship built in 1980 by Scotts Shipbuilding
and Engineering Co. at Greenock, Scotland; operated by Cenargo Ltd.) began
flooding 30 Dec., 496 kilometers/310 miles east of Cape Canaveral, Fla.
Weather conditions included seas of up to 6.1 meters/20 feet and winds
gusting to 50 knots. The crew of 28 jumped overboard after the ship's
lifeboat was knocked off the stern and weather conditions ruled out
helicopter hoists from the ship's deck. Two HH-60G Rescue Hawk helicopters
from the U.S. Air Force Reserve's 920th Rescue Group at Patrick Air Force
Base, Fla.; two HH-60J Jayhawk helicopters from U.S. Coast Guard Air
Station Clearwater, Fla.; and a Jayhawk from the Coast Guard's Operation
Bahamas and Turks and Caicos in Nassau, the Bahamas, rescued the crew from
the water. It was planned to transfer them to the Pearl Ace (Hong
Kong-registry 15,194-dwt ro/ro built in 1994, operated by Mitsui O.S.K.
Lines), which had diverted to the area after being contacted by the
Automated Mutual Vessel Assistance Rescue System (AMVER). However, given
weather conditions, crewmembers were flown to Marsh Harbor, Great Abaco
Island, the Bahamas. Also involved were an HC-130 Hercules from the 920th
Rescue Group and a Coast Guard HC-130H Hercules. The Merchant Patriot was
sailing from Praia Mole, Brazil, to Savannah, Ga., with containers and
steel project cargo. A seawater pipe in the vessel's engine room burst and
in a radio message to the Coast Guard at 0321, the Merchant Patriot said
flooding was under control. However, at 0730, another message reported the
flooding to be out of control after a patch failed. At one point, the ship
was located at 28 degrees 30 minutes north, 75 degrees 45 minutes west. On
31 Dec., a Coast Guard aircraft reported the ship to be afloat though
reportedly with a list and riding low in the water. Some cargo has
reportedly been lost and a radio buoy has been placed nearby to aid in
tracking the ship until salvage is accomplished. It was last reportedly to
be on a heading of 180 degrees.

Oak adrift was Force 10 storm approaches

     The Oak (Bahamian-registry 21,951-dwt, 155.22-meter/509.25-foot motor
bulk carrier built in 1981, operated by Diana Shipping Agencies S.A.) was
reported listing 1 Jan. with 13 people aboard, as a Beaufort Force 10 storm
approached. The Oak has stabilized with a 6-degree list.

Wooden freighter catches fire, grounds in Florida

     The Venice (Honduran-registry 20-meter/65-foot wooden freighter)
caught fire at an anchorage in Port Everglades, Fla., on 19 Dec. The
Florida Marine Patrol rescued all six crewmembers and transferred them to a
Port Everglades pilot boat. The Venice drifted and came ashore, where the
fire was extinguished by personnel and equipment from U.S. Coast Guard
Staton Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and the Broward County and Fort Lawderdale
Fire Departments.

Workboat grounds on Texas jetty, master fails sobriety test

     The Trans Southern (30-meter/100-foot workboat owned by Southern Gulf
Operators) ran aground on the West Sabine Pass Jetty near Sabine Pass,
Texas, about 0200 28 Dec. None of the three crewmembers were injured. The
master failed a sobriety test administered by the U.S. Coast Guard, with a
blood alcohol level of 0.96 while the legal limit is .04. He also said he
had fallen asleep at the helm and is now in custody of Jefferson County,
Texas, after it was learned the county had an outstanding warrant for his
arrest for allegedly driving while intoxicated. At last report, the Trans
Southern had been lightered of its 8,700 liters/2,300 gallons of fuel and
efforts were underway to refloat it. The vessel has a gash 10
centimeters/four inches by 5.5 meters/18 feet on its port side.

Indian-registry bulk carrier hits wharf in Port Lincoln

     The Lok Pragati (Indian-registry 16,040-gt, 27,000-dwt bulk carrier
built in 1984, operated by Shipping Corp. of India Ltd.) hit a wharf in
Port Lincoln, Australia, while docking 24 Dec. The ship damaged its stem
and forepeak while the wharf also was damaged.

Pacific Mattsu grounds at Malaysian port

     The Pacific Mattsu (Philippine-registry 16,401-gt, 26,467-dwt bulk
carrier built in 1996, operated by Anglo-Eastern Ship Management Ltd.) ran
aground 31 Dec. after it hit a rock leaving Lumut, Malaysia. The grounding
was a 04 degrees 07.2 minutes north, 100 degrees 33.6 minutes east. The
ship's double-bottom tank was damaged but the Pacific Mattsu refloated 1
Jan.

Update on French-registry trawler missing in the Irish Sea

     A piece of steering equipment believed to be from the Toul an Trez
(French-registry trawler built in 1967, homeported at Camaret) was found
near an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon on 26 Dec., about 30
kilometers/19 miles off Wales. The day before, a capsized lifeboat was seen
floating about 56 kilometers/35 miles offshore. The Toul an Trez was
reported missing 24 Dec. after a storm passed over Ireland and the United
Kingdom with winds of up to 145 kilometers per hour/90 miles per hour and
seas of six meters/20 feet. The trawler has a crew of five. The search was
launched after a satellite received a signal from the vessel's E.P.I.R.B.

More on damage, containers lost from MSC Rita

     On 20 Dec., the MSC Rita (Panamanian-registry 35,520-dwt containership
built in 1974, operated by Mediterranean Shipping Co.) lost 60 to 70
containers while sailing from Le Havre, France, to Boston. Damage has been
reported to the ship's fire main and second marine radar. The ship was to
have arrived in Boston on 18 Dec. but was delayed by bad weather, which
caused the loss of the containers. Boston's captain of the port kept the
ship from entering until an inspection was made and when the ship finally
docked 21 Dec., four damaged containers with hazardous chemicals were found
aboard with two of them leaking perfume products. About 50 general cargo
containers, one flammable liquid container and 30 drums of liquid poison
were also found to be damaged.