Shipwreck Log

The 88 meter long, 3697 dwt freighter Pluto allided with the northern pier of the Great Belt Bridge near Storstrøm, Denmark.  The vessel suffered only slight damage, but rail traffic was closed on the bridge when several cracks were found in several spans.  The MAS authorities were contacted and an investigation has begun.   The Pluto is currently detained at Vordingborg.  No reports of injuries or pollution being released.

The 67 meter long tug Salvilliant had the new barge Margaret under tow and was headed to Rotterdam, Netherlands.   The Margaret was a new 100 meter long, 500 ton barge.  The Margaret had left Shanghai, China with 12 river barges and two dry docks.  The cargo sat 8 stories high and worth some US $40M.

On June 24, 2009, the two vessels were off the Cape, when they encountered a severe storm with gale force winds and waves reaching 9 meters.  The storm was too much and the towline parted.  The Margaret went adrift.   The crew of the Salvilliant attempted to reconnect the line, but were not able to before the Margaret was hard aground near the village of Jacobsbaai (Jacobs Bay).

The Margaret sat in its location as wind, waves and weather beat against the hull.   By November 2009, four river barges were damaged beyond repair while the Margarets hull deteriorated.   By February 2010, attempts to free the barge had all failed and the owner was out of money.  This left the Margaret under the responsibility of the South African authorities.  They decided that that the Margaret needed removal and hired a demolition firm. On March 5, 2010, the Margaret was finally destroyed by explosives.   It took some two and half tons of explosives to blast the wreck.   Some of the cargo was saved.  Six of barges slid off the vessel and were towed away.  The remainder was sunk to form an artificial reef.

More Photos and Info:

bokkom.co.za

The 217 meter long, 20668 dwt container ship Horizon Tacoma became disabled off Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.  The Horizon Tacoma lost propulsion and was dropped anchor until the crew was able to complete temporary repairs.  Several tugs were sent to provide assistance as the Horizon Tacoma proceeded to Puget Sound.   Coast Guard Inspectors are conducting an investigation into the cause of the incident.  No reports of injuries or pollution being released.

The 150 foot long fishing-processing vessel Alaskan Leader suffered an engine room fire near the Unimak Pass in the Bering Sea.  The Alaskan Leader was heading back to harbor after a six-week fishing trip with 9,000 pounds of frozen cod when a fire broke out in the electrical system.   The fire spread through the vessel and the vessel soon lost lights and power.  The master quickly alerted the Coast Guard of the situation while   the 23 crew on board attempted to extinguish the fire.   For several hours the crew fought the blaze until the master of the vessel order the men to prepare to abandon ship.  Three other fishing vessels who heard the distress call from the Alaskan Leader reached the scene.  They were able to provide enough light to allow the Alaskan Leader crew to finally extinguish the blaze.  The Coast Guard cutter arrived on the scene and the Alaskan Leader was able to get its engine restarted.  A tug arrived later to tow the Alaskan Leader back to Dutch Harbor.  No reports of injuries.   The Coast Guard will investigate the incident.