Shipwreck Log

photo: theobserver.ca

The 43 meter long United States Coast Guard icebreaker tugboat Bristol Bay suffered a fire while on the St. Clair River near Sarnia, Ontario, Canada.   The fire started in the Bristol Bay’s smoke stack while the vessel was conducting a training exercise.   The vessel dropped anchor while the crew sprayed water into the stack until the blaze was extinguished.  No reports of injuries and the vessel suffered only minimal damage.  The Bristol Bay primary responsibility is opening and maintaining shipping lanes in the Great Lakes.

The 190 meter long, 39768 dwt tanker Santa Ana suffered an explosion while undergoing repairs at Bremerhaven, Germany.   The explosion  in the engine room injured 11 people who suffered burns or broken bones.  Three workers suffered severe burns and were flown to nearby hospitals.   The workers and crew closed off entrances to the engine room and engaged the CO2 fire suppressing system preventing the fire spreading to other sections of the vessel.   The local fire brigade arrived and quickly extinguished the blaze.

The 221 meter long, 41850 dwt container ship Cap Norte caught fire near Mangalore, India.  The fire started in one of the cargo containers loaded with chemicals.   The vessel contacted authorities in Mumbai for assistance.  When a rescue craft reached the scene, the crew had already extinguished the blaze.   No reports of injuries or pollution being released.

A fire broke out on the 95 meter long, 3911 dwt research vessel Aurora Australis while berthed at Hobart, Tasmania.  The fire started in the laundry when a towel overheated and caught fire in a dryer.  The local fire brigade was called to the scene and quickly extinguished the blaze.  Reports state there was minimal damage and no injuries.

The 222 meter long, 34752 dwt bulk freighter Algoma Discovery caught fire while docked at Hamilton, Ontario.  The fire started with the electrical in a service tunnel.   Firefighters were unable to get to the fire so they the flooded the tunnel extinguishing the blaze.  No reports of injuries or pollution being released.

Related articles

• Firefighters battle fire inside ship at Pier 22 (ideas.typepad.com)
• Algoma Discovery (shipwrecklog.com)

The 31 meter long tugboat Al Deebel suffered an explosion and fire while off Qatar.  The tug was doing maintenance on a buoy that allowed liquid natural gas to be pumped into tankers when the buoy exploded.   Seven people on the Al Deebel were killed in the explosion with another four injured.   Only one crewman escaped unharmed.   The tug caught fire, but was able to be extinguished.   The tug was taken under tow back to Qatar where it will be inspected.   Authorities and the owners of the tug are conducting an investigation into the incident.