The 80 meter long self-propelled barge St. Michael collided with the 86 meter long self-propelled Inga R. on the Mittelland Canal near Braunschweig, Germany. The two vessels struck head-on and both suffered significant damage. The bow of the St. Michael was crushed and a small amount of oil was released. Authorities were able to place booms around the St. Michael to contain any pollution released. No reports of injuries on either vessel. Reports state traffic was halted for several hours on the canal. The water police has detained both vessel while conducting an investigation into the incident. Damage to both vessels was estimated to be around 80 000 Euros.
The 42 foot long crew ship Sea Raider allided with with a wellhead on Lake Grande Ecaille Bay near Port Sulphur, Louisiana. The Sea Raider struck the inactive wellhead releasing some oily pollution into the shallow water. The Coast Guard responded sending skimmer vessels to the scene while containment booms around the well. Reports state less than a 1000 gallons of oil are spilling out of the well per day, but nearby oyster beds were closed. No reports of injuries on the Sea Raider.
On March 16, 2011, the 75,300 dwt freighter MS Oliva went aground off Nightingale Island which is part the South Atlantic Islands of Tristan da Cunha. The Oliva was bound for Singapore from Santos, Brazil with a cargo of soya beans when it struck a rocky outcrop and firmly aground. The initial grounding caused damage to 4 ballast tanks. All 22 crewmen on board the Oliva were safely rescued by the fishing vessel Edinburgh and cruise ship MS Prince Albert II. Salvage attempt was remotely possible as the nearest salvage team would have to travel from Cape Town, South Africa which was a 5 day voyage. A few days later, the weather worsen with heavy swells causing the vessel to break-in-two.
When the MV Oliva broke up it released some 1,600 tons of heavy fuel oil along with its cargo of soya beans into the waters surrounding Nightingale Island. Reports stated thousands of Northern Rockhopper penguins became coated in the pollution. The efforts to save these birds can be found in this is book.
Photo: abc.net.au
Photo: abc.net.au
Photo: abc.net.au
Photo: abc.net.au
Two years later, the lifeboat from the MV Oliva washes ashore in South Australia. The lifeboat survived some 12,000 kilometers from Nightingale Island across the southern oceans. Besides some damage to the seats on board, the 7 meter long lifeboat remained intact.
Two barges pushed by the 90 foot long tugboat Nature’s Way Endeavor struck a railway bridge over the Mississippi River near Vicksburg, Mississippi. One barge suffered slight damage, but the other had its hull ripped open above the waterline. One of eight tanks each holding 80,000 gallons of light crude oil was punctured and leaked oil into the river. The amount of oil released was unknown. A containment boom was place across part of the river downstream from the barge. Skimmers have been deployed to clean up oily water from the river. No reports of damage to the railroad bridge and traffic was allowed to resume a short time later. No reports of injuries. The Coast Guard has launched an investigation into the incident.
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