On the evening of April 22, 2024, the 'Xin Rong Hai 1' allided with a guard pier under the Jiujiang Bridge on the G240 National Highway in South China's Guangdong Province. The ship, carrying over 4,900 tonnes of rolled steel, was sailing from Fuzhou, Fujian Province, to the city of Heshan, Guangdong, when it hit the base of a pillar of the Jiujiang Bridge at 9:20 p.m. The cargo hold started taking on water. The ship later ran aground and finally sank at around 11:40 p.m. There were a total of 11 crew members on board, seven of whom were rescued and four missing. As of 9:00 a.m. on April 23, the local government had coordinated maritime, fishery and social rescue forces in dispatching 32 vessels and more than 400 personnel to participate in SAR efforts. Experts quickly conducted a preliminary assessment of the bridge and found no obvious damage to the main structure. However, there were abrasions on the pillar -- requiring further safety assessments. After preliminary investigations, the accident was determined to have been caused by operating error resulting from flood. Traffic police have implemented traffic control for both directions of the Jiujiang Bridge on the G240 National Highway from 6 a.m. on April 23 to 6 a.m. on April 24. The maritime department has implemented navigation control, with all vessels prohibited from entering the three-kilometer water area upstream and downstream of the bridge, except for emergency rescue boats. Passing vessels were advised to detour. Reports with photos: https://english.news.cn/20240423/dee1d7dccf6948ff9245836174c7ca46/c.html https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202404/23/WS6627586ba31082fc043c3822.html
News
HUNTER
The police have identified the body, which was found in the trawl of the trawler 'Kongsfjord' on April 12, 2024. On April 22 the police stated that it was Latvian Romans Solovjovs (38), who was found south-east of Svalbard. The next of kin have been notified. There was no final autopsy report, but the cause of death was stated to be drowning. The Havøy Kystfiske was grateful for the discovery of Solojovs and expressed their thanks for the efforts of the crew of the trawler for finding and bringing the deceased ashore. They hoped that this finding would give the police the answers they need to close the investigation, and bring some form of closure to the Solovjovs' family. Solovjovs was reported missing to the police following a report of a man overboard on the snow crab vessel "Hunter" off Svalbard on Jan 30, 2023. According to the accident report from February 2023, Solovjovs fell overboard while preparing the rails. Following the accident, the Accident Investigation Board notified the Norwegian Maritime Directorate of what they believed to be safety-critical conditions on board. As a result, the ship was detained in Tromsø until orders from the Norwegian Maritime Directorate were rectified. In that connection, all certificates were confiscated and declared invalid due to serious security discrepancies. The background was precisely the fatal accident. Owner Jøran Helde in Havøy Kystfiske, who owns the vessel, complained about this decision from the directorate. He then stated that the shipping company disagreed with a large number of findings in the audit report, and that it was therefore appealed. The case has not been finally decided. The ship remained docked in Ålesund. The shipping company had to pay half a million Norwegian crowns after it was discovered that the ship had too many foreign employees in the crew.
NIEUW STATENDAM
The 'Nieuww Statendam', en route from Rotterdam to Funchal, requested the medical evacuation of a passenger with a possible stroke on April 23, 2024, about 91 nautical miles from A Coruña. The CCS Finisterre of Salvamento Marítimo mobilized the SAR helicopter Helimer 402. The patient was hoisted and taken Alvedro, where an ambulance was waiting for further transport to hospital.
KONGSFJORD
The police have identified the body, which was found in the trawl of the 'Kongsfjord'. On April 22 the police state dthat it was Latvian Romans Solovjovs (38), who was found south-east of Svalbard. The next of kin have been notified. There was no final autopsy report, but the cause of death was stated to be drowning. The Havøy Kystfiske was grateful for the discovery of Solojovs and expressed their thanks for the efforts of the crew of the trawler for finding and bringing the deceased ashore. They hoped that this finding would give the police the answers they need to close the investigation, and bring some form of closure to the Solovjovs' family. Solovjovs was reported missing to the police following a report of a man overboard on the snow crab vessel "Hunter" off Svalbard on Jan 30, 2023. According to the accident report from February 2023, Solovjovs fell overboard while preparing the rails. Following the accident, the Accident Investigation Board notified the Norwegian Maritime Directorate of what they believed to be safety-critical conditions on board. As a result, the ship was detained in Tromsø until orders from the Norwegian Maritime Directorate were rectified. In that connection, all certificates were confiscated and declared invalid due to serious security discrepancies. The background was precisely the fatal accident. Owner Jøran Helde in Havøy Kystfiske, who owns the vessel, complained about this decision from the directorate. He then stated that the shipping company disagreed with a large number of findings in the audit report, and that it was therefore appealed. The case has not been finally decided. The ship remained docked in Ålesund. The shipping company had to pay half a million Norwegian crowns after it was discovered that the ship had too many foreign employees in the crew.
MFV OLIVIA GRACE
The Moelfre ALB was mobilized on April 21, 2024, at 12:35 p.m. to the 'Olivia Grace', whic hwas drifting approximately 12 miles North of Puffin Island towards the shipping lanes and following a Pan Pan urgency call from the Holyhead Coastguard. The lifeboat launched and was on scene within 25 minutes. Once on scene, it was discovered that the vessel's derricks were stuck in the down position and scallop dredges hanging approximately five meters beneath the surface. The ALB and crew stood by while the crew made several attempts to recover the fishing gear manually. Due to the sheer weight of the equipment, attempts to recover the dredges and stow the beams were unsuccessful. With the vessel in its current state and with the risk of fouling its gear on the seabed, towing to its home port of Porth Penrhyn was not feasible. The coxswain transferred a crew member to improve communications and requested that the vessel jettison the fishing gear and manually stow the large derricks. This request was denied as they didn't have the equipment onboard to cut or remove the wires from the winches or suitable equipment to mark the dredges for future recovery. As there was no immediate risk to life, and the vessel had full electrical power and all navigational aids for safety, it was deemed by Coxswain and Coastguard to be a commercial tow with specialist equipment required to remove the fishing gear and derricks. Following lengthy discussions between the Coastguard, Coxswain, and owners, it was agreed that the lifeboat would stand by and provide safety cover while commercial recovery options were discussed. If required, it would connect a tow should the situation change and the vessel drift into danger. Although there was no response from the coastguard's Pan Pan call, it was later discovered that the scalloper's sister vessel 'BS 89' was also working in the area. The owner later instructed the sister vessel to provide support and assistance. Once it arrived, they transferred some lifting equipment over with ropes and buoys to jettison the dredge. Following several hours of work, the fishing gear was lowered to the seabed. And the sister vessel connected a tow, while the crew of the trawler began work to manually recover the beams and derricks on their way back to Porth Penrhyn. Once safely underway, the Coastguard released the lifeboat and crew after eight hours at sea. Report with photos: https://rnli.org/news-and-media/2024/april/23/rnli-moelfre-eight-hours-at-sea-to-assist-fishing-vessel