The 'YM Pioneer' ran aground on the night of April 23, 2024, at the height of buoy 8, in the outer area of the access channel to the Port of Bahía Blanca, en route to Port Klang with a cargo of corn. The vessel was obstructing the navigation channel, prompting the Coastguard to restrict the traffic between buoy 11 and buoy 1. Initial efforts during the morning high tide to refloat the ship by the tugs 'Tocanado', 'Ona Paz' and 'Svitzer Endeavour' failed. Another attempt was to be made during the next high tide which was expected in the afternoon. After the ship moved on April 24, as of April 25, the ship was stationary in pos. 39° 05.40' N 061° 47.64' W. The grounding was caused by a navigational error.
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ELBE 3
At the Bredo Shipyard in Bremerhaven, a 43-year-old man was seriously injured in a fall on the 'Elbe 3' on the morning of April 22, 2024, which was docked in the fishing port. The worker fell five meters onto the upper deck of the ship for reasons that wree still unclear. The victim received medical care at the scene of the accident. He was then transported to the ground using a rescue basket and a crane from the local company. Height rescuers from the fire department were also on duty. The man was taken to a hospital.
HOEJESTENE
The 'Højestene' slipped off a dock on April 21, 2024, at the J. Ring-Andersen Shipyard in Svendborg. After the accident, the ferry docked at Petersen & Sørensen, where it could be ascertained that in addition to visible damage to the bow flap, there was also damage to the hull and one rudder. As a result of the further inspection on the morningof April 23, as well as reasonable demands from the Danish Maritime Authority for inspection, the inspection and repair time had to be extended. The return was postponed to the 5.30 p.m. departure from Svendborg on April 29. Until then, the route was covered by the ferry 'Helge', which cannot carry cars.
JOANNE MARIE
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released an investigation report on April 8, 2024, on the flooding and partial sinking of the 'Joanne Marie' on June 25, 2023, in New Orleans, Louisiana, which was found partially submerged while moored at a shipyard on the Harvey Canal at6 a.m. There were no crewmembers or shipyard workers on board the vessel. An estimated 10 gallons of diesel fuel were released into the water. Damage to the vessel was $176,751. Analysis After the vessel was refloated, no water ingress into any vessel spaces was found, indicating the hull condition did not contribute to the flooding. Postcasualty testing found that, when water was pumped into the through-hull pipe for the propulsion shaft seals’ cofferdam overboard discharge, it entered the cofferdam, which was open to the engine room. The shaft seal cofferdam discharge system had two bilge pumps whose discharges combined into a single overboard line. The discharge lines had valves installed to prevent water ingress. After the casualty, investigators found that a wire nut had lodged in a spring-loaded check valve on the starboard-side bilge pump discharge line, obstructing the valve and forcing it to remain partially open (the swing-type check valve on the portside bilge pump worked properly). Investigators could not determine how the wire nut had entered the cofferdam. The wire nut may have been inadvertently dropped or fallen into the cofferdam when the deck plate covering the cofferdam was removed for regular maintenance. The Coast Guard and company representatives found that the wire nut was small enough to pass through the cofferdam bilge pump inlet strainer, so when the cofferdam bilge pump activated, the wire nut was pulled through the strainer and subsequently the pump impeller and discharge line before reaching the spring-loaded check valve. The spring-loaded design of the check valve held the wire nut in place, leaving the valve in a partially open position and susceptible to backflow. The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the flooding and partial sinking of the 'Joanne Marie' was the ingress of water into the engine room through a through-hull pipe located near the waterline due to an obstructed spring-loaded check valve on a cofferdam bilge pump discharge. Contributing to the sinking were inadequate procedures for securing unattended vessels. Full report: https://safety4sea.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/NTSB-Partial-skinking-of-towing-vessel-Joanne-Marie-2024_04.pdf
MINERVA ANTONIA
The 'Minerva Antonia' ran aground en route to Agioi Theodori in laden condition on April 23, 2024, at 11.35 p.m. LT while departing from the Iskenderun Global Terminal. There was no damage or marine pollution, and the ship was refloated from the grounding position and moored in pos. 36° 50.13' N 036° 08.59' E under the coordination of Iskenderun Regional Port Authority for the necessary checks. Report with photo: https://www.bursadabugun.com/haber/yunanistan-bayrakli-urun-tankeri-karaya-oturdu-1708108.html