On April 16, one of the 10 still missing crew members of the 'Hong Hai 16', which had capsized with 25 crew members, among them 13 Filipinos and 12 Chinese nationals on board, was found lifelessin the waters of Barangay Malaawan, bringing the death toll to two. At approximately 2:30 p.m., Coast Guard divers located and recovered the lifeless body of a 22-year-old Filipino crew member from the bridge area of the vessel. The body was turned over to authorities. Another body was recovered from the capsized ship the same day, bringing the total number of fatalities to three. The victim has not been identified. In the frame of the SAR operation and environmental response, the BRP 'Malabrigo (MRRV 4402)' has arrived at the site to assist with the ongoing operations. oreover, surface search efforts in the vicinity were conducted by Coast Guard Sub-Station Sablayan personnel, while the Special Operations Group held an underwater inspection and search operation. The vessel was found grounded on the seabed. During the underwater inspection, Special Operations Unit Southern Tagalog divers conducted a thorough survey of the amidships section of the wreck. Search efforts were immediately intensified to verify the possible presence of a survivor. Currently, nine crew members remained missing, comprising three Chinese nationals and six Filipinos. The capsized ship has been surrounded by 250 metres of oil spill booms as a precaution,, after a light oil sheen was observed, accompanied by a noticeable marine diesel odor. The vessel was carrying an estimated 2,000 liters of lube oil and 30 tons of automotive diesel oil. The ship’s owner and operator have been formally instructed by the PCG to remove the ship by hiring an accredited salvor. The PCG has also conducted an underwater survey and is currently assessing all potential risks, such as debris obstruction, poor visibility, adverse weather, and underwater cliffs, before proceeding with operations. Report with photo: https://www.philstar.com/nation/2025/04/17/2436737/owner-capsized-ship-occidental-mindoro-told-start-vessel-extraction
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AVISO
At the quay in Kapelle-op-den-Bos, a pipe burst during cargo operations of the 'Aviso', carrying cement, causing a cloud of cement to be released on April 16, 2025, at around 9 a.m.The accident occurred at the Etex factory, formerly Eternit, on the Brussels-Scheldt-Maritime Canal. The fine cement dust spread around the ship and settled on various locations in the centre of the municipality. The center of Kapelle-op-den-Bos was also affected. Cement has also ended up on the ship itself. This must be removed too, but first and foremost everything was being done to prevent the cement from ending up in the water of the cana. In order to coordinate the emergency services, the municipal disaster plan was announced, which was lifted just before 2 p.m. There were no injuries, one person was taken to hospital for a check-up, but has since been released. Etex immediately took the necessary action, and the competent services were on site and are monitoring the situation. The remaining cement residue formed a fine layer and was mainly located at the West dike up to the Borms St. on the bridge and in the Karel Muyldermanslaan. The civil protection and fire brigade sprayed the cement on the public domain with water, so that it flowed into the public sewer. It esd requested to clean areas and materials on private property with water. Tesidents were asked to ensure that the cement does not come into contact with their skin or eyes. It was recommended to use appropriate protective equipment such as a face mask and gloves when spraying away, which were made available at the reception of the administrative centre. Anyone living in the area who has suffered any damage as a result of the incident or whose car was parked in the impacted streets can report this to Etex via, Bo.huberland@etexgroup.com, Silke.mons@etexgroup.com or 015 71 77 20. Reports with photos: https://www.hln.be/kapelle-op-den-bos/leidingbreuk-tijdens-lossen-vrachtschip-veroorzaakt-cementwolk-in-centrum-kapelle-op-den-bos~ab480572/ https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20250416_94062442 https://www.kapelle-op-den-bos.be/incident-16-april-2025
WAN XIANG 699
The 'Hong Hai 16' ex 'Wan Xiang 699', started to tip over amid moderate sea conditions and capsized on April 15, at 5:20 p.m. off Barangay Malawaan in Rizal, Occidental Mindoro. The ship, carrying 7,400 cubic meters of sand, was preparing to depart for Manila with a cargo of sand at 4:30 p.m., when it suddenly tilted during the turning manoever and then toppled over with10 people on board, among them seven Filipinos and three Chinese nationals, who went missing. The Philippine Coast Guard Sub-Station in San Jose, the Special Operations Unit and the Marine Environmental Protection Enforcement Response Group in Southern Tagalog launched an SAR operation. The dredger was drifting bottom up, with possible personnel trapped inside the engine room. The sand carrier vessel, operated by the Keen Peak Corporation, had 25 crew members on board, composed of 13 Filipinos and 12 Chinese nationals. Six Filipinos and eight Chinese crew members survived the accident, while one Chinese national was declared dead on arrival at San Jose District Hospital. The Coast Guard was also coordinating with the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office to prepare for potential environmental impacts, considering the deployment of oil booms. The PCG unit in Sablayan has dispatched an additional response team to support the operations. The PCG was checking underwater conditions and preparing for diving operations and cutting work. The SAR operation was going on on April 16. Reports with photo and video: https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2025/4/16/authorities-recover-another-body-from-ship-that-capsized-off-occidental-mindoro-1529 https://www.philstar.com/nation/2025/04/16/2436473/search-ongoing-7-filipinos-3-chinese-after-vessel-capsizes-occidental-mindoro https://www.bairdmaritime.com/security/incidents/accidents/one-dead-ten-missing-after-sand-carrier-capsizes-off-occidental-mindoro-philippines https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2025/4/16/authorities-recover-another-body-from-ship-that-capsized-off-occidental-mindoro-1529 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwPlx-9ePnQ
COBRA
On Aprl 15, nearly 70 people, including families, colleagues of the fishermen and leaders of the Coronel area, boarded the Navy vessel "Janequeo" to travel to the area where the "Bruma" sank and bid farewell to the seven fishermen who have been missing since March 30. This followed the Navy's decision on April 14 to suspend the search for the seven fishermen after 17 days. They are the skipper José Luis Medel Sepúlveda, José Luis Medel González, his son Juan Jorge Muñoz Balladares, José Fernando Carrasco González, Julio Eduardo Gallardo Díaz, Carlos Hugo Escárate Ramírez and Jonathan Daniel Torres Saldaña. At the site, near the bay of Santa María Island, an ecumenical ceremony was being held aboard the "Janequeo" to bid farewell to the missing fishermen. to pay tribute of reverence and respect to them. The Biobío Prosecutor's Office is leading the investigation targeting the Blumar's "Cobra" and its crew as responsible for the accident. The Executive Branch has also filed a complaint for homicide. Meanwhile, the fishermen's families also filed a complaint for the same crime, in addition to the failure to provide assistance against the captain of the "Cobra". In response to the incident, the crew of the 'Cobra' publsihed a public statement, stated that they were "deeply saddened by the loss of our colleagues, because we are only now in a position to do so. We had not been able to express our pain before.” The crew members acknowledged that they felt stigmatized after the sinking of the 'Bruma', noting that “several of us cannot go out into the streets because we are being pointed at not only as protagonists of the accident, but also as responsible for this tragedy. For us, life is the most valuable thing. Not only ours, but everyone's, especially that of hardworking people like us, with whom we share a profession we love.” Along with this, they reiterated that "we are actively cooperating with the investigation and trust that the causes of this unfortunate accident will be clearly established." Therefore, "we ask for respect for ourselves and, above all, for our families" until the cause of the 'Bruma' sinking is determined.
EAGLE S
Repair work on the subsea power line EstLink 2 that runs between Finland and Estonia and was damaged by the 'Eagle S', will start in May and is expected to return to commercial use on July 15, the Finnish power grid operator Fingrid said on April 16. A new cable was being installed on the seabed to replace the existing one over a distance of around one kilometer (0.62 miles). Implementing such extensive repair work has required detailed planning and necessitates a specially equipped vessel for the task. The work was being carried out by Nexans. After the incident, the Finnish authorities had seized the tanker, which was carrying Russian oil in the Baltic Sea, on suspicion it caused the outage of the undersea power cable as well as four internet lines.