Casualty Week Apr 21

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Casualty Week Apr 21 Lloyd’s Casualty Week contains information from worldwide sources of Marine, Non-Marine and Aviation casualties together with other reports Lloyd's relevant to the shipping, transport and insurance communities CasualtyWeek April 21 2006 ‘Wicked collaboration’ by safety chiefs and owner blamed for Al Salam tragedy Egyptian parliamentary committee report says maritime safety authority colluded with owners to allow doomed ferry to operate, writes Rajesh Joshi — Friday April 21 2006 n Egyptian parliamentary The 1970-built, 11,779 gt ferry sank on Reuters noted. The water accumulated on investigation has concluded that February 3 while en route from Saudi deck after its crew tried to douse a fire A “wicked collaboration” between Arabia to Egypt. with hoses. Witnesses said that as the ship the shipowner and Egyptian maritime The shipowning company, owned by listed, all the water shifted to one side of authorities resulted in the deaths of Mamdouh Ismail, a member of the upper the deck, making it increasingly unstable. more than 1,000 passengers when the house appointed by Mr Mubarak, was The deck had plenty of drains 20 cm in ferry Al Salam Boccaccio 98 sank in castigated on several fronts, including the diameter that should have sufficed to February, . use of forged documents to hide safety clear the water, the report noted. The report, compiled by a 23-member deficiencies, and defective and But the report’s main thrust is towards parliamentary committee, has stopped insufficient life-saving gear. systemic failures, including the short of blaming Egyptian President Mr Ismail, who is understood to be government allowing Mr Ismail to leave Hosni Mubarak and his military staying in London after the tragedy, has the country before stripping him of his command. steadfastly maintained his company’s parliamentary immunity, a slothful rescue However, by implying collusion innocence. In a newspaper advertisement operation where the first Egyptian ships between the Egyptian Authority on in the semi-official Egyptian newspaper reached the sinking site some 70 km Maritime Safety and shipowner, Al Salam this month, he declared that the ship was offshore only 10 hours after the incident, certified by its insurer to have all Maritime Transport Co, the report has and a lackadaisical attitude towards necessary equipment. scuttled the government’s effort to pin the relations of victims trying to ascertain The parliamentary committee, blame entirely on the ferry’s captain, who their fate. however, concluded that the Egyptian has not been accounted for after the While the report’s theme of cronyism maritime safety authority was “aware” of casualty. and corruption has provided ammunition the ship’s shortcomings, but “colluded” In an outpouring of outrage consistent with the owner to allow the ferry to to opposition politicians, including those with the raw nerve that the casualty operate while evading “minimum” safety from the Muslim Brotherhood, it also touched in the nation, the report’s authors requirements. buttressed human rights advocates’ have vowed to “beat with an iron fist on According to a Reuters report based on criticism of the ferry being overcrowded. everyone who allowed himself (sic) to an inspection of the findings, the report Opposition politicians interviewed in tamper with the standards, laws and rules said accumulation of water on the car Western media expressed scepticism that for the sake of cheap worldly gains, even deck caused by blocked drains was one of anyone would be prosecuted. But the if the cost was to kill people, drowning the direct reasons for the ship listing and report’s authors have vowed not to let go, and destroying the lives of many Egyptian then sinking. having recommended that authorities families and spreading calamity and This version is consistent with show “no mercy to those who corrupted catastrophe across Egypt”. recordings on the ship’s “black box”, the [safety authority]”. EDITOR Stephen Legall Tel +44 020 7017 5228 SUBSCRIPTIONS: ADVERTISEMENTS Scott Magrowski Mike Smith Tel: +44 (0) 20 7017 4720 Tel +44 (0) 20 7017 4488 Fax: +44 (0) 20 7017 5007 Fax +44 (0) 20 7017 5007 Email: email [email protected] [email protected] Lloyd's is the registered trade mark of the Society incorporated by the Lloyd's Act 1871 by the name of Lloyd's A complete online archive covering the last 10 years of Lloyd’s Casualty Week. For further information please call +44 (0) 20 7017 4779. Summary of Major Cases in this week’s issue of Lloyd’s Casualty Week Vessel Type Flag Class G T DWT Blt Casualty CAPE HOPE supply USA AB 1,489 — 1999 Struck drilling rig GSF Arctic 001 in Green Canyon Block 243, in lat 27 43.154N, long 90 47.877W, Apr 9. Lodged against rig. Vessel and rig damaged. Freed same day by another vessel. Proceeded to Bollinger Shipyard, Larose, for repairs. EASTERN general PHL NK 6,182 7,707 1985 In collision with general cargo Tsugaru Maru CHALLENGER off Sunosaki lighthouse, Tateyama, Apr 13. Subsequently sank in lat 25 02.5N, long 139 45.9E. All 25 crew rescued. IVS HUNTER bulker PAN NK 19,712 31,812 2001 Struck dock at Mile Marker 92, River Mississippi, Apr 8. Sustained 20-ft-by-5-ft gash in hull above waterline. Anchored nearby awaiting Class report. Damage to dock estimated in excess of $100,000. JADRANKA ferry HRV HV 216 — 1955 Reported Apr 12 sustained massive damage after striking rocks while entering port at Crveni Otok Island in bad weather. Rescue workers pumped water out to prevent vessel sinking. JOYCE L. tug USA — 1,179 — — Reported Apr 10 vessel lost 2 of its 4 rudders VANENKEVORT in the Saginaw River, near Saginaw. Divers unable to locate rudders. Sailed to Escanaba under own power. New rudders to be installed at Escanaba. MAERSK container DEU GL 50,644 62,400 1996 Reported adrift with engine trouble in lat 35 DRESDEN 52N, long 152 51E, Apr 7. Awiting tug, which ETA on scene Apr 10. Still drifting in bad weather Apr 11. Tug on scene, waiting to take vessel in tow. Under tow Apr 12. REY DE tug MEX GL 342 215 1988 Grounded near Manzanillo Mar 31. Still COLIMAN aground Apr 10, and salvage services being rendered under LOF dated Apr 7. Damage believed minimal as vessel aground on sand. SINAR DEMAK general SGP (AB) 2,646 4,000 — Had explosion on board Apr 7 while under ABS construction at Surabaya. Seven workers injured. Cause under investigation. STAR MARINER container KOR KR 9,522 13,007 2005 Collided with tug Wanwang 428 near Wusongkou port, Shanghai area, Apr 10. Heavy fog in area. Reported Apr 11 in good condition and detained for investigation. THE ADMIRAL tug USA — 461 296 1958 Touched bottom at Mile Marker 3, Vermillion River, near Intracoastal City, Mar 31 while pushing 4 empty barges. Port fuel tank ruptured. An estimated 1,500 gallons of fuel oil leaked into river. Vessel beached to minimise discharge. TOPPY 4 hydrofoil JPN — 281 — 1979 Struck inidentified object, possibly a whale, in Kagoshima prefecture Apr 9. Over 100 people injured, 43 of whom hospitalised. Vessel damaged and towed to Yamakawa. Investigation under way. VOLGO-BALT 211 general RUS RS 2,457 3,180 1978 Grounded at Ellekilde Hage, in lat 56 04.5N, long 12 30E, Apr 13. Aground 40 metres off shore. Master to be fined for not reporting grounding. (ii) CONTENTS The following reports are reprinted from Lloyd’s List Reports appear in alphabetical Ismail, a member of the upper house order under the following of parliament. The cabinet statement headings and relevant page number: said the investigation was not yet complete, and copies of the contents of the voice recorder have gone to the Marine, including Overdue public prosecutor and a committee of & Missing Vessels 1 inquiry. - Egyptian human rights activists have slammed compensation Piracy 1 1 AL MANARA (St. Kitts-Nevis) offered to survivors and families of Al London, Apr 12 — A press report, Salam Boccaccio 98 victims as dated today, states: Later this week, inadequate. According to local media Port State Control 1 2 the Indian Navy will bring home 10 reports, the owner has promised the Indians who were stranded in families of victims $26,170 each and Seychelles for over six months after Seizures & Arrests 1 4 survivors $2,617 each. Lawyers acting their employer disowned them along on their behalf maintain that the size with the ship. An Indian naval ship, of the payments do not take into Earthquakes 1 6 returning from a military diplomacy account individual needs of families or mission from Mauritius, docked cover losses caused by the deaths of Weather & Navigation 1 4 briefly at Port Victoria, Seychelles, to migrant workers. But activists have take on board the Indian sailors. commended recent government General cargo Al Manara had 21 Earthquakes 1 6 promises of additional financial crewmembers, of whom 10 were assistance. Following a presidential Indians. While on the high seas, decree, victims’ families will be given Political & Civil Unrest 1 6 pirates ransacked it. The ship later $6,316 each, while survivors will developed engine trouble and receive $3,158 each. Labour Disputes 2 1 abandoned its original route and made it to Port Victoria. Faced with the prospects of repairing the ship and ALPENA (U.S.A.) London, Apr 7 — A press report, Awards & Settlements 2 3 paying the crew for a task not dated Apr 5, states: Tug vessels spent complete, the owner washed his hands several minutes freeing cement of the matter. As the Indians were Railway Accidents 2 3 Alpena (8018 gt, built 1942) that ran low-level workers and not paid for aground in the Saginaw River after months, they were stranded in delivering its cargo about noon, Miscellaneous 2 4 Seychelles with no money to pay for yesterday, witnesses said.
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