The 3,800 DWT general cargo ship Isla Bartolome, operated by Ecuador’s Transportes Navieros Ecuatorianos (Transnave) and under contract with the navy, ran aground at coast of Isla Puna Island in Ecuador while en route to Galapagos Island carrying 160 containers of merchandise goods and foods.
The incident happened shortly after leaving Guayaquil. The cargo ship stuck in reef and suffered breaches of the hull, followed by massive water ingress and partial submerging, media report.
The accident was reported to the local authorities, coast guard and navy, who initiated salvage operations to unload and transport the containers from the ship before activities were launched to refloat the ship.
Scene tugs and rescue boats were sent too in order to evacuate the crew of the cargo ship due to immediate danger of capsizing. Luckily, there have been no injuries reported to the ship’s crew. However, the condition of the vessel is serious.
