Tag: ferries

More than 20 people are still missing Rescuers have recovered eight bodies from a ferry that sank after it collided with an oil tanker in a river near Bangladesh's capital, a police official said Thursday. Local media said more than 20 people were still missing.Local police official Shahidul Islam said the M.V. Madinar Alo sank late Wednesday on the River Shitalakkhya near Char Muktapur while it was moving toward Narayanganj district from neighboring Chandpur district.Islam would not say if there was any missing. ATN Bangla television station reported at least 22 people remained missing on Thursday.The official said a salvage ship recovered the sunken ferry overnight and they called off their search.Ferry accidents, mainly blamed on overloading and lax rules, are common in Bangladesh, a South Asian delta nation with more than 230 rivers.Source: AP

102 people rescued The U.S. Coast Guard has rescued 98 passengers and four crew members who were aboard a ferry that ran aground in the U.S. Virgin Islands.Coast Guard spokesman Ricardo Castrodad says five people were injured after the Royal Miss Belmar struck a reef near the island of St. Thomas late Monday.Castrodad said in a statement Tuesday that the agency is helping investigate what caused the incident, and will help remove the ferry, which remains afloat.Source: ABC News

Poor weather and staff illness Poor weather and staff illness have affected almost 800 ferry passengers waiting for sailings.The Interislander line was forced on Wednesday to cancel 10 Cook Strait crossings and did not expect the Kaitaki to sail until Monday morning.But late yesterday, a ship's master became available, allowing the Kaitaki to resume sailing today.Interislander general manager Thomas Davis said its whole fleet had been affected by high waves, though some passengers who were due to sail on the Kaitaki sailed on the Arahura yesterday afternoon.Bluebridge ferries continued to sail.A union representing ferry staff said there was more to the Interislander staffing problems than sickness. Merchant Service Guild secretary Helen McAra said: "The simple fact is they don't have enough people."We have about 50 of our people with the Interislander. Three deck officers resigned in the past month. They need to look at recruitment. We're happy to work with them on that."Mr Davis said staffing was not a deciding factor in the cancellations.Air passengers also found themselves struggling to get out of Wellington yesterday as both Jetstar and Qantas cancelled all flights to and from Wellington, Queenstown and Christchurch as the Chilean volcanic ash cloud returned.Air New Zealand continued ...