A small tanker ran aground in the morning hours of Saturday, in a rocky shallow, while underway at the Aegean Sea, near the port of Gavrio, Andros Island, Greece, according to information provided by the Hellenic Coast Guard.
The salvage operation from the grounded bulk carrier ‘Solomon Trader’, which ran aground on 4 February at a Unesco World Heritage site in the Solomon Islands, completed over the weekend, but the oil spill is worse than first thought, its owner King Trader said.
Korea Protection and Indemnity Club (KP&I) appointed the American salvage company Resolve Marine to oversee the ‘Solomon Trader’ response in the Solomon Islands, in the South Pacific ocean. The Hong Kong-flagged bulk carrier ‘Solomon Trader’ was loading bauxite when it ran aground due to unexpected gale at Kangava Bay.
Reports claiming that the crewmembers of the Solomon Trader were absent from the ship during the grounding or intoxicated celebrating Chinese are not true, the owner of the ship notes. The MV Solomon Trader was loading bauxite when due to rough seas, it ran aground at Kangava Bay, Rennell Island, on 4 February. Now, there is a high risk that the rest of HFO on the vessel, which is estimated to be more than 600 tonnes, will be released into the surrounding area.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) issued an investigation report on the steering gear failure and grounding of the product/chemical tanker ‘Chem Norma’, off Morrisburg, Ontario, in 29 May 2018.
As Guardia Costiera posted, its crewmembers began removing fuel from the Turkish cargo vessel called ‘Efe Murat’ off Bari, Italy. Up to now, there have been no reports concerning pollution. Yet, it is alleged that the vessel has been holed in several places and is taking on water.
After contacting aerial assessments on the Solomon Trader, AMSA confirmed that the oil spill has started to disperse across the surrounding sea and shoreline. The oil expands five to six kilometres across the shore and is moving towards the East Rennell world heritage site. It also added that there is a high risk that the rest of HFO on the vessel, which is estimated to be more than 600 tonnes, will be released into the surrounding area.
The Turkish cargo ship Efe Murat, ran aground on a breakwater off Bari, Italy, continued listing since the incident on February 23. Up to now, there are no reports for water pollution. Yet, there’s a possibility that the 37 tonnes of oil aboard the vessel cold easily lead to fatal environmental results.
The Norwegian Maritime Authority informed that despite a slight decrease in the number of accidents in 2018, there was an increase in the number of fatalities. Specifically, ten people died in 2018, in comparison to seven in 2017. Seven of the fatalities in 2018 took place on fishing vessels. About half (53%) of fatal accidents over the last five years, are attributed to personal accidents.
Around 60 tonnes of oil has spilled from the bulker Solomon Trader, that ran aground on a coral reef in the Solomon Islands, on 4 February. The incident is already considered an environmental disaster, as well as the worst man-made natural disaster ever to hit the Solomon Islands. As of now, 600 tonnes more of oil are still on board the vessel.
