On 14th March a 17,000 cubic metre capacity ethylene carrier under construction at Sinopacific Offshore & Engineering’s Qidong Fengshun Shipyard caught fire. The local fire brigade sent around a dozen appliances to the scene and managed to extinguish the fire out in two hours. According to local media, the ship was in the final stage of construction. Sinopacific offshore had received the order for four 17,000 cubic metre ethylene carriers from Odfjell gas in October 2013. Deliveries were scheduled between October 2015 and May 2016. The 15,487gt/2006 built feeder containership.

TS Taipei ran aground on 10th March when she lost propulsion and has since sustained a major rupture in her hull creating a serious risk of capsizing off Shimen, Taiwan. The ship could not be salvaged due to inclement weather conditions. The authorities managed to pump out some of the vessel’s diesel fuel since the grounding, however, the TS Taipei still has 242 cubic metres of fuel, 37.5 cubic metres of lubricants and 35 cubic metres of waste water, as well as 614 containers aboard. The ship, managed by TS lines, initially suffered breaches in the aft hull section while one of her fuel tanks was damaged, causing an oil spill in the area. Following the incident, the vessel’s 21 crew members were airlifted by Taiwan Coast guard’s helicopter and there were no reports of injuries to the crew. The 20,615 dwt vessel had been en-route from Taiwan’s Keelung to Taichung.

The 31,385gt/2006 built Sparna ran aground while transiting the Columbia River near Cathlamet, Washington on 21st March (above). The grounding caused multiple fractures in the hull but damage was contained to two flooded compartments. The Sparna was fully loaded with grain in her cargo holds, and was carrying 218,380 gallons of high sulphur fuel and 39,380 gallons of marine diesel. Two tugs, the PJ Brix and Pacific Escort, attended the scene to help maintain her position. The Columbia River waterway remained open to all traffic whilst the Sparna was refloated and anchored in the vicinity. Reports suggest the incident was caused by the ship inexplicably straying beyond the navigable channel.

On 22nd March the 82m long 1,598gt/1993 built Selvaagsund ran aground off Sumarsøyna, Norway (above). The Selvaagsund was bound for Rostock from Florø with a cargo of gravel when she ran hard aground at low tide. The Selvaagsund suffered hull damage with a hole in the bow and two ballast tanks. The vessel developed a list to port, but was in no danger of capsizing. The eight crewmembers on board were able to bring the flooding under control before authorities arrived a few hours later. Divers surveyed the vessel for damage with no reports of injuries or pollution released. On 27th March the master of the 2,978gt/2010 built Dutch general cargo vessel Abis Bergen found himself in serious trouble after his ship veered off course, ran aground and blocked the entrance of the German port of Rostock. The Master was taken in by police having been found to be drunk. The 85m long ship was damaged in the accident but was eventually re-floated and towed clear of the port entrance. The ship’s captain is now facing charges for ‘endangering naval traffic’ and piloting the ship despite being ‘absolutely unfit for duty’.