On 16th September the 152 meter long, 21,780 dwt cement carrier Divine Success (above) caught fire while berthed in Tanjung Priok, Indonesia. She had arrived from Sukabumi with a cargo of bulk cement when a fire started in the engine room. The crew alerted local authorities who requested three fire brigades to the harbour. Helped by two tugboats, the fire fighters were able to extinguish the blaze several hours later.

The 1,213gt/1984 built Turkish general cargo vessel Murat Hacibekiroglu II, owned by Hacibekiroglu Denizcilik of Istanbul, sank in the Mediterranean Sea, northwest of Cyprus, on 19th September. As with similar casualties, the ageing ship was laden with cement and sank one hour after the vessel’s Master issued a distress call, stating that the engine room was taking on water. The crew of 10 were rescued by the 30,047gt/2002 built containership Electra A.

The Port of London Authority issued a statement on 6th October confirming the tragic death of one of its pilots on the night of 5th October at around 6.10pm. The pilot was involved in an accident in Gravesend Reach while boarding the 2,823gt/1993 built general cargo ship Sunmi operated by Norwegian firm Misje Rederi. The PLA said that the teams on duty, emergency services and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution all attended the scene and did all they could to save the pilot, but the pilot passed away.

On 22nd September came the news that authorities in Mozambique had detained 15 Indian seafarers suspected of trying to scuttle their ship for an insurance claim. The 3,999gt/1987 built reefer Spring Bay (above), owned by Aquachart of Latvia, was scheduled to head from Mozambique to India for her final voyage for scrapping. However, the crew alerted authorities in Mozambique that the ship’s engines had failed, something the local Administrator questioned as the ship was clearly still underway. It is now believed that the crew were told to try and scuttle the vessel off the African coastline in order to claim around $2 million in insurance.

Over the weekend of 24th/25th September the 7,393gt/2009 built Turkish general cargo ship Mustafa Kan sank in the Mediterranean Sea around 25 nautical miles southeast off Sicily. The vessel, owned and operated by Kanlar Denizcilik, was en-route from Dakar to Sibenik loaded with fertilizer ammonium phosphate, but started taking on water. All 16 crewmembers abandoned the vessel into a life boat and were later rescued by Italian Coast Guard.

The 25,400gt/2005 built and 40,263dwt tanker Burgos (above), operated by Mexican state oil company Pemex, caught fire in the Gulf of Mexico on 24th September. The fire engulfed the ship after an explosion aboard whilst she was underway to the port of Coatzacoalcos carrying 80,000 barrels of diesel, 71,000 barrels of unleaded petrol, and 16,000 barrels of desulfurized petrol. All 31 crewmembers managed to escape and get back to shore safely. The Port Authority of Veracruz sent four firefighting tugs to combat the fire and the local navy also joined operations. After the fire was extinguished, the operator of the vessel, the Mexican stateowned petroleum company Mexican Petroleums (Pemex), embarked upon efforts to stabilise the ship, whilst an investigation would be launched to determine the exact cause of the incident.

On 3rd October the 52,994dwt bulk carrier Star Zeta (above) ran aground on the Parana River near San Pedro, Argentina. Local authorities dispatched divers to survey the vessel. Salvage operations have begun while authorities investigate the incident.