Wakashio Oil Spill Off Mauritius Turns Deadly As Tug Sinks — 3 Dead, 1 Missing

Posted on by September 2, 2020

The ongoing cleanup following the fuel oil spill from the grounded bulk carrier Wakashio off Mauritius turned deadly when a tug assisting in the effort sank after colliding with an oil barge. The tug Sir Gaetan Duval had a crew of 8. Four of the crew were rescued, 3 died, and 1 is still missing. 

There are conflicting reports about the barge status and condition, but it now appears that the barge was empty and remained afloat following the collision. Forbes reports that video taken by local fishermen on 1 September morning revealed the oil barge drifting unattached along the coast of Mauritius. There was no satellite anti-collision tracking transponder on the oil barge.

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SINKEX at RIMPAC, Goodbye to USS Durham

Posted on by September 1, 2020

SINKEX sounds to me like a drain cleaner and RIMPAC could be something for a spare tire. In fact, RIMPAC is an acronym for Rim of the Pacific Exercise, the world’s largest international maritime warfare exercise, held in biennially on even-numbered years. This year, the exercise involved ten nations, 22 ships, one submarine, and approximately 5,300 personnel. It was held Aug.17-31 near the Hawaiian Islands. The exercise was limited to offshore activities and represented a smaller fleet than in previous years due to the ongoing pandemic.  In comparison, RIMPAC 2010 involved 14 nations, thirty-two ships, five submarines, over 170 aircraft, and 20,000 personnel. 

One highlight of the exercises is SINKEX, an exercise to sink a naval ship. Continue reading →

Three Year Old Swept Out to Sea on a Unicorn, Rescued by Ferry

Posted on by August 31, 2020

This seems like a suitable post for an overcast Monday morning. In the town of Antirrio in southern Greece, a three-year-old girl climbed aboard a unicorn at the beach. The unicorn’s wings caught the wind and soon the little girl and the unicorn were swept out to sea, where they were rescued by a fairy. No, that last bit isn’t right. The girl and her unicorn were rescued by a ferry, or more specifically, a quick-thinking ferry captain. 

A slightly less fanciful version of the story would be that a three-year-old girl was on an inflatable unicorn “floaty,” meant primarily for pools, but often seen at lakes and ocean beaches. As reported by the New York Times, the wind grabbed hold of both the girl and the inflatable toy before her parents could react. Within moments, she was carried out to sea, adrift and alone, clinging to the unicorn’s neck.

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Superyacht Wheels — the Other Jerry Falwell Scandal

Posted on by August 30, 2020

Yacht Wheels

We recently posted about the arrest of Steven Bannon, ex-senior advisor to Trump, aboard Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui’s 152′ yacht, cruising in Long Island Sound. Earlier in August, another mega-yacht was central in an unfolding scandal that brought down yet another major Trump supporter.

In early August, a photo of Liberty University president, Jerry Falwell, began circulating on the internet. It showed Fallwell with his arm around a young woman who was not his wife. Falwell was holding a glass filled with a dark liquid. Both Falwell and the woman, who was later identified as Falwell’s wife’s personal assistant, had their pants unzipped. The photograph was reported to have been taken on board the 164′ luxury yacht, Wheels, owned by the billionaire NASCAR mogul Rick Hendrick.

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Banksy’s Rescue Boat Calls for Help

Posted on by August 29, 2020

The two items in the news appeared within hours of each other. The first, dated August 28, 17:09, was headlined, “Street artist Banksy funds pink boat to rescue migrants in the Mediterranean.” The second dated August 29, 5:45 AM was titled, “Banksy’s migrant rescue boat says overloaded, stranded at sea.”

The story behind the headlines is that the British street artist Banksy has funded a 31-meter boat to be used to rescue migrants in distress in the Mediterranean.  The boat is named Louise Michel, after a French feminist anarchist, and began operations last week. The former French Navy craft, daubed in pink and white, is captained by Pia Klemp and crewed by a team of rescue professionals from across Europe. 

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Photos of Bow of Bulker Wakashio Being Scuttled Off Mauritius

Posted on by August 28, 2020

Photo: Mauritius National Crisis Committee

The government of Mauritius announced last Monday that “the planned sinking of the stem (forward) section of the [bulk carrier Wakashio] has been completed and at around 3.30pm was no longer visible on the sea surface. While some sources referred to the location of the scuttling as a “mystery” in that no coordinates were provided in the government press release, video clips of the sinking gave the location as 20°22’57.183″S, 58°01’07.415″E, or roughly 14 nautical miles off the Mauritius coast in deep water.

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Did an Arsonist Torch the USS Bonhomme Richard?

Posted on by August 27, 2020

A fire broke out on the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard on July 12 while the ship was dockside at the Naval Base San Diego. Now, the Navy is investigating whether arson was the cause of the fire. A sailor from the ship is a prime suspect. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) are leading the investigation. No motive has been identified and no one has been charged.  

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Fire on Coast Guard Cutter Healy Disables Half of US Icebreaker Fleet

Posted on by August 26, 2020

US Coast Guard Cutter Healy, a medium icebreaker, is limping back to its homeport in Seattle after suffering a machinery space fire on Aug. 18, the Coast Guard announced on Tuesday. When the fire broke out, Healy was underway on a combined science and national security mission in the Arctic. The operation has been canceled.

“Healy was 60 nautical miles off of Seward, Alaska, en route to the Arctic when an electrical fire was reported at 9:30 p.m. A fire team disconnected the affected motor, and the fire was confirmed extinguished by 9:56 p.m. The cause of the fire is currently unknown,” read a statement from the Coast Guard. “Due to the fire, Healy’s starboard propulsion motor and shaft are no longer operational, and the ship is transiting back to its homeport in Seattle for further inspection and repairs.”

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Blount Small Ship Adventures Done in By Pandemic

Posted on by August 25, 2020

Grande Caribe in the Erie Canal, Photo: Blount

Covid-19 has claimed its first U.S, flagged cruise operator. Citing the pandemic, Blount announced that it is ending its cruise operations and is selling its three small overnight cruise ships. The family will focus on its shipbuilding activities. 

“It was really just the requirement that all the cruise lines had to shut down for Covid, and at this point, we decided not to start again,” said Marcia Blount, president and CFO of the Warren, R.I., company. “What we really decided was to focus on building.”

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Drone Video of Mayflower II Returning to Plymouth

Posted on by August 24, 2020

Here is wonderful drone footage from Ryan Smith of the Mayflower II transiting the Cape Cod Canal and then arriving in its homeport of Plymouth, MS. Her arrival had been delayed by the pandemic and then by Tropical Storm Isaias. This is the final video of a series shot and edited by Ryan of the Mayflower II‘s trip from Mystic Seaport to Plymouth, with a diversion to New Bedford due to the storm and a quick stop at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.  To watch these videos click here: Mayflower II playlist.

The Mayflower Returns! 4K Drone Experience!

Back to Back Hurricanes Poised to Hit the Gulf of Mexico

Posted on by August 23, 2020

2020 has been quite a year so far. A global pandemic, economic collapse, a derecho in the Midwest, and out of control wildfires in California. What next?

Now, for the first time in recorded history, we may see two hurricanes moving into the Gulf of Mexico simultaneously. Tropical Storm Marco and Tropical Storm Laura are both expected to strengthen to hurricane strength and to hit the Gulf Coast within hours of each other. 

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Icebreaker Makes Unplanned Open-Water Arctic Detour

Posted on by August 22, 2020

Photo: Janek Uin

The Associated Press is reporting that the  RV Polarstern, a German icebreaker carrying scientists on a year-long international expedition in the high Arctic, has reached the North Pole after making an unplanned detour there due to lighter-than-usual sea ice conditions.

Expedition leader Markus Rex said Wednesday the icebreaker was able to reach the geographic North Pole because of large openings in sea ice above Greenland, where shipping would normally be too difficult.

“We made fast progress in a few days,” Rex told The Associated Press. “It’s breathtaking — at times we had open water as far as the eye could see.”

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Steve Bannon Arrested on Chinese Billionaire’s Yacht, Lady May

Posted on by August 21, 2020

Steve Bannon, ex-Trump adviser and campaign chief executive, was arrested on Wednesday, aboard the Lady May, a 152′ aluminum luxury yacht, owned by exiled Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui. The yacht was cruising in Long Island Sound near Westport, CT, when it was boarded by federal postal inspectors and special agents from the United States attorney’s office in Manhattan.  Bannon told others he had been cruising aboard the yacht for months.

Bannon has been charged with defrauding donors to a private fund-raising effort called We Build the Wall, which was intended to bolster one of the president’s signature initiatives: erecting a barrier on the Mexican border. Bannon is accused of stealing more than $1 million from donors.

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Sedov Sets Off On Trans-Arctic Voyage

Posted on by August 20, 2020

The 99-year-old four-masted steel bark Sedov is sailing home by an unusual route. She is sailing North from Vladivostok  and transiting the Arctic by the Northern Sea Route to reach her home port of Kaliningrad. Crossing the Arctic will be the culmination of a grand voyage of more than 25,000 nautical miles sailed by the Sedov since November 1, 2019. 

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Update: MV Wakashio — Ship Breaks Up, Cleanup Continues, Bow Under Tow, & Captain Arrested

Posted on by August 19, 2020

The Capesize bulk carrier Wakashio, which ran hard aground on a reef in Mauritius on July 25, broke in two this Sunday. The bow of the ship has been taken under tow and moved away from the reef. Reports are that the bow section will be sunk in deep water although there are varying accounts as to where. Some accounts suggest the bow will be taken to India to be scrapped.

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