Capsizing Ships might become the norm.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

In less than a week, I have noted 3 ships capsizing, 1 in Baja, MX, July 4th.....another in Jayapura, Papua and the most recent in Russia in the Volga River.

Across the globe we hear more and more stories of fisherman who can't bring their boats out to do their work.  The seas are angry and unpredictable.  Here''s another story of a fishing boat carrying 27 tourists with 16 Mexican crew members struggling in the sea when the ship capsized.

California residents rescued in fatal boat accident in Mexico

July 4, 2011 |  1:33 pm

   

23

One person was reported dead and seven others missing Monday afternoon after a fishing boat carrying 27 U.S. tourists and 16 Mexican crew members capsized in rough seas in the Sea of Cortez, officials said.

The 27 tourists, most of them from California, were aboard the charter vessel Erick when a sudden storm struck the area about 2:30 a.m., hurling people into the ocean in the vicinity of San Luis Island, about 60 miles south of the Baja California port of San Felipe, the Mexican Navy said in a statement. The body water in which the ship capsized is also known as the Gulf of California.

View Capsized vessel in a larger map

"The weather was calm, and then a strong wind came,"  Dora Winkler, a spokeswoman with the Port of San Felipe, told the Los Angeles Times.

Some of the first people rescued -- two tourists and the boat's cook -- were plucked from the water by a Mexican fishing boat, according to Winkler.

All of the 16 Mexican crew members were rescued, she said. The tourist who died was only identified as an adult male. Initial reports said six people were missing; officials later raised the number to seven.

A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter from San Diego was assisting the Mexican navy as rescue crews scoured the area for survivors, said Coast Guard Petty Officer Pamela Boehland.

She said the Coast Guard was told by the Mexican Navy that most of the passengers were from Northern California and that one was from Port Angeles, Wash. The search was launched after one of the victims swam to shore and alerted Mexican officials, Boehland said.

"He swam to shore and actually walked to the nearest location," Boehland said, adding that she was unsure whether it was a town or village.

Mexican officials said all of the survivors were wearing life jackets. They were taken to local hospitals and appeared to be in good condition, the Mexican Navy said.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/07/fishing-boat-sinks-sa...

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://www.starherald.com/news/nation_world/chinese-boat-capsizes-o...

Chinese boat capsizes off South Korea; 5 rescued, 4 missing

Associated Press

Posted: Wednesday, January 27, 2016 12:05 am | Updated: 2:30 am, Wed Jan 27, 2016.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean divers were looking for at least four people believed to be trapped inside a Chinese fishing boat that capsized near a small southwestern island on Wednesday.

Four people were rescued by nearby Chinese fishing boats, and South Korean divers hours later saved another passenger, who was conscious and able to talk when found. However, another man pulled earlier by South Korean divers was feared to be dead, according to an official from the Ministry of Public Safety and Security. He spoke on condition of anonymity, citing office rules.

Divers believe four other passengers were still inside the boat, which wasn't approved by South Korean authorities to fish in the country's waters, the official said.

An official from maritime police in the port city of Mokpo, who also didn't want to be named, said the boat was being towed by other Chinese boats over unspecified problems when it rolled over 85 kilometers (52 miles) northwest of Gageo island. The other vessels kept the boat from fully submerging until South Korean rescuers arrived, he said.

The accident occurred near a spot where a ferry sank in 2014 and killed more than 300 people, mostly teenagers on a school trip, in what was the country's largest maritime disaster in decades.

Chinese fishing boats have been going farther afield to feed growing domestic demand for seafood as catches decrease in waters close to China's shores. South Korea's maritime police seized about 570 Chinese ships last year for illegal fishing, according to the ministry.

[M. Difato]

The Latest: Greek coast guard raise sinking death toll to 25

 1/28/2016
ATHENS, GREECE — The Latest on the continuing influx of asylum-seekers and migrants in Europe (all times local): 3:35pm

Greece's coast guard has raised the death toll from a migrant boat sinking Thursday to 25, after recovering seven more bodies from the sea off the northern coast of Samos, an island near the Turkish coast. Ten of the dead are children.

The coast guard said the bodies of five girls, five boys, 10 men and five women have been recovered, while 10 people had been rescued.

A search and rescue operation is continuing in the area, the coast guard said. Survivors' accounts of how many people had been on board were unclear, and authorities are uncertain of how many more people might be missing.

The passengers had been traveling in a wooden boat that partially sank. The exact circumstances of the incident were unclear.

 Source: http://www.wral.com/the-latest-migrant-boat-sinks-11-dead-10-people...

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://www.wpbf.com/news/13-people-saved-from-sinking-boat-in-fort-...

13 people saved from sinking boat in Fort Lauderdale

 8:39 PM EST Jan 25, 2016

FORT LAUDERDALE BEACH, Fla. - The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating after a 106-foot yacht began taking on water 13 miles off the coast of Lauderdale-by-the-sea in Fort Lauderdale Beach.

A representative from Sea Tow says that 13 people were on board the vessel when it started taking on water, and that everyone is safely on a Coast Guard ship that arrived to help.

The people are being taken to the Coast Guard Miami station.

It's unknown why the boat started to sink. The yacht, according to Sea Tow, is called the Serena III.

A representative for Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue said its units had been canceled from the call, and that the Coast Guard was handling the incident.

The condition of the vessel was not immediately known. Sea Tow is trying to salvage the boat.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/25/sonar-vehicle-searchin...

Sonar vehicle searching for MH370 sinks after hitting volcano in Indian Ocean

Sunday 24 January 2016 20.53 EST

Vessel attached to Fugro Discovery lost while searching for Malaysia Airlines plane missing with 239 people on board

The Fugro Discovery, which lost its sonar vehicle in the Indian Ocean when it crashed into an underwater volcano on Sunday. Photograph: AFP

A deep-sea exploration vehicle searching for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has been lost on the ocean floor after colliding with a submerged volcano.

The agency running the search said the collision with the 2,200-metre mud volcano on Sunday broke the cable attaching the Fugro Discovery search vessel to the sonar vehicle, known as a towfish, leaving the towfish and 4,500m of cable on the bed of the Indian Ocean.

MH370 vanished from radar in March 2014 and is believed to have crashed in the Indian Ocean, killing all 239 people on board. An extensive search has been under way for the vessel over the past 18 months.

After initially focusing on visual surveys to try to find floating debris, a new phase for the search began in October 2014 to scour the ocean floor using two vessels, the Fugro Discovery and the GO Phoenix.

MH370: Australia believes it is looking in the right place

Read more

On Sunday the sonar vehicle attached to the Fugro Discovery was lost after it ran into a mud volcano jutting out from the ocean floor.

On Monday the Joint Agency Coordination Centre said: “Yesterday, while conducting search activities in the southern Indian Ocean, Fugro Discovery lost the sonar vehicle deep tow (towfish) being used to search the ocean floor.

“The towfish collided with a mud volcano which rises 2,200 metres from the seafloor resulting in the vehicle’s tow cable breaking. The towfish and 4,500 metres of cable became separated from the vessel and are now resting on the seafloor.”

No injuries were sustained by crew. The centre believes it will be able to recover the vessel. The search for the missing plane continues.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://en.apdnews.com/xin-hua/325973.html

One dead, three missing after boat sinks in east China

Xinhua News Agency | Tue,2016-01-26 QINGDAO, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- Rescuers are searching for three people who remain missing more than two days after a fishing boat sank off the coast of Shandong Province in east China.
The ship sank near Shidao Island on Saturday morning, according to the provincial maritime safety administration.
Of the 10 crew aboard the 37-meter long vessel, "Liaodanyu 28362," one died and six were rescued from the water alive.
A ship has been despatched by Qingdao City maritime search and rescue center to find the missing. Enditem

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/637462/Nicaragua-boat-sinking-Brit...

Miracle as British couple RESCUED after tourist boat SINKS in Caribbean storm killing nine

A BRITISH couple have been rescued after a tourist boat capsized in a horror Caribbean storm leaving at least nine dead and four missing.

It is thought that the vessel was caught up in strong winds as it travelled 2.5 miles between Corn Island and Little Corn Island.

A source told Express.co.uk that a British couple were involved in the terrifying incident but they escaped alive.

One of the pair has been named locally as Edward Beckett.

Nicaraguan naval official Marvin Corrales claimed the boat did not have approval when it made the trip.

Another official added: "Although they had no permission to sail, they took the risk and went out in the boat, so we have no passenger data," said Berrios.

The Corn Islands, 43 miles from Nicaragua, are a popular tourist destination for snorkelling and scuba diving.

There were 21 people rescued, 13 from Costa Rica, three from Nicaragua, two from Britain, two US citizens and one Brazilian.

The eight women and one man killed are all from Costa Rica.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://gcaptain.com/2016/01/21/22-breakaway-barges-close-section-of...

Breakaway Barges Close Section of Mississippi River

January 21, 2016

Pin shows location of West Pointe A La Hache, Louisiana

A three-mile section of the Mississippi River was closed Wednesday after 22 barges broke free, some of them hitting other vessels before they were brought under control or came to rest.

The incident occurred at mile marker 54 on the Mississippi River near West Pointe a la Hache in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana on Wednesday.

The 22 barges were all loaded with coal and petroleum coke, a coal like substance.

The Coast Guard said Wednesday that three deep-draft motor vessels transiting the river – Q Jake, Serena P and Ocean Tomo – sustained damage after colliding with a few of the barges. A portion of dry-bulk soy beans from one of the vessels entered the river and the release has since been secured. The three vessels involved in the collisions have been safely anchored.

The Coast Guard closed the Mississippi River between mile markers 51 to 54 beginning at 12:58 p.m. Wednesday. As of Thursday the river remained closed from mile marker 50 to 53.

All but one of the barges has been accounted for.

The vessel queue is 21 south bound and 18 up bound, the Coast Guard said Thursday afternoon.

The cause of the incident is under investigation.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://kval.com/outdoors/crab-boat-hits-jetty-at-coos-bay-1-alive-1...

Crab boat sinks near Coos Bay: 1 alive, 1 dead, 2 missing

By KCBY Wednesday, January 20th 2016

The U.S. Coast Guard Sector North Bend is searching for 2 crew members after a crabbing boat hit the North Jetty at Coos Bay.

COOS BAY, Ore. - One person survived, one person died and two people remain unaccounted for after a crabbing boat hit the North Jetty and sank near the mouth of Coos Bay on Tuesday evening.

The Eagle III hit the jetty with 4 people on board, the US Coast Guard said.

The Coast Guard heard the vessel's distress call from an electronic position at 8:30 p.m.

"The vessel has broken up with a large debris field congregating along the northside of North Jetty, with some debris migrating with the tide across the bar and into the river," said Cmdr. Robert Workman, operations officer, Air Station North Bend. "Our thoughts and prays go out to the families of the missing fishermen and the deceased."

The Coast Guard said the crew was from Port Orford. They were crabbing out of Charleston.

The ship's captain managed to get on the jetty and walked to shore. A passerby drove him to the Coast Guard station, the Coast Guard said.

A Coast Guard helicopter located one of the Eagle III's crew members dead on the jetty.

Two rescue boats and a helicopter worked through the night searching for two other missing crew members.

The Coast Guard is search a 4 mile by 5 mile area. That radius has slowly expanded as the currents carry debris out to sea and into the bay.

"A lot of times you see something and it might just be trash on the beach, but we investigate it and fly over it or get the boat closer and take a peek, just so we can rule it out," said Lt. Jesse Cremeans, a U.S. Coast Guard pilot. "A crab pot from that boat that made it up the river tells us that pieces from the boat are moving that far, so we should be looking in those areas as well. So any debris or wreckage from the boat that's moved from the initial scene helps us look for potential survivors."

[KM]

https://www.rt.com/news/329264-nz-passenger-ship-fire-whakatane/

Fire engulfs passenger ship 1km off NZ coast, dozens ‘jump into water’

A passenger ship with some 60 people on board caught fire one kilometer off the northeastern coast of New Zealand’s North Island near the town of Whakatane. Rescue teams and local boats have responded to the emergency, pulling dozens of escaping people from water.

The boat reportedly belonged to White Island Tours, according to the NZ Herald. Media reports suggested there were up to 53 passengers and 7 crew members aboard the ship at the time the fire broke out. The total number was later confirmed as 57.

All passengers and crew have been evacuated and accounted for, according to Whakatane authorities.

RadioLIVE has described chaotic scenes, with some passengers and crew jumping overboard to escape the burning vessel while small local boats hurry to save them.

At least “four or five” people have been taken to a local hospital, the radio reported.

Coast Guard and emergency services rushed to the coast of Whakatane after police received a call reporting the situation at around 3:45 pm local time (2:45 am GMT).

Some passengers were reportedly evacuated to another smaller tour vessel, while several boats could also be seen sailing to the shore on a live stream put up by the local Coastguard website.

The cause of the fire was not immediately clear.

A crowd of onlookers gathered on the shore, with some witnesses saying they could see people on the bow of the burning vessel. Katee Shanks, a reporter for Rotorua Daily Post, described the situation as “awful, the flames are huge and are taking over the ship.”

[Scott]

"EIGHTY people are still missing nearly 24 hours after a ferry ran into trouble in rough seas off the coast of Indonesia’s Sulawesi, with authorities not ruling out the possibility of a sinking."

Rescue mission to save passengers on sinking Indonesian ferry
http://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/incidents/rescue-missi...

The transport ministry has confirmed three people, including two children, have been found dead, while 39 others have been pulled from the water alive, some after desperately clinging to fishing buoys for hours in the huge swell until help arrived.
The fibreglass ferry was on its way from Kolaka in Southeast Sulawesi province crossing the Gulf of Bone to Siwa town when it was overwhelmed by waves more than 3 metres high during stormy weather on Saturday, said Roki Asikin, head of the search and rescue agency in Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi.
The boat was carrying 110 passengers and 12 crew members, Mr Asikin said. Among the passengers were 14 children.
Six rescue boats and ships were dispatched after they received a distress call from the crew, who reported that the vessel was starting to take on water about 21km southeast of Siwa port, Mr Asikin said.
Search and rescue teams have still not found the stricken vessel, police told AFP.
The whereabouts of the remaining 80 people is also still unclear, with search and rescue teams being hampered by rough conditions and waves up to five metres high as daylight hours dwindle.
When asked whether the boat had sank, South Sulawesi police spokesman Frans Barung told AFP: “Maybe yes, maybe no”.
“The boat has not been found, because the weather has not been good,” he added, saying the boat was constructed from fibre glass and was therefore difficult to sink.
Authorities lost contact with the ferry late Saturday afternoon, and it failed to arrive at its destination in Siwa across the Bay of Bone as scheduled.
Officials dismissed initial reports the boat had sunk, instead claiming it was adrift, having lost engine power.
Police, national search and rescue teams and the navy have been scouring the seas for survivors ever since but have been battling harsh elements.
Local search and rescue head Roki Asikin said powerful waves meant it took three hours to evacuate some survivors to shore.
“These waves were very high,” he said.
There had been warnings about extreme weather in the area in the days leading up to the accident, with strong winds and rough seas.
Gulf of Boni location pinned