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

   

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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]

https://www.adn.com/article/20150829/five-rescued-capsized-boat-nea...

Five rescued from capsized boat near Valdez

August 29, 2015

Five people were rescued from waters near Valdez after a 27-foot boat capsized Friday evening, Coast Guard officials said.

One of them, a 57-year-old woman, was hypothermic after spending about 10 minutes in the water, the Coast Guard said. She and four others were picked up by a private boat that heard the mayday call. A Coast Guard crew transferred the ailing woman to emergency crews in Valdez for treatment.

The Coast Guard Sector Anchorage command center got a radio mayday call about 7 p.m. Friday reporting a boat had capsized in the Valdez Narrows and five people were in the water, a Coast Guard spokeswoman said.  

The spokeswoman, Petty Officer Third Class Meredith Manning, said the people were in the water for about 10 minutes before the private boat came to help. 

A Coast Guard official said in a statement that the incident showed the importance of carrying a VHF-FM radio while on the water.

"The distressed mariners were able to call for help before capsizing and a Good Samaritan was able to respond immediately,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Andrew Sheean, the Sector Anchorage command duty officer.

Winds of 40 mph and 4-foot seas were reported at the time of the incident. Manning said it wasn’t clear what caused the boat to capsize.  

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://www.app.com/story/news/local/monmouth-county/2015/08/25/40-f...

40-foot fishing trawler sinks north of Sandy Hook, authorities say

7:22 p.m. EDT August 25, 2015

Report of missing boat deemed credible by USCG

A 40-foot steel fishing trawler reportedly sank this afternoon north of Sandy Hook.

About 4:30 p.m., a boat captain in the area reported to the US. Coast Guard that a boat was taking on water and sank, about a mile and a half to two miles north of the tip of the Sandy Hook peninsula, according to Coast Guard spokesman Charles Rowe.

Authorities considered the report credible and launched a search. The response included two boats from the Coast Guard; personnel from the New Jersey State Police, New York Police Department and New York Fire Department; and an NYPD helicopter, according to Rowe.

NYPD is scanning with a sonar to find the sunken boat, according to a release from the Coast Guard.

Rowe said authorities found debris in the area but don't have proof it's from the missing boat. He said they don't know how many people were on board, the boat's name or home port.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://6abc.com/news/cargo-ship-runs-aground-on-the-delaware-river/...

CARGO SHIP SAFELY SECURED AFTER RUNNING AGROUND ON DELAWARE RIVER

A cargo ship ran aground late Monday night near the mouth of the Salem River near Salem City, New Jersey.

There were no reports of any injuries or pollution from the ship.

The Coast Guard waited until high tide at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday and successfully re-floated the vessel that is now secure in Salem, New Jersey for further inspection.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-34037600

Scotland

Five crew rescued as St Apollo sinks in Sound of Mull

The Oban lifeboat was first to reach the fishermen's life raft

Five people have been rescued after their scallop-dredger ran aground and sank in the Sound of Mull.

The Kirkcudbright-based St Apollo ran on to rocks during a severe squall and began taking on water in Inninmore Bay, at 3:53 on Monday.

The crew raised the alarm and escaped on to a life raft before they were rescued by the Oban RNLI Lifeboat, just as the vessel sank, at about 04:25.

All five crew members were uninjured and later taken ashore at Oban.

The rescue was the culmination of a busy 24 hours for the Oban lifeboat crew which had to deal with four callouts.

On Sunday afternoon the lifeboat was sent to help a yacht in difficulties off Craignish Point but was stood down when another vessel took the yacht under tow.

The crew received a second callout later that afternoon but was stood down before launching. Later that evening, the crew set off to help a jet skier but returned to port after the vessel was assisted ashore.

and another:

http://uppermichiganssource.com/news/nation-world/crews-find-2-of-4...

[KM]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3199145/Moment-terrified-pa...

Moment terrified passenger leaps into the sea to save himself from inferno on ferry with 544 people on board 

• The ferry burst into flames moments after docking at Ormoc, Philippines
• Passengers were forced to throw themselves into the sea to escape flames
• Six passengers were trapped in VIP accommodation by thick, black smoke
• Two crew members suffered cuts and bruises but everyone escaped alive

Terrified passengers were forced to throw themselves into the sea to escape after a ferry burst into flames in the Philippines.

The two-storey ferry, with 544 passengers on board, was engulfed by flames after docking at the central Philippines port city of Ormoc this morning.

Passengers launched themselves overboard and clambered down the roof deck to escape the suffocating black smoke.

Leap of faith: A passenger leaps from the top deck of the burning ferry, which burst into flames shortly after docking at the Philippines port city of Ormoc this morning

Inferno: A total of 12 fire-engines were called to the scene to battle the flames, made worse by the fuel on board the ferry, which was carrying 544 passengers

Six passengers in the VIP accommodation were forced to escape through windows because thick black smoke had trapped them in their rooms

Everyone on board – including 17 children – survived the fire, with just two crew members suffering cuts and bruises.

The two injured men were identified by the coast guard as Jake Rondel Guiconor and Daryll Lee Bentoy, reported the Philippines-based Inquirer.

The two crew members were injured as they tried to contain the fire, on board the MV Wonderful Stars.

Fire engulfs passenger ferry in while docked in Philippines

Trapped: Six passengers became trapped in their VIP accommodation and were forced to climb out of the windows to escape the suffocating black smoke

Firefighters fought the fierce blaze for hours after the fire, made worse by the fuel on board, broke out.

The ferry has just arrived at a pier on the port city on Leyte Island from nearby Cebu city, when the fire broke out around 4.30am local time.

A total of 12 fire-engines were sent from Ormoc and neighbouring towns.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://www.laprensasa.com/309_america-in-english/3264205_boat-carry...

Boat carrying hundreds of migrants sinks in Straight of Sicily

MEDITERRANEAN MIGRATION | 05 de Agosto de 2015

Ampliar

A group of immigrants disembarking at the port of Salerno, Italy. EFE / File

Rome, Aug 5 (EFE).- A boat transporting hundreds of migrants to Europe sank on Wednesday in the Strait of Sicily, a few miles off the coast of Libya, when naval authorities were preparing to rescue it, Italian coast guard officials told EFE.

The incident occurred about 24 kilometers (15 miles) from the Libyan coast, where several boats arrived to assist in the rescue.

The coast guard refused to speculate about the death toll, as rescue operations were ongoing, although the official explained that their operations center in Rome received a distress call of a metal boat full of migrants in the Strait of Sicily.

The coast guard dispatched several civilian ships and boats that were in the area to rescue the passengers, who had apparently crowded to one side of the boat, causing the vessel to capsize.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/migrant-boat-capsizes-off-libya-s-coas...

Migrant boat capsizes off Libya's coast killing at least 25

Human rights group estimates nearly 2,000 migrants have lost their lives at sea in 2015

The Associated Press Posted: Aug 05, 2015 10:53 AM ET Last Updated: Aug 05, 2015 4:38 PM ET

Crew members on the Migrant Offshore Aid Station ship MV Phoenix pause for a moment of reflection at dusk during a search for missing migrants after their boat capsized off the coast of Libya. (Darrin Zammit Lupi/Reuters)

At least 367 migrants have been rescued and 25 bodies recovered after a fishing boat carrying as many as 700 people capsized on Wednesday in the Mediterranean Sea north of Libya, the Italian Coast Guard and Irish navy says.

Coast guard Cmdr. Filippo Marini said the rescue operation was still ongoing, involving seven ships. Survivors have indicated that between 400 and 700 people were on board the boat when it capsized, he added.

The exact number of those aboard might never be known, but authorities hope to have a better idea after survivors are interviewed.

The Irish naval vessel L.E. Niamh was one of several ships requested by the Italian Coast Guard to speed to the rescue of the overturned boat shortly before noon, Capt. Donal Gallagher told The Associated Press by phone.

When the Le Niamh arrived near the fishing boat, Marini said the migrants on board shifted to one side and the boat capsized.

"Our worst fear was realized when the ship capsized before our very eyes," an Irish navy commander told state broadcaster RTE.

An Italian military helicopter dropped additional life-rafts into the sea, where 150 people were initially spotted, Gallagher said.

By evening, the Le Niamh had 367 people aboard, including 13 children, the Irish military said.

Since the water was warm, rescuers worked with hope of finding more survivors, even as dusk approached. The vessel was reported to be 110 kilometres northwest of Tripoli, Libya's capital.

Irish Defence Minister Simon Coveney said he feared that "loss of life is likely to be significant."

'A mass grave'

Also involved in the rescue were an Italian vessel and Destiny I, a boat operated by Doctors Without Borders, which was tweeting pictures of the rescue operation.

Non-governmental organizations often join in migrant sea rescue operations, which are co-ordinated by the Italian Coast Guard and are now under the umbrella of a European Union task force known as Triton. The distressed vessel was reported to be 110 kilometres northwest of Tripoli, Libya's capital.

"We said it in April and we say it again today," Doctors Without Borders tweeted. "A mass grave is being created in the Mediterranean Sea and European states are responsible."

Before Wednesday's incident, the International Organization for Migration said nearly 2,000 migrants are believed to have lost their lives at sea since the start of this year. But the exact toll isn't known.

In April, a smuggling boat crammed with an estimated 800 migrants overturned, also off Libya's coast, where smugglers operate. Only 28 survivors, including two alleged smugglers, were found.

Fleeing war, persecution and poverty, the migrants travel overland for weeks or months from sub-Saharan Africa, the Horn of Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia to reach Libya. There they set sail in flimsy motorized rubber dinghies or rickety old fishing boats. When the boats have problems, someone aboard contacts the coast guard by satellite phone requesting rescue. Other boats in distress are spotted by Triton air surveillance.

Most of the migrants hope to find asylum, relatives or jobs, mainly in northern Europe.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://www.ihsmaritime360.com/article/18779/two-dead-as-cargo-vesse...

Two dead as cargo vessel reportedly sinks off Kenya

28 July 2015

The vessel was reportedly carrying sacks of the drug Khat, pictured. Photo: PA

Two seafarers were killed when a Kenyan flagged cargo vessel laden with sacks full of khat reportedly capsized 400 km north east of Mombasa, IHS Maritime has learned.

Lamu-based fisherman Athman Seif told IHS Maritime that MV Al-Shami sank on Sunday. Three other crew members were rescued and taken to hospital.

The vessel foundered while travelling from Mokowe to Kiunga about 15 km to the border with Somalia.

It is widely believed that the proliferation of substandard ocean-going vessels is the root of maritime disasters occurring in Kenyan territorial waters.

A boat carrying dozens of passengers hit another vessel and capsized off Lamu island in 2012.

The boat, which was said to have been overloaded, was ferrying more than 70 people from Lamu to the nearby mainland when it hit the other vessel killing eight people.

In another incident, one person died and four others narrowly escaped death after a boat they were travelling in capsized near the Lamu jetty on 23 January 2012.

On 29 April 1994 the MV Mtongwe ferry bound for the Mombasa Island capsized just 40 m from port, killing 272 of the 400 people on board.

Following the disaster, it was reported that the capacity for the ship was 300.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/2015/07/28/101883

1 killed, 9 missing in trawler capsize

Posted : 28 Jul, 2015 18:42:45

A man has been killed and nine others went missing as a trawler (large, motorized boat) capsized in the Bay off the coasts of Cox’s Bazar – a south-eastern district in Bangladesh. The dead is Jobayer Hasan, 33, a fisherman. Identities of the missings, all fishermen, could not be known. Five other fishermen, who were rescued from the Bay, were admitted to Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital. Hanif, one of the five rescued fishermen, said, “At least 15 fishermen were aboard the trawler when it overturned in the rough weather in the sea. “We had been fishing in the Bay for 6 days, before the trawler capsized during storm on Monday. The trawler was on its way to shore when it met the accident,” he added. When contacted, Sadar hospital’s doctor Abdus Salam confirmed that fisherman Jobayer was killed in the incident. Alamgir Hossain, Additional Superintendent of tourists police, said, “Being informed, six fishermen were rescued from the sea and one of them succumbed later,” according to a news agency.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://www.bulletinleader.com/22-dead-after-ferryboat-sinks-in-egyp...

22 dead after ferryboat sinks in Egypt’s Nile Anadolu Agency

July 24, 2015

At least 15 people have been killed on in a crash between a cargo vessel and a passenger boat on Egypt’s River Nile.

At least 22 people drowned when a ferryboat sank in Egypt’s Nile River late Wednesday, a medical source said.

Of the 25 people on board the ferry, six passengers were rescued, the interior ministry reportedly said in a statement.

The health ministry puts the official death toll so far at 14, with four injured, state news agency MENA reported.

Eyewitnesses at the site of the accident told Xinhua that rescue boats and divers are working to search for the missing ones. Abdel-Ghaffar said only 12 bodies have arrived in the morgues of hospitals nearby. It is unclear whether the engaged couple was among the dead.

Nile traffic has been heavy, especially near Cairo, as Egyptians celebrated the Eid al-Fitr holiday following the holy month of Ramadan.

The skipper of the barge has been arrested and will be detained for four days pending investigation into the incident, Al-Ahram reported.

In the worst such accident in February 2006, an Egyptian ferry sank in the Red Sea, killing more than 1,000 people.