Maritime Casualties--October 22, 2009

Pirates hijack Chinese cargo ship and threaten to kill crew

Somali pirates hijacked a Chinese bulk carrier in the Indian Ocean on Monday and have threatened to execute the 25 crew members if rescue attempts are made.

De Xin Hai, owned by Qingdao Ocean Shipping, was carrying about 76,000 tonnes of coal en route to India from South Africa when it was attacked 700 miles east of the Somali coast.

Pirates have warned they will execute the crew if relief attempts are made for the ship and crew, but reports from Beijing indicate their government has already begun rescue operations.

A European Union maritime patrol aircraft located the vessel and observed at least 4 pirates onboard and the cargo ship towing two skiffs. The last report from the ship was around 4:00 p.m. Monday, reporting the pirates were on board.
 

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Vessel collision in Gulf of Mexico causes oil spill

Two vessels about 40 miles southeast of Galveston, Texas collided Tuesday night causing about 18,000 gallons of oil to spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Coast Guard reported the vessels had just completed a planned lightering operation when the 820-foot Liberian-flagged ship, Krymsk sustained damage after AET offshore supply vessel, Endeavor bumped the ship, puncturing its bunker fuel tank.

Immediately following the collision, the Krymsk crew began transferring the fuel from the damaged tank to another. In an official statement sent to The Maritime Executive, AET reports that after determining on-water recovery would not be an option due to inclement weather, "a decision has been taken to deploy a dispersent."

A unified command of Coast Guard, Texas General Land Office, AET and environmental response crews all responded to the incident and further, found no injuries on either vessel.

The Coast Guard is conducting an investigation and has full support and participation from AET.

The accident has not affected shipping traffic.