Ship Accidents & Collisions June 17, 2010

Crane catches fire at the Port of Tampa

Tampa Fire Rescue responded to a 4-alarm fire at the Port of Tampa, where a conveyor belt caught fire Wednesday morning.

While the ships crew was unloading, the rubber in several conveyor belts caught fire and quickly engulfed the crane being used. Fire crews had trouble putting out the flames so a second crew used their new multi-million dollar vessel the Patriot to put out the flames. The vessel is capable of pumping 13,500 gallons of water per minute, the equivalent of nine fire trucks.

Chemical tanker sinks near Japan

A chemical tanker sank after an overnight collision with a cargo ship off Japan. No one was injured and no environmental damage has been reported.

The tanker KEIWA-MARU collided with cargo ship HAMAKO-MARU 15 on Wednesday night in the inland sea between Honshu and Shikoku.

The crew of 5 aboard the Kaiwa-maru escaped before she sank. It was reported that 12,400 cubic feet of magnesium hydroxide from the Keiwa-maru was dumped into the sea. Experts say the substance is used as a food additive, fertilizer, and in medicines and will not significantly harm the environment.