U.S. Coast Guard Responds to Disabled Cargo Ship in Pacific Ocean
In an incident which evoked a stark reminder to last year’s Cougar Ace incident, the U.S. Coast Guard reported that it had responded to a disabled, drifting 938-foot cargo ship. On January 31st, the “Hyundai Confidence” had reported that it had experienced mechanical problems and was drifting in 20 foot seas, some 1200 miles west of Seattle, WA.
The ship reported experiencing heavy rolling, which injured two of the 23 crew members on board. Later, weather conditions had significantly abated and eventually, the vessel’s Master reported that the injured crewmembers were in stable condition and that Coast Guard assistance with them would no longer be needed.
Coast Guard assets were deployed in response to the potential emergency, including a C-130 out of Kodiak, AK, as well as the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter (CGC) and the CGC Mellon. A commercial merchant vessel also responded to the call for help.
On Wednesday, however, the vessel had conducted repairs and was reported to be once again under its own power. Coast Guard assets were then released and the Hyundai Confidence is reported to be continuing on to Los Angeles with its cargo. The cause of the engine problem Tuesday is unknown at this time. The Hyundai Confidence is a Hyundai Merchant Marine owned, Panamanian flagged vessel. The vessel had departed from Busan, Korea on a scheduled run to Los Angeles.