2432
Views

Italian Coast Guard Responds to Two Groundings in Two Days

The dredger Guang Rong aground off Marina di Massa (Guardia Costiera)
The dredger Guang Rong aground off Marina di Massa (Guardia Costiera)

Published Jan 28, 2025 10:10 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

As Storm Herminia arrives over the Mediterranean, the Italian Coast Guard has had to respond to two groundings in the span of little more than a day, including one in an upscale beach resort near Livorno. 

On Monday, the fishing vessel Calimero Sampa ran aground on a shoal just off Cesenatico on Italy's Adriatic coast. The vessel came to rest about 250 yards offshore and partially capsized.

The Guardia Costiera responded with a patrol boat and an inflatable to reach the shallow-water site of the grounding. As the Calimero Sampa listed over onto its starboard side, the four members of the crew moved up to the wheelhouse but stayed on board to await evacuation. 

Debris, shallow water and wave action made the response complex, according to the Guardia Costiera, but within 45 minutes, the rescuers had transferred all four survivors into the inflatable boat. All were unharmed and were delivered to shore for a medical evaluation. 

On Tuesday, the hopper dredger Guang Rong ran aground on a beachfront in Marina di Massa due to bad weather. The stern came to rest against the iconic Pontile di Marina di Massa, a public-access pier in an upscale resort district. The crew is safe, according to the Guardia Costiera, and a helicopter is monitoring the situation. 

Guang Rong is a 10,000 dwt hopper dredger flagged in Cyprus and owned in Italy. The 26-year-old vessel has accumulated a long history of deficiencies and detentions, with port state inspectors finding multiple issues at every boarding since 2017. Her last inspection - at Marina di Carrara, Italy in September 2024 - turned up 24 deficiencies, and the vessel was detained for nearly a month for repairs. The identified issues included problems with corrosion, life rafts, propulsion, fire pumps, certificates and hatches, among others.