Issue link: http://digital.nexsitepublishing.com/i/269434
28 C Casualties February 2014 www.cargobusinessnews.com » Monday, February 24, 2014: Maersk ship loses 500 containers in high wind Last week, the Svendborg Maersk was struck by hurricane-force winds and waves off the coast of France after it left the Bay of Biscay, and when it arrived at Spain's Malaga port, more than 500 containers were lost. It's the biggest known loss of containers overboard in a single incident. Palle Laursen, Maersk's vice president of operations, says the company is examining its procedures "to avoid similar incidents in the future." Maersk said 85 percent of the lost containers were empty, and others included such dry goods as frozen meat. The shipping line is now notifying c u s t o m e r s t o t e l l t h e m t h a t t h e i r shipments are at the bottom of the sea. For more of the CNN story: cnn.com » Friday, February 21, 2014: Cargo ship starts to founder in Hong Kong, 17 crew escape Frightened crew left a listing cargo ship Friday morning and refused to re-board to turn off the engine for fear of being trapped if it sank, resulting in the 2,500-ton vessel circling until it broke down and beached at Cheung Chau yesterday. The Sunrise Orient was listing at angles of up to 45 degrees when the 17 Vietnamese crew escaped, a government official said. The ship continued on slowly before breaking down about one kilometer east of the island and drifting onto the rocky beach at Tung Wan Tsai. Work was under way to contain and clear a 100-meter oil slick from the vessel. Nobody was injured. A Marine Department investigation has been launched into what caused the accident, and why the vessel's master abandoned ship without turning off the engine. For more of the South China Morning Port story: scmp.com » Thursday, February 20, 2014: two Americans found dead on Maersk Alabama Two American security officers have been found dead on the Maersk Alabama container ship, police in the Seychelles said Wednesday. The vessel was moored at Port Victoria in the Indian Ocean archipelago. The men, both 44, were found dead on Tuesday. CNN first learned about the incident on Twitter. The two men worked for Trident Group, a Virginia-based maritime security services firm. The company's president, Tom Rothrauff, said the men were former Navy SEALs. Police said the two men were part of a 24-member crew that arrived on Sunday and were expected to leave Tuesday. Kevin N. Speers, a senior director for Maersk Line Limited, said in a statement that the security contractors boarded the vessel on January 29, and that their deaths were "not related to vessel operations or their duties as security personnel." "Contracted security is part of anti- piracy protection plans to safeguard crews and vessels," Speers said. "In Maersk Alabama's case, she is persistently in high-risk areas since she provides feeder service to the east coast of Africa. The vessel was cleared to complete cargo operations, and she is now at anchor awaiting further instructions." "A postmortem will be carried out this week in order to establish the cause of their sudden deaths," police said, adding that the police investigation is ongoing. For more of the CNN story: cnn.com » Wednesday, February 19, 2014: Cargo vessel assists crew of fishing boat The crew of Sea Star Line's vessel El Morro, on its way from Jacksonville, Florida to San Juan, Puerto Rico, received distress calls from a small fishing vessel in the Atlantic Ocean, according to a Sea Star statement. The fishing boat was trying to reach the U.S. Coast Guard in Jacksonville with no success due to a weak transmission signal. The crew of El Morro intercepted t h e m e s s a g e s a n d b e g a n r e l a y i n g information to the Jacksonville USCG. Seastar said the U.S. Coast Guard requested that El Morro remain in contact with the fishing vessel and divert to its last known position until dispatched rescue vessels could reach the fishing vessel. "We are proud of El Morro's crew for their ability to act quickly and assist another vessel that was in distress." stated Jim Wagstaff, vice president of operations for Sea Star. » Friday, February 14, 2014: Cargo train cuts semi in half at railroad crossing A Union Pacific cargo train collided with a tractor-trailer stuck at a railroad crossing on Wednesday, according to police in Payette, Idaho. Police tell KTVB-TV that no one was injured in the collision that occurred at about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, cutting the trailer in half. They said the semi became high- centered on the crossing when gear on the semi dug into the asphalt. The collision scattered the cans of food being carried in the truck. For more of the Enquirer Herald story: enquirerherald.com » Thursday, February 13, 2014: More than 12 hurt in manufacturing plant explosion More than a dozen people were injured after an explosion at a manufacturing plant in Peterborough, N.H., this week. The explosion happened at about 3:30 p.m. Monday at New Hampshire Ball Bearings. Nine other communities helped Peterborough emergency crews at the scene.