INCIDENTS last week emphasised the ever-present perils of the sea.
On Tuesday [25 February] Princess Cruises’ Crown Princess, while sailing in NZ’s Fjordland near Milford Sound, heeled over sharply when hit by strong winds during a course change.
Industry website Cruise Passenger reported thirteen passengers and three crewmembers suffered minor injuries, items and furniture was strewn around the ship and a dining area was partially flooded.
In a statement Princess Cruises said “Our crew responded quickly to correct the situation, and at no point was the safety of the ship compromised. Additionally, a small amount of water from the Lido Deck pool briefly entered the Horizons food court, but the area was quickly cleaned and reopened. There was no structural damage to the ship.”
Meanwhile the Australian Maritime Safety Authority reports that the Sri Lanka Maritime Rescue Coordinating Centre (MRCC) notified the authority that the Japanese-owned, Panama-flag woodchip carrier Nine Frontier had sighted a vessel on fire in the Indian Ocean about 980 km south of Sri Lanka, 55 km within Australia’s search and rescue region.
A nearby bulk carrier Eleen Armonia diverted to the scene and extinguished a fire on board the Indonesian fishing vessel, KM Hasil Abadi 28. All 34 crew members were safely transferred to the Bulgarian-owned, Liberia-flagged vessel, which remained in position for about 15 hours until three more Indonesian fishing vessels arrived, and the crew were transferred aboard.
“AMSA would like to thank the captain and crew of Eleen Armonia for their prompt and professional assistance, which may have saved lives. This is an example of mariners helping one another without hesitation in times of peril, often in remote ocean locations,” the Authority said.
At Bermagui on the NSW south coast a 50-yo wooden fishing vessel was swept onto rocks near the headland, with four crew members able to scramble ashore. However, the 19-metre longliner subsequently broke up and sank, leading the local council to close Horseshoe Bay Beach due to debris and spilled diesel.
NSW Maritime, the Environment Protection Authority and National Parks and Wildlife Services were involved in responding to the incident, the ABC reported
NSW Maritime principal manager Deon Voyer said the vessel was assessed on Thursday but crews were unable to “undertake any immediate reaction response” due to the ocean conditions and location of the wreckage. “Booming the vessel, getting on board and removing the fuels, just simply wasn’t available because of the precarious position the vessel was in,” he said.
