Tag Archives: India
Tension Rising in the South China Sea – Chinese Threatens to Board Ships, India and Vietnam Respond
Tensions are rising in the South China Sea, where at least a half dozen nations are asserting a jumble of overlapping claims of sovereignty, fishing and mineral rights. China is now ramping up their claims by announcing that as of … Continue reading
The Shipbreakers of Alang
Ships have a finite lifespan, usually not more than 20 years, often much less. When a ship reaches the end of its economic life, there needs to be a place to recycle the steel, the other valuable metals and equipment. In a … Continue reading
Container Ship Amsterdam Bridge Catches Fire Off Mumbai
The 4,380 TEU container ship Amsterdam Bridge caught fire on a voyage between Mumbai to Colombo. The ship returned to Mumbai and is now at an outer anchorage. Recent reports suggests that the fire is contained if not necessarily completely extinguished. VesselTracker.com is reporting that Coast Guard officials suspect that … Continue reading
Double-Decker Ferry Sinks in Brahmaputra River in North-East India – 200 Dead or Missing
A double-decker ferry carrying an estimated 350 people capsized, broke apart and sank in the Brahmaputra River in heavy weather. The ferry was traveling between Dhubri to Fakirganjan in Assam state and was reported to be overloaded with passengers and cargo, and carried … Continue reading
Italian Armed Guards Charged with Murder in Killing of Fisherman Mistaken for Pirates
Armed guards, reported to be Italian naval personnel, on the tanker, Enrica Lexie, fired on and killed two Tamil Nadu fishermen off Kochi on Wednesday, believing the fishermen to be pirates. Indian authorities said the Italian guards fired without warning in violation … Continue reading
Santa in the Sand – World’s Largest Sand Sculpture Santa Claus
I love walking the beach in the wintertime, though I would be surprised to come across a 100 foot long Santa Claus. In 2008, sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik and his team created a sand sculpture of Santa Claus at Puri beach … Continue reading
MT Pavit on Juhu Beach – A Security Breach Big Enough to Drift a Tanker Through
Last June, the inaptly named MV Wisdom, under tow to a scrap yard, broke her tow line and drifted on to Juhu beach in Mumbai, India, after narrowly missing a major bridge. This Sunday, the tanker, MT Pavit, drifted ashore … Continue reading
The Folly of the MV Wisdom
The MV Wisdom is a small 26-year-old container ship. She has had 14 name changes in her life and no one knows how many owners. The current owner may be unknown as well. She was being towed from Colombo to the scrap-yard in … Continue reading
The Scuttling of the MSC Chitra
Last August, we posted about the collision of the containership MSC Chitra and the bulk carrier Khalijia 3 which resulting in the sinking of the Chitra with a significant oil spill, a loss of cargo containers and the blockage of the port of Mumbai for five … Continue reading
The Sinking of the MSC Chitra: Port Re-opens while the Finger-pointing Intensifies
The containership MSC Chitra and the bulk carrier Khalijia 3 collided near Mumbai, India on Saturday, resulting in the sinking of the MSC Chitra, a significant oil spill and the loss of at least 200 containers in the ship channel which … Continue reading
A Bad Week for Bulk Carriers – Black Rose Sinks, Seli 1 Aground
Last week was a bad week for bulk carriers. The MV Black Rose, a bulk carrier with a crew of 27 which had loaded 23,847 tons of iron ore, sank near the port of Paradip on the east coast of … Continue reading
