Less than two weeks into the New Year the shipping industry has recorded its third and most serious incident at sea, this time involving an onboard explosion that ripped a tanker in two.
While information is still coming through, it can be confirmed that the 10 500-deadweight Hong Pu 6 was off the coast of Rizhao north of the Port of Shanghai at the time of the incident.
The explosion, presumably in the hull of the empty tanker, caused serious structural damage to the 2013-built vessel.
Amidships a massive gash in the vessel caused its bow and stern to break apart from one another, miraculously not claiming any lives from what can be ascertained.
Search and rescue teams are still looking for two members of the 17-man crew who were on board the Hong Pu 6 at the time.
Earlier this week, the maritime industry suffered its first setback at sea when a dry bulker got stuck in the northern channel of the Suez Canal.
The Glory was making its way from Ukraine as part of the UN’s Black Sea Grain Initiative, and was part of a convoy of vessels when it ran aground on the west bank of the Suez in an area known as al-Qantara.
The same day a container vessel, MSC Elaine, also ran aground when a berth out of the Port of Gioia Tauro was too wide, edging the 8 566-TEU ship onto the Italian port’s southern breakwater.
