Tanker Collision in Sea of Marmara Causes Grounding of Ship
On December 30 off Florya, Turkey, two tankers collided, leading to one vessel running aground and extensive salvage operations. The 141-meter Kalbajar (IMO:9821471; 7,786 deadweight tons) collided with the 115-meter Alatepe (IMO:9104873; 6,239 dwt), when strong winds caused its anchor to slip from its position at Kucukcekmece anchorage in the Sea of Marmara. This collision resulted in one vessel running aground while simultaneously engaging complex salvage operations by both ships involved.
The collision itself caused no structural damage or pollution; however, the Kalbajar's anchor chain became tangled up with Alatepe's propeller during the incident. Turkish authorities dispatched tugboats and response teams to manage this emergency situation; ultimately the Kalbajar successfully restarted its engine, freed its anchor chain tangles, and safely navigated deeper water where she safely re-anchored safely; while Alatepe ran aground during this event and required immediate salvage response efforts to salvage her.
On April 11, divers conducted underwater hull inspections and started refloating operations on the grounded Alatepe. At the time of collision, both vessels were operating with ballast systems in place; while Alatepe carried approximately 2,500 tons of chemicals. All crew members aboard both ships reported no injuries upon inspections by divers.
Fishing Vessel Destroyed after Grounding off California Coast
Sea Dragon II was hauled out of Ventura Beach following its grounding incident on December 23. It ran aground near Surfers Knoll and immediately received assistance from TowBoatUS Ventura, Harbor Patrol and U.S. Coast Guard services - no injuries were reported at Surfers Knoll during this initial event.
Recovery efforts were unsuccessful as the vessel could not be refloated after grounding and soon broke apart due to severe storm conditions that followed its grounding. The decaying wreckage created both maritime and environmental hazards, necessitating removal operations. TowBoatUS Ventura took on these operations successfully by using heavy equipment, four-wheel drive vehicles, and specialty trucks to remove its remains from the beach area.