Families of three of the workers who died when the 'Dali' plowed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore in March announced on Sep 17 that they will take legal action to hold the owners of the vessel legally liable for the deadly collapse. The families of three of the six victims asked a federal court to prevent the Grace Ocean Private Ltd., the Singapore-based company which owns the Dali, from escaping legal liability with regard to the maritime disaster. In April, Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Pte Ltd., as manager of the 'Dali', had filed a petition for exoneration from or limitation of liability in the federal district court in Maryland over the incident. Should the federal district court in Maryland allow the case to proceed, the victims' families could pursue legal action to obtain monetary compensation for the deaths of their relatives. The Gupta Wessler LLP was planning to file the motion to hold the Grace Ocean Private Ltd. legally liable before a deadline on Sep 24, which was triggered following the April petition. A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found that a crew member of the 'Dali' accidentally disabled the vessel’s equipment during in-port maintenance while it was moored at the Seagirt Marine Terminal in Baltimore on March 25. The ship experienced a second blackout due to insufficient fuel pressure for the online generator.
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FOURMENTIN
On the early morning of Sep 16, the CROSS Griz-Nez was informed via the emergency medical aid service (SAMU) 62 of the presence of a migrant boat in the Berck-sur-mer sector. The CROSS deployed the 'Jacques Oudart Fourmentin' to locate and monitor the boat. After several hours of navigation, some people on the boat requested assistance from the patrol vessel, which then rescued 20 people, The other migrants were wishing to continue. Given the risks of falling overboard or injury incurred by the people in the event of forced intervention, the decision was made to let them continue their journey. The others were dropped off at the quay of the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer.
ABEILLE NORMANDIE
A body was discovered off the coast of Ambleteuse in the English Channel on the morning of Sep 17, who could be a migrant. The crew of a fishing vessek spotted the body. The 'Abeille Normandie' then intervened to recover the body and bring him ashore. It was probably the body of an migrant, according to the maritime prefecture. He in a state of decomposition, making it impossible to determine whether it was a person reported missing during the sinking of a boat that left eight dead on the night of Sep 14 off the coast of Ambleteuse. However, the maritime prefecture did not rule out that the body was that of a migrant who disappeared during a shipwreck of Sep 3 off the coast of Wimereux that left 12 dead.
CATALINA COMMANDER
On Sep 11, 2024, a fire broke out aboard the 'Catelina Commander' off the coast of Nova Scotia. It was towed to theLower East Pubnico wharf, while smoke billowed from the fishing vessel. The crew was rescued, but the fire flared up again after vessel was towed to the port. The Woods Harbour Shag Harbour Volunteer Fire Department responded to the fire, which was still raging on Sep 12.
PELICAN OF LONDON
On Sep 12, 2024, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has published its report into the drowning death of a cook on board the 'Pelican of London' on Oct 2, 2023, in the port of Sharpness (Gloucestershire), which could possibly have been prevented. The cook fell between two stools after a night out when he boarded the ship via the gangway upon his return. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch investigated and made recommendations in a safety bulletin. The sailing training vessel was moored at the quayside in Sharpness for maintenance. Mark Glover (64) was a volunteer cook. He had been ashore that evening and had probably been drinking. Upon his return, Glover, an experienced seaman, tried to board the ship via the gangway. However, he lost his balance when he tried to take the last step of the gangway onto the ship. He was not reported missing until the next morning. On the afternoon of Oct 3, police divers found his body in the water at the quay. The MAIB noted that there were no specific rules on board the ship regarding the use of alcohol and drugs. The crew members had no guidelines on how much alcohol was still acceptable and when it was no longer responsible to come on board in an apparent state. The gangway was a second risk factor. The mandatory safety rope as a hand guide was not adequate: the rope was too slack. Furthermore, the net to catch someone who unexpectedly fell was not properly installed. It served more as a slide than as a safety net For good safety, the handrail must be at least one metre high. The safety net under the gangway must be carefully installed under the entire span between the quay and the ship. Full report: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66dee82b0f4ba0621b08665c/2024-10-PelicanOfLondon-Report.pdf