June 29, 2016 by Mike Schuler
MT Chem Venus (former Golden Venus). Credit: MarineTraffic.com/Les Blair A 477-foot oil tanker collided with three moored sailboats Wednesday at the mouth of the Piscataqua River near Portsmouth, New Hampshire and Kittery, Maine, the U.S. Coast Guard reported.
The sailboats were unmanned at the time and no injuries or pollution have been reported.
The Coast Guard says it was notified at approximately 4 p.m. of the collision involving the tanker Chem Venus and the sailboats.
All three sailboats, which were unoccupied at anchorage, were damaged but remained afloat, the Coast Guard said.
AIS data showed the Chem Venus at anchor just off at the Maine, New Hampshire border as of Wednesday evening.
The same data showed the tanker had just departed from Portsmouth, NH and was sailing to Teesport, England when the incident likely occurred.
The cause of the collision is under investigation.
The Coast Guard reported that it is taking initial response actions to determine if there is any damage to the Chem Venus, and working to contact the owners of the sailboats.
The 19,887 DWT Chem Venus is flagged in Panama and was built in 2004.
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Tanker collides with sailboats near Portsmouth
Coast Guard performing pollution assessment
UPDATED 11:50 PM EDT Jun 29, 2016
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. —A 477-foot oil tanker collided with three sailboats Wednesday near the mouth of the Piscataqua River, U.S. Coast Guard officials said.
The collision involved a Panamanian-flagged tanker, Chem Venus, and occurred near Portsmouth and Kittery, Maine.
The three sailboats were unmanned and moored, and no one was hurt, officials said.
All three boats were damaged but remained afloat, according to Lt. David Bourbeau.
USCG vessel inspectors boarded the Chem Venus and determined that it sustained damage to its bow, causing it to take on water.
The rate of flooding was stabilized and it is being monitored by the Coast Guard and the tanker's crew.
The Coast Guard launched two 45-foot motor lifeboats from Station Portsmouth Harbor to determine if there is any pollution in the water from the collision.
An HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft was also dispatched from Air Station Cape Cod to assist with the pollution assessment.
Despite the damage, no pollution has been reported, and the tanker remains safely anchored outside of the Piscataqua River.
Chem Venus was carrying a load of used vegetable oil and a variety of other industrial chemicals.
The Coast Guard is working to contact the owner of the sailboats.
The USCG Salvage Engineering Response Team has been engaged to conduct a vessel stability assessment, and divers are expected to conduct a survey of the damage early Thursday morning.
The cause of the collision is still under investigation.