Five vessels sink, one runs aground in South China due to the Southwest Monsoon

Angela Yu

 

29 July 2015

 

Five Vietnam-flagged coal carriers sank and another ran aground on 27 July at the anchorage near South China's Qisha port.

The vessels were caught in the southwest monsoon, which brought heavy winds and waves as high as 5 m.

Chinese maritime officials have rescued all 48 crewmembers from the six vessels.

Qisha port is the main entrance of coal, ore, and marine products from Vietnam to Guangxi, receiving dozens of Vietnamese ships every day.

Vessels visiting the port have to wait for high tide at the anchorage before they can enter.

The Kenyan-flagged M/V Al-Shami capsized and sank east of Mombasa, killing two crew members.

Kenyan Vessel Capsizes, Sinks

By MarEx 2015-07-29 16:38:04 

The Kenyan-flagged M/V Al-Shami capsized and sank east of Mombasa, killing two crew members. 

Three other crew members were rescued and taken to a nearby hospital. 

According to reports, the vessel was carrying several sacks of khat, a psychoactive evergreen shrub native to East Africa and Southern Arabia, from Mokowe to Kiunga.

 khat


Reasons for the ship’s sinking are currently unknown, but there is speculation that the vessel did not meet IMO standards.

1 man killed in high speed ATV crash in Rayne Township, Indiana. He was not wearing a helmet.

JULY 29, 2015

RAYNE TOWNSHIP, INDIANA

A Home man died early today when the all-terrain vehicle he was driving crashed along Davis Road.

Indiana County Coroner Jerry Overman Jr. identified the victim today as Oliver Wendell Holmes IV, 29, of 910 Davis Road.

State police at Indiana said Holmes was traveling south on Davis Road about a quarter-mile north of Chambersville Road at 2:50 a.m. when his Honda ATV, for an unknown reason, ran off the west berm of the road, went down an embankment and hit a building and corn crib.

Holmes was thrown from the ATV, police said, and he struck a utility pole and a second corn crib.

He was pronounced dead at the scene by the coroner. Overman said Holmes was not wearing a helmet and the cause of death was blunt force trauma to his neck.

Overman also said alcohol is believed to be a factor in the crash and toxicology tests are pending.

Volunteer firefighters from Creekside assisted state police and the coroner at the scene.

Dry ice truck overturns, driver injured on I-95 north near Chester, Virginia

Posted July 29, 2015, by Scott Wise

CHESTER, Va. — 

Traffic was still backed up on Interstate 95 north near Route 10, mile marker 61 in Chester, due to an overturned tractor-trailer. The accident occurred around 11:19 a.m. Wednesday.

“The northbound left lane has reopened,” VDOT announced at 2 p.m. “The right and center lanes will remain closed for cleanup. There is currently a 4-mile backup northbound.”

All lanes remain open southbound, but a two-mile backup extends from the same location.

 

A tractor trailer was traveling north on I-95 when it overturned on the driver’s side, blocking all lanes of I-95.  

The truck was loaded with about 30-35,000 pounds of dry ice.  The truck was enroute from Hopewell to Harrisonburg.  There were no other vehicles involved in the crash, according to police.

The driver of the truck was transported to Chippenham Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Virginia State Police Trooper M. Ingram is investigating the crash.

Southcross Energy Partners GP LLC of Texas fined $112K for 7 safety violations

July 29, 2015

Releasing highly hazardous chemicals lands Gregory, Texas, energy facility in hot water with OSHA.

Southcross Energy Partners GP LLC fined $112K for 7 safety violations

Employer name: Southcross Energy Partners GP LLC

Site: Gregory, Texas, with headquarters in Dallas

Date cited: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited the midstream cryogenic natural gas processing facility.

Investigation findings: On Jan. 20, a pressure-relief device operated by Southcross released flammable gas and liquid into the atmosphere; it burned for more than two hours. OSHA investigated the facility and cited the employer for one willful and six serious safety violations. The violations included failing to train operators, update operating procedures, conduct a management of change analysis when changing software and hardware, conduct periodic inspections and document inspections on emergency shutdown devices.

Proposed penalties: $112,000

Citations can be seen at: http://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/SouthcrossEnergyPrtnrs_1020247.pdf* 

Quote: "Preparation is critical for safe workplaces," said Michael J. Rivera, OSHA's area director in Corpus Christi. "Managing worker safety by finding and fixing hazards is the employer's responsibility, but Southcross Energy failed to provide an adequate plan. This situation could have been deadly. Thankfully no one was injured."

Information: Southcross Energy Partners GP reports 320 employees with 12 at the Gregory facility. The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director, or contest the citations and penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

To ask questions, obtain compliance assistance, file a complaint or report workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA's toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency's Corpus Christi Area Office at 361-888-3420.