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Bulk Carrier Hard Aground in Mauritius After Fight On Board
Topic Started: 17 Jun 2016, 09:59 PM (98 Views)
skibboy
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Bulk Carrier Hard Aground in Mauritius After Fight On Board

June 17, 2016 by Mike Schuler

Posted Image
Image courtesy: lexpress.mu

A 44,000 DWT bulk carrier is hard aground in Mauritius after a fight apparently broke out on board among crew members.

Local media reports that Liberian-flagged MV Benita was sailing from India to Durban, South Africa when a brawl erupted Thursday night, resulting in the ship drifting into land along the southeast coast of Mauritius.

Details are still a bit sketchy, but the melee was reportedly started by the Chief Engineer, who was arrested by the National Coast Guard after locking himself in the engine room of the vessel.

One crew member was injured in the incident and had to be flown to a local hospital for treatment.

As of Friday evening one tug was on scene to help free the ship, but images posted online seem to indicate that more than one tug will be needed to successfully refloat the vessel.

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Credit: MarineTraffic.com

AIS data shows the ship underway when it abruptly changed course and sailed straight into the island.

The 23 member crew is made of up Filipino and Taiwanese nationals.

Here is some video of the MV Benita aground: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FunEHcMgORM

Source: Posted Image gCaptain
Edited by skibboy, 17 Jun 2016, 10:01 PM.
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skibboy
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Video: Attempted Mutiny Leads to Grounding

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Image courtesy Defi Media

2016-06-17

On Thursday, the geared bulker Benita went hard aground on reefs near the small city of Mahebourg, Mauritius – reportedly due to an attempted mutiny and a brawl among her 23 Taiwanese and Filipino crew.

Armed members of the Mauritius National Coast Guard responded to reports of a violent fight and attempted to board the grounded vessel via helicopter.

Mauritius' Defi Media reports that the helicopter operations were hindered at first by citizen-operated drones.

"The police helicopter has great difficulty because there are drones flying over the area . . . the police appeal to people who run these drones to avoid flying [them]," said a police press officer in a local radio address.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xvpPJcuzyQ

Once aboard, the coast guard team entered the engine room, which had been barricaded, and arrested the chief engineer, who was the suspected leader of the fight aboard the ship.

He was evacuated for medical treatment; local reports indicate that he had been shot.

The remainder of the crew are safe.

Investigators are still looking into the exact cause of the fight and the grounding.

Five Oceans Salvage has been contracted to remove the vessel from the rocks.

One towing vessel, the Five Oceans anchor handling tug supply ship Ionian Sea Fos, attended the 45,000 dwt Benita as of Friday evening.

The Fos, stationed in Port Louis, Mauritius, has a 100 ton bollard pull, and is equipped with salvage pumps, fenders, welding machines, pollution control supplies, and a full set of diving equipment for two.

The Benita was empty at the time of the grounding, and has 145 tonnes fuel oil and 30 tons diesel aboard.

No pollution has been observed.

Source: Posted Image
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skibboy
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Official Personally Dives Site of Grounded Bulker

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Image courtesy Facebook

2016-06-20

On Sunday, Mauritania's Minister of Civil Service and Administrative Reforms Alain Wong personally dove the site of the grounded bulker Benita to investigate the condition of the vessel.

"I am not satisfied with the salvage. It could be done more quickly," he told Mauritius' Daily Challenge.

Wong is an honorary member of the Mauritius Scuba Diving Association and the first and only person to complete the 108 nm round Mauritius open sea swimming marathon.

Social media images posted Monday showed oil on the beaches near the Benita.

Local medial outlet Lexpress posted video showing an oil boom deployment and cleaning crews at work.

"Cleaning is in progress. Buoys have been placed to contain the oil," said a National Coast Guard spokesman.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1-DBldKWQI

Five Oceans Salvage has been contracted to refloat the vessel, and one of its salvage tugs and several members of its team are already on hand.

The 100 ton bollard pull Ionian Sea FOS is standing by offshore to intervene if the Benita shows signs of moving towards shore or listing on the reefs.

She is in the surf line and salvors say that the heavy swell is causing her to move and flex on the rocks, damaging her hull.

Separately, the crewmember allegedly responsible for instigating the shipboard fight that led to the grounding, identified by local media as Omar Taton, was charged with assault and detained in Plaine-Magnien.

"We were afraid of our lives. [He] threatened to kill us if we tried to stop him. The cause of the fight is unknown," another crewmember told Defi Media.

One crewmember was hospitalized after the fight, having suffered blows to the head from an iron bar.

Taton admitted to authorities that he had assaulted the man.

The captain, chief engineer, chief mate and one additional crewmember remain aboard the Benita.

Source: Posted Image
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skibboy
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Fuel Lightering Begins on Grounded Bulker

2016-06-21

On Monday, pumping equipment was airlifted aboard the grounded bulker Benita to facilitate lightering of her fuel to shoreside tank trucks.

However, operations at the site near Le Bouchon, Mauritius were suspended for the day due to rough conditions.

Pumping resumed Tuesday, and 17 of the 125 tonnes of fuel aboard were removed, local media said.

The operation is expected to be completed by the end of this week at the latest.

A local oil processing company will handle the bunkers shoreside, and the vessel's insurers will bear the cost of the fuel lightering.

Imagery of the lagoon near the site of the grounding shows oil contamination of the beaches.

Salvors have deployed containment boom and reclamation crews are cleaning the rocks and shoreline near the vessel.

Prem Koonjoo, the Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Economy, said Monday that local fishermen will receive compensation for the damage to the environment.

He said that given growth at the nearby port, it was time for the island nation to invest in preventive measures to avoid a recurrence of the grounding.

Minister of the Environment Alain Wong personally inspected the wreck site over the weekend by diving near the vessel with a coast guard team.

He called Monday for a second opinion from other salvage companies as to the disposition and possibilities for removal of the wreck, said local news outlet Defi Media.

Five Oceans Salvage has been contracted for the Benita incident, and they have assets on site already, including one 100 ton bollard pull salvage tug, the Ionian Sea FOS.

Wong commended the National Coast Guard to their speedy response – which included the arrest of an engineering crewmember charged with assaulting and threatening to kill one of his crewmates.

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skibboy
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Insurer Says MV Benita Grounding a Medical Issue, Not Mutiny

June 22, 2016 by Mike Schuler

The insurer of a Liberian-flagged bulk carrier which ran aground last week in Mauritius following an apparent brawl on board says that the incident was the result of a serious medical episode suffered by one of the vessel’s crew members, and not the result of a wider conflict.

The circumstances of the grounding have led the media to dub the MV Benita the ‘mutiny ship’, suggesting that the grounding was the result of some sort of rebellion by one or some of its crew members.

But in statement provided to gCaptain, the insurer of vessel, the London P&I Club, fought back against such claims saying the grounding was actually the result of a medical situation.

“The grounding followed an incident on board involving a crew member who suffered a serious medical episode which led to him attacking one colleague before causing extensive damage to the engine room systems that led to a loss of power to the vessel,” the statement said. “During the intervening time that it took to restore power, the vessel went aground. The injured crew member is receiving medical attention ashore for this seizure. There was no suggestion of a wider conflict on board and all the remaining crew members are safe and accounted for.”

The 44,000 DWT MV Benita was in ballast when it unexpectedly went aground last Friday evening (June 17) in Mahebourg, Mauritius during a voyage from India to South Africa.

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Credit: Five Oceans Salvage

The owners, crewmembers and The London Club as P&I insurers are currently working with the appointed salvors, Five Ocean Salvage, and the local authorities to re-float the vessel and to prevent further environmental damage.

According to the insurer, some limited oil sheens have been reported in the vicinity of the vessel and the priority for salvors is to remove the 145 tonnes of fuel oil which remains on board.

A statement by Five Oceans Salvage says that the latest reports indicate that a number of cargo tanks have been damaged and are flooded, however as of Wednesday the MV Benita appears to be stable and remains firmly aground.

Meanwhile, the remaining oil on board is in the process of being pumped from the fuel tanks to specialized containers on the vessel that will then be removed by helicopter.

A dedicated tug, the 10,560 bhp Ionian Sea FOS, is in place to provide the MV Benita with stability and control as the operations are ongoing.

Posted Image
Credit: Five Oceans Salvage

Since vessel was in ballast and not carrying any cargo at the time of the grounding, salvors do not need to focus on the removal of cargo.

Anti-pollution booms remain in place around the vessel and any oil that accumulates is being collected and removed by dedicated teams.

Meanwhile, a plan to re-float and remove the vessel from the shoreline is being developed by the salvage team in conjunction with the authorities.

The salvage operation is being led by senior salvage master Nikolaos Pappas.

Source: Posted Image gCaptain
Edited by skibboy, 22 Jun 2016, 10:46 PM.
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Salvors May Use Explosives to Free Grounded Bulker

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2016-07-06

On Wednesday, media in Mauritius reported that salvors with Five Oceans and Demex International are conducting tests with explosives to determine whether they can blast out the rocks underneath the stranded bulker Benita.

Two large salvage tugs are on hand, and would be used to pull her free following the explosion.

Officials and salvors are reportedly running tests with detonating cord, a thin, flexible plastic tube typically filled with pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN).

It is used as a fuse to chain together multiple explosive charges for synchronous detonation, or on its own in light applications like severing cables or pilings.

A second set of tests is scheduled for Friday.

The use of explosives to free grounded vessels intact (rather than for wreck reduction or for in-place demolition) is not common but not unprecedented.

Unalaska-based salvor Dan Magone proposed rock blasting as a means to remove the wrecked crab boat Arctic Hunter from a rocky Alaskan shore in late 2013, and he suggested it would not be his first such attempt – although insurers later went with a more conventional plan to cut the 100-foot vessel into blocks.

The Benita went aground off Bouchon, Mauritius in mid-June following a physical altercation between two crewmembers.

On the night of June 16, crewmember Omar Taton allegedly struck fourth engineer Alvin Maderse with an iron bar; reports differ, but one of the two men shut down propulsion following the attack.

Taton barricaded the engine room to prevent the rest of the crew from entering and restarting the main engine.

The Benita drifted for another eight hours and found a rock ledge near a lagoon off Le Bouchon.

Taton has been arrested and will likely face charges related to the assault and the grounding.

Maderse is recovering from his injuries and was released from the hospital on July 6.

The salvage response so far has focused on stabilizing the wreck, containing pollution and lightering fuel.

Police helicopters have carried plastic tanks filled with bunkers to shore, solving the logistical challenge of reaching the grounded vessel.

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Officials: No Explosives for Benita Salvage

2016-07-12

On Monday, authorities in Mauritius indicated that they do not favor an earlier plan to blast free the grounded bulker Benita, which is hard aground on rocks off a lagoon at Le Bouchon.

A basalt rock outcropping has penetrated her hull, preventing salvage tugs from pulling her back off the rocks, and salvors with Five Oceans and DEMEX International had examined the possibility of demolishing the protruding rock section with explosives.

DEMEX made a series of tests at a local basalt quarry to determine the effectiveness of blasting, but authorities were not convinced that this would be effective, and Five Oceans is said to be looking at options to use hydraulic equipment to solve the problem.

They are working fast to prepare the ship for a refloat attempt, local media said, which would have to occur on a high tide.

Separately, Omar Taton, the oiler whose assault on an engineer is said to be the cause of the grounding, may face charges of sabotage, piracy and maritime violence - in addition to existing charges related just to the fight.

The Benita went aground off Bouchon, Mauritius in mid-June following the physical altercation.

On the night of June 16, Taton allegedly struck fourth engineer Alvin Maderse with an iron bar; reports differ, but one of the two men shut down propulsion following the attack.

Taton barricaded the engine room to prevent the rest of the crew from entering and restarting the main engine.

The ship drifted for another eight hours and eventually went aground.

Maderse is recovering from his injuries and was released from the hospital on July 6.

The salvage response so far has focused on stabilizing the wreck, containing pollution and lightering fuel.

Police helicopters have carried plastic tanks filled with bunkers to shore; the inaccessible location of the Benita, on hard rock in shallow water and in surf, has complicated response efforts.

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Salvors Prepare to Refloat MV Benita in Mauritius

July 22, 2016 by gCaptain

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The MV Benita aground in Mahebourg, Mauritius

The salvage of the MV Benita continues in Mauritius more than a mont after it ran aground following an incident involving a rogue crew member.

International salvors Five Oceans Salvage reported Thursday that the vessel remains hard aground and in stable condition with no significant changes.

Inclement weather conditions has hampered the salvage operation this but preparatory work for an attempt to shift away from the rocks and re-float the vessel continue and should be completed shortly.

So far over 200 cubic meters of contaminated fuel oil and lubrication oil have been safely removed ashore, while skimming of oily water residue continues as a precaution.

Work to sanitize and seal the vessel is nearly complete, with Five Oceans reporting over 5 kilometers of welding as part of the effort to seal and pressurize the cargo tanks and void spaces.

Tugs remain on site and continue to be connected to MV Benita in order to prevent the vessel from running further aground as result of the bad weather and to assist with the re-floating operation.

Five Oceans reported Thursday that should the weather conditions allow and the operation to continue as expected, crews hope that an attempt to shift the vessel away from the rocks and possibly re-float the vessel can be made in the next few days.

The vessel has made headlines in recent weeks after an episode involving one of the ship’s crew members ended with the ship running hard aground on June 17 in Mahebourg, Mauritius.

Source: Posted Image gCaptain
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Bulk carrier BENITA refloated

Juli 23, 2016
by Mikhail Voytenko

Bulk carrier BENITA refloated from reefs at around 1300 LT July 23, a successful salvage operation, carried out by a contracted salvage company.

Vessel was lightered during salvage operation.

Vessel was breached in grounding, with ensuing oil leak.

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Posted Image

Source: Posted Image fleetmon.com
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MV Benita Re-Floated in Mauritius

July 25, 2016 by Mike Schuler

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MV Benita during the re-floating operation, Sunday, July 24, 2016. Photo: Five Oceans Salvage

Salvors refloated the MV Benita Sunday more than a 5 weeks after the ship ran aground off Mahebourg, Mauritius.

As of Sunday afternoon the vessel was being towed to a position some 20 miles off the coast, where a skeleton crew will remain on board in order to assess the vessel’s seaworthiness and general condition, according to international salvage firm Five Oceans Salvage.

Appropriate evacuation procedures are in place to ensure the safety of those on board should conditions deteriorate.

The Liberian-flagged MV Benita ran aground June 17 after an incident involving one of the crew members, who reportedly attacked other crew members before locking himself inside the engine room, damaging equipment and resulting in the ship losing propulsion.

Weather was factor throughout the salvage, with two tugs connected to the Benita at all times to prevent it from running aground even further.

Prior to Sunday’s re-floating, the salvage focussed on removing the bunker fuel, lubricant oil and other pollutants on board.

Cargo tanks and void spaces were sealed before being pressurized prior to the re-floating attempt.

Throughout the operation, the protection of the environment remained top priority.

Posted Image
Photo: Five Oceans Salvage

Source: Posted Image gCaptain
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Tow to Alang Shipbreakers Proving Troublesome for Wrecked MV Benita

July 27, 2016 by gCaptain

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MV Benita during the re-floating operation, Sunday, July 24, 2016. Photo: Five Oceans Salvage

More trouble for salvors of the MV Benita wreck just a few days they were able to refloat the vessel from the southern shore of Mauritius where it spent more than a month aground.

As of Tuesday the ship was under tow on a one way trip to an Alang shipbreaker.

Now it’s questionable whether of not the vessel will ever make it to its final destination.

After the refloating of the Benita on Monday, the salvage team from Five Oceans Salvage has been assessing the tow-worthiness of the vessel as they prepared for the tow to Alang, India for demolition.

WATCH: Tugs Pull MV Benita From Mauritius’ Shore https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfTwb9xORRU

An update Wednesday from the company said that crews initially began towing the vessel by the stern, but as they reached deeper water towing by the stern was no longer possible and they are now adjusting the towline connection from the bow.

The process of adjusting the towing arrangement is proving difficult and slow, since the prevailing sea conditions are preventing a boarding team from getting aboard.

Five Oceans added that crews expect to resume the towage later Wednesday and follow a course that will keep the convoy clear of any islands.

As you’ll recall, the Liberian-flagged MV Benita ran aground after one of its crew members attacked other members of the crew on onboard.

The ship ran aground after the attacker locked himself in the engine room, causing damage to equipment that resulted in the ship losing propulsion.

The salvage team spent more than a month removing fuel and other oils from the vessel, repairing damage, and repressurizing the ship’s tanks prior to the refloating.

Source: Posted Image gCaptain
Edited by skibboy, 27 Jul 2016, 10:45 PM.
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MV Benita Sinks During Tow to Alang

July 30, 2016 by Mike Schuler

International salvage company Five Oceans Salvage reports that the MV Benita, which was under tow from Mauritius and to Alang, India, has sunk approximately 93.5 nautical miles from Mauritius.

The Liberian-flagged bulk carrier grounded on June 17 off Mahebourg, Mauritius after an incident involving one of its crew members.

It was eventually refloated on July 23 following extensive work to remove fuel oil and repair the vessel for refloating.

Five Oceans Salvage reported Saturday that the vessel sank at 1730 local time at a chartered depth of 4,400 meters.

The vessel turned over by the stern at approximately 1335 local time after having developed a severe stern trim, prompting the tug Ionian Sea FOS to use the tow line quick release in anticipation of Benita’s imminent sinking.

No one was on board the vessel at the time of the sinking and all the crew from the tug are safe and accounted for.

Five Oceans reports that no debris or pollution was observed around the vessel and the Ionian Sea FOS will remain on site to monitor further for signs of any pollution at first light Sunday morning.

The Benita was destined for Alang, India for demolition.

Source: Posted Image gCaptain
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