AMSA assists cargo ship at risk of rolling north-west of Broome
Cargo ship was at risk of rolling after rough weather conditions caused cargo to move onboard but the cargo vessel is now en route to Broome, in company with a commercial tug boat which responded to its maritime distress call, the Far Scimitar. The Master of the general cargo ship Mellum Trader requested the assistance of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) on Tuesday evening, informing the ship had a list (a tilt) of around 35 degrees.
At that time, the cargo ship was 190 n.m. north-west of Broome. The ship reported its course away from the coast later that evening, using the movement of the ocean to reduce the list to 15 degrees. The Far Scimitar vessel has been escorting the cargo ship for over 30 hours, standing by should assistance be required. On Wednesday night, the master of the cargo vessel Mellum Trader informed that the situation had stabilised and the cargo ship was now sailing to Broome, even though she is still having a 15 degrees listing.
The owners of the cargo vessel Mellum Trader have signed a contract with another commercial tug boat to rendezvous with their ship later today and assist with its safe passage into the port at Broome. The Master has reported rough weather condition caused the cargo ship’s cargo to shift, resulting in the listing.
The Mellum Trader vessel has thirteen people onboard and is currently carrying oil well development casings. The weather conditions include strong winds and rough seas. AMSA would like to thank the vessel’s owners and operators of the Far Scimitar tug vessel for their assistance in this accident
Source: http://www.vesselfinder.com/