- Reaction score
- 66
- Points
- 530
The Toronto was diverted to assist a ship in distress.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2008/04/10/5250311-cp.html
HALIFAX - Crew from a Canadian navy frigate were assessing damage on a Panamanian-flagged merchant ship that reported an engine fire Thursday about 1,900 kilometres east of Cape Cod, Mass.
Cmdr. Alex Grant of HMCS Toronto said his vessel arrived at the scene Thursday afternoon after receiving the merchant ship's location from an Aurora long-range patrol aircraft based at Greenwood, N.S.
Grant said a team of about five crew had been deployed to the disabled ship to assess the crew's health, the damage caused by the fire and to try to restore its firefighting capabilities.
He said the fire, which had knocked out all power on board, was still burning but had receded since it was first detected earlier in the day.
"I don't see any immediate danger to the vessel," Grant said in an interview from the Toronto.
"My away team ... has not raised any alarms. They are slowly and deliberately assessing the situation. But the vessel is not in danger of sinking at this time."
The rescue was being co-ordinated by the U.S. Coast Guard in Portsmouth, Va., but Grant's vessel was leading the operation at sea.
Grant said medical, engineering and firefighting specialists were on board.
Three other merchant ships were also on scene and were arranging for a tug to bring the ship into port when it was able.
American officials said the 176-metre Sea Venus, a car-carrying vessel with a crew of 23, was en route from Rhode Island to Belgium when the fire broke out in the engine room.
The first sign of a problem came when the crew issued a satellite distress signal at around 7:30 EDT.
The rescue centre in Halifax established communication with the Sea Venus's crew, who initially reported that the fire had been extinguished.
But in a subsequent distress call, they reported the fire had reignited and that their automatic suppression system was out of carbon dioxide.
The crew was fighting the blaze with water and hand-held extinguishers.
The U.S. Coast Guard said there were no immediate plans to abandon ship.
Lorraine Brooks, a coast guard spokeswoman in Portsmouth, said the vessel had lost all communications and had initially reported that at least one crew member had been injured.
"There was an injury, but we're not sure of how extensive it was because we haven't been able to have communication with them," she said.
Lt. Marie-Claude Gagne of the Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Halifax said the visibility and winds were good, with waves up to three metres.
The Toronto, with a crew of 200, was conducting a fisheries patrol when it was diverted, travelling 275 kilometres to reach the crippled ship.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2008/04/10/5250311-cp.html
HALIFAX - Crew from a Canadian navy frigate were assessing damage on a Panamanian-flagged merchant ship that reported an engine fire Thursday about 1,900 kilometres east of Cape Cod, Mass.
Cmdr. Alex Grant of HMCS Toronto said his vessel arrived at the scene Thursday afternoon after receiving the merchant ship's location from an Aurora long-range patrol aircraft based at Greenwood, N.S.
Grant said a team of about five crew had been deployed to the disabled ship to assess the crew's health, the damage caused by the fire and to try to restore its firefighting capabilities.
He said the fire, which had knocked out all power on board, was still burning but had receded since it was first detected earlier in the day.
"I don't see any immediate danger to the vessel," Grant said in an interview from the Toronto.
"My away team ... has not raised any alarms. They are slowly and deliberately assessing the situation. But the vessel is not in danger of sinking at this time."
The rescue was being co-ordinated by the U.S. Coast Guard in Portsmouth, Va., but Grant's vessel was leading the operation at sea.
Grant said medical, engineering and firefighting specialists were on board.
Three other merchant ships were also on scene and were arranging for a tug to bring the ship into port when it was able.
American officials said the 176-metre Sea Venus, a car-carrying vessel with a crew of 23, was en route from Rhode Island to Belgium when the fire broke out in the engine room.
The first sign of a problem came when the crew issued a satellite distress signal at around 7:30 EDT.
The rescue centre in Halifax established communication with the Sea Venus's crew, who initially reported that the fire had been extinguished.
But in a subsequent distress call, they reported the fire had reignited and that their automatic suppression system was out of carbon dioxide.
The crew was fighting the blaze with water and hand-held extinguishers.
The U.S. Coast Guard said there were no immediate plans to abandon ship.
Lorraine Brooks, a coast guard spokeswoman in Portsmouth, said the vessel had lost all communications and had initially reported that at least one crew member had been injured.
"There was an injury, but we're not sure of how extensive it was because we haven't been able to have communication with them," she said.
Lt. Marie-Claude Gagne of the Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Halifax said the visibility and winds were good, with waves up to three metres.
The Toronto, with a crew of 200, was conducting a fisheries patrol when it was diverted, travelling 275 kilometres to reach the crippled ship.
If it was Audi's I wouldn't mind at all 
