by magoonigal » Wed Oct 28, 2020 12:12 am
The commercial vessel involved was the Maersk Launceston, a Portuguese-flagged container ship. At the time of writing, there were no reports of injuries on that ship and it’s unclear what damage it might have suffered. In a tweet, Maersk said: “The vessel has activated its emergency response procedures and the crew has been participating in the rescue operation for the seafarers of the naval vessel.”
The 870-foot, 50,700-gross-tonnage Maersk Launceston had departed Piraeus and was said to be bound for the port of Çanakkale in Turkey. The ship’s present owner is the Essberger company, based in the German port of Hamburg, which describes itself as a “leading operator of chemical tankers within Europe.”
The exact cause of the accident remains unclear, but local media reports described the freighter “passing over” the Greek Navy minehunter as the latter was leaving port. The captain of the Maersk Launceston has reportedly been arrested.
Considering the damage inflicted on the Kallisto, it might be considered fortunate that injuries were limited to two crewmembers. The extent of the damage will likely put the Kallisto out of action for good, although certain items can be recovered and used as spares for the Evropi.
It seems like the standard action is to arrest the Master of the other vessel, regardless of blame.
Paul Hood. + WSS Tyneside Branch Hon Sec.