Six Crew Rescued After Cement Ship Lady Sandra Grounds in Guyana
Six crew members of the motor vessel Lady Sandra were rescued from a life-raft after the ship ran aground off Clonbrook, on the East Coast of Demerara in Guyana, on 8 November. Clonbrook lies on Guyana’s Atlantic coast, east of the capital, Georgetown.
Guyana’s Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) said the vessel left Georgetown on 7 November with a cargo of cement for New Amsterdam, in Berbice. During the voyage it suffered a main engine failure. The master anchored the ship at about 19:45 that evening, and the vessel manager first arranged help from a tug.
From the CrewMirror Blog
The ship then dragged its anchor and ran aground at about 01:00 on 8 November. At around 05:34, the crew saw that the vessel was taking in water. They abandoned ship and boarded a life-raft. The Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard picked them up and took them to its Boathouse, where a medical team checked them before they were released. No injuries were reported, and no pollution has been mentioned.
The vessel remains grounded on the foreshore. MARAD has ordered the owners to secure the ship and have it towed away as soon as possible, and its investigation is continuing. The case is similar to other recent incidents where ships dragged anchor and grounded in strong winds or lost engine power near the coast.
CrewMirror Takeaway
A ship anchored without engine power close to shore needs a constant anchor watch, with extra cable or a second anchor ready and early calls for tug help. This case also shows why crews should keep life-rafts and abandon-ship drills in good order on small coastal vessels.
