MV Shelly

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The M/V Shelly was an Israeli cargo ship that sank in the Mediterranean Sea on August 30, 2007 after a collision with the passenger vessel Salamis Glory. Two crew members were killed in the accident.

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[edit] Ship details

Although the Shelly was an Israeli-owned vessel, her 13-man crew was comprised of foreigners,[1] mainly Slovaks and Ukrainians.[2]

[edit] Collision and sinking

On August 30, 2007, the Shelly was sitting at anchor approximately two miles from the coast of Israel, close to the port of Haifa, when she was accidentally rammed at around 10pm by Cypriot passenger vessel Salamis Glory, which had left port at Haifa several minutes before.[1][2] The Shelly sank quickly after the collision, which the Israel Broadcasting Authority reported broke the vessel in half.[3] Eleven crew members escaped the vessel, and the majority climbed onto a rescue launch lowered by the Salamis Glory and were subsequently rescued by the navy.[1] The rest were rescued by helicopter.[2] The survivors refused to be taken to a local hospital for treatment.[2] The Salamis Glory subsequently returned to port in Haifa, exhibiting light damage to her hull.[1] None out of the approximately 700 passengers and crew on board was injured in the accident.[2]

The remaining two crew members were declared missing, sparking a search and rescue operation involving six naval vessels, multiple aircraft and divers.[2] Their bodies were recovered from the wreck by divers twelve hours after the sinking,[1] in 20 metres of water.[3] The deceased were identified as the Indonesian first mate and the Ukrainian ship's engineer.[2]

The vessel's sinking triggered the formation of an oil spill which moved down the coast, causing officials to warn members of the public to refrain from bathing at the nearby Zvulun beach.[2]

On August 31, Salamis Lines, owner of the Salamis Glory, arranged for 148 stranded Cypriot passengers from the ship to be flown back to Cyprus on a Cyprus Airways jet.[4][2]

[edit] Investigation

The Israeli police are conducting a full investigation into the cause of the accident, assisted by Cypriot authorities.[1] All the Salamis Glory's crewmembers were interviewed. One current possibility under consideration is that there was a fault in the ship's navigation system,[1] with some reports of a loss of steering control onboard the Salamis Glory.[2]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Israeli Divers Find Bodies of 2 Sailors - The Washington Post - August 31, 2007 - Obtained September 3, 2007.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rescuers retrieve bodies of two sailors killed in collision off Haifa - September 1, 2007 - Obtained September 3, 2007.
  3. ^ a b Bodies of missing seamen found after Haifa ship collision - Jerusalem Post - August 30, 2007 - Obtained September 3, 2007.
  4. ^ Cruise passengers return home after accident - Cyprus Mail - September 2, 2007 - Obtained September 3, 2007.