Update 2 April, 10:30pm: Two vessels, Aruna Cihan and LEFKES, have responded to the Cayman Islands Coast Guard’s call for assistance on Tuesday night as freighter SC Montana continues to drift towards Little Cayman after suffering an engine failure.
The two ships, both bulk carriers that were in the Cayman area, together with a local tug in route from Grand Cayman, have responded to calls to join efforts to help the crew of the Liberian flagged cargo ship, Government Information Services has said in an update on the situation.
“Crew members on SC Montana have informed the Cayman Islands Coast Guard that they have generator power and all mechanisms to slow their drift have been employed. The ship’s engines remain offline,” the GIS update stated.
The ship’s latest Automatic Identification System information on its navigational status remains listed as not under command, according to ship tracking site MarineTraffic.com.
Its speed, however has slowed from 1.2 knots, reported as of 8:15pm, to 1.1 knots as at 10:30pm.
Government Information Services has stated that acting Governor Franz Manderson and Premier Juliana O’Connor-Connolly met earlier on Tuesday night with members of the Cayman Islands Coast Guard, representatives of Hazard Management Cayman Islands, Department of Environment and other key stakeholders to discuss mitigation steps as the operation continues.
The Coast Guard’s Operation Rescue Coordination Centre reported earlier on Tuesday night that efforts are ongoing to coordinate Cayman’s response to disabled cargo ship.
“All crew members on SC Montana are safe. The ship suffered engine failure and is drifting towards Little Cayman,” GIS has stated.
Original story
An operation is under way to assist a Liberian flagged freighter that has lost engine power and is drifting towards Little Cayman, according to a statement from government.
The Cayman Islands Coast Guard’s Operation Rescue Coordination Centre is coordinating a response to the disabled cargo ship, SC Montana.
The brief bulletin issued on Tuesday night stated that the ship suffered engine failure and is drifting towards Little Cayman.
“A freighter vessel has been dispatched to assist and prevent a potential grounding. All crew on board SC Montana are safe,” the statement said.
No information was immediately available on how close the ship is to Little Cayman.
Based on shipping information, the vessel was en route from Montego Bay, Jamaica, to Mariel, Cuba.
Shipping data shows that the SC Montana has an overall length of 680 feet long and and 98 feet wide.
The ship’s latest Automatic Identification System information on its navigational status is listed as not under command, according to ship tracking site MarineTraffic.com.
Its speed is listed at 1.2 knots, as of 8:15pm.
Check back for updates on this developing story.
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Nobody has asked what the ship’s cargo is?.