Crew of US-Flagged SLNC York Evacuated After Water Ingress
Eighteen seafarers were taken aboard a passing LPG carrier in the western Pacific after flooding in the engine space
The crew of the U.S.-flagged cargo ship SLNC York have been taken off after the vessel experienced what its operator describes as an incursion of water in the western Pacific. All 18 seafarers were transferred to a passing LPG carrier and are reported safe.
The ship had departed Honolulu bound for Japan and was travelling in ballast when the incident occurred. Built in 2010, the 9,500 dwt vessel measures 143 metres and is a roro able to handle containers or heavy-lift cargo. It has been sailing since 2018 for Schuyler Line Navigation Company, a U.S. operator running regular American-flag breakbulk and heavy-lift services between the U.S. West Coast and the Far East on a bi-monthly schedule, with a fleet of seven ships plus a barge operation.
The company says the crew worked to mitigate the ingress and that the source is under investigation. As a precaution, the decision was taken to evacuate rather than to keep the crew aboard while the situation was assessed.
The transfer was made to the Pacific Yantai, a 54,747 dwt Hong Kong-registered gas carrier that was also crossing the Pacific from Honolulu, in its case bound for Korea. It diverted to take the crew off. Postings on social media show the 18 seafarers aboard the tanker.
The operator says the cargo ship is stable and will be attended by a support vessel, with the intention of bringing it into port. Schuyler Line is coordinating with both the U.S. Coast Guard and the Japan Coast Guard.
The practical difficulty in a case like this is distance. A ship in ballast in mid-ocean with water in the machinery space has limited options, and the availability of a merchant vessel on a nearby track is what turned an evacuation into a routine transfer rather than a search and rescue case.
