AmericasAsiaDry CargoOperations

VLOC sinks in the South Atlantic

A very large ore carrier (VLOC) belonging to South Korea’s Polaris Shipping is believed to have sunk off Uruguay.

Crew – made up of 16 Filipinos and eight Koreans – sent urgent messages to Polaris’s headquarters on Friday evening as the giant ship, Stellar Daisy, took on water. It was heading from Brazil to China when calamity struck and is thought to have capsized and sunk very quickly after the distress messages were sent.

Local coast guard officials have since relayed that lifeboats have been found in the vicinity, and at least two seafarers are believed to have survived. Splash will bring more on this breaking story as we get it.

Sam Chambers

Starting out with the Informa Group in 2000 in Hong Kong, Sam Chambers became editor of Maritime Asia magazine as well as East Asia Editor for the world’s oldest newspaper, Lloyd’s List. In 2005 he pursued a freelance career and wrote for a variety of titles including taking on the role of Asia Editor at Seatrade magazine and China correspondent for Supply Chain Asia. His work has also appeared in The Economist, The New York Times, The Sunday Times and The International Herald Tribune.

Comments

  1. My cousin Jomari Wite Cabrahan
    is the lucky one of the survivor
    from Philippines.
    wonderful blessing
    GOD is so good

    1. Wonderful for your cousin, that really is a miracle.

      Seems there were two survivors, as far as I’ve heard (not confirmed) an Astra Shipmanagement (Koropoulis – offshoot of Martinos clan) bulk carrier called the Elpida, 2001 built 73k dwt was involved in the rescue operation

  2. I have heard that her sister ship Stellar Unicorn is currently off Cape Town with a crack in her hull?

  3. I recall two cases happened long time ago with similar VLOC’s: m/v SILVIA L.OSSA and OMNIUM MARINER both splitted in two parts and sunk at terrorific Bermuda Triangle late in the ’70s. Both were total losses and no survivors at all!!

Back to top button