Approximate position of the UND Adriyatik when it caught fire

The Turkish ship UND Adriyatik on fire. Photo taken from Fort Punta Christo, near Pula

Close up view

• "Turkish ship on fire off Croatia" WikiNews February 7, 2008
• This news article from WikiNews is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License.

Service to millions of Internet users in the Middle East and Asia has been disrupted, following damage to undersea cables.

Route map of the SEA-ME-WE 4 cable link

The cables, SEA-ME-WE 4 and FLAG, which provide communications services for various countries - including India, Pakistan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia - is believed to have been damaged by a ship attempting to moor off Egypt on Wenesday 30th January.

One day later, on February 1, 2008, the FALCON cable was also reported cut 56 km off Dubai.

• "75 million left without Internet access after fault in undersea cable" WikiNews February 2, 2008
• This news article from WikiNews is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License.

One hundred and thirty three people were injured, nineteen of them seriously, when two high-speed ferries travelling between Hong Kong and Macau collided in heavy fog on Friday. Ten crew members were also injured but no deaths have been reported.

The two high-speed Boeing 929 - 100 Jetfoil hydrofoil ferries, Funchal and Santa Maria operated by Hong Kong-based ShunTak-China Travel Ship Management Limited (under the brand name TurboJet), collided five nautical miles away from Macau at around 8:30 p.m. local time. The incident has been confirmed by an official of the Maritime Administration of the Macau Special Administrative Region.

In Shangai, a river ferry carrying twenty two people capsized in thick fog on Friday. Ten people are reported missing. Sixty six people were rescued after another ferry ran aground at Zhuhai near Macau.

• "Ferries collide between Hong Kong and Macau in fog" WikiNews January 12, 2008
• This news article from WikiNews is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License.

All passengers and crew from the stricken Canadian cruise ship MS Explorer are safe. Since broadcasting a call for help at approximately 05:24 UTC, a number of vessels in the area have raced to rescue her 156 passengers and crew. Four vessels led by the cruise ship the Endeavour were the first to arrive and pick up the evacuees from lifeboats and RIBs, later being transferred to the Norwegian ship, MS Nordnorge.

In less than one hour all passengers and crew, said to be cold but in good health, were safely transferred to the Nordnorge, and that vessel is now heading towards King George Island, three or four hours steaming away. Speaking on the BBC's News 24, the captain of the Nordnorge said that he was heading for the Chilean research station, from where it is expected that all can be flown back to the South American mainland.

Off the South Shetland Islands the ship struck an underwater object (believed to be a submerged iceberg ) the Explorer developed a fist sized crack and began taking on water. Initially said to be listing to starboard at 25° the Argentine Coast Guard reports that the list has since increased to 45° and the vessel is expected to sink soon. Concerns now turn to possible environmental concerns and damage.

The rescue effort was an international affair involving the coast guards of Argentina, USA, Chile and the UK. The UK's Maritime and Coastguard Agency received notification from the US Coast Guard between 5.30-6.00 asking for the Explorer's emergency data plans.

• "MS Explorer cruise ship passengers are safe" WikiNews November 23, 2007
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November 23, 2007

Canadian cruise ship MS Explorer is sinking in Antarctic waters, near the South Shetland Islands. Having struck an unknown underwater object and taking on water, all but the captain and chief officer of the 156 on board, have abandoned ship for life boats and await rescue.

Despite having a strong reinforced ice breaking hull, the ship is said to be listing heavily and expected to sink soon. A cruise ship in the vicinity, the Antarctic Dream, has been diverted to help but is not expected to arrive until at least 11.00 hours UTC. Four Argentine vessels were also dispatched but are not expected to arrive for some time.

The rescue effort is an international affair, being undertaken by the Argentine Coast Guard, with help from the U.S. Coast Guard in Norfolk, Virginia, and the U.K. Coast Guard in Falmouth in an advisory capacity.

• "Canadian cruise ship sinking in Antarctic" WikiNews November 23, 2007
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May 14, 2007

The Alaskan cruise ship "Empress of the North" was given the order to evacuate at 2 AM Alaska Time this morning after striking an underwater rock and taking on water. All 281 passengers and 29 crew are unharmed and the passengers have been evacuated, though the ship is listing roughly 8 degrees. The US Coast Guard has stated the ship is in no danger of sinking, but tell news reporters that the captain of the ship gave the order to evacuate to be safe. The ship's current location is 24 km (15 miles) southeast of Juneau, Alaska in an area of the Eastern peninsula known as the Icy Strait. Though it is unknown exactly what penetrated the ship's hull at this time, it is suspected by the captain and US Coast Guard that it was an underwater rock. This all occurred during the night hours on the second day of a seven day long cruise through the Alexander Archipelago and Inside Passage in southeastern Alaska.

Dan Miller, representative for "Majestic America" has said the ship "is stable and is under its own power and as soon as all the guests and crew are transferred off, she will make her way under her own power over to Juneau where we will assess the damage."

Several civilian pleasure-craft arrived at the scene and have taken some passengers off of the ship. The ships involved in this rescue operation were a commercial tugboat, a barge, 6 pleasurecraft, an Alaska Marine Highway ferry, and another cruise ship.

As of 1:00 PM Eastern Time, all of the passengers have been transferred to an Alaskan Ferry, heading back to Juneau. The 29 crew members have stated they will remain on board to help bring the ship back to port in Juneau for investigation and repairs.

The 109-meter long Empress of the North is owned by "Majestic America", a division of Ambassadors Cruise Group, which is in turn, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ambassadors International.

• "Alaskan cruise ship evacuated" WikiNews May 14, 2007
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