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The Cargo Ship Heading to Qingdao, China, Transporting Vale’s Ore Is at Risk of Sinking off the Coast of Maranhão
On Wednesday, February 26, 100 kilometers off the coast of São Luís, Maranhão, the Vale cargo ship MV Stellar Banner, a Valemax class vessel, sustained hull damage and is at risk of sinking while navigating towards China. Petrobras has Started the Long Duration Test of the Deepwater Oil Reservoir in the Sergipe Basin
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The vessel was heading to Qingdao, China, with ore and suffered damage to its cargo hold offshore 100 kilometers from the coast of São Luís, Maranhão. Water is entering the vessel.
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Sources report that the ship’s captain requested land support after identifying water entering its cargo holds, possibly due to a crack in the hull. Currently, the vessel is undergoing an operation to avoid sinking.
According to Vale, the hull damage occurred at the bow after the ship left the Ponta da Madeira Maritime Terminal in São Luís, Maranhão, on Monday night. Vale also reported that the damage occurred outside the port access channel.
So far, Vale has not provided information on the volume of ore or the amount of fuel on board the ship, which has a capacity of up to 400,000 tons of ore.
The MV Stellar Banner, registered under the Marshall Islands flag, was scheduled to arrive in China on April 4. According to the website Marine Traffic, it is 340 meters long, carries 300,000 tons of ore, and was built in 2016.
The vessel was built in 2016 and is owned and operated by the South Korean company Polaris. One possible solution to prevent the ship from sinking is to seek a sandbank to attempt to ground the vessel.
In a statement, the mining company Vale reported: “It has been reported to Vale that, as a precautionary measure, the 20 crew members were safely evacuated and that the ship’s captain undertook grounding maneuvers about 100 kilometers from the coast of São Luís, Maranhão.”
“As a port operator, Vale is providing technical and operational support, sending towboats, and collaborating with maritime authorities,” the company said.
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