Text 5. Hunt for man overboard called off

22 April, 2005

The search for a man believed to be lost overboard near the mouth of the Humber has been called off.

The Humber Coastguard launched the search after the Master of a Danish registered ship reported an engineer missing on Thursday afternoon.

Three lifeboats, an RAF helicopter and coastguard teams were involved in the hunt for the 45-year-old Danish man.

But the search was called off at nightfall and was not expected to resume on Friday morning.

The vessel, the Tor Britannia, was making its way from Denmark to the Port of Humber when the man was reported missing.

A search of the ship failed to uncover him and the coastguard was called to organise a sea search.

Withernsea and Easington Coastguard Rescue teams, Humber and Cleethorpes lifeboats and Humber and Cleethorpes independent rescue craft are all involved in the search.

Coastguard teams also combed the shoreline on Thursday but found no trace of the man.

 

Text 6. Sea sightingas crewman lost

Monday, 21 January, 2002

Rescuers looking for a man lost overboard from a fishing boat say they may have seen storm clothing in the English Channel.

The man went missing at 0330 GMT on Monday from a French fishing vessel Cotealbatre. He was not wearing a lifejacket when he went overboard,
45 miles south-east of Plymouth.

A spotter planefrom the Channel Islands joined the search in near-gale conditions. Lifeboat crews from Devon decided to remain at sea in the hope of another sighting.

The spotter plane flew to shore to refuel but then returned to search zone. They thought they saw something in the water that looked like oilskins, which is what the fisherman was wearing. They would need a lifeboat on the scene to pick up the casualty.

The lifeboats were out from four o'clock in the morning.

A Royal Navy helicopter joined the search

Rescue helicopters were launched from RNAS Culdrose and RAF Chivenor. Both withdrew from the operation during the day.

Three French fishing vessels continued carrying out search sweeps throughout Monday after answering a distress call.

The missing crewman was 25 years old.

A coastguard spokesman said chances of survival were minimal after four or five hours in the sea.

 

Text 7. Lawsuit charges Norwegian Cruise Line negligence
in collision

August 27, 1999

A lawsuit reported Friday accuses Norwegian Cruise Line Limited of negligence in the recent collision of one of its ships with a cargo ship.

The Norwegian Dream, carrying 1,700 passengers and hundreds of crew members, collided with the Ever Decent, a 52,000-ton cargo ship, in the English Channel on Tuesday, the final day of the passenger liner's 12-day voyage.

The bow of the cruise ship was smashed and some containers from the cargo ship fell onto its deck. No serious injuries were reported. A fire broke out among flammable containers aboard the cargo ship.

The suit claims passengers suffered "physical injuries, pain, shock, fear, emotional distress and a variety of other physically manifested injuries" as
a result of the collision.

It also accuses Norwegian Cruise Line of failing to operate "in a safe and reasonable manner under the circumstancesof the English Channel" as well as "failing to employ reasonably competent and properly skilled officers and crew to safely navigate and operate the Norwegian Dream ".

Norwegian Cruise Line would not comment on the suit and said the company is still investigating the cause of the accident.

The cruise began in Dover, England, went on to St. Petersburg, Russia; Helsinki, Finland; Copenhagen, Denmark; and other destinations before returning to Dover.

 

Text 8. A fire apparently started by a cigarette broke out aboard
a giant cruise ship

A fire apparently started by a cigarette broke out aboard a giant cruise ship early Thursday as it sailed through the Caribbean, leaving one passenger dead, 11 people injured and at least 100 rooms scorched.

The Star Princess, carrying 2,690 passengers and 1,123 crew members, bore evidence of the nighttime drama as it pulled into Montego Bay's port. About 85 exterior cabins were blackened from the fire, metal was twisted, evidence of the heat of the blaze.

A smoldering cigarette is suspected as the cause of the blaze. Passengers grabbed life jackets and raced to "muster stations" after the fire started about
3 a.m. The crew put out the fire, then did a cabin-by-cabin search to check for victims and make sure everyone else was safe.

The fire melted locks on some of the cabins and burned some passengers' luggage.

Richard Liffidge, 75, of Georgia, collapsed and died on deck after suffering cardiac arrest. An autopsy would be performed to determine the cause of death.

Two passengers suffered significant smoke inhalation injuries and nine others had minor complications.

The U.S. Coast Guard dispatchedinvestigators and fire engineers to help determine the fire's cause and whether the ship was seaworthy. Teams were expected to arrive Thursday afternoon.