Aging OSV Goes Hard Aground on the Rocks in Dominican Republic
An OSV carrying a tugboat on deck has gone aground outside the bay at Luperon, a popular sailing yacht destination on the north side of the Dominican Republic.
The vessel is the ENE Vision (IMO 9203459), a 1998-built OSV of about 1,800 dwt. It was formerly known as HOS Crossfire, and was sold by previous owner Hornbeck Offshore some time ago, the firm told local media; however, the vessel's name and ownership have not been updated in its Equasis record, and its status is listed as in layup. Its flag state is not officially recorded, but videos from the scene show that the vessel's stern is marked "Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic."
Peter Swanson, a longtime maritime journalist, reports that the ENE Vision was both carrying a tug on deck and towing a barge astern. The barge was released and moved safely away by other vessels; the OSV, drifting and without power, was driven onto the rocks.
Dominican Republic deputy marine resources minister José Ramón Reyes told local outlet Winston Noticias that no spill had been detected, and that responders plan to lighter off some of the stricken OSV's cargo in order to improve the odds of a refloat.
An additional OSV arrived on scene and attempted to carry out a tow, but was not successful. One of the response vessels briefly grounded on a nearby shoal, according to sailing yacht cruiser Gary Helms, who posted a video to confirm the second grounding. The response vessel later refloated on its own, he reported. His on-site footage shows a long gash in the side of EME Vision's hull at the waterline, the result of pounding on the rocks in heavy surf.
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The Puerto Plata region is currently under a high surf alert due to heavy swells, the same conditions affecting Puerto Rico. Surface conditions more favorable to salvage operations are expected later in the week.
Top image: Inner harbor at Luperon, DR (Hector Mota / CC BY NC ND 2.0)
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