Hosei-Sakura

The conviction of the captain of the "Thorco Lineage" drifted onto a reef in French Polynesia has become final. He was given a suspended one-year jail sentence and the company Sinbanali Shipping was fined $US240,000. They originally appealed but now accepted the court ruling. Captain Lazaro Valenzuela has been convicted or failing to communicate an engine failure which within two days saw the laden ship drift onto the reef of Raroia. The incident only became known when locals saw the stranded ship, which was carrying zinc from the United States to Australia. After being towed to Papeete for repairs of its hull, a special tug from the United States took the vessel to South Korea.

SMIT SALVAGE confirmed that all the necessary work prior to the towing of the "Thorco Lineage" from Papeete was completed. On July 18 the tug "Michelle Foss" (IMO: 9748564) pulled the ship out of the port bound to Majuro, ETA Aug 5, before proceeding further to a repair yard in South Korea.

The 'Thorco Lineage' requires at least a week of priority repairs in Papeete before being able to be towed to a yard for permanent repairs. The experts mandated by the charterer of the cargo had to check if the ship was seaworthy. The rudder was damaged, the blades of the propeller were broken, several leaks have also been detected and the ballast tanks have been affected. Patches to stop the water ingress will have to be fixed by specialized divers carrying out underwater welding who started their work this weekend. The tug, which sailed from a US port to pull the 'Thorco Lineage' was expected in Tahiti on July 12 or 13. Spanish report with photo: https://www.radio1.pf/le-thorco-lineage-doit-etre-repare-avant-de-repartir/