What Crew Members Say About Mississippi-Star

In the early hours of June 12, at 2:45 a.m., the fire-damaged tanker 'Mississippi Star' successfully reached Teesport Anchorage, docking at 4:30 a.m. The vessel, which had a crew of 17 on board, encountered a fire in its engine room while navigating approximately six nautical miles northeast of Whitby. A 65-year-old Filipino crew member was airlifted to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough for treatment of flash burns sustained during the incident. The distress call came in just after 12:30 p.m. on June 11, when the crew reported the engine room fire. A mayday relay was promptly broadcast over Channel 16, prompting two vessels nearby to respond and make their way to assist. The RNLI lifeboats from Whitby and Scarborough, the latter of which was already engaged in a training exercise at sea, were dispatched alongside a search and rescue helicopter from RAF Leconfield. Thanks to the crew's quick efforts, they were able to isolate and extinguish the fire, while the lifeboats stood by, prepared for a potential evacuation. By the time the Whitby RNLI lifeboat arrived at the scene, the vessel had drifted several miles but the fire had already been controlled. The Scarborough lifeboat returned to its station, while the Whitby crew maintained a watchful presence until tugs could be organized to escort the tanker safely into the Tees for damage evaluation. Interestingly, the 'Mississippi Star' had only departed Teesport earlier the same day at around 10:30 a.m., setting sail for Antwerp. For more photos and video coverage of this incident, visit the RNLI news page.

On June 11, 2023, the chemical tanker Mississippi Star experienced a fire in its engine room while operating in the North Sea. The vessel was in the process of ballasting from Tees, UK, to Antwerp when the incident occurred. At approximately 12:30 LT, the Mississippi Star transmitted a distress signal, alerting authorities to the fire and reporting an injured crew member onboard. In response, lifeboats were dispatched swiftly to assist the distressed vessel. By the time they arrived, the crew had successfully extinguished the flames, isolating the engine room and activating their fire suppression system. The injured crew member was airlifted to a hospital in Middlesbrough for treatment. After the incident, the tanker was left disabled and drifting. Salvage tugs Svitzer Hutton (IMO 9547855) and Svitzer Castle (IMO 9316397) arrived on the scene and began towing the Mississippi Star back towards Tees. As of 01:00 on June 12, 2023, the vessels were positioned approximately three miles offshore from Tees.

On September 28, 2010, the cargo vessel 'Mississippi Star' (IMO 9527623) found itself under threat from pirates while navigating through Tanzanian waters en route to Dar es Salaam. Despite being targeted in this alarming incident, the ship, which was crewed by 18 members, successfully evaded capture. This unsettling attack marked the second such incident in the region within a mere three days, highlighting the increasing risks of piracy off the East African coast.