Tanker rescues 18 from flooding American cargo ship bound for Okinawa

A Hong Kong-flagged tanker recently rescued the crew of an American cargo ship contracted to move U.S. Marine Corps equipment in the Indo-Pacific.

The 465-foot heavy lift cargo vessel SLNC York was about 955 miles south of Tokyo on Aug. 19 when its engine room began flooding, U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam said in a Friday news release. No injuries among its 18 crew members were reported.

The York is contracted as a theater mobility support ship to move equipment throughout the region, a III Marine Expeditionary Force spokesperson said in an unsigned email Friday.

The ship was en route to Naha, Okinawa, from Honolulu, according to ship tracking data from MarineTraffic.com.

As the York was taking on water, the ship’s captain alerted the Coast Guard’s Joint Region Sub-Center Guam via satellite phone around 2:40 a.m., according to the release.

The SLNC York, seen here in an undated photo, has been used to transport military vehicles. (Schuyler Line Navigation Co.)

The center subsequently broadcast an emergency and requested help through the Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue System, or AMVER, which allows participating ships to share their locations and voluntarily assist with rescue efforts.

Three ships responded to the call, including the Hong Kong-flagged liquefied petroleum gas tanker Pacific Yantai. Meanwhile, the flooding worsened and the York’s captain ordered his crew to abandon ship, according to the news release.

The Pacific Yantai arrived roughly 17 hours after the first call and safely embarked all 18 crew members. The ship continued its transit to Yeosu, South Korea, with the rescued crew, Sector Guam spokeswoman Chief Petty Officer Lisa Ferdinando said by email Friday.

After the crew rescue, the Japanese salvage tug Koyo Maru began to tow the York for salvage operations, Ferdinando said. She referred additional questions to Coast Guard District Oceania, which did not immediately respond to an email request for comment Friday.

The engine room’s flooding is under investigation by the Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board, Ferdinando said.

The ship suffered “catastrophic flooding” due to a leak in the ship’s propeller shaft seal, Salvatore Mercogliano, an adjunct professor at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, said in an Aug. 20 YouTube video. He cited footage taken aboard the ship and unattributed reports.

It was sailing without cargo from Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, to Naha, Okinawa, where it was due to load equipment for a U.S. Marine Corps exercise on Guam, he said in a video on the YouTube channel “What’s Going on With Shipping?”

The III MEF spokesperson declined to confirm or provide additional details, citing security concerns.