MV Shelly
Encyclopedia
The M/V Shelly was an Israel
i cargo ship
that sank in the Mediterranean Sea
on 30 August 2007 after a collision with the passenger vessel Salamis Glory
. Two crew members were killed in the accident.
and Ukrainians
.
, when she was accidentally rammed at around 10pm by Cypriot
passenger vessel Salamis Glory
, which had left port at Haifa several minutes before. The Shelly sank quickly after the collision, which the Israel Broadcasting Authority
reported broke the vessel in half. Eleven crew members escaped the vessel, and the majority climbed onto a rescue launch lowered by the Salamis Glory and were subsequently rescued by the navy. The rest were rescued by helicopter. The survivors refused to be taken to a local hospital for treatment. The Salamis Glory subsequently returned to port in Haifa, exhibiting light damage to her hull. None out of the approximately 700 passengers and crew on board was injured in the accident.
The remaining two crew members were declared missing, sparking a search and rescue operation involving six naval vessels, multiple aircraft and divers. Their bodies were recovered from the wreck by divers twelve hours after the sinking, in 20 metres of water. The deceased were identified as the Indonesia
n first mate and the Ukrainian ship's engineer.
The vessel's sinking triggered the formation of an oil spill
which moved down the coast, causing officials to warn members of the public to refrain from bathing at the nearby Zvulun beach.
On 31 August, Salamis Lines, owner of the Salamis Glory, arranged for 148 stranded Cypriot passengers from the ship to be flown back to Cyprus on a Cyprus Airways
jet.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i cargo ship
Cargo ship
A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...
that sank in the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
on 30 August 2007 after a collision with the passenger vessel Salamis Glory
Salamis Glory
The C/S Salamis Glory was a cruise ship registered in Limassol, Cyprus...
. Two crew members were killed in the accident.
Ship details
Although the Shelly was an Israeli-owned vessel, her thirteen man crew was composed of foreigners, mainly SlovaksSlovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
and Ukrainians
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
.
Collision and sinking
On 30 August 2007, the Shelly was sitting at anchor approximately two miles from the coast of Israel, close to the port of HaifaHaifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
, when she was accidentally rammed at around 10pm by Cypriot
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
passenger vessel Salamis Glory
Salamis Glory
The C/S Salamis Glory was a cruise ship registered in Limassol, Cyprus...
, which had left port at Haifa several minutes before. The Shelly sank quickly after the collision, which the Israel Broadcasting Authority
Israel Broadcasting Authority
Israel Broadcasting Authority is Israel's state broadcasting network.It grew out of the radio station Kol Yisrael, which made its first broadcast as an independent station on . The name of the organisation operating Kol Yisrael was changed to Israel Broadcasting Service in 1951...
reported broke the vessel in half. Eleven crew members escaped the vessel, and the majority climbed onto a rescue launch lowered by the Salamis Glory and were subsequently rescued by the navy. The rest were rescued by helicopter. The survivors refused to be taken to a local hospital for treatment. The Salamis Glory subsequently returned to port in Haifa, exhibiting light damage to her hull. None out of the approximately 700 passengers and crew on board was injured in the accident.
The remaining two crew members were declared missing, sparking a search and rescue operation involving six naval vessels, multiple aircraft and divers. Their bodies were recovered from the wreck by divers twelve hours after the sinking, in 20 metres of water. The deceased were identified as the Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n first mate and the Ukrainian ship's engineer.
The vessel's sinking triggered the formation of an oil spill
Oil spill
An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially marine areas, due to human activity, and is a form of pollution. The term is mostly used to describe marine oil spills, where oil is released into the ocean or coastal waters...
which moved down the coast, causing officials to warn members of the public to refrain from bathing at the nearby Zvulun beach.
On 31 August, Salamis Lines, owner of the Salamis Glory, arranged for 148 stranded Cypriot passengers from the ship to be flown back to Cyprus on a Cyprus Airways
Cyprus Airways
Cyprus Airways is the national airline of Cyprus, a public limited company with its head offices located in the capital of the island, Nicosia. It operates scheduled services to 41 destinations in Europe, the Middle East and the Gulf. It flies from both airports of the island, Larnaca and Paphos,...
jet.