Cargo boat sinks at Tinian harbor

Picture shows the boat docked at the Saipan dock on Monday morning prior to its final voyage. All goods on board were lost at sea. (RAY ALVAREZ)

A 36-foot boat carrying 3,000-4,000 lbs of cargo from Saipan reportedly lost propulsion as it was entering the Tinian Harbor Monday afternoon and completely sank that night as it was towed away from the reef.

The captain and one crewmember were safely rescued by a Jet ski driven by a police officer from the Tinian Department of Public Safety’s Boating Safety Unit. The two were not injured, according to Tinian DPS director Juan Santos.

In an interview, Santos said there was no oil spill but they laid out an oil containment boom yesterday afternoon for safety reasons.

Santos said that, according to their investigation, the boat sunk because of a big hole or damage to the aft behind the captain’s deck caused by breakwater metals.

As of last night, the boat was still underwater.

The vessel is owned by Huangshun Corp., which owns Sunshine Garden Hotel and U Save Supermarket and other businesses on Saipan and Tinian, Saipan Tribune learned.

Santos said divers confirmed that the boat has no hazardous or pollutant cargo.

Santos said the cargo manifest shows that the boat had three pallets of frozen goods, soda, and canned goods.

Santos said that on Monday at 3pm they received a 911 call about a boat that had gone aground the reef so he dispatched a Boating Safety officer aboard a Jet ski to rescue the captain and crew.

The officer first rescued the captain and then the crewmember, both of them taken to Kammer Beach, the closest shore.

At Kammer Beach, medics examined the two, who were found not injured.

Santos said investigation showed that as the boat was approaching the Tinian Harbor’s entrance at Buoy No. 6, the vessel lost propulsion but the engine was fine.

The boat then drifted and ran aground on top of the reef as it was low tide.

At 9pm a company that was hired to tow the boat pushed the vessel into the breakwater or to deeper water away from the reef.

When they finally towed the boat, they discovered a hole behind the captain’s deck.

“From there, they were trying to tow as fast as they can. I think it was taking on too much water so it sunk,” Santos said.

He said the boat sunk completely within the vicinity of the harbor toward the sandy area at 11:16pm.

He said they made a salvage plan that will be implemented today, Wednesday.

Saipan DPS Boating Safety officers also responded along with BECQ and Fish and Wildlife to assist Tinian DPS officers, the Tinian Commonwealth Ports Authority police, Fish and Wildlife, and the Mayor’s Office. The U.S. Coast Guard also came.

An assessment is still being conducted to determine if there was damage to the coral.