Hi kowloonb,
About "Paris" and "You Xiu" , is true: both of them sunk on 04.01.1995.
Around 9 AM Port Control Constantza transmited to all of the ships from the territorial waters the notices of worsen the weather. Besides the usual safeseat measures, the ships were due to assured the radio in the channel 12 VHF receiving regular informations about the evolution of meteorological conditions. Due to the cautions, 9 from 12 ships finded out near harbour, decided to raise anchor and to go on off-shore. The commanders of bulkers " Paris"," You Xiu" and" Seabulk Hope" decide to stay in laughes and to fight with the waves. In several hours, the weaves becoms biger.
At 12:00 AM "Paris" decided to ask for the entrance permision inside the harbour for refuel. The harbour authorities accepted and decided to send a pilot motorboat to wait the ship of the end of the dam, but the commander of "Paris" reported a fault occured at the screwjack of the anchor.After that, the commander from "Paris" decided to remain outside the harbour, at anchor, during the night. The Port Control warns one more time "Paris" about the dangerous position of the ship, but "Paris" didn't move from that place.
Seing the heavy weather, "Seabulk Hope" decided to leave its position to large ( a decision extremly inspired ).
Few minutes after the Port Control received the decision of "Paris" to stay, the radar operators observed that the other ship , "You Xiu" grapping to the dam. The commander of "You Xiu" was warned because there were only 1,9 miles between the ship and the dam. The operators ordered the ship to leave its position and go toward large. The commander from "You Xiu" release the danger just around 18:45 and prompts help from authorities ( between ship and dam were just around 185 meters). It was too late. In the same time, the Port Control operators received an SOS from "Paris". In fact, the two bulkers sinking about the same time.The last message received around 21:15 from "You Xiu" was: "The ship is inclined and it starts to sink".
The biggest romanian tugs cannot leave the harbour due to heavy weather. The first tug that leave the harbour was a dutch powerfull tug that was inside the harbour. After that, the salvage tug "Viteazul" leave the harbour and confirmed, around 20:45 that "Paris" was sunk.
"Paris" and "You Xiu" sunk arround the same time at 600 meters one each other.
"You Xiu" is sunk very closer of romanian cargo "Sadu" ( sunk in similar condition in december 1988).
The salvage operation continued many days after shipwreck. During 3 days, the romanians ships gathered from the sea the dead-boddies. All the members of the crew from the bulkers died. The commanders of the ships were found guilty for that tragedy. The wrecks were inspected by the divers ; they also found two big holes in the north dam. In fact, the bulkers sectioned the dam in two places, one around 300 meters long and the other, around 150 meters long. The demages from the dam were estimated at around 5 million USD. The repair of the dam was made by romanians and the owners of the bulkers were prosecute for recovery of the damages.
That's all I found about these two bulkers.
Unfortunatelly, I don't have any photos of the ships.
Cristi