Containership stolen from Namibian port

[frederik]

Containership stolen from Namibian port

A hunt has been launched for a small containership that has disappeared from the port of Walvis Bay in Namibia. The Cyprus flag "Umfolozi" had spent months in port after being detained following a collision with a dredger.
The "Umfolozi" was one of a number of small geared containerships chartered for the Ocean Africa Container Lines service. But the 671-TEU "Umfolozi" (build 1982) has now disappeared and the port authority wants to know what has happened. The Namibian gunboat Oryx has been dispatched to try to locate the Umfolozi.
Local media report that the Walvis Bay port captain, Vladimir Gusev, has been suspended following the disappearance of the vessel. The incident is being treated as a criminal theft by the Namibian authorities although it appears to be more likely a case of a vessel breaking arrest.
The Umfolozi was part of the fleet of Isle of Man based Scott Shipping Management but on charter to Grindrod controlled Ocean African Container Lines at the time of the collision. The containership wich sustained a large fracture to its hull plating and has its engine room flooded as a result of the september collision with the South African dredger, "Ingwenya", was subsequently repaired. There are reports that the vessel was bought by a Greek owner who the Namibian authorities are now seeking on suspicion of spiriting the ship away.
A crew is alleged to have boarded the Umfolozi, overpowered two security guards and dumped them and their belongings overboard.
The Namibian authorities suggest the Umfolozi may now be renamed the "Michael S", reports TradeWinds.

SeaNews

[David Harrison]

It appears that the crew have boarded the vessel and have broken arrest. I guess it will not be cal;l;ing at Walvis Bay again :-D

[Kelvin Davies]

I had to smile when I read this post as it reminded me of an incident in the 1960s.
In 1966, I was a soldier, posted to Francistown, Botswana.
Francistown then had one main street with shops and 2 pubs on one side and the railway station on the other.
Our favourite pub was directly opposite the railway station.The railway station was on the main line for trains from Pretoria in South Africa to Bulawayo in Rhodesia and they used to stop for about 10 or 15 minutes to take on water and coal. These trains were massive Beyer Garret arrangements.
We were stationed in Francistown as UK and Rhodesia were at each other's throats over the declaration of independence so Rhodesia was "out of bounds".
One night, a group of Irish fusiliers who had had a few beers and were fed up with Francistown, decided they wanted to see Rhodesia.
So, they walked out of the pub, across the road and stole the train!
Somehow, these soldiers figured out how to make it go and took the train all the way to Bulawayo where they got 6 months in prison!
40 years later the memory of it still makes me laugh!