A bulker is at risk of becoming severely damaged after running aground on Mexico's Pacific coast in the aftermath of Hurricane Patricia, according to local reports.
The 1993-built, 71,665dwt Los Llanitos, operated by Mexico City-based Naviera Para Mineral, had attempted to wait out the storm while at anchor off the coast, according to reports, but was dragged to shore on 24 October some 43 km (27 miles) north of the Port of Manzanillo by the force of the storm, one of the fiercest ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere.
The Mexican Navy rescued 19 of 27 crew members by helicopter, with the remaining crew left to monitor damage.
One report noted that the ship showed cracks near the engine room, and that there was a risk of further damage in other areas of the vessel. There were no initial reports of a major spill as result of the hull damage.
The Port of Manzanillo, Mexico's largest container port, which shut down as the massive storm approach, reopened on 25 October without significant damage, according to port officials.
Source IHS