Text 2. Master says "I'm no hero"

The master of the methanol carrier Cape Horn dismissed as "ridiculous" claims that he acted heroically in taking his blazing ship out of port.

The vessel, carrying 14,000 tonnes of methanol, caught fire while berthing at Livorno, in Italy. Most of the crew were evacuated after trying to control the blaze, but Captain Eric Leseur stayed on board together with the pilot and four others while the vessel was towed out to sea by a tug. Less than 20 minutes later two methanol tanks exploded sending flames 30 metres into the air.

Several of the Cape Horn's crew and two from the tug were reported injured, but not seriously. Speaking from his hospital bed, Captain Leseur said: "I just did my duty. Any master would have tried to take a ship carrying fuel away from port".

Text 3. Fire out on liner off se England

Saturday, May 6, 2006

Crew members put out a fire in the engine room of a cruise liner with 708 people aboard off the coast of southeast England.

They smothered the engine room with CO₂, and they have managed to extinguish the fire. There are no reports of injuries from the ship.

An emergency call from the ship came in at about 4 a.m. and fire and rescue services scrambled to reach the vessel. It was called The Calypso and was operated by Louis Cruise Lines.

Three lifeboats are alongside the liner, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) off the seaside town of Beachy Head, a coastguard helicopter dropped a team of firefighters on board to assess the situation and is flying out a team of reinforcements.

"Basically, it's information collection at the moment and making decisions", said one of the officials, adding that a coastguard tugboat was also heading to the liner.

"It's very unlikely we will evacuate", he said.

The liner was heading from the English port of Tilbury to St Peterport in the Scilly Isles in the English Channel.

The 11,162-tonne Calypso was built in 1968, has 243 cabins and can carry up to 593 passengers.

Text 4. Storm hampers shipwreck search

25 November, 1999

High seas are hampering attempts to find survivors after what may have been China's worst shipping disaster for more than 50 years.

At least 150 people are dead and 126 are missing following the shipwreck of a passenger ferry close to the eastern Chinese port of Yantai.

The Dashun broke up and sank after it was trapped in a violent storm off the coast of Shandong province.

Only 36 survivors of the 312 passengers and crew aboard the ship had been found.

The provincial government sent soldiers, police and navy troops for the rescue effort. But conditions are difficult, with five metre waves and freezing temperatures. Many of the victims froze to death in life boats as they waited in vain for help. Officials said a fleet of tugs and other boats was sent to help, but were unable to approach because of the weather.

The ship had been heading for the port of Dalian, but was forced to turn back by gale force winds and towering waves. The vessel sent out distress signals when a fire broke out at 1630 local time. The cause of the fire is still being investigated.

Reports suggest it broke out on the second deck used to carry cars and spread to the third used for cargo trucks.