This Week in Shipwrecks

September 10, 2026

Hello and welcome to This Week in Shipwrecks, the weekly maritime news series of Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs. I’m your host, Rich Napolitano. 

This week includes three serious ship fires, the dismantling of a derelict ship, updates about a 16th century shipwreck in Namibia, a stranded teenage fisherman, and fascinating artifacts from one of the earliest naval battles of the American Revolution.

Let's get started.

 

---

 

1. Ferry Fire Leaves Dozens Missing in the Philippines

A passenger ferry carrying 117 passengers and 17 crew members caught fire on Wednesday, September 9th, off the western Philippine island of Palawan.

The MV June Aster was traveling from Manila toward Coron, a popular tourist destination known for its beaches, diving and island-hopping. According to survivors, there was a loud explosion, coming from the cargo hold, before the fire spread rapidly through the vessel.

The ferry was carrying considerably less than its maximum capacity of 330 people. Its manifest listed 134 people aboard, along with five motorcycles, an electric vehicle, a forklift, a pickup truck and other cargo. The Philippine Coast Guard said the vessel had passed its required safety inspections.

By Thursday, 42 people had been rescued, while at least five had died and 87 were still missing. Some survivors were found in the water without life jackets, suggesting that some passengers may have jumped overboard as the flames spread.

The rescue operation has involved the Philippine Coast Guard, military vessels and aircraft, local fishermen and even resort operators from the Coron area. Getting rescue personnel onto the ferry itself has been difficult because of the extreme heat, thick smoke and the danger of additional explosions.

The cause of the fire has not yet been established, but investigators have not ruled out anything from an accidental cargo fire to other possibilities. Officials stress that it is far too early to draw conclusions. For now, the priority remains finding survivors and accounting for everyone who was aboard.

Source: Reuters, September 10, 2026.

 

---

 

2. Fire Aboard Cargo Ship Kills 25 in China

Another serious shipboard fire occurred Thursday, September 10th, this time aboard the dry-bulk carrier Ocean Melody at the Qingdao Beihai Shipyard in eastern China.

The 20-year-old vessel was registered in Liberia and had arrived at the shipyard on August 31 for repairs. The fire broke out at approximately 11:15 in the morning while repair and inspection work was underway.

There were 42 people aboard the vessel. Twelve managed to evacuate safely, while five others were injured and taken to hospitals. Tragically, 25 people died.

The Ocean Melody wasn't at sea when the fire occurred. It was inside one of China's major ship-repair facilities, operated by the state-owned China State Shipbuilding Corporation. The shipyard has enormous capacity, with the facility reporting the ability to repair more than 200 vessels a year.

Chinese authorities have launched an investigation into what caused the fire. President Xi Jinping called for an intensified rescue effort, a rapid investigation and accountability for those responsible.

 

Source: Reuters, September 10, 2026.

 

---

 

3. The Slow Dismantling of the MSC Baltic III

One of the more unusual shipwreck stories this week comes from Newfoundland, where a shipwreck is being taken apart where it sits.

The container ship MSC Baltic III ran into trouble during a February 2025 storm. After losing power, the 33,767-deadweight-ton vessel was driven onto the Newfoundland coast west of Corner Brook.

The wreck has been sitting on the shoreline ever since, and removing it has become a major engineering and environmental operation.

Resolve Marine is carrying out the salvage operation under the oversight of the Canadian Coast Guard. Rather than attempting to drag the entire ship off the rocks, workers are dismantling it piece by piece.

The process has already removed thousands of tonnes of steel and other material. About 4,200 tonnes, or roughly 40 percent of the vessel's total tonnage, has been removed and sent for recycling.

The ship is essentially being reduced from the top down. Salvors have removed sections of the superstructure, bridge and cargo equipment before moving progressively deeper into the hull.

Fuel and other potentially polluting material remain associated with the wreck. Containment measures have been established around the site to reduce the possibility of pollution reaching the surrounding waters.

Source: Canadian Coast Guard, September 9, 2026.

 

---

 

4. The Car Carrier That Keeps Reigniting

Another salvage operation is ongoing in the Pacific, involving a large vehicle carrier that has proved remarkably difficult to keep under control.

The Min Jiang Kou, a Marshall Islands-flagged car carrier approximately 200 meters long, suffered an engine-room fire on August 6 while sailing across the Pacific.

The crew initially managed to contain the fire, but the fire could not be contained and all 22 crewmembers abandoned ship. They were rescued by nearby vessels.

The abandoned carrier was subsequently stabilized and taken under tow toward Panama. But almost a month after the original fire, salvors detected rising temperatures inside the vessel. 

On September 7, a hot spot developed in the stern area, and smoke was again seen coming from the ship. Tugs sprayed water over the vessel in an effort to keep the renewed fire under control.

The Min Jiang Kou is an LNG-powered car carrier capable of transporting as many as 7,500 vehicles.

The vessel remains under tow while salvors work to determine exactly what is happening inside the ship.

Source: The Maritime Executive, September 10, 2026.

 

---

 

5. Shipping Comes Under Fire in the Persian Gulf

This week's maritime news also includes a major escalation involving commercial shipping in the Persian Gulf.

On September 9, an oil tanker called New Andros was struck by a drone while in Iraqi territorial waters. The Panama-flagged vessel was carrying approximately two million barrels of Iraqi fuel oil and was being used as a floating storage vessel.

A fire broke out after the attack, but none of the 22 crew members were reported injured, and Iraqi officials said there was no leakage of the cargo.

The New Andros was not the only vessel caught up in the fighting.

The British maritime security agency UKMTO reported several merchant ships being hit by disabling fire in the northern Gulf and Gulf of Oman. Another vessel near Port Rashid in the United Arab Emirates was reported listing, possibly after being struck by an unidentified projectile.

The attacks are part of a much larger escalation between Iran and the United States. Iran said it had attacked ten ships after the United States destroyed five Iranian oil tankers.

 

Source: Reuters, September 9–10, 2026.

 

---

 

6. A Teenager Survives in the Bering Sea

One of the week's most remarkable survival stories comes from Alaska.

A teenage fisherman from the Alaska Native community of Savoonga survived after the small boat he was traveling in capsized in the Bering Sea.

The teenager had been fishing for halibut with two relatives, when the boat overturned, leaving him stranded on the upright hull in some of the coldest and most unforgiving waters in North America.

His two relatives did not survive. The teenager, however, managed to remain with the overturned vessel until rescuers reached him. The rescue included the U.S. Coast Guard and a Good Samaritan vessel.

Source: The Maritime Executive, September 9, 2026.

 

---

 

7. New Attention for Revolutionary War Artifacts in Lake Champlain

Now for something completely different.

The Lake Champlain Maritime Museum is now highlighting three fascinating artifacts recovered from Valcour Bay, the site of the famous 1776 naval battle between American Revolutionary forces and British forces.

The artifacts provide an unusually personal glimpse into the men who fought in the American Revolution, including a wooden cartridge box with 23 musket balls and seven pieces of gunflint, an unusual pair of sliding copper-and-glass spectacles and portions of a small sword.

Valcour Bay is already one of the most important underwater archaeological sites associated with the American Revolution.

On October 11, 1776, the American fleet under Benedict Arnold fought a much larger British force there. Arnold's ragtag fleet was eventually defeated, but the battle delayed the British advance south toward the Hudson Valley, and allowed Revolutionary forces to regroup over the winter.

The cartridge box is particularly interesting because of what it can tell archaeologists about the individual soldiers and sailors involved. The ammunition and its location provide clues about who may have carried it and how the American forces were equipped.

The museum's current presentation gives visitors a chance to look at these objects not simply as archaeological artifacts, but as pieces of equipment that belonged to real people during one of the most important naval engagements of the Revolution.

Source: Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, September 9, 2026.

 

---

 

8. A 500-Year-Old Shipwreck Begins With a Copper Ingot

One of the most fascinating stories this week comes from Namibia and involves a shipwreck that was discovered in a place where you might not expect to find one.

In 2008, a geologist working for a diamond-mining operation along Namibia's coast noticed what appeared to be an ordinary rock.

The object turned out to be a copper ingot connected to a Portuguese ship called the Bom Jesus, which disappeared in 1533 while sailing toward India.

The discovery eventually led to the remains of the ship, buried along Namibia's Skeleton Coast.

Archaeologists recovered approximately 22 tons of copper, along with gold, ivory and other artifacts. The discovery became one of the most important shipwreck finds ever made along the western coast of Africa.

But the excavation also revealed one of the biggest problems facing maritime archaeology: Many objects that survive for centuries underwater are protected by the chemical environment surrounding them. Once exposed to air, they can begin deteriorating rapidly.

A recent study published in the International Journal of historical Archaeology explains that the initial recovery of artifacts did not involve any on-site archaeologists. The search and recovery was instead performed by workers from the diamond mine. Since 2008, the artifacts have not been stored or preserved properly and therefore have degraded significantly. Archaeologists now working on this project face a lack of funding and proper facilities.

Researchers hope to learn more about the ship’s role in the enormous Portuguese maritime trade network that connected Europe, Africa and Asia during the Age of Exploration. The copper ingots recovered from the wreck bear identifying marks that have helped trace the commercial networks behind the cargo.

Ivory recovered from the wreck has also attracted particular attention from researchers because it can potentially reveal information about where the elephants came from and how African ivory entered international trade during the sixteenth century.

The hull of the vessel may provide clues as to how the vessel was constructed. The weapons and personal possessions may also tell a story about the people aboard, and the cargo can help us understand what goods were being traded. 

Source: Popular Mechanics, September 10, 2026; University of Oxford research on the Bom Jesus.

 

---

 

And that is going to do it for This Week in Shipwrecks. Thank you so much for listening. 

Until next week, keep your eyes on the horizon, your sonar running, cold drinks in the cooler, hot drinks on the stove, and your curiosity pointed toward the bottom. Please join me again next Friday for another haul from the sea.