Classification
- Incident Type: Capsize unknown mechanism
- Severity: High
Vessel Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Vessel Name | Jascon 4 |
| Vessel Type | Tug |
| Flag State | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines [VC] |
| IMO Number | 9316256 |
Incident Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Date | 2013-05-26 |
| Location | SBM 3, about 30 km offshore Escravos, Delta State |
| Coordinates | 5.4000, 4.8000 |
| Region | Atlantic Ocean |
| Fatalities | |
| Injuries | |
| Missing | |
| Vessels Lost | 1 |
| Direct Damage | |
| Economic Damage | |
| Outcome | Jascon 4 capsized and sank while supporting tanker loading operations; final casualty counts are unresolved. |
Key facts
- The reviewed article capture reports that Jascon 4, owned by West African Ventures Limited, capsized and sank early on 26 May 2013.
- Chevron's statement placed the casualty at Single Buoy Mooring 3, about 30 km offshore from Escravos, while the tug supported tanker loading operations.
- The capture identifies Jascon 4 as IMO 9316256 under the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines flag.
- Early casualty accounts conflict and do not establish the final number of fatalities, injuries, or missing persons.
Narrative
The reviewed Goaty's News capture compiles a Chevron statement and contemporary media accounts about Jascon 4. It reports that the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines-flagged tug, owned by West African Ventures Limited, capsized and sank early on 26 May 2013 near Single Buoy Mooring 3, about 30 km offshore from Escravos in Delta State, Nigeria. The tug was supporting tanker loading operations.
The capture identifies IMO 9316256 and describes the casualty as occurring during tension-tow or tanker-loading support operations. Its cause accounts differ: one passage attributes the capsize to heavy ocean swells during tension-tow work, another reports flooding, and another says a tow rope parted and the tug nose-dived. These accounts support a capsize classification but do not establish whether the final mechanism was girding, towline failure, flooding, heavy-weather stability loss, or a combination.
The capture reports 12 people aboard in one account, 13 crew feared dead in another, and 16 crew missing in another. Later local records may list a different fatality total, but those records are not part of the reviewed source set. The final fatality, injury, and missing-person outcomes therefore remain unresolved pending a stronger source.
Sequence of events
| Date/time | Event |
|---|---|
| 2013-05-26 early morning | Jascon 4 was reported to have capsized and sunk near SBM 3 while supporting tanker loading. |
| 2013-05-26 | Contemporary accounts variously attributed the casualty to heavy swells, flooding, or a parted tow rope. |
Contributing factors
| Factor | Evidence status | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Heavy ocean swells | Reported | One contemporary account attributed the capsize to heavy swells during tension-tow work. |
| Flooding | Reported | Another account cited flooding, but the reviewed source does not establish whether it was a cause or consequence. |
| Tow-rope failure | Reported | Another account said a tow rope parted and the tug nose-dived; this was not reconciled with the other reports. |
Investigation
No official casualty investigation or final technical finding was identified in the reviewed source set. The available article capture is an early secondary account and is insufficient to resolve the casualty counts or mechanism.
References
- Goaty's News capture record
- Goaty's News capture on Jascon 4