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Maritime Accidents and Incidents

Teens aboard tall ship rescue capsized kayaker from crocodile-prone Queensland waters

A group of young sailors spending their school holidays on an eight-day tall ship voyage have helped pluck two stranded kayakers from dangerous waters near Hinchinbrook Island.
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A tall ship passing a mountainous island.

Trio rescued from stricken catamaran off WA coast

The crew set off a distress beacon after running aground as high winds hit the coast.
ABC News Current
Duration: 26 seconds

Trio winched to safety after catamaran hits rocks off WA coast

The crew set off a distress beacon after running aground off the state's rugged south coast.
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damaged catamaran

Push to get more shark attack kits rolled out across WA beaches

After receiving Margaret River's first purpose-built shark attack response kit, Keith Halnan wonders why there aren't more similar aids across WA's beaches.   
Man sitting on couch with yellow case

New Zealand's inter-island ferry runs aground in late-night accident, crew spends night onboard

The debacle is the latest in a string of problems for the Interislanders, once a much-loved Kiwi institution but now synonymous with blunders.
A large blue and white ferry travels across the water.

Singaporeans rush to clean oil spill after boats collide

A dredger boat which suddenly lost engine and steering control has hit a stationary cargo tanker, causing an oil spill in Singapore. 
People with garbage bags in front of a beach covered in oil.

Sailor dies after yacht overturns off Queensland coast

A father and son were winched to safety hours after the yacht they were on capsized off the coast of Bundaberg. Rescuers later recovered the body of a third man.
An overturned yacht at sea.

Fiji works to recover patrol boat that ran aground after being gifted by Australia

Australia has sent specialised recovery equipment to Fiji to help with the recovery of RFNS Puamau, with Fijian authorities working to prevent any potential oil spill from the accident.
A boat sits in the ocean with its rear covered by water against a blue sky

Navy boat gifted by Australia to Fiji stranded on reef after maiden voyage

A Pacific patrol boat has run aground on its maiden voyage in Fiji, just a few months after it was handed over by the Australian government.
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A grey navy patrol boat sails into a harbour on a cloudy day, with mountains in the background.

Eight weeks after a ship brought down the Baltimore Bridge, it's finally tugged away

The recovery from the deadly Baltimore bridge collapse reached a significant milestone as tugboats escorted the ill-fated container ship Dali back to port.
A large ship with containers on top and crushed metal at the front, with a small tugboat next to it

Two dead and five missing after boat collision on Danube River in Hungary

A man and a woman are dead after a river cruise boat allegedly collided with a small boat on a popular stretch of the Danube River in Hungary.
A blue and white boat floating down the river.

The snakebite that helped a 6yo girl make history as the Navy's youngest ever 'recruit'

When little Nancy Bentley was bitten by a snake at Port Arthur in 1920, some quick-thinking rule bending aboard a nearby warship helped to save her life. Nancy made history that day, and it's a record that still stands. 
Girl on ship held by man crouched to her height. They both wear navy uniforms

Crew trapped on Baltimore ship as investigation continues into power blackouts that caused bridge collapse

The Dali ship suffered four blackouts in the hours before it crashed into Baltimore's Key Bridge, though three of them are yet to be explained. Here's what we know about the problems that unfolded before the disaster.
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Part of the steel bridge span is smashed on top of a loaded cargo ship.

This warship took commandos behind enemy lines in WWII, but its biggest mission is still to come

The Tasmanian-made Huon pine patrol boat later known as Rushcutter may yet find its way home from a construction site in Darwin.
HDML 1321

Orcas have sunk another boat off European coast. Baffled scientists think they may know why

A group of at least 15 orcas off the coast of Spain have sunk seven boats over the past four years. The origin of this new behaviour has baffled scientists, though the leading theory suggests they're following a "social fad".
Ocean Race

'Surgical' demolition brings down largest remaining section of Baltimore bridge

The controlled demolition marks a major step in freeing the container ship Dali, which has been stuck amid the wreckage since it lost power and crashed into one of the bridge's support columns shortly after leaving Baltimore on March 26.
Explosions go off on a damaged section of bridge, which is leaning against a damaged cargo ship

Body found in major search for passenger missing from cruise ship near Sydney

A body has been found as part of a search for a man missing off a cruise ship near Sydney. 
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A cruise ship from above surrounded by choppy seas.

Search for known shipwrecks off WA coast finds some just aren't where they're supposed to be

A Perth archaeologist and anthropologist has made an unexpected discovery — some of the known shipwrecks off the WA coast aren't where they're supposed to be.
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John Cecchi preparing for a dive off the Perth coast

Mystery of missing shipwreck bell solved as rare maritime relic resurfaces on Facebook

The bell of the SS Tyalgum will sound again across the Tweed River, 85 years after the vessel foundered on the notorious bar crossing. 
An old photograph of a ship.

Alcohol, meth and failure to take basic safety precautions behind Wynyard boating deaths, coroner finds

A coroner finds Isaiah Dixon, Bree-Anna Thomas and Thomas Courto's drownings off Tasmania's north-west coast to be "wholly avoidable".
A composite image of three people who look like they are aged in their 20s.

'He fought for his life': Survival tale emerges weeks after Baltimore Bridge collapse

It's been three weeks since Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed under the impact of a wayward cargo ship. In the midst of an FBI investigation, a remarkable story of survival has emerged.
A front on shot of the container ship with giant strips of the metal bridge collapsed on top

Mates recount 'rogue wave' ordeal that left them clinging to capsized tinny overnight in shark-infested waters

The men were on their way to a camping trip when a "rogue wave" upturned their tinny and swept away their phones, food, water and life jackets, sparking a major search and rescue operation off north Queensland.
Two men holding cans of beer stand on a beach next

FBI opens criminal probe in Baltimore bridge collapse as fourth body recovered

The investigation into the collapse will focus in part on whether the crew of the Dali left the port knowing the freighter had serious problems with its systems.
A container ship with people on top, and beams of a collapsed bridge in the foreground

Men rescued after 'HELP' sign leads to their discovery

Three men have been rescued from being stranded on a remote island in Micronesia after a "HELP" sign made with leaves led to their discovery.
An aerial shot of a "HELP" sign written in leaves on a beach.

Researchers seek help from local beachcombers for clues about Dutch ship 'beaten to matchsticks'

Residents of a town in South Australia's south-east are being enlisted in research into a shipwreck that killed 16 Dutch sailors in 1857 soon after offloading 400 gold miners from China.
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A painting of an old wooden sailing ship