DS Crown in rescue mission

The VLCC (very large crude carrier) DS Crown that changed names in Halifax last week and sailed for Falmouth, UK on July 7 was the nearest ship to another vessel in distress.
The container ship MSC Flaminia a post-Panamax vessel of 6,732 TEU capacity experienced an explosion in one of the container stacks. The ensuing fire caused the crew to abandon ship in mid-Atlantic, reportedly 1,000 miles from any coast based helicopters, and thus well beyond range.
Of the 25 crew aboard the ship, one is reported missing and four are injured. They have been (or will be) transferred to MSC Stella which will land them in the Azores.
Other details are scant at this time, but it would seem unlikely that sufficient fire fighting resources could be found in time to save the container ship.
One can only imagine the difficulty in assisting small boats from the VLCC with its immense freeboard. The liferaft and lifeboat used by the MSC Flaminia crew would be smaller than the two pleasure craft shown in the following picture. It was also reported that there were 1 meter high seas and significant wind at the time of abandoning ship. The ony advantage would be that the giant ship could create a very good lee (wind break) for rescue operations.

1. DS Crown in Halifax July 6.

DS Crown - underway

1. The ship's massive size is impreessive from any angle.

The VLCC DS Crown got underway this morning after a period at anchor, during which it was renamed. The former Front Crown left port for the English Channel, giving its destination as "Falmouth for orders". Meaning that the ship has no fixed destination, and could be diverted anywhere if orders come in before it reaches Falmouth. Its owners have decided that heading east is the best bet for the unemployed ship at this point. If no work comes about by the time it reacheds Falmouth, it will be put to anchor somewhere in North Europe.

2. Underway its huge rudder is turning the ship to head outbound. No wonder pilots have to be able bodied-it's a long climb up that ladder and gangway.

DS Crown - Frontline taking a bath

Frontline, the world's largest tanker owner, with something like 40 Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) has been experiencing the roller coaster ride of all time with huge losses, last minute bailouts and more huge losses. Its majority owner, John Frederiksen (Norway's richest man-but now a resident of Cyprus-at least on paper) owns the majority of the ships through another of his companies and bailed the company out last year by agreeing to reduce charter rates. This has apparently not been enough, and we are now seeing an example of what is happening.
The VLCC Front Crown (built in 1999, 157,863 gross tons, 311,168 deadweight tonnes) has been sold and renamed while sitting at anchor in Halifax harbour. Now called  DS Crown the ship came off a lucrative charter in late 2011. Without that charter, the ship's value plummeted to less than book value and has now been sold (at another  loss one assumes.)
Somehow Frederiksen, who is a supreme speculator, manages to come out with most of his fortune intact - he pledged $500mn of his $13bn to rescue Frontline in December.
Meanwhile the giant ship, with its funnel mark painted out and its name economically changed, awaits orders, and may sail at any time.