Polaris VLOC Aground and Listing Off Brazil

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A shipwreck; everyone is off OK

Mining giant Vale has confirmed that the very large ore carrier (VLOC) Stellar Banner suffered damage after departing a loading terminal in Maranhão, Brazil. The vessel was intentionally grounded, and images taken Tuesday show her listing heavily to starboard, with water overtopping the gunwale.

On Monday night, Stellar Banner departed the Vale-operated Ponta da Madeira Maritime Terminal in Brazil's northern Maranhão state. She suffered unspecified damage to her bow after departure, outside the port access channel, Vale said in a statement. Her 20 crewmembers were evacuated safely, Vale said, and "the vessel's captain [grounded] the vessel about 100 kilometers off the coast of São Luís" as a precautionary measure.

Vale is contributing its tugboat assets for the response and is working with maritime authorities. The ore terminal continues its normal operations.

The 2016-built VLOC Stellar Banner is operated by Polaris Shipping, the operator of the former Stellar Daisy. AIS data indicates that she was bound for Qingdao, China.