RDB Ocean of Joy Runs Aground in Brazil

The RDB Ocean of Joy, a Hong Kong-flagged dry-bulk carrier, ran aground in the Port of Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday, Brazil’s Navy said.

The ship, a 92,500 dead-weight-tonne “post-Panamax” sized vessel, was sailing from the Port of Tubarao northeast of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil’s Espirito Santo state, according to information from marinetraffic.com, a world-wide ship-tracking service.

Post-Panamax ships are too large to pass through the Panama Canal’s locks. The Navy said it did not know what was aboard the vessel.

Tubarao, Brazil’s largest port by volume moved, is owned and operated by Rio de Janeiro-based Vale SA, the world’s second-largest mining company. Tubarao is Brazil’s main iron-ore port as well as a major steel, grains, coal and bulk commodities port. Vale said the ship is not theirs.

Vale’s press office said it was not the owner either of the cargo or of the vessel.

Tugs and support vessels have the situation under control, a press office official with Brazil’s Navy in Rio de Janeiro said.

According to records plotted on marinetraffic.com, RDB Ocean of Joy followed an erratic course as it entered the narrow mouth of Guanabara Bay on Wednesday morning. After entering the bay it made a sharp turn to port out of the main shipping channel and coming to a stop in an area close to the city’s famous Sugarloaf rock.

By Jeb Blount (Reuters)