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The Philippines authorities were working with local crewing agencies and others to resolve a pay dispute and release a crew that had been stranded on the 'Hirman Star', which has been anchored in the Iloilo Strait off off Iloilo City in pos. 10° 42' N 122° 36' E. The crew, which had been signed on on April 3, 2025, was in a standoff with the owners who were refusing their pay, and provisions, until the ship departed, while the crew contended the vessel was unseaworthy. A newly elected representative for Iloilo City, Julienne “Jam Jam” Baronda took an interest in the crew’s plight and intervened to negotiate the resolution. Six Filipino crew were removed from the vessel on June 30, and taken to a hotel. They were debriefed and received medical evaluation before their repatriation. Among the Filipino crew members, three were from the Iloilo towns of Tigbauan, San Joaquin and Estancia. The seven Indian crew members were due to leave the vessel on July 1. The crew was signed on at the start of April by apparently a new owner of the ship, which was operated by Chinese owners until possibly 2024. The owner is now in the UAE, and the vessel has been registered in the Comoros. The shipl had arrived in the Philippines in Aug 2024, carrying a cargo of bags with rice from Vietnam. The Philippines undertook a Port State Inspection and listed 27 deficiencies in a broad range of categories and issued a detention order. They even questioned the seaworthiness of the vessel and found expired certificates. The crew was changed twice, with the current crew coming aboard on April 3 and havomg beem told to prepare for a voyage to Singapore. The Philippines lifted the detention order in April, and the Port Authority granted port clearance on May 7. The vessel was preparing to depart when the gyro compass malfunctioned. The captain contended the owners told the vessel to sail using just a magnetic compass, but the master refused, citing concerns. The crew also reported the vessel was listing, and attempting to rectify the list, they found a crack in the bulbous bow causing a water ingress. The standoff began with the crew refusing to sail saying the ship was unseaworthy. The owners stopped the delivery of food and water on May 12. Further, they only paid partial wages in April and none in May, saying the crew would not be paid until the vessel departed. The crew sought assistance from the office of Iloilo City Lone District Rep. Julienne Baronda on June 28. Baronda convened a meeting with the Philippines’ Department of Migrant Workers, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, as well as the Philippine Coast Guard, the Bureaus of Immigration and Customs, and MARINA on June 30. She also spoke with the crewing agencies and the vessel's owner, who had a representative from the UAE in the Philippines. An agreement was reached to settle the pay issues and to immediately provide provisions to the vessel. Baronda and other officials went to the ship to meet with the crew. The Philippines was also providing financial assistance to the crew members and assisting with the repatriations for the Filipinos. The Indian Embassy was assisting the Indian crew members. Report with photos: https://www.manilatimes.net/2025/07/02/regions/13-stranded-seafarers-rescued-after-2-months/2141308

The 'Lord of the Isles', serving on the route Kennacraig-Islay, will be removed from the route from July 9-11 for essential repairs of the cylinder heads. As a result, an amended timetable will be operated during this time with the ferries 'Isle of Arran' and 'Finlaggan'. The 6 p.m. sailing from Kennacraig on July 8 will divert to Port Askaig and not Port Ellen as timetabled. The 'Lord of the Isles' will then reposition to Kennacraig at 8:30 p.m. There will be no traffic carried on this sailing. On July 12 the 'Lord of the Isles' will operate an amended timetable, while the sailings of the 'Finlaggan' will operate as scheduled.

Brazil: Agriculture Officers Strike Federal agriculture officers decided to start the strike next Monday (22), which will directly affect trading involving perishable products and may cause delays in berthing and unberthing ships. Federal Revenue tax auditors also announced that they will intensify the general strike that has been ongoing since November last year, as reported in our previous newsletters. Next week, from the 22nd to the 26th of January, there will be no cargo clearance at the ports and airports of São Paulo and Bahia. This means that goods release services will be affected at Viracopos airport, the Port of Santos, Salvador customs (from the 23rd) and Guarulhos Airport. During the period, only perishable, live and dangerous cargo will be released at the sites, in addition to medicines and food, as they are considered essential. It is important to highlight that the import and export of goods of animal and plant origin require the consent and inspection of agricultural officers. The category's national union (Anffa Sindical) informed that the release of certificates and goods at ports, in this case, will respect the last day of the deadline set out in the rules of the Ministry of Agriculture. It is worth remembering that in the last meeting held on December 27th with Sindifisco Nacional, minister Fernando Haddad and the special secretary of Revenue, Robinson Barreirinhas, stated that they did not plan to make changes to the proposal presented for the payment of the efficiency bonus in 2024 , which motivated the continuation of the strike. The Superior Courts have already pacified the understanding that the strike movement cannot interrupt essential public services. Therefore, the functioning of the productive activity of shipowners/importers/exporters cannot be delayed by the Customs Inspectors' strike. Customs clearance must continue, regardless of the tax auditors' strike. The Judiciary has been intervening effectively on a case-by-case basis, in order to avoid the harmful effects of the Federal Revenue auditors' strike and maintain the regular activity of taxpayers at Brazilian customs. The strike could affect the port and customs sector. Our team is closely monitoring the situation in the North/Northeast ports and will inform you of any updates.

Ukraine has managed a serious blow against the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Crimea on Nov 4, 2023, severely damaging the corvette 'Askold', that was docked at the Zaliv shipyard during successful attacks on the shipping and port infrastructure of the Zaliv shipyard in the temporarily occupied city of Kerch. The “Askold”, which is able to carry up to eight Kalibr or Onyx guided missiles, has been hit by at least one Ukrainian cruise missile. The upper part of the ship was significantly damaged. The damage and destruction of warships of this type is important for the security of Ukraine. Reports with photos: https://www.merkur.de/politik/ukraine-krieg-krim-schwarzmeerflotte-russland-flotte-kiew-moskau-zr-92657747.html https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/ukrainian-forces-hit-russian-ship-in-kerch-aftermath-photo/ar-AA1julmU?ocid=weather-verthp-feeds

On June 30, the 'Wan Hai 503' was in pos. 07°52.60' N, 074°50.09' E, maintaining a steady course of 290° with a speed of 0.8 knots, approximately 130 nautical miles off the Indian coastline, outside the EEZ boundary. The vessel's drift remained controlled through coordinated towing operations. Light smoke continued to emanate from the area forward of the accommodation block, indicating residual smouldering within cargo hold no. 4, though no visible flames have been reported. Structural evaluations indicate localized heat-induced buckling between Frames 103–113; however, independent assessments by T&T Salvage, DNV, and naval architects confirmed that the vessel retains structural strength and remained stable. Dewatering operations commenced at 0730 a.m. with four pumps (150–250 m³/hour each) deployed to remove water from the flooded engine room. Dewatering operations were ongoing with five pumps actively discharging water from the flooded engine room and interconnected compartments. The source of water ingress was suspected to be linked to interconnected compartments between the engine room and cargo hold no. 3. The water quality remains relatively stable, with minimal oil traces, suggesting no significant new ingress. The multi-agency response continues with effective resource deployment on-site. The 'Water Lily' has been engaged in personnel and material transfers, successfully receiving salvage equipment from ‘the 'Saroja Blessing' earlier the day. The '‘Saksham'’ remained prepared for further support, and ‘the 'Saroja Blessing was on standby for firefighting and material supply operations. Salvage teams on board the vessel has resumed equipment installation and pump operation, with five pumps now functioning continuously to extract water. ‘The 'Offshore Warrior' wais maintaining towage operations, keeping the vessel clear of the Indian EEZ, with current power utilisation at 75%. Preparations were in place to maintain uninterrupted dewatering overnight. The salvors aimed to stabilise internal flooding to facilitate safe boarding and enable further fire suppression measures, including enhanced boundary cooling and application of additional firefighting agents as weather permits. Additional assets, including ‘the 'Atlantis Virgo' and ‘SCI Panna’, were en route to the site with firefighting equipment and Pyrocool (7000 litres), expected to enhance fire suppression efforts within the next 24 hours. Preparations for continuous overnight pumping operations are were , with emergency evacuation plans in place to ensure personnel safety during night-time activities. The intention is to sustain 24/7 dewatering using both hydraulic and submersible pumps, supplemented by emergency power from the vessel's own systems and portable generators. The sustained operation of five pumps has shown positive results in managing engine room flooding, but full dewatering remains essential to assess damage to machinery spaces and restore emergency power systems. Over 5,000 cubic meters of water were successfully pumped out from the flooded engine room, reducing water levels by approximately 1.75 meters. Further attempts to access the forward sections of the vessel for additional firefighting and structural assessment will be undertaken once dewatering sufficiently reduces on board risks. The Port of Refuge discussions remained focused, where positive initial engagements have occurred. Formal submission of the required document package to authorities is in progress, though final approvals were contingent upon demonstrating thevessel'sstability, extinguishment of smouldering, and safe dewatering. Alternative ports options remained under evaluation. The vessel remained in a high-density shipping corridor, necessitating continuous traffic warnings to passing vessels. The Directorate has directed enhanced navigational warnings to prevent incidents in this critical route between Sri Lanka and the Gulf of Aden. Indian Coast Guard assets continued to provide aerial surveillance and maritime monitoring, with readiness to intervene if necessary. Continuous inter-agency coordination, including with MPA Singapore, ITOPF, and Indian authorities, is ongoing to manage the situation effectively and prevent environmental or navigational hazards. Offshore oil removal remains unsafe under current conditions, with preferred options being defueling alongside a wharf at a Port of Refuge. The salvage team continued the preparations to transition from soft to wire towlines, advance dewatering, and monitor the vessel's integrity.

Arrived Liepaja scrapyard 23.04.25

A fire destroyed the opening motors of the BIZERTE port bridge on July 26, 2023. The port remained closed to navigation from that date untill November 19. 2023, date of the re-opening of the Port to navigation.

At the last weekend, the port of Kiel reached the mark of one million cruise passengers in one season for the first time. On Sep 16, 2023,, the MSC EURIBIA, AIDANOVA and EXCELLENCE CORAL called at the PORT OF KIEL, and on Sep 17 the AIDABELLA and AIDALUNA visited the Ostsee Quay. Kiel had already seen a positive trend in the cruise business in recent years, which had been put on hold by the slump during the Corona pandemic. In addition to the strong presence of the major European cruise lines AIDA, Costa, MSC and TUI, in recent years North American shipping companies, such as Holland America Line, Norwegian Cruise Line and Disney Cruise Line, have increasingly chosen Kiel as a cruise destination in the Baltic Sea region for their fleets. As recently as 2022, Kiel's seaport recorded its busiest season ever with 243 calls and 835,000 passengers. For the current season 2023, 222 cruise calls have been announced.

The 'Glen Sannox', serving on the route Troon-Brodic, suffered an electrical issue impacting the ship's firefighting system on the morning of July 1. As a consqeuence, the scheduled departures frrom Troon at 06:30 a.m. and from Brodick at 08:40 a.m. were cancelled. While the issue could be resolved., in order to allow sufficient crew compensatory rest following overnight repairs, the ship returned to service with the 10:50 a.m. sailing from Troon.

Beached at Aliaga 17.06.25 towed by Fram Prince

The Port of Kiel concluded this year’s cruise season with the call of AIDA Cruises’ AIDAnova on Nov 4. The port welcomed a total of 215 ship calls from 26 companies and a total of 1,174,000 cruise passengers, marking the port’s busiest season ever. “We are closing the 2023 season with a good result. The development in the tourism industry shows a clear trend towards the cruise sector, which was also evident in Kiel this season. “For us, the main issue is to make maritime tourism more environmentally friendly on the port side. Shore power was the dominant topic for us and will continue to be so in the coming season,” said Dirk Claus, managing director of SEEHAFEN KIEL GmbH & Co. Among the ships that visited the port during 2023 was ​​the 'Disney Dream', the first ship from Disney Cruise Line to be welcomed in Kiel, as well as MSC Cruises’ 'MSC Euribia'. Earlier this year, the port of Kiel achieved a milestone by becoming the first German port to supply a ship with liquidified natural gas. Since then, the' AIDAnova' and 'MSC Euribia' have regularly bunkered LNG in the port of Kiel.

Ukrainian forces struck the Russian naval base in Sevastopol, in Russian-occupied Crimea 150 miles south of the Ukraine front line on Sep 13, 2023. Fires were raging across a drydock that exploded in the early morning, which cradled two warships, the Ropucha-class amphibious vessel 'Minsk' and the Kilo-class submarine 'Rostov on Don'. The Black Sea Fleet could lose two more of its roughly 30 large ships—ships it can’t replace until Russia’s wider war on Ukraine ends and Turkey reopens the Bosphorus Strait connecting the Black Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. A nighttime drone-boat attack on the landing ship 'Olenegorsky Gornyak' in Novorossiysk, a port in southern Russia just 70 miles east of Russian-occupied Crimea, brought to four the number of major Black Sea Fleet warships the Ukrainian navy definitely has put out of action. The losses include the landing ship 'Saratov', blasted by a ballistic missile in March 2022; the cruiser 'Moskva', holed by an anti-ship missile the following month; the rescue ship 'Vasily Bekh', another victim of an anti-ship missile; and then the 'Olenegorsky Gornyak', which entered a drydock a few days after the Ukrainian attack—and may be out of the war, for good. The Ukrainians also have sank or badly damaged several Russian patrol boats and landing craft—and also recently ejected Russian forces from a pair of captured Ukrainian oil platforms that the Russians had been using as naval outposts in the western Black Sea. The sinkings and raids are a remarkable feat for a Ukrainian fleet that, after scuttling its sole frigate in the early hours of the Russian invasion in February 2022, apparently has just one large ship left: an aging landing ship that has been hiding out near the mouth of the Dnipro River and occasionally lobbing short-range rockets at Russian forces. The Ukrainian navy now effectively is a shipless navy, but no less dangerous for its lack of large hulls. Between its locally-made Neptune anti-ship missiles and Western-made Harpoon ASMs, as well as its missile-armed TB-2 drones and one-way drone boats, the Ukrainian navy isn’t just holding the Russian Black Sea Fleet at bay, it actively is beating back the fleet. Russian warships staging from Crimea are under constant assault; as of last month, ships in Russia proper are at risk, too. When Russian warships leave port, they do so briefly—usually only long enough to launch a few cruise missiles at Ukrainian cities. The Russian fleet’s security is going to get worse before it gets better. The number and variety of deep-strike weapons with which Ukrainian forces can attack the fleet steadily are growing. The Ukrainian industry is developing a new thousand-mile cruise missile; and the administration of U.S. president Joe Biden reportedly has signaled it will donate to Ukraine Army Tactical Missile System ballistic rockets that range as far as 190 miles. Either prospective new weapon could hit Sevastopol from the Ukrainian side of the front line. And the steady drumbeat of Ukrainian attacks on Russian ships is clear evidence that Ukrainian intelligence has no problem pinpointing the ships’ locations. Reports with photos and videos: https://gagadget.com/en/314212-one-of-the-best-vr-games-on-pc-half-life-shooter-until-19-september-alyx-costs-20-on-steam/ https://www.newsweek.com/photos-russian-landing-ship-submarine-damage-crimea-drydocks-hit-sevastopol-1826581