On the evening of Sep 18, 2024, the Port Authorities of Agia Galini, Paleochora and Chora Sfakion were informed about the rescue of migrants on a boat by the 'Lady Claudia' and the cargo m/v "Elim Courage" 36 nautical miles south of Gavdos. They collected a total of 22 people, all of them Sudanese nationals and sailed to the anchorage of the port of Paleochora, where the rescued were transferred to a patrol boat. They were safely transported to the Tigani port of Paleochora and from there to a reception area in Agia Chania. A preliminary investigation was carried out by the Central Port Authority of Chania, while the boat was seized.
News
ALPHA OPTIMISM
Five Indonesian fishermen stranded for several days onboard a sinking fishing boat in the South China Sea were rescued on Sep 20, 2024, by the 'Alpha Optimism', en route from Fang Cheng Gang to Port Hedland. The bulk carrier was underway between mainland Malaysia and Borneo when the crew spotted the sinking vessel, with its crew waving with flags from the top deck. Crew from the Alpha Optimism set out in a lifeboat to rescue fishermen from the stricken fishing boat.
Marseille
The 'AIDAblu' made a brief stopover yesterday in Marseille on April 26, 2020, to embark several hundred crew members of one of his sisterships, the 'AIDAsol', which has been moored in the port for 1,5 months. The transfer took place to facilitate the repatriation of AIDA personnel via Germany. The 'AIDAblu' set sail again in the afternoon. At the same time, another cruise ship which had been berthed in Marseille since last month, the 'Europa 2' of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, set sail to also return to Germany, its arrival in Hamburg was scheduled for May 2. The Marseille areas now hosted six cruise ships, the 'Costa Smeralda', 'MSC Magnifica' and 'AIDAsol', 'Le Boréal', 'L’Austral' and 'Le Lyrial'. The repatriation operations of the international personnel of these ships was still in progress, in particular via flights chartered by the owners. This was particularly the case for the crew members of the 'MSC Magnifica', which arrived on April 20 and who also landed 4 tonnes of food surplus, donated to local associations to help the most disadvantaged.
CALEDONIAN ISLES
The 'Caledonian Isles'’ return was further delayed as engineers had to deal with issues with mounting the starboard engine. An issue has occurred with securing the starboard main engine to the bedplate on the ferrym following extensive repairs in dry dock for over eight months in Birkenhead. The ship remained stationary as of Sep 20.
DALI
The 'Dali' has officially left the Port of Norfolk on Sep 19, and is expected to head towards Zhoushan. The US Coast Guard provided a 500-yard safe zone with three tugs, not affiliated with the Coast Guard, as well as two additional Coast Guard crews — one from the Portsmouth station and one from Station Little Creek - around the 'Dali' up until the Chesapeake Bay Lighted Whistle Buoy, where the ship then continued unaccompanied. Report with photos: https://www.wavy.com/news/local-news/norfolk/dali-leaving-port-of-virginia-headed-towards-china-u-s-coast-guard-says/
San Diego
The number of coronavirus cases aboard the USS 'Kidd' rose to 64 as the Navy destroyer pulled into port at San Diego on April 28, 2020, to get medical care for the crew and to disinfect and decontaminate the ship. The 'Kidd' was the second Navy ship to have an outbreak of the disease while at sea, the other being the USS 'Theodore Roosevelt', an aircraft carrier that has been docked at Guam for a month and has more than 900 sailors with confirmed cases of COVID-19, but the entire crew has now been tested. The Navy has moved swiftly to get the 'Kidd''s crew ashore. That was a point of contention with the 'Roosevelt', whose skipper, Capt. Brett Crozier, felt compelled to write to several other commanders pleading for more urgent Navy action to protect his crew of nearly 5,000. Crozier was then relieved of command for what the Navy's top civilian official at the time, Thomas Modly, called poor judgment. Modly resigned several days later, and the Navy is now seeking higher-level approval to reverse his move and restore Crozier to command. The Navy said that 63% of the 'Kidd''s crew of more than 300 had been tested as of April 28. One sailor was medically evacuated to the United States on April 22 after experiencing shortness of breath. Fifteen were transferred to another ship with a medical facility for closer observation of symptoms. Sailors being removed from the 'Kidd' at San Diego will be isolated with twice-daily medical screenings. Crew members who have tested negative will enter quarantine for a period of observation, with military health professionals monitoring them for symptoms. Also, a small contingent of sailors who tested negative will remain on the ship for essential services and deep cleaning. The cleaning is expected to take two weeks. The destroyer had been off the Pacific coast of Central American doing counter-narcotics operations. The Navy said no deployed ships currently have known coronavirus cases aboard. 13 ships that previously had one or more active cases while in port have zero cases now.
Flensburg
The Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft shipyard a which had been operating at a loss for some time, filed for self-administered insolvency on April 24. The goal of the shipyard’s filing was to permit it to start afresh. The future of Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft in the medium term was in building Ro-Ro ferries, according to the message delivered by the management at a workers meeting on Sunday April 26. The move is specifically designed to allow the company to start from fresh without existing contractual obligations to customers and suppliers. Though an administrator will be brought in from outside the company, the company management will continue to control the business which is a different process to bankruptcy in German law. Investor Lars Windhorst is prepared to put money into the business through his Tennor Holding investment vehicle. Tennor Holding took 100% control of the yard in 2019. He has said, however, that the money should not be used on loss making contracts. The former majority owner Siem Industries is interested in contracting 4 further Ro-Ro ferries from the yard. Siem recently took delivery of LIEKUT, the eighth of a series of vessels built by FSG for the company to charter out. FSG had been making significant losses for a number of years. The Siem group acquired the company for a token €1 back in November 2014 after severe liquidity problems. Those losses massively increased in recent years, however, with the yard losing an eye watering €111m in 2018. The hugely increased losses were due in part to delivery delays with Irish Ferries 'W.B. Yeats' and the subsequent penalty payments made to Irish Continental Group (ICG). The agreed contract price to build the 'W.B. Yeats' is understood to have left little to no margin for the yard in the first place.
DE CHAN NO.44
The 'De Chan No. 44' ran aground on the Mabulica reef close to the village of Vione near Gau island on the night of Sep 18, 2024. The crew was safe, and efforts were being made to transport them from the site. The Fiji Maritime Surveillance and Rescue Coordination Centre was coordinating with another vessel to transfer the crew on board., and with the MSAF (Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji) regarding an oil spill near the vessel. Salvage operations were also underway.
CONNEMARA
The 'Connemara' has lost power while heading into the Cook Strait enroute to Wellington with 88 people on board, and drifted in the sea for more than two hours on the night of Sep 19. 2024. The ship had left Wellington at 9.38 p.m. and lost power about 40 minutes later. There was no immediate risk to anyone on board, while the ferry was drifting slowly in a southeast direction, away from the land. Maritime New Zealand, and the Rescue Co-ordination Centre, were both monitoring the situation. On Sep 20 at 2 a.m. the tug 'Tapuhi' took the 'Connemara' in tow back to Wellington, and a second tug, the 'Tiaki', served as steering tug. By 6 a.m. it was towed to the Pipitea Wharf. People started to disembark at about 7.30 a.m. The vessel would have to remain in dock until the MNZ investigation was completed.
Everett WA
The American destroyer USS 'Kidd' returned to Everett after nearly 50 crew members aboard were tested positive for coronavirus as of April 27, 2020. This was the second reported outbreak of COVID-19 aboard a US Navy vessel at sea. After concerns were raised about cases aboard the USS 'Theodore Roosevelt', one sailor assigned to that ship died from coronavirus complications. Roughly half the crew members on the USS 'Kidd' have been tested for the virus, and some have been evacuated. 45% of the ship have been tested for COVID-19, with 47 total positive results. Two Sailors have been medically evacuated. 15 sailors have been transferred to USS 'Makin Island (LHD 8)' for monitoring due to persistent symptoms. None were in the ICU or on ventilators. Sailors aboard the USS 'Kidd' were wearing PPE and N95 masks. Initial COVID-19 testing of sailors from the USS 'Theodore Roosevelt' were now complete, there are 955 active cases, along with 14 recovered cases. The USS 'Kidd' was on a counter narcotics mission' when ait was reported at least 18 crew had fallen ill with the virus.
Grenaa
The chairman of the board of Grenaa Shipyard, Esben Møller, was deeply affected by the violent gas explosion on the dredger 'Grete Fighter', which injured three employees on April 23, 2020. The cause is still unknown. Shipyard chairman deeply affected by accide. "We have never experienced anything like it here, ”says Esben Møller. The accident happened shortly after lunch break when the employees were on their way back to the ship, which was in the shipyard in connection with a 5 year revision. On the way to the ship's tank system there was a huge explosion. Two men have reached the bottom of the ship, while the one closest to the exit was being helped out. Police and fire departments were alerted at 9.35 a.m., and shipyard and ship crews quickly reached the two at the bottom of the ship, which were most severely affected by the explosion, but were unable to rescue them. But they stayed with them until the fire department and the ambulance arrived. According to police, the three severely injured people who were flown to Rigshospitalet are a 31-year-old man from Norddjurs, a 53-year-old man from Syddjurs and a 50-year-old man from West Funen. "I don't know about their situation anymore, other than it's very serious," Esben Møller said. The accident is now being investigated by the police and the Labor Inspectorate. The 'Grete Fighter', which is owned by Peter Madsen Rederi, was in the yard for a five-year inspection. According to Grenaa Shipyard, on the ship various steel works were to be carried out, measurements of screw shaft and rudder, full service of auxiliary and main engine, dismantling of bottom and bilge valves and a full coating of bottom and bulwark. In addition, the old excavator had to be dismantled in favour of a new one.