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On April 16, one of the 10 still missing crew members of the 'Hong Hai 16', which had capsized with 25 crew members, among them 13 Filipinos and 12 Chinese nationals on board, was found lifelessin the waters of Barangay Malaawan, bringing the death toll to two. At approximately 2:30 p.m., Coast Guard divers located and recovered the lifeless body of a 22-year-old Filipino crew member from the bridge area of the vessel. The body was turned over to authorities. Another body was recovered from the capsized ship the same day, bringing the total number of fatalities to three. The victim has not been identified. In the frame of the SAR operation and environmental response, the BRP 'Malabrigo (MRRV 4402)' has arrived at the site to assist with the ongoing operations. oreover, surface search efforts in the vicinity were conducted by Coast Guard Sub-Station Sablayan personnel, while the Special Operations Group held an underwater inspection and search operation. The vessel was found grounded on the seabed. During the underwater inspection, Special Operations Unit Southern Tagalog divers conducted a thorough survey of the amidships section of the wreck. Search efforts were immediately intensified to verify the possible presence of a survivor. Currently, nine crew members remained missing, comprising three Chinese nationals and six Filipinos. The capsized ship has been surrounded by 250 metres of oil spill booms as a precaution,, after a light oil sheen was observed, accompanied by a noticeable marine diesel odor. The vessel was carrying an estimated 2,000 liters of lube oil and 30 tons of automotive diesel oil. The ship’s owner and operator have been formally instructed by the PCG to remove the ship by hiring an accredited salvor. The PCG has also conducted an underwater survey and is currently assessing all potential risks, such as debris obstruction, poor visibility, adverse weather, and underwater cliffs, before proceeding with operations. Report with photo: https://www.philstar.com/nation/2025/04/17/2436737/owner-capsized-ship-occidental-mindoro-told-start-vessel-extraction

At the quay in Kapelle-op-den-Bos, a pipe burst during cargo operations of the 'Aviso', carrying cement, causing a cloud of cement to be released on April 16, 2025, at around 9 a.m.The accident occurred at the Etex factory, formerly Eternit, on the Brussels-Scheldt-Maritime Canal. The fine cement dust spread around the ship and settled on various locations in the centre of the municipality. The center of Kapelle-op-den-Bos was also affected. Cement has also ended up on the ship itself. This must be removed too, but first and foremost everything was being done to prevent the cement from ending up in the water of the cana. In order to coordinate the emergency services, the municipal disaster plan was announced, which was lifted just before 2 p.m. There were no injuries, one person was taken to hospital for a check-up, but has since been released. Etex immediately took the necessary action, and the competent services were on site and are monitoring the situation. The remaining cement residue formed a fine layer and was mainly located at the West dike up to the Borms St. on the bridge and in the Karel Muyldermanslaan. The civil protection and fire brigade sprayed the cement on the public domain with water, so that it flowed into the public sewer. It esd requested to clean areas and materials on private property with water. Tesidents were asked to ensure that the cement does not come into contact with their skin or eyes. It was recommended to use appropriate protective equipment such as a face mask and gloves when spraying away, which were made available at the reception of the administrative centre. Anyone living in the area who has suffered any damage as a result of the incident or whose car was parked in the impacted streets can report this to Etex via, Bo.huberland@etexgroup.com, Silke.mons@etexgroup.com or 015 71 77 20. Reports with photos: https://www.hln.be/kapelle-op-den-bos/leidingbreuk-tijdens-lossen-vrachtschip-veroorzaakt-cementwolk-in-centrum-kapelle-op-den-bos~ab480572/ https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20250416_94062442 https://www.kapelle-op-den-bos.be/incident-16-april-2025

Cyprus continues to address every facet of its maritime offering to lure more shipowners to the island. The country’s deputy minister for shipping Natasa Pilides has revealed plans to abolish initial ship registration fees to boost one of Europe’s fastest growing flags. Members of parliament will vote on the issue later this month with a view to making the regulation official in time for Cyprus’s shipping week, which kicks off on October 6. The Cypriot register today is the 11th largest in the world with 24.4m gt on its books.

Napier Port, the third largest port on New Zealand’s North Island, has placed an order with Damen Shipyards Group for an Azimuth Tractor Drive (ATD) Tug 2412 Twin Fin for delivery later this year. The contract was signed by Sjoerd de Bruin, sales manager Pacific for Damen and Napier Port CEO Todd Dawson at Napier Port main office. Napier Port is currently developing a sixth wharf which, at 350 metres long, will be capable of handling the larger vessels that are expected to access the port in the near future. As a key transport hub for the Hawke’s Bay region of the North Island, the port already hosts a wide range of vessels including container ships, cruise ships, cargo and timber carriers. The ATD Tug 2412 Kaweka will join two existing Voith-type tugs at the port; the Te Mata and Ahuriri. Tractor tugs work best at Napier Port due to their ability to operate effectively in a swell, to tow indirectly, and their manoeuvrability, the last particularly important due to the tight berthing arrangements in the harbour. Just 24-metres in length but with 72 tonnes of bollard pull, the ATD Tug 2412 delivers just the combination of power but compactness that the Napier Port management team is seeking.

Repair work on the subsea power line EstLink 2 that runs between Finland and Estonia and was damaged by the 'Eagle S', will start in May and is expected to return to commercial use on July 15, the Finnish power grid operator Fingrid said on April 16. A new cable was being installed on the seabed to replace the existing one over a distance of around one kilometer (0.62 miles). Implementing such extensive repair work has required detailed planning and necessitates a specially equipped vessel for the task. The work was being carried out by Nexans. After the incident, the Finnish authorities had seized the tanker, which was carrying Russian oil in the Baltic Sea, on suspicion it caused the outage of the undersea power cable as well as four internet lines.

On April 16, 2025, at 3 p.m. a fire broke out on a vehicle deck of the 'Delphine', which had arrived from Immingham on April 15 and was moored at the Britannia Dock in the port of Zeebrugge. There were 110 electrical cars on board. Firefighters were attending in large contingents. Everyone on board was safely evacuated, there were no injuries. The captain of the ship remained on board to monitor the situation together with the fire brigade and emergency services. The fire was brought under control. Besides the fire brigade, four tugs were also deployed to fight the fire and cool down the ship's hull at starboard side. The internal fire fighting system was activated. By cutting off the oxygen supply with carbon dioxide, the fire was brought under control. The fire brigade was now looking at how to tackle the fire further. There was a risk that the fire might flare up again when the hatches are opened. It was also not yet clear how extensive the damage is. The hold is pitch black due to the large amount of smoke. There was a lot of smoke from the electric cars, which also made the extinguishing work more difficult.The fire had no major consequences for the operation of the rest of the port. The ships can still sail in and out, a ship that was at the LNG terminal had to wait because of the perimeter. Report with photo: https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2025/04/16/brand-cargoschip-zeebrugge/?fbclid=IwY2xjawJsukpleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHkXXEm991fWYvFkGT82yNG3f2l3C3_KoYBSUpmK08mIF06cgsQM4eP6jIfko_aem_Ctw36kMssSfI_sSFUneKdQ https://focus-wtv.be/nieuws/brand-op-russisch-cargoschip-in-haven-zeebrugge-brandweer-nog-volop-aan-het-blussen

The port in Northern Ireland has committed GB£254m of investment to deliver new marine and estate infrastructure. Belfast Harbour’s investment is part of a 2019-2023 Strategic Plan to boost Northern Ireland’s economy. The plan focuses on increased collaboration and partnerships with key city stakeholders to drive growth and regeneration in Belfast’s waterfront area and has been unveiled alongside an outlook through to 2035. Belfast Harbour’s chairman, David Dobbin, said: “Over the next five years Belfast Harbour intends to invest £254 million in new Port and estate infrastructure and facilities. This major investment programme is really only possible because of our Trust Port status which allows us to reinvest every penny of our net earnings back into the business.” Belfast Harbour will upgrade its cranes and material handling equipment, install new ramps to accommodate larger vessels and build new storage facilities. Work will also begin on digital ‘Smart Port’ initiatives to provide greater automation and a new unified system to coordinate cargo and shipping communications.

On the 9th of September 2019 the work for the contract “Dredging Het Nieuwe Diep”, commissioned by the Port of Den Helder, has started. Dutch Dredging is expected to carry out the remediation of 200,000 m3 of partially contaminated spoil until mid-December. The survey vessel “Hydrograaf” started the pre-dredge survey on the 9th of September, a so-called “baseline measurement” of the work. The work will then be carried out in 3 phases. In Phase 1, a bed leveller equipped with a so called dirt-plough will be employed. This is due to the fact that the top layer of silt contains a considerable amount of soil-foreign material. The specifically developed dirt-plough consists of long thin spikes that sink through the layer of silt and rake the dirt from the soil. The dirt will be ploughed to free locations where it can be dredged by means of a grab dredger and will be discharged into skips on the quay for removal and disposal. In the Phase 2, a bed leveller, trailing suction hopper dredger and a grab dredger will subsequently commence with the dredging works to the north and south of the Moorman bridge. They will restore the required depth. During Phase 3 the contaminated sediment will be removed. This phase is carried out by a grab dredger and several hopperbarges. The dredged material will be loaded in to the barges, which will transport the sediment to a depository for polluted sediment.

On Aprl 15, nearly 70 people, including families, colleagues of the fishermen and leaders of the Coronel area, boarded the Navy vessel "Janequeo" to travel to the area where the "Bruma" sank and bid farewell to the seven fishermen who have been missing since March 30. This followed the Navy's decision on April 14 to suspend the search for the seven fishermen after 17 days. They are the skipper José Luis Medel Sepúlveda, José Luis Medel González, his son Juan Jorge Muñoz Balladares, José Fernando Carrasco González, Julio Eduardo Gallardo Díaz, Carlos Hugo Escárate Ramírez and Jonathan Daniel Torres Saldaña. At the site, near the bay of Santa María Island, an ecumenical ceremony was being held aboard the "Janequeo" to bid farewell to the missing fishermen. to pay tribute of reverence and respect to them. The Biobío Prosecutor's Office is leading the investigation targeting the Blumar's "Cobra" and its crew as responsible for the accident. The Executive Branch has also filed a complaint for homicide. Meanwhile, the fishermen's families also filed a complaint for the same crime, in addition to the failure to provide assistance against the captain of the "Cobra". In response to the incident, the crew of the 'Cobra' publsihed a public statement, stated that they were "deeply saddened by the loss of our colleagues, because we are only now in a position to do so. We had not been able to express our pain before.” The crew members acknowledged that they felt stigmatized after the sinking of the 'Bruma', noting that “several of us cannot go out into the streets because we are being pointed at not only as protagonists of the accident, but also as responsible for this tragedy. For us, life is the most valuable thing. Not only ours, but everyone's, especially that of hardworking people like us, with whom we share a profession we love.” Along with this, they reiterated that "we are actively cooperating with the investigation and trust that the causes of this unfortunate accident will be clearly established." Therefore, "we ask for respect for ourselves and, above all, for our families" until the cause of the 'Bruma' sinking is determined.

The 'Hong Hai 16' ex 'Wan Xiang 699', started to tip over amid moderate sea conditions and capsized on April 15, at 5:20 p.m. off Barangay Malawaan in Rizal, Occidental Mindoro. The ship, carrying 7,400 cubic meters of sand, was preparing to depart for Manila with a cargo of sand at 4:30 p.m., when it suddenly tilted during the turning manoever and then toppled over with10 people on board, among them seven Filipinos and three Chinese nationals, who went missing. The Philippine Coast Guard Sub-Station in San Jose, the Special Operations Unit and the Marine Environmental Protection Enforcement Response Group in Southern Tagalog launched an SAR operation. The dredger was drifting bottom up, with possible personnel trapped inside the engine room. The sand carrier vessel, operated by the Keen Peak Corporation, had 25 crew members on board, composed of 13 Filipinos and 12 Chinese nationals. Six Filipinos and eight Chinese crew members survived the accident, while one Chinese national was declared dead on arrival at San Jose District Hospital. The Coast Guard was also coordinating with the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office to prepare for potential environmental impacts, considering the deployment of oil booms. The PCG unit in Sablayan has dispatched an additional response team to support the operations. The PCG was checking underwater conditions and preparing for diving operations and cutting work. The SAR operation was going on on April 16. Reports with photo and video: https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2025/4/16/authorities-recover-another-body-from-ship-that-capsized-off-occidental-mindoro-1529 https://www.philstar.com/nation/2025/04/16/2436473/search-ongoing-7-filipinos-3-chinese-after-vessel-capsizes-occidental-mindoro https://www.bairdmaritime.com/security/incidents/accidents/one-dead-ten-missing-after-sand-carrier-capsizes-off-occidental-mindoro-philippines https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2025/4/16/authorities-recover-another-body-from-ship-that-capsized-off-occidental-mindoro-1529 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwPlx-9ePnQ

The US Coast Guard informed that it reopened the Houston Ship Channel, on September 13, after a protest demonstration near Baytown, Texas. Namely, on September 12, 22 Greenpeace US climbers created a blockade from the Fred Hartman Bridge in Baytown. The closure on the ship channel started on September 12, after Sector Houston-Galveston watchstanders received notification that about 11 individuals were suspended from the Fred Hartman Bridge. A US Coast Guard Station Houston 29-foot Response Boat-Small boat crew, a US Coast Guard Station Galveston 45-foot Response Boat-Medium boat crew and the crew of the US Coast Guard Cutter Tiger Shark were launched to the scene.

Last week, the Dutch multimodal operator Multi Modal Rail B.V. launched a new container rail service between Rotterdam and the French town of Ottmarsheim, Port of Rotterdam said in its release. Starting with one round trip per week, the shuttle connection is expected to swiftly expand to two round trips per week. The train calls on each of Rotterdam’s major terminals. After being loaded in Rotterdam on Thursday, the shuttle departs from the sea port on Friday and arrives/departs in Ottmarsheim on Saturday. The train is back at Maasvlakte for unloading on Sunday morning. The shuttle service is offered as a complement to the two existing container rail services between Rotterdam and Strasbourg.