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The cleanup of the oil lost from the 'Volgoneft-239' has been largely completed, the Russian state marine rescue service Morspas announced on Jan 27. After the tanker broke up, the stern section drifted aground on a rocky shore off Taman. The battered hull began leaking large quantities of fuel oil. The tanker was more than 50 years old, and not designed for winter storm conditions in the Baltic Sea. It was carrying about 4,000 of tonnes of mazut. An estimated 3,700 tonnes of the cargo spilled into the marine environment, fouling beaches from Taman to Anapa. Morspas responded to the 'Volgoneft-239' with a mission to reduce the risk of further oil leaks. Using earthmoving equipment, the salvors built a berm around the entire stern section, enclosing any further petroleum releases. The berm was reinforced with jacks to protect the wreck from wintertime wave action. Before pumping off the tank contents, the salvors had to restore the tanker's cargo heating systems, which are necessary to move the sludge-like material, asmazut only begins to liquefy at about 43 degrees C. From Jany 19-25, 1,500 tons of fuel oil were pumped out of the tanker into bitumen carriers and then transferred onto 20 railway tank car. A truck platform reinforced with concrete slabs was installed on the berm next to the tanker. This supported the trucks receiving fuel oil from the vessel. Eight vehicles were involved in the round-the-clock pumping operations, and over the entire period, 87 truckloads were removed from the tanker. The remaining fuel oil that could not be unloaded by the ship's equipment was pumped out using hand pumps. Meanwhile, cleanup teams boomed off the surrounding area and used mechanical and hand removal to abate the oil. Morspas' Azov-Black Sea branch has deployed small boat teams daily to rocky, inaccessible shorelines, and reports that it has manually collected nearly two tonnes of oil-contaminated soil from hard-to-reach places. No new sources of pollution were identified. They were collecting small local areas and also finishing work in the area of Cape Panagia on cleaning the coastal strip, collecting and delivering the spent soil for disposal. Now that the fuel oil has been removed from the wreck, the salvage operation turns to wreck removal. The plan is to cut up the 'Volgoneft-239' in place and haul it away in sections. Taman's port captain has requested that the wreckage be removed by the end of March. The 'Volgoneft-212' and the remains of her cargo are still on the bottom, though vents have been plugged to prevent leakages. The fuel oil that was released into the marine environment could take up to 10 years to degrade. Report with photos: https://maritime-executive.com/article/cleanup-of-wrecked-russian-tanker-completed

The 'CG 'Active' and CG 'Terrell Horne' have intercepted a boat that was carrying 21 migrants on Jan 27, 2025, at around 10.45 p.m., 20 nautical miles off the coast of Point Loma. U.S. Customs and Border Patrol notified them about a 40-foot panga-style vessel headed north to the maritime boundary line and U.S. waters. The Coast Guard Cutters were diverted to the scene. Both cutters launched boarding teams and, with CBP’s assistance, successfully interdicted the vessel. All 21 people on board claimed Mexican nationality, but two were identified as Guatemalan and Salvadoran nationals. All boat people were transferred to Border Patrol custody.

Kalmar, part of Cargotec, has concluded an agreement with long-term customer EUROGATE Tanger (EGT) in Morocco to upgrade four ZPMC ship-to-shore (STS) cranes, as part of the terminal’s expansion plans. With a quay length of 821 meters, a terminal area of 400,000 m2 and a water depth of up to 18 meters, the facility is well-equipped to handle the new generation of containerships. The terminal’s equipment fleet already includes several Kalmar machines, including rubber-tired gantry cranes (RTGs). Furthermore, Kalar will be responsible for the planning, engineering and execution of the entire project, which involves heightening the four STS cranes by 11 meters and extending the booms by six meters. The project with Kalmar will help the terminal serve mega-sized container vessels.

The Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company (ASCO) will launch a test voyage of a feeder vessel along the Black Sea container route Batumi-Constanta by September 20. The vessel will sail every 10 days (3 times a month). If cargo volumes increase, the growth in the number of vessels and the regularity of sailings on the line is also expected.

The cleanup of the oil lost from the 'Volgoneft-239' has been largely completed, the Russian state marine rescue service Morspas announced on Jan 27. After the tanker broke up, the stern section drifted aground on a rocky shore off Taman. The battered hull began leaking large quantities of fuel oil. The tanker was more than 50 years old, and not designed for winter storm conditions in the Baltic Sea. It was carrying about 4,000 of tonnes of mazut. An estimated 3,700 tonnes of the cargo spilled into the marine environment, fouling beaches from Taman to Anapa. Morspas responded to the 'Volgoneft-239' with a mission to reduce the risk of further oil leaks. Using earthmoving equipment, the salvors built a berm around the entire stern section, enclosing any further petroleum releases. The berm was reinforced with jacks to protect the wreck from wintertime wave action. Before pumping off the tank contents, the salvors had to restore the tanker's cargo heating systems, which are necessary to move the sludge-like material, asmazut only begins to liquefy at about 43 degrees C. From Jany 19-25, 1,500 tons of fuel oil were pumped out of the tanker into bitumen carriers and then transferred onto 20 railway tank car. A truck platform reinforced with concrete slabs was installed on the berm next to the tanker. This supported the trucks receiving fuel oil from the vessel. Eight vehicles were involved in the round-the-clock pumping operations, and over the entire period, 87 truckloads were removed from the tanker. The remaining fuel oil that could not be unloaded by the ship's equipment was pumped out using hand pumps. Meanwhile, cleanup teams boomed off the surrounding area and used mechanical and hand removal to abate the oil. Morspas' Azov-Black Sea branch has deployed small boat teams daily to rocky, inaccessible shorelines, and reports that it has manually collected nearly two tonnes of oil-contaminated soil from hard-to-reach places. No new sources of pollution were identified. They were collecting small local areas and also finishing work in the area of Cape Panagia on cleaning the coastal strip, collecting and delivering the spent soil for disposal. Now that the fuel oil has been removed from the wreck, the salvage operation turns to wreck removal. The plan is to cut up the 'Volgoneft-239' in place and haul it away in sections. Taman's port captain has requested that the wreckage be removed by the end of March. The 'Volgoneft-212' and the remains of her cargo are still on the bottom, though vents have been plugged to prevent leakages. The fuel oil that was released into the marine environment could take up to 10 years to degrade. Report with photos: https://maritime-executive.com/article/cleanup-of-wrecked-russian-tanker-completed

The 'CG 'Active' and CG 'Terrell Horne' have intercepted a boat that was carrying 21 migrants on Jan 27, 2025, at around 10.45 p.m., 20 nautical miles off the coast of Point Loma. U.S. Customs and Border Patrol notified them about a 40-foot panga-style vessel headed north to the maritime boundary line and U.S. waters. The Coast Guard Cutters were diverted to the scene. Both cutters launched boarding teams and, with CBP’s assistance, successfully interdicted the vessel. All 21 people on board claimed Mexican nationality, but two were identified as Guatemalan and Salvadoran nationals. All boat people were transferred to Border Patrol custody.

Qatar has established an investment partnership with Somalia to build a new port in the latter's country. The Ministry of Transport and Communications in Qatar said that the partnership between Qatar Ports Management Company (Mwani) and Somalia will see the construction of the Hobyo Port in the Mudug region of central Somalia. Hobyo Port is expected to bring multiple economic benefits for Somalia. The port could create new business opportunities for the country by bolstering the commercial relationship with new markets in Africa and providing access to global markets, in addition to providing maritime services to vast areas in Somalia. The Hobyo Port is in proximity to the Bab al-Mandab Strait, one of the world’s most important sea crossing points. Hobyo is also important due to its location in the Mudug region, which links the south and north of the country.

Gautam Adani is looking to expand his ports empire by closing in on buying a 65-70 per cent stake in Krishnapatnam Port Company Ltd, the entity promoted by Hyderabad-based CVR Group to run a private deep-water port at Krishnapatnam in Andhra Pradesh’s Nellore district. Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ), India’s biggest private port operator, is expected to pay more than ₹5,500 crore to buy the stake which will give it access to the country’s largest waterfront area (for a port) of 12.5 km and a transit storage area of 6,800 acres. It started operations in 2008. Currently, the port has a draft of 18.5 metres, a depth that can accommodate full-loaded Capesize vessel of 200,000-tonne capacity.

Wing Commander Akshay Saxena of the Indian Air Force (IAF) has been awarded the Vayu Sena Medal for his exemplary bravery in a high-risk anti-piracy operation and rescuing the 'Ruen' from Somali pirates. On Dec 14, 2023, the pirates hijacked the vessel about 380 nautical miles east of Socotra Island, in the Arabian Sea. They took 17 crew members hostage and sailed the vessel towards the Somali coast, where they began negotiations with the shipowner. However, instead of anchoring off Somalia, the pirates decided to set sail again, likely intending to use the 'Ruen' as a mother ship for launching attacks on other vessels in the Indian Ocean. On March 15, 2024, an Indian Navy long-range maritime patrol intercepted the ship about 260 nautical miles east of Somalia. The Indian Warships INS 'Kolkata' and INS 'Subhadra' were positioned alongside the hijacked vessel. In response, the pirates opened fire on the warships and shot down one of 'Kolkata'’s surveillance drones. The Indian military then quickly deployed a team of 18 marine commandos (Marcos) and an IAF C-17 transport aircraft for a precision airdrop mission. Wing Commander Akshay Saxena, as the pilot of the C-17, led the operation that involved the insertion of the commandos into the sea near the 'Ruen'. This risky operation required Saxena to navigate through a third country’s airspace for nearly four hours without authorisation and in complete secrecy. Saxena flew the C-17 at a low level, turning off all the aircraft’s communication systems to avoid detection. As they approached the drop zone, the location was changed, requiring the crew to adapt quickly. Despite the change, Saxena executed the airdrop smoothly, dropping the 18 commandos and their inflatable boats into the water near the 'Ruen'. The commandos boarded the vessel, confronted 35 pirates aboard, and forced them to stand down and surrender. The Indian Ministry of Defense commended Saxena for his “flawless execution of an extremely gruelling mission” and for displaying “exceptional courage, dynamic leadership, outstanding professionalism, and steadfast determination.” He maintained situational awareness during the operation, which lasted for over 10 hours. The rescue of the 'Ruen' also marked the first-ever insertion of marine commandos via airdrop on the high seas, proving India’s readiness to handle piracy threats in distant waters. The Indian Navy has also recommended Lieutenant Commander Sourabh Malik for a gallantry award. Malik and his Commando squad carried out an opposed boarding of the fishing vessel 'Omari' on Feb 2, 2024. Despite the hijackers’ attempts to stop the boarding with heavy and constant small arms fire, they captured seven armed pirates and freed 19 fishermen. Report with photos: https://www.marineinsight.com/shipping-news/iaf-pilot-honoured-for-10-hour-mission-to-rescue-hijacked-ship-from-somali-pirates/

The United States Attorney Duane A. Evans has announced that Fei Wang, aged 38, on Jan 24, 2025, has pleaded guilty to violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS) and for obstructing proceedings, and was sentenced during the same proceeding to three months in prison, three years of supervised release, and payment of a US$200 mandatory special assessment fee. Wang, a Chinese national, was the chief engineer of the 'ASL Singapore', now sailing as 'Xin Hai Tong 805', which was engaged in trade in the USA. The 'ASL Singapore' has arrived in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Feb 26, 2024. The US Coast Guard conducted an inspection, which included review of the vessel’s oil record books. In his plea, Wang acknowledged presenting these books to the Coast Guard knowing they contained fraudulent entries and omitted information about discharging oily bilge water directly overboard before arriving in the USA. The falsified logs were intended to conceal the fact that since at least Oct 2023, when Wang boarded the vessel, the crew had dumped oily bilge water overboard directly from the bilge holding tank and was not complying with international treaties regulating oil pollution from ships. According to court documents and statements, the crew of the 'ASL Singapore' used a portable pump and flexible hose to dispose of oily bilge water in violation of MARPOL Convention,, and without the use of the appropriate pollution prevention equipment and monitoring. This was done prior to Wang boarding the vessel and continued while he was chief engineer, in charge of all engine room operations. The vessel's oily water separator was never properly used during Wang's time as chief engineer. The Coast Guard Investigative Service and the EPA Criminal Investigations Division investigated the case with assistance from US Coast Guard Sector New Orleans. Assistant US Attorneys Christine M. Calogero of the General Crimes Unit, and G. Dall Kammer, Chief of the General Crimes Unit, are prosecuting the case.

Port of Oslo in Norway has signed a cooperation agreement with an environmental non-profit organisation to help it become emission-free. The Port of Oslo, which first talked about its zero-emission ambition in June, will partner with the Oslo-headquartered Bellona Foundation to achieve its zero-emission goal. Emissions in the port are anticipated to be reduced by 85% by 2030 and gradually reduce until they are eliminated. “The Port of Oslo is in full swing with the green transition, and has begun the phasing in of emissions-free solutions,” said Port of Oslo chairman, Roger Schjerva. “It is enthusiastic about working alongside the Bellona Foundation and exchanging ideas and solutions with Bellona’s network of environmental experts and organizations. Maritime transport and urban ports are crucial in reducing the world’s greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector.”

In the morning of Aug 17, 2019, around 7 a.m. a fire broke out aboard the Namibian trawler "Ocean Tide", 296 gt (IMO: 7220839), which was moored at the jetty of the Seaworks Fish Processors. One of the 20 crew members on board, was found dead following the fire. The deceased was identified as 40-year-old Hausiku Mathews Sivambo. It was believed he became trapped inside the vessel and burned to death. His body was removed the next morning. The family of the deceased was present at the scene. A police investigation into the cause of the fire was ongoing. Report with photo: https://www.nbc.na/news/one-dead-after-vessel-caught-fire-walvis-bay.21902