News

The "Kjerringa", which sank at the quay of the Hammerfest Industri sometime between Christmas Eve and Dec 27, 2024, was raised again on Jan 6, 2025. The weather was very bad in the area when the accident occurred. On Christmas Day the wind was blowing at a speed of 25 m/s. The exact time of the accident is not certain. On Christmas Eve afternoon, the m/v "Seiland" had docked behind the "Kjerringa" without discovering any damage, an accident report stated. The vessel was moored there since Dec 11. The news of the accident reached the shipping company shortly before 1:00 p.m. The Hammerfest Fire and Rescue was contacted and came to put bilges in connection with the accident to prevent the spread of the oil and/or diesel spill, without any spill being reported. An attempt was also made to raise the "Kjerringa" as quickly as possible, but there was no equipment or crew available for such an operation.When the ship was raised, a hole in the hull could be seen. According to the report, this was due to repeated hits to the stern.

The Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich is said to have evaded millions in taxes in Germany and other EU countries, according to leaked documents that are available to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and have now been analyzed by the "Standard" together with media such as "Spiegel", ZDF, "Guardian" and BBC. The focus is on the "Eclipse" owned by Abramovich and allegedly part of a complex tax avoidance model. The ship is said to have been officially handled through various letterbox companies. Offshore companies were used to conceal the real owner and avoid paying taxes. Abramovich's advisors designed a network of companies that was supposed to simulate the commercial use of Abramovich's yacht fleet. The "Eclipse" was probably part of the structure until at least 2012. According to this, the yacht was officially rented to a company in the British Virgin Islands in order to avoid VAT obligations - although Abramovich demonstrably used the "Eclipse" privately, for example for an exclusive New Year's Eve party in the Caribbean in 2012. There is also said to have been a trick when refueling the yacht. Commercially used ships are exempt from fuel tax in the EU. Internal emails show that those responsible were trying to obtain the necessary evidence. When a rental agreement was not submitted on time, an employee warned that this would jeopardize a tax saving of 44,000 US dollars for filling up the tank once. A particularly lucrative tax loophole arose during the construction of the "Eclipse" in Hamburg. Since the ship was built in what was then the free port, the location was not considered to be German territory for tax purposes. Therefore, no VAT was apparently due on the purchase. The costs are estimated at around 300 to 800 million euros. For a long time, Abramovich and his advisors managed to fend off official inquiries. In Italy, tax proceedings threatened in 2014 after the yacht had been refueled in Trieste, but the investigation was discontinued. There were also disagreements in Cyprus: in 2012, the authorities there demanded around 14 million euros in taxes on chartering. Abramovich's lawyer later withdrew his appeals, but it remains unclear whether the sum was paid. Since the imposition of Western sanctions against Russian oligarchs, Abramovich has avoided the EU in order to protect his assets from being accessed. The "Eclipse" is now off the Turkish coast, beyond the reach of European authorities. In Germany, the alleged tax offenses may now be time-barred. The statute of limitations in Germany is usually only five years, but in particularly serious cases it can be 15 years.

Australia’s New South Wales government said on Wednesday it will fast track its review of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal at the port of Newcastle, proposed by a South Korean firm, as the state urgently looks to beef up gas supply. The $430 million Newcastle GasDock LNG project, planned by South Korean firm EPIK, was declared “critical state significant infrastructure”, which means the project will not have to go to the state’s independent planning commission for approval, saving several months in the review process.

Germany’s largest universal port remains on a growth course, achieving a distinct 4.1 percent advance to 69.4 million tons in seaborne cargo handling in the first half of 2019. Especially good growth trend in the general cargo segment, up 6.1 percent at 48.4 million tons, was the main contributor to the excellent figures for total and container handling. The total for bulk cargo handling was just 0.3 percent lower than for last year’s first half at 21.0 million tons. Germany’s largest universal port remains on a growth course, achieving a distinct 4.1 percent advance to 69.4 million tons in seaborne cargo handling in the first half of 2019. Especially good growth trend in the general cargo segment, up 6.1 percent at 48.4 million tons, was the main contributor to the excellent figures for total and container handling. The total for bulk cargo handling was just 0.3 percent lower than for last year’s first half at 21.0 million tons.

The 'Kriti Captain', which suffered a fire on the night of Jan 25, while it was right next to the port at the underwater pipeline for the unloading of its cargo of 33,000 tonnes of diesel, was taken in tow on Jan 28 at 3 p.m. by the tug 'Abeille Méditerranée' after meeting all the safety conditions necessary for the transit, and was now heading at low speed towards the Gulf of Fos-sur-Mer and the Grand Port Maritime de Marseille. The towing operation was being closely monitored by the CROSS Mediterranée and the semaphores of the French Navy. The convoy should arrive at its destination on Jan 29. During the afternoon, the casino car park on the seafront was closed to parking, and several cars were removed with the help of the municipal police and the gendarmerie. A helicopter was used to transport firefighters from Marseille to check the condition of the ship, restart the last of the three generators to ensure a power supply and raise the anchors. Subsequently, a pilot boat took on board three firefighters from the center of Port-La Nouvelle to come to the aid of the firefighters on the tanker. Report with photos: https://www.herault-tribune.com/articles/port-la-nouvelle-le-kriti-captain-remorque-vers-le-port-de-marseille/

The work on the Müden lock to put it back into operation has almost been completed. The two new gate wings are currently being connected to the control and drive technology. The first tests with the new lock gate were scheduled for Jan 30. The first test locks will then take place onJan 31. Among other things, the entire process of automatic lock control with upper and lower gate movements will be tested. If large ships are already waiting to be locked at this time, this would be an advantage for the test locks and the ships could be locked as part of the test locks. The 'Regina K' remained stationary in Haren/Ems as of Jan 29. Report with photo: https://www.blick-aktuell.de/Berichte/Probeschleusungen-beginnen-am-Freitag-617017.html

Chinese city-gas distributor Shenzhen Gas will launch next week in southern China its first fully-owned terminal to import liquefied natural gas (LNG), a company executive told Reuters on Friday. This will make Shenzhen Gas the second city gas distributor backed by a local government that owns an LNG import facility.

ENCHANTED PRINCESS, the fifth in a line of six Royal Class ships built for Princess Cruises, was floated out on 6 August at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Monfalcone.

The fisherman Are Strand died when he fell overboard from the "Øyværing", which then ran aground at Kabelvåg on March 1, 2024. Now the accident report from the Accident Investigation Board Norway is ready. The accident most likely occurred when the lone fisherman on board the"Øyværing" was setting the third net link and fell overboard. The vessel continued on autopilot and grounded north on the island of Kreta at Kabelvåg. People on land observed the vessel and reported it to the emergency services, and a search was launched. The fisherman was later found in the area where the fisherman's third net link was set, and died as a result of the accident, writes the Accident Investigation Board. No recommendations have been made after the investigation, but the Accident Investigation Board wrote that they emphasized the importance of following up on the action plan with the vision zero for the number of fatalities and serious injuries at sea, which was adopted by the Storting in 2022. A large proportion of the accidents in solo fishing that the board investigated have shown that fishermen have fallen overboard in connection with the operation of the vessel. It is the actual conditions that mean that a lone fisherman must be physically located close to the rig in an exposed position during some parts of the setting and hauling process, which is the main challenge. For smaller fishing vessels with one person on board, it is therefore challenging to identify good measures that can eliminate this danger completely. When the fisherman fell overboard, no one immediately noticed that he was in distress. He had no opportunity to warn, and the fisherman did not use a flotation device, wrote the Accident Investigation Board Norway. A review of previous accidents involving lone fishermen that SHK has investigated has shown that very few lone fishermen used flotation devices. The Accident Investigation Board believes that the consequence-reducing measures such as personal alert devices, flotation devices, electronic emergency stops and ladders, individually or in combination, would increase the likelihood of saving lives in accidents where a lone fisherman falls overboard. In the action plan prepared by the Norwegian Maritime Directorate in connection with the work on the zero vision, several measures have been proposed for, among other things, smaller fishing vessels. Some of these measures are particularly relevant in view of the accident with the ««Øyværing»». Reports with photos: https://www.vaganavisa.no/nyheter/i/zEdax4/undersoeker-doedsulykken https://www.kystmagasinet.no/sikkerhet-statens-havarikommisjon-ulykke/alenefiskere-er-ekstra-utsatt-for-a-do-pa-jobb/1885601

The '50 Let Pobedy', en route to the Ob Bay, suffered significant damage to its port side foreship in a collision with the bulkcarrier 'Yamal Krechet' (IMO: 9202041), en route from Arkhangelsk to Sabetta, the port where Novatek's Yamal LNG production facilitates are located, while operating on the Northern Sea Route., opening a deep gash near its bow on the night of Jan 26, 2025, in the Kara Sea. The accident happened while maintaining winter shipping lanes and escorting a cargo vessel. The condition of the bulkcarrier, which was hit at port side ahead of the accommodation block, was unknown. According to Russia’s operator of nuclear icebreakers, Atomflot, the '50 Let Pobedy' remained seaworthy and continued operating in the Ob Bay. The damaged section was not proximate to the vessel’s nuclear reactor and the power plant continued operating normally. It was, however, unclear if the vessel will complete its regular stint of winter icebreaking services or will return to Murmansk early to undergo repairs. Reports with photo and video: https://gcaptain.com/russian-nuclear-icebreaker-sustains-damage-in-arctic-collision-with-cargo-ship/ https://maritime-executive.com/article/video-russian-nuclear-icebreaker-damaged-in-collision

Kinder Morgan, Inc. (NYSE: KMI) announced a series of projects, totaling over $170 million of capital investment, that will increase efficiency, add product liquidity, and enhance blending capabilities at its Pasadena and Galena Park terminals, part of its best-in-class refined products storage hub on the Houston Ship Channel. In response to growing customer demand, KMI’s liquids terminal platform now boasts 10 ship docks, 38 barge spots, 20 inbound pipelines providing connectivity to 10 regional refineries and chemical plants, 15 outbound pipelines, 14 cross-channel lines, and approximately 43 million barrels of storage on the Houston Ship Channel, North America’s leading port for energy exports.

Expansion works on the Takoradi Port have started with the construction of a multipurpose on-dock Atlantic Container Terminal. The project will see the port basin being dredged to create a 16-metre depth and land reclamation for the building of five new berths to hold bigger capacity vessels. A visit to the Takoradi Port in the Western Region revealed that the contractors were casting the foundation stones for the quay wall to herald the expansion project at the port. The project, being developed by Ibistek Ghana Limited at a cost of $475 million, marks the first time a wholly owned Ghanaian firm has been engaged in port development in the country. The Atlantic terminal, which will be the major development in the history of the Takoradi port when completed, will have a cargo holding space of one million twenty-footer equivalent units (TEUs), an upscale from the average container traffic of about 55,000 TEUs a year.