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The sinking of the 'Sewol' was caused by internal structural failures, including a malfunctioning steering system and poor stability, according to recently revealed findings from government investigations ahead of the 11th anniversary of the tragedy. The Mokpo branch of the Korea Maritime Safety Tribunal said on April 14, 2025, that a special panel issued its conclusion on the tragedy in November last year — 10 years and 7 months after the ferry sank on April 16, 2014. While court rulings apply to general legal cases, maritime accidents in Korea are subject to the tribunal’s decisions. The tribunal’s judgment document functions similarly to a court verdict. The panel fully ruled out the theory that external factors, such as a collision, caused the ferry to sink, according to the tribunal’s findings: “Based on findings following the vessel's salvage and inspection, we did not confirm any evidence of external forces that could have caused an abrupt turn, such as hull damage. As there was no credible evidence of external impact, we did not consider that theory in our determination.” Instead, the panel found that the abrupt turn made by the ferry was not due to human error by the helmsman but rather a mechanical failure in the ship's steering system. The panel also took the arguments from a 2018 investigation that claimed the solenoid valve in Pump No. 2 of the steering gear was stuck and led the steering system to malfunction. At the time of the accident, the ship’s stability was already severely compromised. This was due to extensive structural modifications made to increase the passenger capacity, which raised the ship’s center of gravity. Although vessels with weakened stability must carry less cargo, the 'Sewol' was found to have been carrying nearly twice the amount allowed in its stability calculations — 2,021 tons, instead of the permitted 1,077 tons. To make matters worse, the cargo had not been properly secured. The unfastened cargo made the ferry severely tilt while making a turn. Water then flooded through the openings in the outer hull, resulting in the loss of stability, according to the panel’s conclusion. Out of the 476 people on board, 304 were killed or went missing in the disaster. The tribunal attributed the scale of the human toll to the crew's failure to take active rescue measures.

Ten fire engines were deployed to a large blaze aboard the 'Sider Olympia' at Northfleet, Gravesend, on April 13, 2025. Units from Kent Fire & Rescue Service (KFRS) have been working with the Coastguard and London Fire Brigade at Crete Hall Road, Gravesend, after a fire was reported at about 03:00 a.m. BST. The fire erupted from the vessel’s large storage bunkers. By the time crews arrived, flames had already taken hold of the ship. Multiple fire engines, a high-volume pump, an aerial ladder platform, a height vehicle, technical rescue teams, drones, and marine specialists were deployed. A bulk water carrier, water safety unit and the fire boat 'Errington' from the Lambeth River Station were also in attendance along with the volunteer response team, which was offering welfare support to crews and other partners. The firefighters, wearing breathing apparatus, boarded the vessel, using hoses to cool the upper decks and control the intense heat inside..By 3:30 p.m., the fire was successfully brought under control. All crew members were reported safe and accounted for. The cause of the fire remained under investigation. A joint investigation between fire and maritime officials is expected to begin once the situation is fully stabilised. Reports with photos and video: https://www.kentonline.co.uk/gravesend/news/fire-crews-battle-large-cargo-ship-blaze-322843/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2Ct3sk8PKU https://www.marineinsight.com/shipping-news/massive-fire-breaks-out-on-cargo-ship-in-north-kent/

The new Lamu Port in Kenya took a big step towards completion yesterday with the announcement that its first of 22 berths is finished. According to the South Sudan and Ethiopia Transport Corridor Development Authority, the second and third berths will be completed by December 2020.

Shandong BaoMa Fisheries Group has shelved plans to build a port in the Uruguayan capital Montevideo that could accommodate 500 Chinese vessels, amid legal complications and strong opposition from local residents and environmental organisations. The US$200 million project, which included a free trade zone, shipyard and fish processing and freezing plants, on a private 28-hectare site in Punta Yeguas, a mostly rural area with a public park, required a change in the legal designation of the land.

The National Agency of Ukraine for Finding, Tracing and Management of Assets Derived from Corruption and Other Crimes (ARMA) has put up for sale the 'Nika Spirit', which has been seized in Izmail, Odesa region. The auction is scheduled for April 21, 2025, with a starting price of UAH 2.438.5000. The vessel is actually a tanker for the transportation of oil products. It was built in 1989. The functional wear and tear is 80%. On Nov 4, 2024, the Dniprovsky District Court of Kyiv allowed the Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA) to seize the Russian tanker, formerly known as 'Neyma', which was detained on July 24, 2019, in the port of Izmail. The vessel was identified as the one used to block the Kerch Strait on Nov 25, 2018., when it allegedly ran aground under the arch of the Kerch Bridge, while the Ukrainian ships 'Berdiansk' and 'Nikopol' and the tug 'Yany Kapu' were making a planned passage from the port of Odesa to the port of Mariupol in the Sea of Azov and were attacked by Russian warships, resulting in the capture of Ukrainian sailors.

The 'Aita Mari' rescued 125 boat people in the waters of the Central Mediterranean on April 13, 2025. It was the second rescue carried out by the NGO Salvamento Marítimo Humanitario (SMH), which disembarked 108 people in Salerno on April 14. Among the rescued were 19 minors, 16 of them unaccompanied, and two under 12 years old. There were also two pregnant women. The migrants came from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Sudan, Egypt, Togo, Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau, Cameroon, Benin, Ghana, and Niger. After disembarking the 108 people rescued four days earlier in Salerno, the 'Aita Mari' resumed its mission in the Central Mediterranean. Alarm Phone then mobilized the humanitarian ship to respond to the critical situation of a rubber dinghy with a broken bottom and 84 people on board, in grave danger as it took on water. After two hours of unsuccessful notifications to the authorities, the 'Aita Mari' located the rubber dinghy, whose position had previously been overflown by a Frontex aircraft. During the rescue operation, a second wooden boat with 45 people on board appeared in the area. While the 41 people were being transferred from this second boat to the 'Aita Mari', the remaining four started their engines and left the scene. The Italian authorities have designated the port of Catania for the disembarkation, scheduled for the early afternoon of April 14. However, current weather conditions, with wind gusts of 30 knots and a forecast of waves of 1.5 to 2 meters, predicedt a difficult journey for those on board. On morning, while the 'Aita Mari' was searching for another rubber dinghy, a Libyan Coast Guard patrol boat, identified as 648, approached at high speed. Libyan crew members pointed an automatic weapon at the 'Aita Mari' while shouting 'Go home!'" A few minutes later, the Aita Mari crew witnessed the interception of a rubber dinghy. The people on board will most likely be held in Libyan detention centers without guarantees of protection for their rights and physical integrity, as consistently reported by those who have survived such centers. Report with photo: https://www.naiz.eus/eu/info/noticia/20250413/aita-mari-rescata-a-125-personas-en-el-mediterraneo-segundo-salvamento-en-siete-dias

The Port of Hamburg, Germany’s largest universal port, saw its inland and hinterland cargo traffic grow by 12.1% – 2.57 million tons – in the first quarter of 2019, according to its latest financial results. The data also shows that, for the first quarter of 2019, the Port has handled 34,640 TEU – 20ft standard containers – an increase of 20% in comparison with the same period last year.

Mumbai Port’s decision to raise the draft level to 10.3 metres and 11 metres to dock vessels at BPX and BPS respectively, subject to low tides being over 60 cm has been welcomed by maritime fraternity. This has avoided the waiting period for the vessels arriving with deep drafts till the tide is favorable for berthing. At times, such vessels had to arrange for discharging the import cargo for reducing the draft in stream and only subsequently berth at BPX/BPS.

The Russian captain of the 'Soling', Vladimir Motin, appeared before at London's Central Criminal Court, from prison via a video link on April 14. He is charged with gross negligence manslaughter over the death of a crew member. Mark Angelo Pernia, 38, a Filipino crew member on the 'Solong', is missing presumed dead. Mr Motin, from Primorsky, St Petersburg, spoke only to confirm his name during the brief hearing, and the case was adjourned until May 30 for a plea hearing at the same court. Report with picture: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2lz79q2y1vo

An interim Report on the alliision of the 'Solong' and the 'Stena Immaculate' has been Issued by the MAIB: Following the accident, the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch began a formal inquiry and this week issued an interim report that traces the 'Solong'’s course leading up to the collision, creates a timeline for the watchkeeping schedule aboard the ship and shows plainly that the 'Solong' was at fault. The MAIB’s ongoing investigation will focus on several critical aspects. It will encompass the navigation and watchkeeping practices on board both vessels; manning and fatigue management; the condition and maintenance of the vessels involved; the use of the offshore area as an anchorage for vessels waiting to enter the Humber Estuary; and the environmental conditions at the time. The 'Stena Immaculate' was pulled to the port of Great Yarmouth, being towed by the tugs 'Brage Viking' (IMO: 9475791) and 'Ormesby Cross' (IMO: 9206944) on the evening of April 11, and safely berthed in the foreport, assisted by the tugs 'Ormesby Cross' (IMO: 9206944), 'Sea Juliett' (IMO: 9778387), 'Camperdown' (IMO: 9974905) and 'Triton' (IMO: 9451537). The Coastguard had stated on April 10 that the 'Stena Immaculate' had been successfully unloaded. Report, photos and video: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg72150xvx8o https://www.shipspotting.com/photos/3826817?navList=gallery&category=39&page=1&viewType=normal&sortBy=newest https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7tbwxxvFSw

Starting August 1 and until November 30, 2019, the Panama Canal will promote the implementation of the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) annual recommendations on speed and maritime transit aimed at protecting cetaceans, which include whales, dolphins and other large aquatic mammals, during their nearby seasonal migration. With these measures, ships should proceed at a speed of not more than 10 knots in specified areas. Panama has monitored this requirement since December 1, 2014 when maritime traffic separation devices (TSS) were installed by both the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean entry points to the Canal.

The Port of Salalah, Oman’s major regional gateway port and transshipment hub on the Arabian Sea, set another record in productivity with a delivering 412.97 Port Moves per Hour (PMPH) on vessel Cap San Tainaro handling 3,820 moves in a port stay of 9.25 hours. This is the highest productivity delivered by any port in the region till date.