The 'Bayesian'' was lowered into a metal cradle in the port of Termini Imerese on the morning of June 23 to allow Italian prosecutors to inspect the wreck as part of their ongoing investigation. The prosecutorsannounced a criminal inquiry into potential anslaughter and negligent shipwreck, describing its outcome as completely unpredictable. They made clear that recovering the Bayesian was essential for the investigation. Now the experts for the prosecution will be able to examine the physical evidence. The yacht will be left to dry out before any formal inspection or forensic tests can be conducted. In the meantime, salvage teams will retrieve the giant mast and the rigging from the seabed and do a final sweep for any other materials that may help the enquiry. Three crew members including the captain are under investigation. The Italian prosecution team will explore whether the accident was due to human error or potential design flaws on the yacht. Only after analysing the wreck they will understand what happened, where the water came in, whether there was enough water to cause the ship to sink or whether some other factor was involved, according to prosecutor Raffaele Cammarano. An interim report by the British MAIB, found that the 'Bayesian' with its enormous single mast was vulnerable to very high wind speeds. The report suggested neither the owner not the crew were aware of this. Statements given also suggested that all the relevant hatches and doors had been shut as the storm built. Now the MAIB experts will also get access to verify and refine that information and consider all the factors that may have contributed to the accident. They will finally be able to see which parts of the boat allowed water in, causing it to sink. Report with photo and video: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crrq0w8evnjo
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WAN HAI 503
On Juen 23 at noon, the 'Wan Hai 503' remained under tow at position 10°03.17'N, 074°58.16'E, approximately 72 nautical miles from the Indian coastline, making a course of 350° at 1.5 knots. The vessel continued to emit grey smoke from Bay 14 and thick white and grey smoke between the Bays 27-33, with light white smoke observed near Bay 38. Boundary cooling operations and fire watch were ongoing, carried out in rotation by the tugs 'Boka Winger', 'Saroja Blessing' and 'Water Lily'. The tug 'Offshore Warrior' was maintaining position through the primary tow arrangement. Thermal imaging conducted earlier the day recorded temperatures peaking at 64.7°C between Frames 93 and 103, correlating with intermittent flare-ups observed during the recent days. Two of the forward hatches remained open, with Hold No.4 partially opened for ventilation and access. Draught measurements indicated that the vessel remained stable with forward draught readings at 10.6 metres (port) and 10.4m (starboard), while the midship markings were submerged at approximately 12.6 metres. The aft draught remained submerged but unchanged. Despite visual perception of increased trim aft, onsite assessments attribute this to weather conditions, with no significant structural changes reported. The salvors have confirmed that the engine room atmosphere was gas-free, allowing safe access for ongoing inspections and future dewatering operations. Emergency generator activation remaineds pending due to non-functional batteries; replacements have been dispatched onboard the tug 'Saksham' and were to be delivered shortly. Firefighters and salvage teams were coordinating to access the vessel’s forecastle via multiple routes, with ongoing discussions regarding safe boarding options. Yokohama fenders have been mobilised to facilitate safe personnel and equipment transfer. The process to reinforce tow arrangements remained underway. The salvors were planning to replace the current tow line with more robust towing gea, which has been stored onboard the 'Saksham' andwas expected to depart shortly. The 'Offshore Warrior' will complete bunkering operations at sea to sustain extended towage. Simultaneously, dive inspections of the hull were planned to assess potential ingress points and enable engine room dewatering. The 'Atlantis Virgo', carrying critical fire suppression materials (Pyrocool) and additional tow gear, departed Fujairah and is en route, with an ETA as of June 29, to enhance onboard fire management and long-term stabilisation efforts. The vessel' had a slight list of approximately 4°, confirmed through bridge-level inspection. Intermittent flare-ups within the cargo holds were attributed to residual burning of stored commodities as advised by fire experts. Boundary cooling remained the primary firefighting strategy to minimise additional water ingress and manage heat build-up. A complete extinguishment of internal fires is considered viable only upon access to port facilities equipped for container removal and deep access. Environmental concerns persisted due to onboard heavy fuel oil (HFO) and marine gas oil (MGO) inventories. ITOPF assessments indicated a risk of persistent oil pollution affecting adjacent states should containment fail. The Directorate has reiterated to salvors the urgency of finalising dewatering operations, reinforcing tow arrangements, and moving the casualty a minimum of 100 nautical miles southwest, off Trivandrum, within the next 48 hours. This directive prioritises reducing coastal environmental risks during the monsoon period. Port of refuge options continued to be explored. Salvors were instructed to formalise this within 48 hours while progressively relocating the vessel further offshore, as a precautionary measure. Preparations for potential oil removal operations were to commence immediately, aligned with weather conditions and vessel stability. A structured salvage timeline and comprehensive risk mitigation plan remained awaited from the salvors. The Directorate will enforce necessary measures to safeguard Indian waters and coastal interests should these actions not progress satisfactorily within stipulated timeframes.
FAIR LADY
The "Fair Lady" will no longer be able to depart for Heligoland in 2025. After starting the Heligoland season from Bremerhaven on April 11, the technical defect has forced the ship into the Mützelfeldt shipyard in Cuxhaven since May 28, and the extent of the repairs is still unclear after the transmission failure. The scope of the damage was not entirely clear yet, but it certainly seemed to be significant. Captain Thorsten Diekmann and his crew had been scheduled to make nearly 50 sailings from Bremerhaven through the fall. Wilhelmshaven and Hooksiel, as well as the island of Langeoog and trips from Norddeich were also on the agenda.
COXSWAIN
The court in The Hague has fully acquitted the crew of the 'Coxswain', the couple Jeremie and Natacha Bourdon from Douai, France, of guilt for the collision with the tanker 'Somtrans' on May 26, 2018. on the Dordtsche Kil. The ship had sunk and was later declared a constructive total loss. The Bourdon couple was rescued. The court in Rotterdam had previously ruled that the 'Coxswain' was 20% partly to blame, which meant that they would not get paid all their damages and might even have to pay extra. The court had initially ruled that they had taken action too late to prevent the collision. However, the court of appeal has now come to a different conclusion. The skipper of the 'Somtrans' was fined 2500 Euros because he had initially seen the barge, but had not kept it sufficiently in sight.
FELICITY ACE
On July 2, 2025, proceedings into the sinking of the 'Felicity Ace' have been scheduled to begin at the Braunschweig Regional Court. The ship, fully loaded with thousands of luxury cars from Porsche, Audi, and others, was en route from the port of Emden to Davisville, when it caught fire on Feb 16, 2022, in the Atlantic south of the Azores. Around two weeks later, the "Felicity Ace" sank despite all firefighting and salvage attempts. The damage is estimated at around €400 million. The Volkswagen Group was particularly hard hit. Its destroyed vehicles had been worth around €200 million. The ship also carried lithium-ion batteries and other hazardous substances on board. There were many plug-in hybrids and even purely electric vehicles on board. The Captain quickly had claimed that batteries for the electric cars werwere the cause of the fire, Batteries from the VW subsidiary Porsche were particularly suspected. Porsche is said to have sent around 1,000 vehicles onto the ship. So far, the cause has never been determined – but the suspicion remained. Therefore, the ship's owner was now taking legal action in Braunschweig, together with the shipping company and marine hull insurers. There are a total of seven plaintiffs. The two defendants are companies of the Volkswagen Group. They, in turn, deny responsibility for the fire, claiming that If the crew had acted more prudently, the "Felicity Ace" would not have been lost.