News

The 'Isle of Arran', sailing on the route Oban-Colonsay, sufered technical issues affecting the lifeboat davit and the starboard side FRB on March 8, 2025. As a consequence, there will was a reduction in the maximum number of people on board since. The booking system has been updated to reflect this reduction. Repair plans were being worked on, and the operator CalMac was in the process of arranging attendance from specialist engineers to rectify the issues. On March 12, the technical issue affecting the lifeboat davit and Starboard FRB on the ferry has been resolved, and the full passenger capacity has thus been re-instated.

The captain of the 'Solong', a Russian national, has been charged with gross negligence manslaughter, after a missing crew member from his ship is believed to have died in the flames that erupted on board both ships immediately after the collision. The crew consisted of Philippinos and Russans. The British authorities have launched an investigation into the accident, together with the flag states involved. .A preliminary information indicates that the 'Solong' maintained the same course and speed for almost nine hours until it crashed into the 'Stena Immaculate'. Despite the severe damages to both ships, there was no longer a risk of sinking. The 'Multratug 36' has established a towing connection on March 11 to stop the southward drift, with the 'Multratug 35' and 'Eems Wrestler' attending. Information that the 'Solong' was loaded with, among other things, 15 containers containing the toxic chemical sodium cyanide has proven to be incorrect. However, four containers have previously contained the dangerous chemical. The anti pollution ship 'Mellum' has arrived at the 'Stena Immaculate' on the morning of March 11. The tanker remained stationary at its mooring as of March 12. The Maritime service provider 'Boskalis' will board the 'Stena Immaculate' with a small team on March 12, if the weather conditions allow it. The team, including a gas expert, will check whether it is safe to board the ship and whether there are no concentrations of toxic substances or explosion hazards. An alternative is to put people on board by helicopter, but that is not yet an option. The team will check for any damage, whether there is water in the engine room and whether there is still power on board. The ship will then be assessed to see whether it is capable of pumping kerosene. If this is the case, it will be decided in consultation with the local authorities whether the kerosene will be pumped on site or whether the ship will be taken to a port to remove the kerosene there. Because the ship became extremely hot due to the fire, it is questionable whether all the kerosene tanks on the ship are still safe. It is not yet known exactly how much kerosene leaked. On the morning of March 11, the HM Coast Guard also accepted the German Central Command's offer to provide a surveillance aircraft. The Dornier 228 (DO228) took off from the Nordholz naval air base in Lower Saxony at around 12:30 p.m. and arrived in the affected area at around 2:30 p.m. German time. Equipped with powerful cameras and sensors, the DO228 can obtain an overview of the situation and also detect pollutants on the water surface. Both the 'Mellum' and the DO228 were receiving their on-site orders from the British Coast Guard. The 'Solong' has failed steering-related safety checks in July 2024. The emergency steering compass was one of 10 deficies when the ship was subjected to a PSC in Dublin. The nine other deficiencies aboard the ship included problems with fire doors, alarms in the engine room and with life-saving appliances such as lifejackets, lifeboats and related equipment. A subsequent PSC inspection at the port of Grangemouth, carried out in Oct 024, revealed two deficiencies, including one relating to the vessel’s lifebuoys. Reports with photos and video: https://www.schuttevaer.nl/nieuws/actueel/2025/03/11/bemanningslid-solong-filmt-vlammenzee-vlak-na-aanvaring-lord-lord-help-us/ https://www.schuttevaer.nl/nieuws/actueel/2025/03/11/britse-kustwacht-verwacht-dat-containerschip-solong-gaat-zinken/ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14486787/man-arrested-manslaughter-oil-tanker-crash.html

The 'MJ Pinar', with 12 crew members on board, which was loading 30,000 tonnes of wheat for export, was damaged at the port side stern by a Russian ballistic missile, on the evening of March 11, 2024, in the commercial port of Odessa. The fire, which broke out on the ship after the strike, caused the deaths of four crew members, three Syrian and one Ukrainian nationals, aboard the bulk carrier. A pilot service employee, who was also on the vessel was injured in the incident as well as another Syrian crew member. An air raid alarm was declared in the port town at approximately 8:15 p.m. LT, followed by a powerful explosion moments later, caused by a ballistic missile strike which impacted the intersection of berths 34 and 35. and caused extensive damage to the ship as well as the port infrastructure, including the quay and the terminal's grain gallery. The strike was alleged to have been carried out using Russia’s Iskander-M ballistic missile, equipped with a cluster warhead. Emergency services attended on site to asses the damage and ensured safety measures. Reports with photos: https://www.seanews.com.tr/missile-attack-at-odessa-port-4-seafarers-died-on-bulker-mj-pinar/202746/ https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2025/03/12/7502458/ https://kathmandupost.com/world/2025/03/12/four-killed-in-russian-strike-on-grain-vessel-in-odesa-port-ukraine-says

The government of Samoa sees no need to salvage the sunken HMNZS 'Manawanui'. Since mid-January the NZ tug 'Kurutai' and the barge 'Cronus' have been operating between the port of Apia and the wreck site outside Tafitoala on the South Coast of Upolu, removing the fuel and other pollutants. Now the Samoan Government wants the wreck to remain off the coast, which could eventually become a tourist attraction on a water depth of 35 metres as an excellent diving spot and become a part of the reef. The Samoa Conservation Society has backed the idea, provided all environmental hazards are removed. Corals will grow up on the wreck very fast and it will be claimed by nature. The owners of the Sina PJ Beach Fales in Tafitoala have also welcomed the idea. For them, this would mean an increase in business. The business is based on surf operations. but the area where surfing takes place is inside the restricted two-kilometre zone to safeguard the salvage works that is being currently carried out. The NZDF will not replace the 'Manawanui'.

The captain of the 'Solong', a Russian national, has been charged with gross negligence manslaughter, after a missing crew member from his ship is believed to have died in the flames that erupted on board both ships immediately after the collision. The crew consisted of Philippinos and Russans. The British authorities have launched an investigation into the accident, together with the flag states involved. .A preliminary information indicated that the 'Solong' maintained the same course and speed for almost nine hours until it crashed into the 'Stena Immaculate'. Despite the severe damages to both ships, there was no longer a risk of sinking. The 'Multratug 36' has established a towing connection on March 11 to stop the southward drift, with the 'Multratug 35' and 'Eems Wrestler' attending. Information that the 'Solong' was loaded with, among other things, 15 containers containing the toxic chemical sodium cyanide has proven to be incorrect. However, four containers have previously contained the dangerous chemical. The anti pollution ship 'Mellum' has arrived at the 'Stena Immaculate' on the morning of March 11. The tanker remained stationary at its mooring as of March 12. The Maritime service provider 'Boskalis' will board the 'Stena Immaculate' with a small team on March 12, if the weather conditions allow it. The team, including a gas expert, will check whether it is safe to board the ship and whether there are no concentrations of toxic substances or explosion hazards. An alternative is to put people on board by helicopter, but that is not yet an option. The team will check for any damage, whether there is water in the engine room and whether there is still power on board. The ship will then be assessed to see whether it is capable of pumping kerosene. If this is the case, it will be decided in consultation with the local authorities whether the kerosene will be pumped on site or whether the ship will be taken to a port to remove the kerosene there. Because the ship became extremely hot due to the fire, it is questionable whether all the kerosene tanks on the ship are still safe. It is not yet known exactly how much kerosene leaked. On the morning of March 11, the HM Coast Guard also accepted the German Central Command's offer to provide a surveillance aircraft. The Dornier 228 (DO228) took off from the Nordholz naval air base in Lower Saxony at around 12:30 p.m. and arrived in the affected area at around 2:30 p.m. German time. Equipped with powerful cameras and sensors, the DO228 can obtain an overview of the situation and also detect pollutants on the water surface. Both the 'Mellum' and the DO228 were receiving their on-site orders from the British Coast Guard. The 'Solong' has failed steering-related safety checks in July 2024. The emergency steering compass was one of 10 deficies when the ship was subjected to a PSC in Dublin. The nine other deficiencies aboard the ship included problems with fire doors, alarms in the engine room and with life-saving appliances such as lifejackets, lifeboats and related equipment. A subsequent PSC inspection at the port of Grangemouth, carried out in Oct 024, revealed two deficiencies, including one relating to the vessel’s lifebuoys. Reports with photos and video: https://www.schuttevaer.nl/nieuws/actueel/2025/03/11/bemanningslid-solong-filmt-vlammenzee-vlak-na-aanvaring-lord-lord-help-us/ https://www.schuttevaer.nl/nieuws/actueel/2025/03/11/britse-kustwacht-verwacht-dat-containerschip-solong-gaat-zinken/ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14486787/man-arrested-manslaughter-oil-tanker-crash.html