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On the night of July 24, 2025, the 'MN Kostas', with 14 crew members on board ran aground off the northeastern tip of Crete, en route from Sitia to Chekka with a cargo of plaster. The ship got stuck on a reef about six nautical miles off Sitia, and about three nautical miles west of Sideros in pos. 35° 19' N 026° 15' E. It suffered hull damage and water ingress. The Greek Coast Guard deployed three patrol boats to the grounding site. All crew members were safely evacuated aboard the f/v 'Anna Tasia', with the assistance of nearby fishing vessels and private crafts. The castaways were taken to Sitia. There were no reports of injuries. The authorities were monitoring the area for any signs of pollution. An oil boom was laid out around the ship. The three tugs 'Achilleas', 'Captain Dimitris IV' and 'Mentoras' were initially deployed from Heraklion to assist. A fourth tug was expected to arrive to provide further technical support. On July 28, the offshore tugs 'Captain Dimitris III' (IMO: 9515072) and 'Aigaion Pelagos (MO: 9477012) were stationary at the grounding site, joined by the 'Captain Dioitris IV' (IMO: 9998236) on July 29, which remained on site as of July 31. Divers inspected the hull for damage. The Sitia Port Authority sent personnel aboard the 'Anna Tasia'. and launched a preliminary investigation into the grounding. The ship’s captain and the acting bridge watch officer have been arrested. They were being investigated under Article 277, paragraph 2 of the Greek Penal Code for causing a shipwreck, and Article 225 of the Public Maritime Law Code for violating regulations aimed at avoiding collisions, in this case, with a reef. Earlier in 2025,, the ship was cited for labour-related violations. The International Labour Organisation reported that the crew had only received half of their wages for four months, with a total of nearly $18,500 owed. The issue was later resolved. Report with photo and video: https://www.hcg.gr/el/epikairothta/prosara3h-fg-ploioy-sth-shteia-entopismos-kai-diaswsh-113-allodapwn-notia-ths-gaydoy/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cv0PixBdXAI

Five years after the 'Wakashio' ended up on the reefs of Pointe-d'Esny on July 25, 2020, the ecological and social wounds have beem remaining open. Fishermen and coastal workers, heavily affected by the oil spill, were still waiting for proper compensations. Temporary aid and partial compensation have been paid by the authorities and the ship's insurer, but these amounts were considered insufficient by the victims. Since then, no significant progress has been reported. More than seven months after an initial questioning in Parliament, MP Tony Apollon was asked whether the report of the commission of inquiry into the disaster will be made public., while the Attorney General's office continues to examine available legal avenues. From August 2020 to March 2021, 999 people (professional fishermen, holders of recreational boat licenses, and street vendors working along the beaches in the area) received 10,200 Mauritian rupees per month, or approximately €191 per month. The funds paid out represent 7% of the sums disbursed by insurers and the government. Following the accident, fishermen have noted a decline in biodiversity. Professionals are seriously considering retraining in the agri-food sector. Fishing is no longer profitable, and in winter, weather conditions do not allow for offshore fishing.

The improper compensation of the pilot of the 'Kpe B. Wyatt' for a river cross-current resulted in an allision with a bridge at Fort Madison, Iowa lon May 9, 2024, according to a report, released by the National Transport Safety Board on July 10, 2025. The tug was pushing 15 barges down the Mississippi near Fort Madison on that day. As the pilot rounded Dutchman Island and lined up on the main span of the Fort Madison Bridge, an old swing bridge with a 200-foot-wide main channel, he intentionally steered to starboard of the charted sailing line. Based on 24 years of experience and 15 transits of this particular route, he expected to encounter a cross-current from around the other side of the island, which he believed would set the tow to port. The effects of that cross-current did not materialize, leaving the tug off course and headed at eight knots for a bridge piling protection cell. The pilot had about 1,900 feet of forward travel distance remaining to react. He increased power and attempted to swing the head of the tow to port, back into the center of the channel. Though he avoided a head-on allision, which could have seriously affected the two deckhands up at the head of the tow, the maneuver was not quite successful, and the third barge on the starboard side hit the protection cell fendering system. The tow broke up and about a dozen barges drifted off downriver, with two deckhands aboard. One barge eventually sank and was later refloated. No injuries or pollution were reported. Damage to the bridge fenders, the barges and the 'Joe B. Wyatt' was estimated at about $3.3 million. The report stated that there was no evidence that the pilot was fatigued, impaired, or distracted before or during the casualty. Given the vessel’s speed at the time, the following current, and the number of barges, there was likely not time for the pilot to prevent the contact with the protection cell by backing the tow. The agency concluded that the pilot overcompensated for the expected crosscurrents. It advised that a charted sailing line is a safe route when used as a guide, "along with the mariner’s own experience and assessment of the existing circumstances. Report with photo: https://maritime-executive.com/article/ntsb-experienced-towboat-pilot-hit-a-bridge-on-the-mississippi

On the evening of July 28, 2025, the 'Saint Philippe' sufffered an engine damage with subsequent electrical failure, which deprived of its navigation instruments, off the coast of Fort de l'Heurt. The trawler requested assistance, and from the SNSM station in Boulogne-sur-Mer. the all-weather lifeboat 'Président Jacques Huret' was launched to assist the ship. The trawler was taken in tow and returned to the Loubet dock in Boulogne-sur-Mer in order to fix the damage. Report with photo: https://www.nordlittoral.fr/255819/article/2025-07-30/boulogne-sur-mer-les-sauveteurs-en-mer-ramenent-au-port-un-chalutier-de-100

On July 27 a passenger of the 'Icon of the Seas' accidentally fell from the Hideaway Pool on Deck 15 into the pool gutter while attempting to retrieve his sunglasses. The crew responded immediately. Fortunately, the guest was not injured. A second safety railing at the outer edge of the pool prevented a more serious oucome. Below the pool is a narrow maintenance corridor, secured by an additional glass barrier. The man hit this barrier and merely fell into the gap – he remained on Deck 15, albeit in an area not normally accessible to the public. Meanwhile the South African female crew member, who was stabbed multiple times by a 35-year-old South African man on July 24 off the coast of San Salvador Island in the Bahamas, was recovering at a Miami hospital and in a stable condition. Following the incident, which was a personal dispute, the man then fled the scene and jumped off the ship, being later found deadin the sea. The cruise operator Royal Caribbean confirmed the incident and has pledged its full cooperation with the Bahamian authorities.