The “Volcán de Tauce”, which has been moored since Jan 14 at the Santa Catalina dock in the port of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, after resolving the technical trouble that altered the La Palma line in December by inserting the catamaran “Volcán de Tirajana”, has been sold to the Emirates International Air Cargo company from the United Arab Emirates. The ferry will presumably be delivered on Feb 13. The management of the Armas Trasmediterránea Group has informed the company's staff on Feb 5 of the sale of the ship, which is listed as the property of Anarafe S.L., one of the companies controlled by the Armas Trasmediterránea Group. According to reports, its new owner intends to convert it into a hospital ship.
News
CELLUS
The 'Cellus' had to berth in the outer port of Glückstadt on Jan 17, 2025. The ship was en route from Flushing to Sweden, when strange noises and vibrations were remarked in the engine on Jan 16, and the ship diverted to the emergency port. Vlissingen en rout to Sweden diverted to the port due to vibrations and strange noises. Not one day later the ship reached the port. Investigations showed that the gear rings on the gearbox between the main engine and the propeller had broken. The gear rings were removed and sent to Holland. It will take ten weeks to produce spar parts, the assembly will take another two weeks. Some of the 10 crew members were meanwhile employed elsewhere. The repair will cost about 250,000 euros. The loss of the layover time was estimated to be around 450,000 euros. The ship is used in the cellulose transport. Report with photo: https://www.shz.de/lokales/glueckstadt/artikel/schiff-cellus-musste-glueckstadt-als-nothafen-ansteuern-48314435
ULTRA GALAXY
Clean-up operations were ongoing after oil escaped from the wreck of the 'Ultra Galaxy' during salvage operations. The oil, which was trapped within the wreck, leaked during the complex wreck removal process. Clean-up operations were carried out with a workforce of around 180 people in 12 teams and progressing steadily. As the risk of oil escaping during operations of this nature is anticipated, robust contingency measures are always in place. The South African Maritime Safety Authority stated on Jan 29 that SpillTech, a dedicated spill management company, has been on site from the onset of the removal operation to handle such incidents promptly and effectively. To safeguard marine life and coastal ecosystems, the SAMSA is working closely with SANCCOB (Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds) and Cape Nature, both of which are on standby to respond should wildlife be affected. The wreck removal operation began in December, and approximately 4206 tons of wreckage have been removed from the site.
BRODRENE
On Feb 3, 2025, the "Brødrene", with two crew members on board, suddenly started sinking northwest of Sørvær. The MRCC received an emergency locator transmitter signal. The rescue helicopter SAR Queen from from the Norwegian Armed Forces' 330th Squadron in Banak, that had been on a joint training with a coastal defense vessel west of Hasvik and Sørøya, which was about to return to Banak and just five minutes away, was diverted to the scene. Upon its arrival, only the bow of the ship was still sticking out of the water. One fisherman was sitting on the bow tip, which was sticking only sticking one meter out of the water, while the otherman had been thrown off the ship and was floating in the sea. There were four to five meter high waves at the scene. First the man on the bow was saved. The cutter moved well in the sea. There were also both ropes and wreckage around the wreck, which made the rescue operation challenging, After the rescue, the helicoper crew was signaled that there was another person in the water, about 300 meters from the vessel, swimming in oilcloth and boots, but without a life jacket or anything, as he hadn't had time to put it on. The fisherman was in the water and swimming for about 20 minutes. The two were flown to Hammerfest for a medical check-up. Both were said to be in good condition, given the circumstances. The NSSR lifeboat 'Gjert Wilhelmsen, the patrol vessel 'Bison' of the Norwegian Coast Guard as well as the work boat "Mimmi" from the Finnsnes Dykk- og Anleggsservice participated in the effort to try to salvage the cutter, which, however, sank, when the towage commenced.The crew of the lifeboat picked up the EPIRB transmitter that sent a distress signal and a lifebuoy with a light, but didn't see any raft. It is triggered by pressure and it is possible that the cutter was not deep enough. Reports with photos and video: https://www.tv2.no/nyheter/innenriks/her-klamrer-han-seg-fast-til-livet/17422201/ https://www.ifinnmark.no/her-blir-de-reddet-opp-av-sjoen-jeg-er-glad-det-gikk-bra-med-mannskapet/s/5-81-2184677 https://www.nrk.no/tromsogfinnmark/skipsforlis-utenfor-soroya-1.17249260 https://www.kystogfjord.no/nyheter/i/PpXP0X/satt-paa-baugen-da-hjelpen-kom https://www.nyhetssaker.no/artikler/d6c1ee29-c38d-4603-9aa2-b65180791de3
EVENTIN
The "Eventin" is still not allowed to continue its journey due to ongoing investigations. As long as the results of the investigations are pending, a sailing ban applies. Two investigations are underway in which customs and the classification society DNV are involved. The results were sent to Panama as the flag state, which instructed the crew of the "Eventin" to cooperate with the authorities in Germany. There was no precise information on the further timetable. The customs inspections focused on the question of whether the approximately 100,000 tons of oil on board the "Eventin" was Russian oil and whether the EU oil embargo was being violated. The Stralsund public prosecutor's office had announced that there was no initial suspicion of a crime. The ageing ship was also prohibited from sailing due to technical shortcomings.