The US Coast Guard and the Royal Canadian Navy offloaded $44.2 million worth of cocaine in San Diego, on the morning of Sep 12, 2024. The 'Yellowknife (HMCS-706)' and a U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment team had interdicted more than 3,100 lbs. of cocaine approximately 430 miles southwest of Acapulco on Sep 5 during a successful patrol in the Eastern Pacific. Multiple U.S. agencies, including the Departments of Defense, Justice, and Homeland Security, are collaborating in the effort to combat transnational organized crime. The Coast Guard, Navy, Customs and Border Protection, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, along with allied and international partner agencies, all play a role in counter-narcotic operations. Report with photo: https://www.news.uscg.mil/Press-Releases/Article/3904327/photo-release-coast-guard-royal-canadian-navy-offload-442-million-worth-of-drug/
News
PORT OLYA-3
The 'Port Olya 3' was docked at Port Olya after allegedly transporting short-range ballistic missiles from Iran on Sep 4. The ship, which had previously been at the Iranian port of Amirabad just six days earlier, on Aug 29, and was tracked by satellites. According to a Ukrainian source, the ship delivered approximately 220 Fateh-360 missiles, which were now believed to be destined for the Russian battlefield in Ukraine. Two days later another satellite image showed the ship had left the port. No data has been shared since Aug 29. Six days after the ship last shared its position it arrived at the Russian port. This development comes as the U.S. and European allies announced a new wave of sanctions aimed at curbing Iran's missile transfers. The sanctions target key Iranian and Russian entities, including Iran Air, accused of facilitating arms shipments. Report with photos: https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/russian-ship-captured-in-satellite-image-delivering-ballistic-missiles-from-iran/ar-AA1qnR2T
KONKAR THEODOROS
The 'Konkar Theodoros' has been stranded at Chattogram port for seven months due to complications with the letter of credit (LC). The ship, carrying 58,900 tonnes of raw sugar imported by Abdul Monem Group, still has 14,000 tonnes of cargo stuck on board. The Abdul Monem Group has faced significant financial losses as Islami Bank was unable to issue the LC needed to clear the goods. Over time, the company managed to open LCs with other banks, allowing them to unload 45,000 tonnes of raw sugar. However, there is no clear timeline for when the remaining 14,000 tonnes will be unloaded. The ship arrived at Chattogram port on Feb 7, 2024, en route from Rio de Janeiro Port with raw sugar. The Islami Bank was unable to issue the LC's due to the recent dollar shortage and other internal complications. The new management of Islami Bank has assured us that the remaining LC will be issued soon, allowing to unload the final 14,000 tonnes. Each metric tonne of sugar was valued at $632, meaning the remaining goods are worth approximately $8.84 million. The ship's daily charter fee amounts to around $20,000, leading to an additional cost of roughly $4.2 million over the past seven months.
MISSUNDE III
Due to the ongoing difficulties with the 'Missunde III', the old Schlei ferry 'Missunde II' is back in service. The state had to spend 100,000 euros to buy back the old ferry, which had previously been sold to Denmark for just 17,000 Euros. The new ferry, costing 3.3 million Euros, was supposed to replace the old one at the beginning of the year, but it turned out that the much larger new vessel was not able to cope with the wind and current conditions. The i ferry has now to be rebuilt, with autumn 2025 being given as the new date for commissioning. The old ferry will continue to run between Kosel and Brodersby-Goltoft. The traffic situation in Missunde has eased somewhat, as the "Missunde II" has been given a license until 2028. The state was initially able to buy the ferry back for 46,000 Euros. However, the Danish owner was granted a right of repurchase until autumn 2024. When it became apparent that the commissioning of the new ferry would be delayed, the state also bought this right of first refusal from him for 50,000 Euros. Including VAT. The state has therefore paid more than 100,000 Euros to buy back the old ferry. The new "Missunde III" is now in Olpenitz. The tender for the conversion work has not yet been issued, but construction work is planned to be completed by late summer 2025. The "Missunde III" is scheduled to go into operation in autumn 2025. The cost of the conversion is estimated at more than one million Euros. In the meantime, the state has commissioned a law firm to examine claims for damages against the engineering firm due to design errors on the 'Missunde III'.
SHINGLE
The sinking of the 'Shingle' in Killala Bay to become an artificial reef, which was scheduled to take place on Sep 15, has been postponed until the following week as a result of unfavourable weather conditions..The fish carrier was seized by Customs officers at Drogheda Port as part of a €14m tobacco seizure in 2014 and was held by the Revenue Commission. It sat in the dry dock at New Ross in the years since. Earkier in 2024, a Maritime Area Consent licence was granted to the Killala Bay Ships 2 Reef project team, a group of diving enthusiasts, to allow them to tow the 'Shingle' to Killala Bay for sinking. Planning permission was then granted by Mayo County Council in July for the preparation, transportation, positioning and placement of the 'Shingle' on the seabed of Killala Bay. The towing operation to bring the ship from the port at New Ross up to Killala will take three days and upon arrival, a company has been employed to prepare the ship for sinking. It was now likely that it will be either Sep 18 or Sep 19 before the ship arrives in Killala Bay.As Ireland’s first artificial reef, it is hoped that the project can bring a boost in diving tourism to the west of Ireland as well as promoting local marine ecology.