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The New Caledonia Operational Surveillance and Rescue Center (COSS NC), was requested to carry out a medevac from the 'Crown Princess' on the night of Jan 7. A passenger required urgent medical care. At 9:30 p.m. an alert was issued from the cruise ship, which was en route from Fiji to Australia. The ship was sailing 210 nautical miles south-east of the Isle of Pines. An Air Force Puma helicopter took off. and after a medical consultation on board, it was decided to transport her to Noumea. The operation lasted all night, and the patient was admitted to the Médipôle on Jan 9 at around 5:30 a.m. Emergency medical evacuation operations have multiplied in recent days in New Caledonia. They involved four cruise ships, for a total of five passengers. On Dec 29, 2024, on the 'Queen Elizabeth', an 85-year-old woman was evacuated by an air force helicopter to the Noumea hospital. On Dec 31, a 17-year-old passenger had to be evacuated from the 'Carnival Luminosa' because her state of health required treatment in a hospital center within 24 hours. A double evacuation took place on Jan 4 from the 'Carnival Splendor', aboard which two Australian passengers, suffering from respiratory distress, had to be transferred to the Médipôle.

A norovirus outbreak aboard the 'Arcadia' in fall 2024, which left dozens of passengers confined to their cabins, is now being linked to the death of a 77-year-old British passenger. Alan Forster, a retired teacher from Paignton, England, fell ill with norovirus two weeks into his monthlong trip with his wife, and later died of suspected kidney failure. In December the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported three separate outbreaks of norovirus affecting hundreds of passengers aboard other cruise ships. The 'Arcadia', in particular, had left Southampton on Sep 3 and made stops in New York, Boston, Halifax and Nova Scotia. However, the ship faced an outbreak of a highly contagious stomach virus that causes vomiting, diarrhea, nausea and stomach pain. 128 of the 1,959 passengers on board experienced symptoms between Sep 3 and Oct 3. Forster collapsed a week after reporting symptoms and was placed on a drip in the ship's medical bay. No further treatment was administered until the ship docked in St. John's, where Forster was hospitalized due to his deteriorating condition and kidney failure. Jatinder Paul, the family's lawyer, called Mr Forster's rapid decline deeply concerning and stressed the importance of investigating possible failings on board the ship and delays in accessing appropriate care. P&O Cruises expressed its condolences to the family and said it had launched an investigation. A preliminary review indicated that when medical staff were informed of Mr Forster's deteriorating health, care was initiated and specialist review and support was facilitated at a coastal hospital. The company would respond as appropriate to the lawyers once the investigation has been completed.

The 63-year-old Romanian skipper of the 'Danimex 3' was fined 1,500 Euros in a court in Middelburg. He did not speak the main language Dutch or English when he was sailing on the Western Scheldt. As a result, he followed instructions in the frame of international agreements for public waterways incorrectly, which apply to the Western Scheldt, the Lower Scheldt and the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal, among others. This concerns the main language that must be spoken. The main language is Dutch or English. The Romanian skipper made three mistakes, starting on Feb 16, 2023, when he sailed on the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal. He was given instructions to ensure a safe passage. He was only able to communicate in very poor German, which is therefore not permitted. On April 21, 2023, the skipper made another mistake. On the Western Scheldt, near Terneuzen, communication was made with the Romanian via the radio. Again, he was unable to speak fluent and understandable Dutch or English. On April 25, he sailed on the Western Scheldt, near Hansweert. Here too, the man was unable to follow the instructions properly, which could have endangered the passage. Again, this happened because he did not or barely spoke the language of the ship. The skipper was not present in court. The officer demanded 360 Euros each for the three incidents. Because the skipper has not paid anything so far, the judge imposed a fine of 500 Euros each on the skipper for the three incidents. A total of 1,500 euros, to be replaced by ten days in prison.

The Argentine Naval Prefecture (PNA) detected an infraction in the Argentine Exclusive Economic Zone (ZEEA), committed by the 'Xinrun 579', on Jan 5, 2025. Through the technological platform offered by the Coast Guard System, the institution managed to locate the vessel, at noon. The fishing vessel entered the ZEEA, and remained in the area until late in the afternoon, moving at a speed of less than six knots. The movement pattern indicated that the tasks it was carrying out were fishing in violation, according to the regulations of Law No. 24,922 of the Federal Fishing Regime. This legislation, administered by the Undersecretariat of Fisheries Resources, regulates and protects the exploitation of the country's marine resources, guaranteeing their sustainability. The operation was supervised by the Coast Guard vessel 'CG 25-Azopardo', which at that time was carrying out patrol tasks in the inland waterways and the Argentine Sea. Upon detecting and confirming the infraction, the Argentine guard notified the ship and the relevant administrative proceedings were initiated against it. The real-time monitoring of the Coast Guard System allowed the rapid identification of the moving vessel, based on the satellite and radar information provided by the technological platform, which is operated by the Directorate of Maritime, River and Lake Traffic of the Prefecture, under the supervision of the Ministry of National Security. Reports with photo and video: https://www.clarin.com/policiales/prefectura-naval-detecto-buque-pesquero-violo-zona-economica-exclusiva-argentina_3_85hc0u6DLD.html https://www.lanacion.com.ar/politica/javier-milei-en-vivo-las-ultimas-medidas-del-gobierno-nid06012025/

Planned passenger trial runs of the 'Glen Sannox' have been delayed because of remedial work needing done. The operator CalMac had hoped to run trial sailings this week ahead of it coming into service on Jan 13, but hope that could still happen and was working towards it, but it has cancelled other trials originally scheduled to take place this week, including a media preview that was set to sail on Jan 7. The sewage system on board the ferry needs remedial work’ while a number of other technical issues have also been identified, including those related to the electronics installed in the vessel’s bridge. The majority of the issues were identified between handover of the vessel and the start of the festive holidays, with the holiday period having a negative impact on the availability of external contractors for technical support.