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On the morning of Dec 29, 2024, the Helimer 202 SAR helicopter was dispatched to the 'Christian Radich', after the ship had requested the medical evacuation of a person with a blow to the head. The CCS Las Palmas of Salvamento Marítimo mobilized the helicopter, and the victim was hoisted and transferred to the Negrín hospita in Las Palmas, where he landed at 5.40 a.m. local time.

The 'Isle of Mull' has a serious problem with its evacuation systems. As the problem cannot be fixed easily, a new solution has to be designed. As a result, the vessel's capacity will be limited to just 45 passengers, compared to its usual 900. During the routine inspection of the deployed system, the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) identified an issue with the embarkation slide, resulting in the slide failing the inspection. Due to the failure, the starboard side MES system was removed for OEM inspection and failed with the same issue with the glue used in the slide construction. The MES is inspected during overhauls and the annual inspection completed the previous year (2023) had not identified this as a potential issue. Working with the OEM and after an extensive worldwide search, it has become evident that there is no like-for-like replacement available. Obsolescence combined with the design changes in the replacement systems mean that there is no compatible evacuation slide to embark passengers onto the life rafts in an emergency. It is possible that this could take several months to complete. Time will then be required to install and test the system before returning the vessel to a normal Passengers On Board figure and get the new solution certified. With the Calmac fleet so stretched, and delays in the arrival of new ships, this calamity puts capacity on Mull and other routes at risk during busy periods.

The fire brigade of Las Palmas medevaced a Ukrainian sailor from the 'Maria Immaculata', who was complaining of severe chest pain. After being treated by the TES, he required medical treatment. The man had to be disembarked with the ship's crane, as he was unable to do it himself. Photos: https://x.com/PoliciaAPLP/status/1873329846094635369

The 'Muln' that operates as part of Russia's 'shadow fleet' sailed into the remote fjord in the Kola Peninsula on Dec 20 to conduct a transshipment of natural gas to a 400 meter long sanctioned storage tanker. The LNG tanker was likely to do a transshipment of LNG to the FSPO 'Saam', that has been moored in the area for 1,5 years. It might be the first ever transshipment of LNG in the Ura Guba. Since the 'Saam' arrived to the area in June 2023, it has not carried out any operations. The storage vessel has been left idle in the waters that normally are sealed off for everyone, except the Russian Navy and a few local fishermen. The 'Saam' was put on the sanction list of the US treasury in Sep. 2023. A couple of months later, the entire Arctic LNG 2 project was subjected to sanctions .The restrictive measures have paralysed Novatek's Arctic operations and it long seemed that the facilities built for the Arctic LNG 2, including the Saam, would be left rusting and abandoned in the remote north. However, for the crew onboard the 'Saam', more than 18 months of waiting time could soon be over. At least six tugs were in the area as the 'Mulan' approached. The ship was likely to carry LNG from the port of Utrenny in the Gydan Peninsula. The new tanker is part of the so-called shadow fleet that serves Russia's sanctions-ridden oil and gas industry.

The UK-sanctioned 'Swiftsea Rider' had spy equipment installed as well as the 'Eagle S', which was seized in Finland for sabotage. Both ships were two of 26 elderly Russia-linked tankers with opaque ownership structures connected to three related shipmanagers, including two sanctioned by the UK government 12 months ago for propping up Putin’s war machine. The sanctions-circumventing tankers were bought between 2022 and 2023 and placed under bareboat charter arrangements with the Eiger Shipping, the shipping arm of Russia oil trader Litasco.