News

11 of the 21 crew members of the 'Debi', which has been docked at Paradip Port for more than a year after 22 kg cocaine was seized during a search in Nov 2023, have been allowed to disembark the ship following approval of the customs department. The remaining crew members will be released once their replacements arrive. However, the ship will remain in custody. Of the 21 crew members, 17 are from Vietnam. The crew was allowed to get off the vessel in view of IMO rules that say a sailor can stay on a ship for a maximum of 11 months without leave. New crew members will join the vessel in place of those who disembarked. The ship was detained at the multipurpose berth of the port on Nov 30, 2023, after cocaine estimated to be worth ₹220 crore was seized from the vessel at Paradip International Cargo Terminal (PICT). Subsequently, the Paradeep Customs Division prohibited any movement authorizations to be given to the vessel. Besides, the crew’s communication devices were also taken away.

An outbreak of norovirus has affected 83 passengers and 12 crew members of the 'Rotterdam' during its current voyage that started on Dec 8, 2024, and lasts unti Dec 20, The ship departed on its 12-night roundtrip cruise from Fort Lauderdale with calls at Curacao, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, and Jamaica. The vessel also transited through the Panama Canal and spent a day at the newly renamed and private RelaxAway at Half Moon Cay, jointly operated by Holland America Line and Carnival Cruise Line, both owned by Carnival Corporation. While calling in Montego Bay on Dec 18, the medical team aboard the ship reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that it was experiencing an outbreak of suspected norovirus. The ship with 2,192 passengers and 953 crew on board was now under close observation by the CDC. Holland America Line has taken immediate steps to contain the outbreak by intensifying cleaning and disinfection procedures as outlined in its outbreak prevention and response plan.

The 'Gam Express', with 16 crew members from Egypt and Syria on board, has sent a distress signal in the Kerch Strait on Dec 23, 2024. The ship sent the signal due to a delay in the payment of wages and a lack of food. The crew has not received their wages for three months and there was no food left. The last time they were given food on board was on Nov 16. The ship is believed to be moored in a Russian port.

A norovirus outbreak struck the 'Ruby Princess', sickening 103 passengers and 12 crew members during a voyage to Hawaii and Mexico, which started on Dec 2, 2024 in San Francisco. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the outbreak, with passengers reporting diarrhea and vomiting as the primary symptoms. The ship returned on San Francisco on Dec 19. While the exact cause of the outbreak was still under investigation, norovirus was identified as the likely culprit. Princess Cruises responded to the outbreak by intensifying cleaning and disinfection protocols across the ship. They also isolated sick passengers and crew members to prevent a further spread.

The 'Glen Sannox' will begin timetabled sailings on Jan 13, 2024, CalMac has announced. A soft launch of the ship is expected in the week of Jan 6, with occasional sailing once or twice a day, before the full passenger timetable launches the following week. The vessel will enter official passenger service on the Arran route after successful tests and crew familiarisation over the past month, and run on the busiest route on the CalMac network, operating between Troon to Brodick. It had been scheduled for delivery in 2018 but endured considerable delays due to major challenges in design and construction, in what became a long-running political row. Costs on the ferry increased from an initial contract price of £97m to more than £400m, £45m of which were government loans never fully recovered.