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Aboard the 'Viking Mars', 62 of 887 passengers reported being sick during a voyage that ended on Jan 24, 2025, with symptoms of norovirus, though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention listed the causative agent as unknown. Nine crew members also became ill. The ship had left Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on a Panama Canal cruise on Jan 10, 2025.

A deceased person was found on the foredeck of the 'Baracas', en route from Maasbracht to Maashees, at lock III on the Dongen Canal Dike in Tilburg on the morning of Jan 29, 2025. The police have started a major investigation into the cause of death, and the vessel was enclosed by fencing. The fire brigade also assisted in this. The Forensic Investigation Department was present with four vans on on the afternoon and investigated the cause of the death. In addition to the police, detectives were also present and questioned the crew members and examining traces on the ship. On Jan 30, the police announced that it was not a crime or an accident. It is not known who the deceased person is. Reports with photos: https://www.schuttevaer.nl/nieuws/actueel/2025/01/29/overleden-persoon-gevonden-op-schip-bij-sluis-iii-tilburg/ https://www.bd.nl/112-nieuws-tilburg/overledene-op-vrachtschip-bij-sluis-iii-in-tilburg-geen-slachtoffer-geworden-van-misdrijf~a9fcd3f3/

Among 1,894 passengers aboard the 'Coral Princess', 59 reported being ill during its current voyage, along with 12 crew members, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Their main symptoms were vomiting and diarrhea caused by norovirus- The ship haddeparted on Jan. 20, 2025, from San Francisco, California, on a 16-day cruise with scheduled stops in Mexico, Guatemala a.o.

The 'North Light' and 'North Moon' have set course for far northern Russian waters. The 'North Light' left the port of Okvo on Nov 1, 2024. About two months later, they were sailing in north Norwegian waters with course for Murmansk. The ship was moored near Honningsvåg in pos. 70° 58' N 025° 46' E on Jan 29, 20225, for orders. The 'North Moon' had sailed from Anjeong on Oct 25 and was approaching Murmansk with an ETA as of Feb 3. They might also sail further east to the Ob Bay where Russia has two major LNG projects, the Yamal LNG and the Arctic LNG 2. The latter is heavily sanctioned by US and EU authorities, and all project infrastructure ships and operations are in a state of paralysis. The two LNG carriers are likely to be part of the so-called 'shadow fleet' that brings sanctioned Russian goods to international markets. The ships were built at Hanwha Ocean, the shipyard that previously was known as Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) along with four other tankers 'North Way', 'North Mountain', 'North Air' and 'North Sky', that have drifted around over several weeks in the Pechora Sea, since they were included in EU's latest sanctions list on Dec 17, 2024. The ships are also sanctioned by the US Treasury. The Dubai-based entity White Fox Ship Management operates the vessels, which were contracted by the DSME in 2020 in order to transport LNG for Novatek’s Arctic LNG 2 project in Russia.The 'North Light' and 'North Moon' are most likely part of this fleet, along with the 'North Way', 'North Mountain', 'North Air and 'North Sky'. In addition to these tankers, Novatek also signed charter contracts for 15 vessels from Russia’s Zvezda yard. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the introduction of international sanctions, the cooperation between the DSME and Novatek gradually came to a halt.

On Jan 29, 2025, the "Nordwind" was inspected by officers of the water police Kiel in the port of Rendsburg. It was found that the ballast water treatment system had been defective since September 2024; the ballast water had since then been pumped overboard via a bypass. Neither the flag state, the classification society, nor the loading and unloading ports were informed of this. Further investigations revealed that a total of 719 m³ was pumped into the port of Hamburg on three different days. Following a presentation of the facts to the Authority for the Environment, Climate, Energy and Agriculture (BUKEA) in Hamburg, a total security deposit of 44,238 euros was ordered against the Philippine Chief Engineer. In the port of Wolgast, a total of 508 m³ of ballast water was pumped into the port on two different days. After a presentation of the facts at the Wolgast Port Authority, a total security deposit of 36,000 euros was ordered against the Philippine Chief Engineer. The total security deposit was therefore 80,238 euros. Furthermore, registration deficiencies were identified, so that theFederal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) recommended a total security deposit of 528.50 euros. The Ship Safety Department was informed of the deficiencies identified. Administrative offense reports and reports to the flag state are being prepared, and further investigations will follow.