News

arrived Bhavnagar Anchorage 07.02.25

On Feb 6, 2025, the Bangladesh Coast Guard (BCG) has seized the 'Dolphin 19' and the Bangladeshi oil tanker 'OT Union' on charges of illegally exchanging fuel oil, evading customs duties at the outer anchorage of Kutubdia in Cox's Bazar. The maritime law enforcement force also detained nine crews of the “OT Union” on charges of illegally supplying fuel. When the BCG’s vessel ‘Apurba Bangla’ was on regular patrol at the outer anchorage of Kutubdia, the crew saw the 'Dolphin 19' collecting fuel oil from the 'OT Union'. It trasnferred approximately 356 metric tons of fuel oil from the Bangladeshi tanker, evading the government a huge amount of revenue. An appropriate legal action of the Chittagong Port Authority is on process through the Marine Court.

On Feb 5 the Public Prosecutor's Office and the Port Authority have authorised an on-board inspection of the 'Guang Rong', which is necessary before emptying the tanks and preventing a possible environmental disaster, given that the ship is carrying around 102 tonnes of diesel fuel. The iInspections have begun to identify the access areas and allow the removal of fuel on board. The attention is focused on the port side of the vessel, both the emerged and submerged parts, to check the condition of the hull and speed up the transfer of fuel. The main tank has been reached and the diesel could be sucked out through the manhole. The pipes have already been prepared on the pier and the vehicles are ready to intervene. The urgency is also dictated by the worsening weather conditions forecast for the weekend. According to the Coast Guard, there were currently no fuel spills, thanks to the timely installation of floating ´absorbent booms. After the first inspection, a plan for pumping the fuel will be presented. The fate of the ship will then be decided: it could be recovered by the owner or, more likely, declared a wreck to be disposed of. The operations are constantly monitored by the Coast Guard, with the support of divers and law enforcement, under the coordination of Prefect Guido Aprea. Regarding the stability of the pier, the checks were underway. Inspections were carried out both above and below the structure. Astructural engineer was acquiring the necessary documentation. Load tests on the pier would be essential for the fuel extraction operations. Despite the situation actually being regarded as under control, the risk of spills remained high, especially in the event of worsening weather conditions. The Coast Guard has requested satellite images to monitor the environment and prevent ecological damage.. The intervention plan includes, once the fuel has been drained, the evaluation of the stability of the hull and the possibility of towing the ship to a safe area. If the shipowner decides not to recover the 'Guang Rong', and it would be disposed of in accordance with current regulations. Report with video: https://www.noitv.it/2025/02/proseguono-le-operazioni-per-la-gestione-della-guang-rong-incagliata-nel-porto-di-marina-di-massa-643948/

A new sanctions package of the US government on Feb 6, 2025, targeted the 'CH Billion', which took on more than 700,000 barrels of Iranian crude from a Tehran-owned tanker in waters off Singapore in 2024. The vessel was also used to ferry oil from Russia’s Pacific port of Kozmino. The fleet involved in that trade was heavily sanctioned last month, and two other tankers, the 'Gioiosa' and the 'Star Forest'. Separately, the Comoros-flagged tanker 'Siri' was also singled out. The already-sanctioned vessel has been operating under a disguise after its Iranian owner falsified documents and physically hid its name to conceal its identity and pass it off as a different tanker called 'New Prime'. The sanctions also targeted several entities and individuals across different countries that were involved in the trade, which was on behalf of Tehran’s Armed Forces General Staff and its sanctioned front company, Sepehr Energy Jahan Nama Pars.

A gastrointestinal illness has broken out on the 'Radiance of the Seas', according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The outbreak was reported to the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program on Feb 4. 89 of the 2,164 passengers onboard have been affected by the outbreak, which is around 4.1 % of the passengers. Two of the 910 crew members have also reported symptoms. The CDC did not specify what type of gastrointestinal illness it was, with the predominant symptoms reportedly being been diarrhea and vomitin. The sick passengers and crew members have been isolated from the rest of the people on the ship. The ship has also increased cleaning and disinfection procedures and collected stool specimens for testing. The present cruise of the 'Radiance of the Seas' has started on Feb 1 in Tampa and was scheduled to end on Feb 9.

The 'Isfjord' suffered an engine failure en route from Svolvær (Lat. 68.1192 Lng. 14.9302) on Feb 5, 2025, atr around 5 p.m. and went adrift, The Russian captain of the unloaded tanker sent out a mayday call, and both the NSSR-lifeboats from Svolvær and Ballstad were called out by the Main Rescue Centre to assist in securing the ship, which is referred to as "a floating gas station". It is operated by LNS Spitsbergen's subsidiary LNS Ocean, There was an onshore wind from the southwest and it was of interest to gain control of the situation. The lifeboat "Sundt Flyer" (MMSI: 259192000) was first on site, followed by the "Hans Hermann Horn" (MMSI: 257035360), which was the larger boat and took the tanker in tow. On Feb 6 at 03:00 a.m. the patrol vessel 'Heimdal' (IMO: 9353345) of the Norwegian Coastguard took over the tow from the "Hans Hermann Horn" after seven hours. The tug 'Polar Frigg' (IMO: 8714279) left Harstad on the late evening of Feb 5 and reached the scene the next morning at 05:45 a.m. It took over the tow from the lifeboats. On the morning of Feb 6, the tanker was anchored near Lødingen in pos. 68° 26' N 016° 02' E, where it remained stationary as of Feb 7. Reports with photos and video: https://www.lofotposten.no/104-meter-lang-tanker-med-motorhavari/s/5-29-1148933?fbclid=IwY2xjawIQymdleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHRJ7Myw8hca4Kz9_Os-hiqEIyRE5YOQ87ULHGow1OGLyZNDZub7KzdrD3Q_aem_gOY2kvA_yQjNIJFrtRMSAw https://x.com/i/status/1887247263187279885 https://www.ht.no/nyheter/i/nylJ8B/maatte-redde-104-meter-lang-tanker

The 'Essence', en route from Kotka to Rotterdam with an ETA as of Feb 7, was in collision with the "X-Press Mülhacen" (IMO: 9365960) en route from Rotterdam to Gdynia, on the Kiel Canal amid thick fog on Feb 6, 2025, at 7:05 a.m. in the area of ​​the north port of Kiel in front of the Holtenau locks. The "X-Press Mülhacen" was supposed to enter the large north chamber of the Holtenau locks. At the same time, the "Essence" came from the south chamber Both ships came too close to each other and scraped past each other. Both freighters had to interrupt their respective voyages. The "Essence" moored at the Schwartenbek siding near Suchsdorf. The "X-Press Mülhacen" was allowed to continue the voyage to the roadstead of Holtenau, where it anchored in pos. 54° 23' N 010° 11' E at 8:50 a.m. The Kiel water police was on duty with the police boat "Stör". The officers were questioning the crews of the two ships and the pilots on board. Experts from the classification societies examined and confirmed the technical condition of the ships. The 'Esscence' resumed its voyage at around 11 a.m. and was allowed to proceed to Brunsbüttel, where it berthed at the Navy dolphins short past 6 p.m. It resumed its voyage on Feb 7 at 4 a.m. UTC with an ETA at the port of destination as of Feb 8. whereas the '"X-Press Mülhacen" remained stationary on the Kiel Fjord until 8.20 p.m. and then continued on its way to Gdynia with an ETA as of Feb 7.

Beached at Alang 06.02.25

Four men - the Ukrainians Mykhailo Gavryk, 32, and Vitaliy Vlasoi, 32; the Iranian Soheil Jelveh, 51, and the Dutch national 49-year-old Cumali Ozgen - have pleaded guilty to having 2.2 tonnes of cocaine for supply on board the 'Matthew' in Sep 2023. They appeared before the Special Criminal Court in Dublin on Feb 6, where they were each arraigned on one of three charges against them. The guilty pleas were acceptable to the Director of Public Prosecutions on a full-facts basis. Ms Justice Melanie Greally remanded the four defendants in custody until Feb 24, when their cases are listed for mention with a view to fixing a sentence date for next term. Eight men in total are facing a number of charges in relation to the drugs seizure. The men had applied to the non-jury Special Criminal Court on Jan 13 to have the charges against them dismissed. Two other defendants Iranian Saeid Hassani, 39, and Filipino Harold Estoesta, 31, will stand trial on Feb 10 before the Special Criminal Court arising from the seizure of the cocaine. The two men were remanded in custody until then. A seventh man, Ukrainian national Vitaliy Lapa, 62, with an address at Rudenka, Repina Str in Berdyansk, was previously arraigned on one of the two charges against him. Mr Lapa pleaded guilty that on dates between Sep 21 and 25, 2023, He attempted to possess cocaine for the purpose of selling or otherwise supplying to another. Mr. Lapa was also facing a charge that between July 15 and Sep 23m 2023, both dates inclusive, within the state, with knowledge of the existence of a criminal organisation, that he participated in, or contributed to, activity intending to, or being reckless as to whether such participation or contribution could facilitate the commission of a serious offence by that criminal organisation or any of its members. Lapa was the only one of the accused men who did not make an application under the Criminal Procedure Act to have his case dismissed. The UK national Jamie Harbron, 31, has also pleaded guilty to an offence arising from the seizure. He will appear before the court later this year for a sentencing hearing. Mr. Harbron, of South Avenue in Billingham, pleaded guilty that on a date between Sep 21 and 25, 2023, both dates inclusive, he attempted to have cocaine in his possession for the purpose of sale or supply, an offence under the Misuse of Drugs Act.The 2.25 tonnes of cocaine that was seized from the 'Matthew' has an estimated value of more than €157 million.

The U.S. Coast Guard medevaced a crew ember from the 'Fermita' about 240 nautical miles southwest of Unalaska on Feb 5, 2025. A rescue coordination center in Norway contacted the Coast Guard on Feb 4 at around 7 p.m. , requesting assistance for the patient who showed signs of a stroke. A MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew was sent the next morning to hoist the man from the 6vessel. An HC-140 Hercules airplane crew assisted the helicopter team, providing communication during the mission. The patient was taken to Cold Bay, where they were transferred to Anchorage on a LifeMed flight for further medical attention.

A new sanctions package of the US government on Feb 6, 2025, targeted the 'CH Billion', which took on more than 700,000 barrels of Iranian crude from a Tehran-owned tanker in waters off Singapore in 2024. The vessel was also used to ferry oil from Russia’s Pacific port of Kozmino. The fleet involved in that trade was heavily sanctioned last month, and two other tankers, the 'Gioiosa' and the 'Star Forest'. Separately, the Comoros-flagged tanker 'Siri' was also singled out. The already-sanctioned vessel has been operating under a disguise after its Iranian owner falsified documents and physically hid its name to conceal its identity and pass it off as a different tanker called 'New Prime'. The sanctions also targeted several entities and individuals across different countries that were involved in the trade, which was on behalf of Tehran’s Armed Forces General Staff and its sanctioned front company, Sepehr Energy Jahan Nama Pars.

The mystery surrounding the 'White Eagle', docked in the port of Beni-Enzar continued. The ship, is carrying a cargo of 6,000 tons that it picked up in Sierra Leone and was to be delivered to Lebanon. Although the content of this cargo is officially unknown, the fact that smoking has been strictly prohibited in the vicinity of the ship, which is docked in an area not used for loading and unloading, is raising suspicions. The fact that the ship turned off its AIS on Dec 13, 2024, off Rabat led to the issue being followed with suspicion. Official Moroccan sources said they knew nothing about the ship and did not provide any information on the matter. Neither has Spain made any statement, despite the proximity of the port of docking to Melilla. Given the port of departure and the destination, it is thought to carry rather weapons and/or explosives, without any confirmation in this regard. The alarm about the presence of the ship in the port of Nador was raised by the Association of the Great Rif for Human Rights, led by activist Said Chramti, who expressed his concern due to the lack of official communication from entities such as the National Port Agency and the company Marsa Maroc. From the first moment, a strict surveillance was mounted around the ship, which, as it does not have the AIS activated, does not appear in this port.

On Feb 6, 2025, a person needed to be medevaced from the 'MSC Bianca Silva' in the port of Hamburg. Three tugs held the ship in position in the Park Port at around 9 a.m., and also the fire boat 'Brandirektor Westphal' went alongside. After a helicopter had hoisted the patient and transferred to a hospital for further medical care, the ship was finally towed to its intended berth at the Eurogate Terminal in the Waltershof Port for cargo operations. It left the port again on Feb 7 at 3.45 a.m., bound to Le Havre with an ETA as of Feb 9.

The 'Essence' (IMO: 9491496), en route from Kotka to Rotterdam with an ETA as of Feb 7, was in collision with the "X-Press Mülhacen", en route from Rotterdam to Gdynia, on the Kiel Canal amid thick fog on Feb 6, 2025, at 7:05 a.m. in the area of ​​the north port of Kiel in front of the Holtenau locks. The "X-Press Mülhacen" was supposed to enter the large north chamber of the Holtenau locks. At the same time, the "Essence" came from the south chamber Both ships came too close to each other and scraped past each other. Both freighters had to interrupt their respective voyages. The "Essence" moored at the Schwartenbek siding near Suchsdorf. The "X-Press Mülhacen" was allowed to continue the voyage to the roadstead of Holtenau, where it anchored in pos. 54° 23' N 010° 11' E at 8:50 a.m. The Kiel water police was on duty with the police boat "Stör". The officers were questioning the crews of the two ships and the pilots on board. Experts from the classification societies examined and confirmed the technical condition of the ships. The 'Esscence' resumed its voyage at around 11 a.m. and was allowed to proceed to Brunsbüttel, where it berthed at the Navy dolphins short past 6 p.m. It resumed its voyage on Feb 7 at 4 a.m. UTC with an ETA at the port of destination as of Feb 8. whereas the '"X-Press Mülhacen" remained stationary on the Kiel Fjord until 8.20 p.m. and then continued on its way to Gdynia with an ETA as of Feb 7.

Clean-up operations were continuing after the recent oil spill that has now been confirmed as originating from the wreck of the 'Ultra Galaxy'. 180 people in 12 teams were cleaning beaches along a 40 kilometres section of coastline. The Shanghai Salvage Co, also known as China Ocean Engineering Solutions Limited, was appointed in 2024 to undertake the wreck removal operation. The SAMSA had immediately activated its pollution response plan in response to the spill. This had included a full survey of the affected areas to assess the extent of the pollution. Preliminary assessments indicated that the spill had several areas: •Tormin mineral sands mine: ramps 3, 4 and 7, • small parts of the Transhex mining area, • Robbe Eiland [Seal Island], • Papendorp, 700m south of the mouth of the Olifants River, • Strandfontein North: patchy coverage, and • Strandfontein South: Kommetjie and Die Hel. Doringbaai had been surveyed and remained clear. Easterly winds had pushed the oil slick offshore and a red tide had arrived. Cape Nature confirmed that no oiled birds had been found on the affected beaches or at the 45,000-strong Cape Gannet colony at Bird Island in nearby Lambert’s Bay. Also, the biologically critical Olifants River estuary had not been impacted. Since the wreck removal operation began in December, just over 4,200 tons of material had been successfully removed by tug and barge for safe disposal in Saldanha Bay. The salvaged steel was processed in Cape Town. Other hazardous materials were being handled at the Vissershok hazardous waste disposal site.

The 'Bao Shun' that was previously driven away by the Coast Guard has again been detected off Taiwan's coast amid concerns about undersea cable sabotage. The ship crossed the median line from waters off Guangzhou Province's Shantou into waters southwest of Taiwan on Jan. 30. It remained within Taiwan’s restricted waters between Hengchun and Tainan, passing over the submarine cables near Pingtung County's Fangshan Township, as well as off the coasts of the Port of Kaohsiung, Zuoying Naval Base, and the Port of Anping from Feb 5 to 6. On Feb 7 the 'Bao Shun' was near Taiwan's coast and Penghu County's Qimei Island. On Jan 6 the 'Bao Shun' has been spotted taking an erratic course over subsea cables off north Taiwan, prompting the Coast Guard to drive the vessel away. The ship then moved north of Pengjia Islet and in and out of Taiwan 12 miles territorial waters in a southwest-northeast direction for five days. Records of the ship's movements around Taiwan first appeared on Feb. 27, 2023. Snce March 1, 2023, the 'Bao Shun' has visited the Port of Kaohsiung 50 times, but never visited another port until it was driven away in January. It was not until Jan 27 that the 'Bao Shun' called at a port in Hong Kong, where it stayed for just 72 minutes. The 'Bao Shun' again returned to Taiwan's southwest coast on Feb. 1, while over 136 days the AIS data were missing. The 'Bao Shun's owner and operator, the Hong Kong based Changhang Shipping, has just this one cargo ship that seems to go nowhere and transport nothing. The 'Bao Shun' had 28 encounters at sea, 15 of which were with its constant companion, the Mongolia-flagged and Hong Kong-registered m/v 'Smoothly', which has exclusively operated out of Taiwan ports until recently.

A new sanctions package of the US government on Feb 6, 2025, targeted the 'CH Billion', which took on more than 700,000 barrels of Iranian crude from a Tehran-owned tanker in waters off Singapore in 2024. The vessel was also used to ferry oil from Russia’s Pacific port of Kozmino. The fleet involved in that trade was heavily sanctioned last month, and two other tankers, the 'Gioiosa' and the 'Star Forest'. Separately, the 'Siri' was also singled out. The already-sanctioned vessel has been operating under a disguise after its Iranian owner falsified documents and physically hid its name to conceal its identity and pass it off as a different tanker called 'New Prime'. The sanctions also targeted several entities and individuals across different countries that were involved in the trade, which was on behalf of Tehran’s Armed Forces General Staff and its sanctioned front company, Sepehr Energy Jahan Nama Pars.

A new sanctions package of the US government on Feb 6, 2025, targeted the 'CH Billion', which took on more than 700,000 barrels of Iranian crude from a Tehran-owned tanker in waters off Singapore in 2024. The vessel was also used to ferry oil from Russia’s Pacific port of Kozmino. The fleet involved in that trade was heavily sanctioned last month, and two other tankers, the 'Gioiosa' and the 'Star Forest'. Separately, the Comoros-flagged tanker 'Siri' was also singled out. The already-sanctioned vessel has been operating under a disguise after its Iranian owner falsified documents and physically hid its name to conceal its identity and pass it off as a different tanker called 'New Prime'. The sanctions also targeted several entities and individuals across different countries that were involved in the trade, which was on behalf of Tehran’s Armed Forces General Staff and its sanctioned front company, Sepehr Energy Jahan Nama Pars.

An audio of the radio broadcast of the 'Kildin' on Jan 23 has now been obtained. The audio gathered by the NATO ship is a 75-second radio exchange between the 'Kildin' and the Togo-flagged cargo m/v 'Milla Moon'. A second tape of conversations between crew members aboard the NATO ship identified the exchange they just monitored between the 'Kildin' and the 'Milla Moon', which lifted anchor off Tartus and began sailing toward the end of the Syrian coast on Jan. 23. The 'Kildin' first identified itself as another ship, the 'Bóveda Celeste', and then asked to change channels to continue the conversation. After the switch, the man is heard in accented English identifying his vessel as a warship. “I am adrift. I am not under command,” the operator said. The 'Milla Moon' responded that it will plot a course away before signing off with, “You are welcome. Good watch. Goodbye.” The Russian intelligence vessel, drifted out of control off the Syrian coast, with flames and black fumes rising from the smokestack. The broadcast, as well as video and photos showing the blaze. were gathered by a ship from a NATO nation operating nearby. The audio provides a rare glimpse inside Russia's fleet of spy ships that NATO nations are watching closely due to concerns that Moscow could sabotage underwater cables and pipelines amid tensions over the war in Ukraine. Even though the 'Kildin' was in trouble, the secret ship did not respond to a request for help from the NATO ship. The 55-year-old Kildin gathers intelligence on NATO activities in the Mediterranean and had been operating near naval exercises by alliance member Turkey before the fire, which burned for at least four hours. The 'Kildin's crew removed the covers from the rafts, though they were not deployed. The 'Kildin' raised two black balls from its masts, a maritime signal that the ship can no longer steer. The crew eventually regained control, and the 'Kildin' is still stationed and collecting intelligence from the Syrian port of Tartus, accompanied by a frigate and a supply ship. It was not clear what caused the fire. The Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he was not aware of a fire aboard the 'Kildin' and would not say what the ship was doing at the time. He dismissed suggestions that it reflected poorly on Russian naval readiness. The retired Vice Admiral Michel Olhagaray, the former head of France’s Higher Military Studies Centre, said that even though the 'Kildin' regained command, the fire highlights Russia’s logistical difficulties in supporting naval forces in the Mediterranean, beyond its bases in the Arctic and Baltic Seas. Moscow cannot even use its fleet for Mediterranean patrols because during the Ukraine dispute Turkey does not allow the naval vessels to pass through the Bosphorus. The maintenance of this Russian fleet, particularly in the Mediterranean, was regarded as extraordinarily cumbersome. Report with photos and audio: https://apnews.com/article/russia-nato-spy-ship-audio-mediterranean-syria-2e6c4d6fa184d7333a3001344f2ea58c

The U.S. Coast Guard started searching for a crew member who was reported unaccounted for aboard the CGC 'Waesche (WMSL 751) ' while operating in the Eastern Pacific Ocean on Feb 6 2025, approximately 300 nautical miles south of Mexico, The patrol boat, zjr attached helicopter and small unmanned aircraft systems were conducting search patterns in the area. Additional Coast Guard and interagency search assets were being employed in the effor. The specific locations of the search efforts could not be disclosed due to operational security considerations. It was unclear when the crew member went missing, who was last seen eight hours earlier. The cutter immediately deviated from its routine counter-drug patrol tasking and initiated a comprehensive search effort. Besides the 'Waesche' itself, the following assets joined the SAR operation: - Two Customs and Border Protection Dash-8 aircraft from Joint Interagency Task Force – South (JIATF-S); - a C-130 aircraft from U.S. Air Force (USCF) 39th Rescue Squadron; -- a C-130 aircraft from U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak; - the 'Waesche's embarked Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) drone; - a Mexican Navy Offshore Patrol Vessel: - a Mexican Navy Maritime Patrol Aircraft. The search area and effort are vast, and the operation is being carefully coordinated to ensure maximum coverage and effectiveness. The circumstances around the case were under investigation.