On the afternoon of Sep 12, 2024, the Port Authority of Paxos was informed that a Greek flagged sailing vessel with ten passengers on board had to anchor due to battery damage west of Paxos. The 'Paxos Express' and the 'Archangelos' along with a patrol boat of the Coast Guard were sent to assist. Eignt people were transferred onto the ferry. They were transported to the port of Lakka Paxos, all in good health. Afterwards, the sailing vessel was escorted o the port of Lakka Paxos with the assistance of the 'Archangel'.The Paxos Port Station of the Central Port Authority of Corfu banned the ship from from sailing, until a certificate of seaworthiness from a recognized organization was presented.
News
OUR OLIVIA BELLE
On Sep 14, 2024, at midnight theIllfracombe RNLi boat was tasked by the UK Coastguard to assist the Padstow lifeboat in towing the 'Our Olivia Belle'. The fishing trawler had broken down and was taking on water. The crews launched the lifeboat 'Shannon' and took over the tow three miles northeast of Hartland. The size and weight of the trawler and the need to take great care meant that progress was slow. At Ilfracombe’s outer harbour, the 'Our Olivia Belle'’s sister ship 'Our Dylan Ben' was able to take over the tow while the 'Shannon' shadowed to ensure all safely reached the moorings in the inner harbour. Five hours after launching, the lifeboat was recovered.
SALVAMAR ADHARA
On Sep 14 at 1:38 p.m. Canary time a cayuco was located three nautical miles from La Restinga (El Hierro). The Maritime Rescue Centre of Tenerife mobilised the 'Salvamar Adhara' to assist, which locates the boat and accompanied it to La Restinga. At 2.13 p.m. the 28 people on board safely disembarked at the dock.
EENDRACHT
On Sep 13, 2024, at 03:50 a.m. the KNRM was alerted for a medical evacuation from the 'Eendracht', which was sailing off the coast of Egmond aan Zee. A medical incident had occurred on board the sailing ship, which required the patient to be taken off. The lifeboat from IÜJmuiden was deployed and disembarked the patient on a stretcher. It then sailed at full speed to IJmuiden, where an ambulance was ready to transport the patient to hospital for further medical care. Report with photo: https://www.knrm.nl/nieuws/knrm-reddingstation-ijmuiden/medevac-aan-boord-van-de-eendracht
LEEUWIN 2
The damaged gear on the deck of the 'Leeuwin II' was to be removed from the ship in the week of Sep 16. It wil lbe stored nearby by Freo Ports pending next steps in the repair program. The Leeuwin Ocean Adventure Foundation was preparing to begin the process of removing damaged masts, sails and rigging. On Sep 12 it has extended a big thank you to the people of Western Australia and from around the world for their messages of support since the ship was damaged in Fremantle. Report with photos:; https://fremantleshippingnews.com.au/2024/09/12/the-latest-on-the-leeuwin/
FUGRO GALAXY
A survey of the proposed MarramWind floating offshore wind farm site by the 'Fugro Galaxy' discovered the wreckage of the SS 'Tobol', which was torpedoed by a German U-boat in 1917. The survey, for what could be one of the first floating offshore wind farms in the world, revealed the likely resting place of the wreck, which was among several discovered during the works for the wind farm being developed by Iberdrola’s subsidiary ScottishPower and Shell. The discovery of the ship solved a 107-year-old maritime mystery. The vessel, built in Sunderland, worked as the SS 'Cheltenham' until it was captured by Russian warships in 1904. In 1905 it was transferred to the Russian Imperial Navy and renamed SS 'Tobol', before being relocated to the Russian Volunteer Fleet in 1916. It was torpedoed on September 11, 1917, en route from Blyth to Arkhangelsk. After the discovery, an exclusion zone of 250 m was put in place around the wreck which appeared to be in good condition. While the 'Tobol' was known to have been torpedoed in the war, its location was unclear. Relevant authorities like the UK Hydrographic Office and Historic Environment Scotland have been notified of the find, and discussions were ongoing to establish a long-term archaeological exclusion zone to ensure the wreck is protected and preserved.
VENUS I
On the afternoon of Sep 14, the Port Authority of Aegina was informed by the Master of the 'Venus 1', that a loud noise was detected in the port side bow area of the ship, while it was sailing from the port of Agistrio to the port of Aegina. The ship sailed safely to the port of Aegina. The Port Authority of Aegina initially prohibited the sailing of the hydrofoil, until the damage was repaired and a certificate of class maintenance was presented by the classifier monitoring it, and then it was granted a license to carry out a single voyage,without cargo and passengers, for the repair base in Perama. The 41 passengers bound for Piraeus were forwarded by the owner company.
MANISA GRETA
On Sep 13, 2024, the 'Manisa Greta', en rouite from Mindelo, suffered engine problems near the port of Las Palmas. The CCS Las Palmas of Salvamento Marítimo mobilized the SAR vessel 'Miguel de Cervantes', which managed to establish a towing connection in the night. The transfer maneuver to the port tugs was carried out the next morning after daybreak due to bad weather. The ship was safely docked in the port of Las Palmas. Report with photos: https://x.com/salvamentogob/status/1834567021066928325
GUARDAMAR CALIOPE
On Sep 14 at 4 p.m. Canary time, the pleasure boat 'Samurai' sighted a cayuco 21 nautical miles south of La Gomera and notified Salvamento Marítimo in Teneriffe. At 5.35 p.m. the 'Guardamar Calíope', which had been deployed to assist, rescued 70 migrants, among them 69 men and one woman, in apparent good health. They were disembarked in La Gomera.
DALI
The NTSB has posted a 41-page document summarizing the findings of the Engineering Group formed to inspect the systems aboard the 'Dali'. It lists a few minor issues while also showing a loose cable found in the breaker system when tested in a simulation caused a brief blackout. Initial troubleshooting led to the Engineering Group narrowing its focus on the vessel’s electrical switchgear. The tests took place during April in four separate examination sessions. The check of the wiring on the transformer and a relay found a cable was loosely connected, a condition which representatives from Hyundai informed could create an open circuit and interrup the 110VDC power on the HV side of the board. It would trigger an under voltage release trip which would result in a 440V blackout. After explaining the situation to the NTSB and the other participants, Hyundai conducted a simulation. When the engineers disconnected the cable, all the equipment powered by the Low Voltage (440V) Switchboard blacked out. These included lights throughout the vessel. The system recovered making an automatic transfer and regained power after approximately 10 seconds. The other items listed in the report (download link) were judged to be non-consequential. Most of the systems were listed to be operating correctly.The inspection and testing were conducted by a team of experts including representatives from the vessel’s owners Grace Ocean and operators Synergy Marine. HD Hyundai, which had built the vessel in 2015, participated in the four examinations in April along with ClassNK as the vessel’s class society and the Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore as the flag state. The NTSB teams were continuing their analysis. They were not expected to release a report until up to a year after the incident. The posting of this data came as the Department of Justice had informed the court involved in the claims that it was also conducting investigations aboard the vessel. The 'Dali' was expected to depart Norfolk, Virginia, around Sep 17 en route to China for permanent repairs.
SOUNION
The second effort to tow the 'Sounion' to a more secure location where salvage teams can access the vessel and determine the next steps got underwaya on Sep 13. Two tugs, one of them the 'Agion Pelagos', which had sailed from Piraeus, the other the 'Panormitis', approached he tanker, being escorted by French and Greek warships. It was expected that they were joining two other commercial salvage tugs hired by the insurers for Delta Tankers, operators of the vessel. Navigational notices were posted for the Red Sea advising all vessels to remain clear of the 'Sounion' with vessels having to remain at least five nautical miles from the 'Sounion'. The advisory indicated that the operation was commencing on the afternoon of Sep 13. The ship was probably towed towards the Suez Canal. The convoy was proceeding at very slow speed. Although the cargo was unlikely to explode, the fires were still fed by the crude oil evaporating and could burn for months if not dealt with quickly. With temperatures over 400ºC recorded on board, there is the likelihood that the heat could weaken the steel structure of the ship and make it vulnerable to breaking up and releasing large amounts of oil into the sea. Reports with photos: https://www.navylookout.com/naval-forces-in-the-red-sea-undertake-salvage-operation-in-attempt-to-prevent-ecological-catastrophe/ https://maritime-executive.com/article/photos-greek-salvors-take-burning-tanker-in-tow
GLEN SANNOX
The delivery of the 'Glen Sannox' has been pushed back once again, The Ferguson Marine shipyard was forced to postpone a key test of its liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel system. The shipyard found the process of cooling the pipes to the sub-zero temperatures necessary to load the fuel was taking longer than anticipated. This meant they would no longer be able to meet the deadline for the handover to the ferry-owning agency CMAL by Sep 30. The latest delay was expected to be approximately two weeks. The ship and its sister vessel 'Glen Rosa' were originally due for delivery in 2018 but have faced repeated design and construction challenges. Problems installing the LNG system have been behind some of the repeated delays in delivering the ferries, with the Port Glasgow shipyard dealing with these issues over the past year. Following the harbour trials, the plan is to put the vessel through its paces at sea, stopping and starting several times and carrying out endurance tests. Now six years late, the total bill - including government loans and money paid out before nationalisation - will be £400m, four times the original £97m price tag. The ferry designed to serve the Arran route with CalMac.
POSIDON HELLAS
On the afternoon of Sep 15, 2024, the Central Port Authority of Piraeus was informed by the Master of 'Poseidon Hellas', that while the ferry was preparing to sail, a malfunction occurred in the port side propeller system. The ship was to carry out an approved route with 145 passengers on board, from the port of Piraeus to the ports of Aegina and Agistrio. The passengers were forwarded to their destinations by the ship's owning company aboard the 'Achaios'. The Port Authority banned the 'Poseidon Hellas' from sailing until the damage is repaired and a certificate of class maintenancepresented by the monitoring classification society.
SALVAMAR BETELGEUSE
On Sep 13 at 8 p.m. the sailing yacht ‘Sueño’, without crew on board, stranded on the rocks of As Xubias. The Maritime Rescue Centre of A Coruña mobilised the 'Salvamar Betelgeuse', which refloated the boat and towed it to the Oza dock without any damage to the hull. Report with photos: https://x.com/salvamentogob/status/1834871587385888864
SALVAMAR MENKALINAN
On the morning of Sep 15 the crew of the 'Salvamar Menkalinan' has accompanied a cayuco which was located one nautical mile south of La Restinga with 87 sub-Saharan people on board, among them two women and two minors. The CCS Tenerife of Salvamento Marítimo has coordinated the operation. At 3:54 a.m. the disembarkation took place at the dock of La Restinga.
US GOV VESSEL
The USS 'Iwo Jima' was back at sea on Sep 10, 2024 after a breakdown in the engineering room had forced the amphibious assault ship to return to Naval Station Norfolk on Sep 5. The ship had stalled off the coast of Virginia Beach. The ship had broken down because of a problem in the engine room, making it the third Wasp-class ship to suffer maintenance issues. The Norfolk-based USS 'Wasp' had suffered a mechanical failure before it deployed June 1. In April, the Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti had warned the ship may be delayed because of an unnamed mechanical problem. The San Diego-based USS 'Boxer' was delayed repeatedly in part due to maintenance issues with its propulsion system. Several problems with basic maintenance had damaged the ship. The U.S. General Accountability Office found that sailors were poorly trained in maintenance throughout the fleet. Inspectors visited the USS 'wasp' in Norfolk, along with several other ships and found maintenance crews were chronically understaffed.
MONSUN SR
Broken up at Frederikshavn 09/2024 https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10160687986279005&set=g.6884293942