News

arrived Gadani Anchorage 02.02.25

arrived Alang Anchorage 01.02.25

The Troms Police District has carried out a number of investigative steps with a view to the request they have received from Latvia. The investigation was continued, but there was no reason for the ship to remain in Tromsø. No findings have been made that link the ship to sabotage, so that it was released on Jan 31. On Feb 1 at around 7 a.m. UTC the ship left the port en route to Murmansk, where it is expected to arrive on the afternoon of Feb 2. The CEO of the Silver Sea Shipping Group, Tormod Fossmark, denied the vessel’s involvement in the incident and highlighted that the vessel did not drop its anchor and thus could not have damaged the cable. The suspected sabotage of the telecom cable in the Baltic Sea is under investigation by the Latvian and Swedish authorities.

The 'Silver Dania', en route from St.Petersburg to Murmansk, was detained by the 'Bison' of the Norwegian Coast Guard on a request from Latvian authorities on the night of Jan 31, 2025, suspected of involvement in sabotage against a fibre-optic cable in the Baltic Sea. The 11 crew members were all Russian natioalities. Both the crew and the shipping company cooperated with the police, and voluntarily went to Tromsø. The suspicious ship days sailed straight northwards before it around midnight it made a sharp turn eastwards towards the port of Tromsø. The 'Bison' was waiting in the area before it at the same time sailed to Tromsø. On the morning of Jan 31 assearch was in process in the port of Tromsø. Crew members were being questioned by the police. There wer forensic examinations of the ship and a search of the ship's interior. The police have also started a digital investigation where they were looking at digital devices that can be found on the ship. The 'Silver Dania' is one of several ships suspected of involvement in the damage of the cable. The vessel is owned by Norwegian company Fjord Shipping. Several of the company's ships are cooperating closely with Russian partners. One of them - the Silver Copenhagen - is involved in landing of Russian fish to European ports. The Norwegian reefer is cooperating with Russian fishery company Norebo. Reports with photos: https://www.thebarentsobserver.com/news/ship-suspected-of-sabotage-is-detained-by-norwegian-coast-guard/423992 https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2025/01/31/noorwegen-letland-rusland-sabotage-onderzeese-kabel-schip-silver/

Two separate breakaways of container ships berthed at the Port of Brisbane after heavy rains highlighted the importance of robust emergency and risk management arrangements, according to an Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigation. The incidents occurred after an unprecedented stretch of rainfall resulted in significant freshwater inflows into the Brisbane River following several controlled water releases from dams located upriver. This resulted in strong currents through the Port of Brisbane, at the mouth of the river, which added strain to the mooring lines holding ships berthed there. On May 16, 2022, the 'OOCL Brisbane' (IMO: 9445502) broke away from berth 10 at Fisherman Islands. On May 22, the 'CMA CGM Bellini' broke away from berth 6. Tthe ships were brought under control in both cases, and there were no injuries or substantial damage in either incident. The ATSB investigation found that both breakaways occurred due to the strong currents following the high rainfall combined with the interaction forces created when a second container ships passed alongside and then berthed ahead of, each vessel. The high ebb current speeds and the interaction forces introduced by other vessels resulted in the mooring limits for both ships being exceeded. In the case of the 'OOCL Brisbane', all the ship's mooring lines parted or paid out, and it moved into the Brisbane River before being assisted by tugs. The 'CMA CGM Bellini''s forward mooring lines parted, and its bow drifted off the wharf before it too was assisted by tugs to be secured alongside. In the course of its investigation, the ATSB identified that Maritime Safety Queensland (MSQ), the regulator, and the Poseidon Sea Pilots (PSP), Brisbane's pilotage provider, did not have a process to jointly and effectively identify the hazards to shipping and pilotage that were outside normal environmental conditions, and to properly assess the associated risks. The breakaways highlighted the importance of robust, properly structured and clearly defined emergency and risk management arrangements for managing port shipping movements outside of normal operating conditions. Such arrangements must facilitate accurate assessment of all the available information by the involved parties and provide for adequate assessment of all potential risks. The safety actions taken by both MSQ and PSP in response to these incidents, as well as another breakaway, further upriver and a month prior, which was also investigated by the ATSB. PSP and MSQ have collaborated with a range of stakeholders to improve extreme weather event planning and response, and to establish a formal channel to identify and risk assess hazards to shipping outside of normal environmental conditions. This has included the establishment of the Port of Brisbane Maritime Emergency Working Group, with guidelines developed for the group's role in responding to port emergencies. Additionally, three additional current meters have been installed in the river, adding to the one installed prior to the incident, and additional meters are planned. Data from these meters will be provided by MSQ to key stakeholders, including PSP. Finally, PSP has provided input for changes to MSQ's standard port procedures, including the joint development of procedures for movements to and from various berths under flood conditions, using MSQ's bridge/ship simulator. Full report: https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2022/mair/mo-2022-004?utm_source=miragenews&utm_medium=miragenews&utm_campaign=news

The blaze aboard the 'Lowlands Diamond' at Aberdeen’s South Harbour was extinguished on the early afternoon Jan 30. Charred cargo from the vessel's cargo hold was piled up on the quayside, ringed by shipping containers. Heaps of burnt cargo were being removed on the afternoon, three days after firefighters first attempted to tackle the complex fire. Multiple fire crews were called to the scene, with specialist marine firefighters also deployed. The fire did not pose any wider threat, and the ship’s crews was safe and well. The ship itself was in no immediate danger either. ThePort of Aberdeen has been supporting the fire service as they tackled the fire at the Dunnottar Quay. There has been no disruption to operations at South Harbour by the fire. Report with photos: https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/aberdeen-aberdeenshire/6682987/burnt-cargo-removed-after-south-harbour-fire/

The Bulgarian National Security Agency (SANS) has no evidence that there were agents of foreign services or criminals among the Bulgarian crew members of the "Vezhen". This was stated by SANS Director Plamen Tonchev at a hearing on the subject in parliament on Jan 30. Tonchev pointed out that there was no indication in the data of Bulgarian partner services that the incident with the damaged underwater fiber optic cable was sabotage. He added that in addition to a cable used by Latvia, a cable from a non-NATO country was also severed in the same area. "Bulgaria is in no way considered by our partners and allies to be an accomplice in sabotage or sabotage activities, which we all condemn and which we act against as partners and allies," said the Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev in parliament. He called for the case of the "Vezhen" not to be politically escalated. The State Agency for National Security was said to be in contact with Bulgaria's partners in NATO and the Swedish and Latvian services looking into the incident. Tonchev explained that there was no negative information about the eight Bulgarian crew members and the ship's management, which is entirely Bulgarian. Swedish port state control officers had inspected the 'Vezhen' but a comprehensive report and conclusions from the inspection were not available yet. The second mate, the third mate, the chief engineer and the boatswain got off the ship on Jan 28 and were questioned by police. In addition, the captain and the chief mate were questioned aboard the ship.

Beached at Aliaga as Ari 01/2025 https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10161114257520036&set=gm.10164242014248943&idorvanity=6884293942

Beached at Alang 31.01.25

On Feb 1, 2025, at 6.27 a.m. the 'Bernhard Schepers', en route from Bremerhaven to Kotka, allided with the central tail and the gate niche of the new north lock of the Kiel Canal in Brunsbüttel upon entering the waterway for the eastbound transit. The accident happened amid dense fog. The ship has remained in the lock chamber in pos. 53° 54' N 009° 09' E since, and investigations have commenced while the ship was berthed in the lock. The lock gate could actually not be moved.

sold to Alang Breakers

Two separate breakaways of container ships berthed at the Port of Brisbane after heavy rains highlighted the importance of robust emergency and risk management arrangements, according to an Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigation. The incidents occurred after an unprecedented stretch of rainfall resulted in significant freshwater inflows into the Brisbane River following several controlled water releases from dams located upriver. This resulted in strong currents through the Port of Brisbane, at the mouth of the river, which added strain to the mooring lines holding ships berthed there. On May 16, 2022, the 'OOCL Brisbane' broke away from berth 10 at Fisherman Islands. On May 22, the 'CMA CGM Bellini' (IMO: 9280598) broke away from berth 6. Tthe ships were brought under control in both cases, and there were no injuries or substantial damage in either incident. The ATSB investigation found that both breakaways occurred due to the strong currents following the high rainfall combined with the interaction forces created when a second container ships passed alongside and then berthed ahead of, each vessel. The high ebb current speeds and the interaction forces introduced by other vessels resulted in the mooring limits for both ships being exceeded. In the case of the 'OOCL Brisbane', all the ship's mooring lines parted or paid out, and it moved into the Brisbane River before being assisted by tugs. The 'CMA CGM Bellini''s forward mooring lines parted, and its bow drifted off the wharf before it too was assisted by tugs to be secured alongside. In the course of its investigation, the ATSB identified that Maritime Safety Queensland (MSQ), the regulator, and the Poseidon Sea Pilots (PSP), Brisbane's pilotage provider, did not have a process to jointly and effectively identify the hazards to shipping and pilotage that were outside normal environmental conditions, and to properly assess the associated risks. The breakaways highlighted the importance of robust, properly structured and clearly defined emergency and risk management arrangements for managing port shipping movements outside of normal operating conditions. Such arrangements must facilitate accurate assessment of all the available information by the involved parties and provide for adequate assessment of all potential risks. The safety actions taken by both MSQ and PSP in response to these incidents, as well as another breakaway, further upriver and a month prior, which was also investigated by the ATSB. PSP and MSQ have collaborated with a range of stakeholders to improve extreme weather event planning and response, and to establish a formal channel to identify and risk assess hazards to shipping outside of normal environmental conditions. This has included the establishment of the Port of Brisbane Maritime Emergency Working Group, with guidelines developed for the group's role in responding to port emergencies. Additionally, three additional current meters have been installed in the river, adding to the one installed prior to the incident, and additional meters are planned. Data from these meters will be provided by MSQ to key stakeholders, including PSP. Finally, PSP has provided input for changes to MSQ's standard port procedures, including the joint development of procedures for movements to and from various berths under flood conditions, using MSQ's bridge/ship simulator. Full report: https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2022/mair/mo-2022-004?utm_source=miragenews&utm_medium=miragenews&utm_campaign=news

The USS 'Stockdale (DDG-106)' used the destroyer’s five-inch gun to shoot down a Houthi uncrewed aerial vehicle, the deputy commander of Central Command said on Jan 30, 2025. Vice Adm. Brad Cooper was aboard the 'Stockdale' in November during a Houthi attack on the ship. When he embarked on the ship , Houthi missiles and drones were a regular sight in the Middle East. The 'Stockdale', along with the USS 'Spruance (DDG-111)' and the Littoral Combat Ship USS 'Indianapolis (LCS-17)', were transiting the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, sailing from the Red Sea into the Gulf of Aden, when a low-flying Houthi drone came at the ship, and the watch stander clocked it, but it was a late detection. A kill order was given, and the sailors prepared to take it out with the five-inch guns. Cooper did not think they would hit, but the guns fired and the drone went down. The first missile was heading off-course, so the sailors let it go. But the remaining three were problems. Debris from the missile collision caused a Sea Sparrow launch. More American missiles were launched to take care of further Houthi missiles. About 11 minutes later, a Houthi anti-ship cruise missile was detected. Aircraft from 'Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72)', the aircraft carrier leading the carrier strike group, shot down the missile. An hour and a half later, F-16s under Spruance’s control, handled a land-attack missile. F-16s also shot down drones that were part of a suicide drone attack. The two destroyers USS 'Frank E. Petersen (DDG-121)' and USS 'Michael Murphy (DDG-112)', protected Abe while its aircraft launched an attack on Houthi infrastructure. Based on USNI News’ timeline of Houthi activity in the Red Sea, it likely happened around Nov. 12 to 13.The Houthis launched more than 140 attacks on merchant vessels and 170 on Navy ships over the 15 months of their campaign in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The Navy downed 480 Houthi UAVs in that time. The Houthis have ceased action in the Red Sea due to the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, although Houthi leadership said it was monitoring the deal and would resume escalatory action if Israel violated it.

The captain of the 'Loitador has been arrested by the Caleta Olivia Prosecutor's Office, in the province of Santa Cruz in Argentina, after being investigated in Argentina accused of human trafficking, specifically of Senegalese sailors from his crew for the purposes of labour exploitation. The case dates back to June 5, 2017, when a crew member was medevaced in a coma 135 nautical miles from Puerto Deseado. The 56-year-old detainee was arrested for these events after a red notice was issued through Interpol. The health condition of the Senegalese sailor and his subsequent statement in court allowed the Public Prosecutor's Office to move forward on the criminal hypothesis of human trafficking for the purpose of labour exploitation, given that the sailor maintained that he performed exhausting work of up to 22 hours a day, seven days a week, all of this in unhealthy conditions, without adequate clothing and poor food, for which he received a salary below the minimum established by international standards. The employment contract had a duration from a few months to two years. According to the indictment, the captain had accepted and housed a Senegalese sailor on February 15, 2017, among at least three others, whose vulnerable situations were abused. The victims were previously contacted through the shipping company, which paid for their plane ticket from Senegal to Cabo Blanco, from where the ship sailed, to exploit them. All of this was done by depositing a sum of money less than the minimum wage, working around 22-hour work days from Monday to Monday in the filleting area in the hold of the vessel, without rest or appropriate medical assistance. They also had no place to rest or recreation, nor appropriate clothing, nor healthy conditions of hygiene and adequate food. All of this caused the evacuated sailor to suffer from malnutrition, hypothermia and dehydration, until the urgent disembarkation of the victim had to be ordered. He arrived at the hospital in a coma, not located in time and space and with sensory motor impairment (hypothymic), despite having entered the vessel in a fit physical condition. For these reasons, the arrest of the captain of the vessel was ordered on Nov 13, 2024, by the Federal Court of Caleta Olivia, with the man being arrested on Dec 18 in Spain. On Dec 20 the court requested the extradition of the accused. Already in 2019, the Public Prosecutor's Office requested the summons to give a statement from the captain, with a summons order being issued on Dec 26, 2024 and, finally, an arrest warrant. At the end of 2023, the Government of Spain reported the sanction of 25 vessels, most of them Galician companies, for deactivating AIS transmitters while fishing on the high seas near the coast of Argentina, among which was the 'Loitador', from the Vigo shipowner Profesionales Pesqueros. In June 2021, the European Commission sent the Spanish Administration a letter accompanied by a report from the NGO Oceana, which denounced practices on Spanish fishing vessels regarding the switching off of the automatic identification system for illegal fishing purposes. Thus, a serious infringement was detected on the vessel 'Loitador' for sailing during time intervals between 2020 and 2021 without keeping the AIS in operation at all times. The fine imposed was 15,000 euros, with a reduction to 12,000 euros when the company recognised its responsibility and paid it in April 2023. Among these sanctioning files of the General Directorate of the Merchant Navy there was also a fine of 150,000 euros to Grupo Nores, owner of the Villa de Pitanxo, for deactivating AIS.

arrived Bhavnagar Anchorage 01.02.25

On Jan 24, 2025, the 'Shelekov' was detained in Karasu with 22 deficiencies, 19 of which being regarded as seriously and grounds for a detention: 1) Certificate & Doc - Cargo Ship Safety Construction (incl exemption) Not as required 2) Certificate & Doc - International Oil Pollution Prevention Cert Missing 3) Certificate & Doc - International Sewage Pollution Prevention Cert Missing 4) Certificate & Doc - Log-books/compulsory Entries missing 5) Certificate & Doc - Other (Certificates) Other 6) Life saving Appliances - Lifeboats Not properly maintained 7) Living and working - Pipes, wires (insulation)' Not as required 8)) Living and working - Lighting (Accommodation) Not as required 9) Living and working - Accident prevention Not as required 10) Living and working - Other (Working spaces) Not as required 11) Pollution Prevention - Oil and oily mixtures form machinery spaces Not as required 12) Pollution Prevention - Other (Marpol Annex I) Other 13) Propulsion and auxiliary machinery - Auxiliary machinery Not as required 14) Propulsion and auxiliary machinery - Other (Machinery) Other 15) Structural conditions - Hull - Corrosion Corroded 16) Structural conditions - Decks - Corrosion Corroded 17) Structural conditions - Ballast, fuel and other tanks Not as required 18) Structural conditions - Closing devices/watertight doors Damaged 19) Radio communications - Other (Radio communications) Other The vessel was released again on Jan 28 and left Istanbul for orders. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063576908591

On Jan 14, 2025, the 'Kystbunker II', en route from Rørvik to Kristiansund, has run aground between the island of Glasøya and Geitøya just west of Namsos in Flatanger with the high tide at 2 p.m. (Lat. 64.4872 Lng.10.7507), en route from Rørvik to Ålesund with bunker and lubricating oils. The tanker hadjust crossed the Folda stretch of sea, which is notorious for being both rough and demanding. There were light southwesterly winds in the area at the time of the accident. The vessel remained aground until the tide was high enough again. It was pulled off the ground by the 'Aqua Seawork' on Jan 15 at 1 a.m. There were no injuries, damage or pollution reported. The 'Kystbunker II' proceeded to Kristiansund, where it berthed at 6 p.m. UTC. The "Kystbunker II" is contracted with fish farming companies in the region, from Tananger in the south to Båtsfjord in the north, with bunker and lubricating oil deliveries. It was sent to the slipway at the Vegsund Slip AS in Eidsnes for repairs. Report with photo: https://ilaks.no/oljetanker-grunnstotte-pa-vei-til-bjoroya/

The TT-Line has entered live commercial negotiations after receiving an offer to lease the 'Spirit of Tasmania IV'. As a result, the Bass Strait ferry will remain in Leith until the end of February as TT-Line was moving to finalise terms and conditions. The ferry — one of two being commissioned to replace the existing aging Bass Strait ferries — left the shipbuilding yards in Finland at the end of November, and has remained at the port of Leith ever since. The second ship, the 'Spirit of Tasmania V', is still under construction. The 'Spirit of Tasmania IV' was initially slated to arrive in Devonport in Tasmania's north-west in late 2024, but TT-Line failed to build a berth in time. Devonport does not have a berth large enough to accommodate the bigger ship, meaning it has been unable to operate its intended Geelong to Devonport route. Leith was identified as the most cost effective and climate-suitable location to store the new vessels for two years. The berth will not be ready until February 2027, although the government was trying to get it ready for October 2026. In the meantime, the Tasmanian government has been looking at leasing out the ship, which is being kept in Scotland because TT-Line claims it will be easier to lease it out from there. The government would make a decision about the ship's future by the end of January. One of the main arguments for leasing out the ship is to try to recuperate some money. During the two months it has been in Scotland it has already racked up quite the bill. The first month of storing the ship was a lot more expensive, with TT-Line charged $47,534 per week. Since then, the cost has dropped to $23,915 per week and will remain that price during February.

The 'Huihai Pacific' has discharged its Russian oil cargo in Tianjin on Jan 31. It had originally been heading for Dongjiakou, a port in the Shandong province. The tanker has been sanctioned by the US on Jan 10 and berthed in the port following an unusually long journey in which it changed its destination from the Shandong province, a hub for independent refiners. spending almost four weeks at sea, much more than the regular journey from Kozmino to China that usually takes less than a week. The 'Huihai Pacific', which isa regular on the route from Kozmino on Russia’s Pacific coast to China, then unloaded nearly 770,000 barrels of ESPO crude. The USA have imposed broad sanctions on Russian oil exports on Jan 10, blacklisting at least 70% of the fleet that serve Kozmino. While those vessels, including the 'Huihai Pacific', have until the end of February to discharge cargoes loaded before the restrictions were announced, Several of them have been idling off China after the Shandong Port Group Co., which manages multiple terminals in the province, issued a directive. China’s independent refiners, most of which are in Shandong, have been the most enthusiastic buyers of ESPO and Sokol crude from Russia’s Far East due to discounts and short travel times. They may now be faced with considerably higher transport costs to keep taking the oil.

On Jan 28 a statement was published by the British Parliament which confirmed that the UK had deployed Royal Navy and Royal Air Force (RAF) assets to track and monitor the 'Yantar' as it moved through British waters. The operation involved a coordinated effort by maritime patrol aircraft, the Minehunter HMS 'Cattistock', the River-class offshore patrol vessel HMS 'Tyne', and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) 'Proteus', a survey and surveillance ship. In addition, the British Parliament authorized a Royal Navy submarine to surface close to the 'Yantar'—strictly as a deterrent measure—to signal that UK forces had been covertly monitoring the Russian vessel’s every move. Following this decisive action, the 'Yantar' has left UK waters without further loitering and continued its journey towards the Mediterranean.