On April 15, 2025, the 'Christ' was detained in Tripoli with eight deficiencies, three of which being regarded as seriously and grounds for a detention: 1) Certificate & Doc - Civil liability for bunker Oil pollution damage cert. Invalid 2) Life saving Appliances - Rescue boats Inoperative 3) Emergency systems - Emergency lighting, batteries and switches Inoperative The vessel was released again on April 17 and left the port on April 20 en route to Alexandria, whiere it moored on April 22. The last detentions were on Aug 12, 2024, in Abu Qir with 15 deficiencies for five days and on March 30, 2024: in Novorossiysk with 19 deficiencies for five days. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063576908591
News
VICTORIA V
The 'Victoria V' is among those vessels, the Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence Service has idientfied to be involved in Russia's export of coking coal from temporarily occupied territories through the port of Mariupol, as part of a deliberate strategy to exploit the occupied territories, violating international law and the rules of warfare. The 'Alfa M' exported about 40.000 tons, the 'Alfa 1' more than 20,000 tons of coking coal, the 'Alpha Hermes' more than 5,000 tons, the "Victoria K' more than 20,000 tons, and the 'Victoria V' more than 35,000 tons, totalling to 120,000 tons of coal. The value of this coal will be sufficient to produce thousands of tons of steel. Russia is using the occupied Ukrainian territories as a source of raw materials to secure its economy. which is a serious violation of international humanitarian law, including the 1907 Hague Convention, which prohibits the use of resources of occupied territories for the benefit of the occupier without the consent of the legitimate authority.
Kiel
Having seen its first ever LNG fuelling in May, the Port of Kiel has announced that, for the first time, two cruise vessels have bunkered LNG on the same day. The bunker operations took place on June 10, 2023, and involved the 'AIDAnova' – which became the first vessel to bunker LNG at the port in May – and MSC Cruises’ latest ship, the 'MSC Euribia'. The bunkering of the AIDA Cruises vessel by Titan capped its third fuelling at the Port of Kiel while LNG for the 'MSC Euribia' was supplied by Nordic energy company Gasum. MSC Cruises and Gasum have inked a long-term agreement for LNG supply to the 'MSC Euribia'. The companies have also signed a letter of intent (LOI) which aims to secure liquefied synthetic gas (e-LNG).
Iskenderun
The fire at the Port of Iskenderun has finally been extinguished, Turkey's ministry of defense announced on Feb 7. It was the second time that the ministry has reported that the fire has been put out; after the previous announcement, the blaze resumed at scale, and firefighters managed to contain it later that night. Iskenderun's container terminal is still closed due to the severe structural damage, which forced the facility to halt all operations. The magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck southern Turkey on Feb 6 had a significant impact on the port, toppling stacks of containers and cracking pavement. The physical damage is severe enough that container lines were diverting vessels to other ports, like nearby Mersin. The quake also sparked a fire in the center of the terminal's container storage area. Turkey's coast guard deployed a vessel to apply water from the quayside, and the Turkish air force and army sent aircraft to drop fire retardant on the blaze. The fire spread despite these efforts, but was finally contained in the night of Feb 7. Report with video: https://maritime-executive.com/article/fire-at-port-of-iskenderun-extinguished-after-two-days
FRENCH WARSHIP
The French Navy was conducting an SAR operation for a crew member of the 'Forbin', an escort ship for the aircraft carrier ' Charles-de-Gaulle', who went missing at sea, as the carrier strike group was preparing to return to Toulon after a five-month mission, ion the night of April 23, 2025. After he was reported missing, searches were launched on board in vain. The carrier battle group, which was sailing 150 nautical miles south of the Toulon coast, immediately turned back to conduct a search at sea. An Atlantique-2 maritime surveillance aircraft joined the search late in the night. The strike group had left Toulon at the end of Nov 2024 for the "Clemenceau 25" mission, which took it as far east as the Philippines. In addition to the aircraft carrier, it is comprised of a replenishment ship, three frigates, and a nuclear-powered attack submarine.
VICTORIA K
The 'Victoria K' is among those vessels, the Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence Service has idientfied to be involved in Russia's export of coking coal from temporarily occupied territories through the port of Mariupol, as part of a deliberate strategy to exploit the occupied territories, violating international law and the rules of warfare. The 'Alfa M' exported about 40.000 tons, the 'Alfa 1' more than 20,000 tons of coking coal, the 'Alpha Hermes' more than 5,000 tons, the "Victoria K' more than 20,000 tons, and the 'Victoria V' more than 35,000 tons, totalling to 120,000 tons of coal. The value of this coal will be sufficient to produce thousands of tons of steel. Russia is using the occupied Ukrainian territories as a source of raw materials to secure its economy. which is a serious violation of international humanitarian law, including the 1907 Hague Convention, which prohibits the use of resources of occupied territories for the benefit of the occupier without the consent of the legitimate authority.
Greenock
One of Scotland’s main cruise ports is set to experience its busiest year since records began. Greenock Ocean Terminal has 91 cruise liners booked into the Inverclyde town’s new dedicated pontoon across 2023 – a rise of over 25 per cent on last year. As many as 150,000 passengers and 38,000 crew members are expected to pass through the port over the course of this year. It’s more good news for the terminal in its second full season since Covid effectively closed down the cruise industry. Jim McSporran, Clydeport Port Director at Peel Ports said: “We’re extremely proud to be announcing a record cruise year for Greenock Ocean Terminal. “Welcoming cruise liners to Greenock is a hugely important aspect of our port offering and we’re delighted that we continue to attract and grow cruise numbers to the region. “This increase in tourism will benefit visitor attractions and businesses across Inverclyde and central Scotland, and we look forward to welcoming these visitors across the season.” “In an effort to showcase the port as the cruise gateway to the West Coast of Scotland, this year we are also investing in a promotional campaign to feature at the global cruise industry’s key annual gathering in the U.S.” Councillor Stephen McCabe, leader of Inverclyde Council, said: “The cruise sector here in Inverclyde continues to go from strength to strength and I’m delighted that this year is set to be the busiest yet with record numbers of ships and passengers, as well as a substantial number of crew visiting these shores. “It’s timely that with 2023 shaping up to be a bumper year for cruise calls that the finishing touches are being put on our new state-of-the-art Greenock cruise ship visitor centre which will provide our guests from around the world with a first class welcome to Inverclyde and the west coast of Scotland.
Iskenderun
Thick black smoke was rising from burning containers at Iskenderun Port on Feb 6, 2023. The fire was caused by containers that toppled over during the powerful earthquake that struck southeast Turkey. ATurkish Coast Guard vessel was assisting efforts to extinguish the blaze.
TRANOY
On the morning of April 24, the servoce of the "Tranøy", serving between Bognes and Lødingen, had to cancelled by the operator Torghatten until further notice due to technical problems. All departures for the route, starting from 12:45 a.m. until the departure at 11:30 p.m. were cancelled. which also affected the bus from Bodø to Sortland on Line 100. The departure from the Lødingen ferry pier at 12:45 p.m, was delayed 1.5 hours due to the canceled ferry service. The ship remained sidelined in Lødingen for troubleshooting.
ALPHA HERMES
The 'Alpha Hermes' is among those vessels, the Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence Service has idientfied to be involved in Russia's export of coking coal from temporarily occupied territories through the port of Mariupol, as part of a deliberate strategy to exploit the occupied territories, violating international law and the rules of warfare. The 'Alfa M' exported about 40.000 tons, the 'Alfa 1' more than 20,000 tons of coking coal, the 'Alpha Hermes' more than 5,000 tons, the "Victoria K' more than 20,000 tons, and the 'Victoria V' more than 35,000 tons, totalling to 120,000 tons of coal. The value of this coal will be sufficient to produce thousands of tons of steel. Russia is using the occupied Ukrainian territories as a source of raw materials to secure its economy. which is a serious violation of international humanitarian law, including the 1907 Hague Convention, which prohibits the use of resources of occupied territories for the benefit of the occupier without the consent of the legitimate authority.
Ashkelon
One person is was and two others were missing after a crane collapsed into the water on an Ashkelon pier latein the night of March 14, 2023. The collapse of the crane was caused by unusual weather and strong winds. The injured person was in moderate condition and is receiving treatment at Barzilai Medical Center. Attempts to contact two people who had been working on the site of the crane have been unsuccessful, leading police to believe that they were missing after falling into the sea. Extensive search and rescue efforts were commenced with the help of police diving units, the elite 669 Search and Rescue unit, the Israeli Navy and others. The body of a man of about 60 years of age was found on Beersheba Beach in Ashdod on March 15. The gas pier at the Rotenberg power plant in Ashkelon was damaged. The Electric Company formed a team to investigate the incident. Reports with photos: https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-734237 https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-734373
Kiel
The Port of Kiel expects another good season in 2023, resulting in 218 cruise calls, said its MD Dirk Claus in the morning of Jan 17, 2023, as part of a presentation reflecting on last year's results. It follows 2022's record-breaking 244 calls, which saw the port handle over 2.24m passengers, 836,000 of those from cruise vessels. The number of calls in 2019 was 37% less by comparison, numbering 178, and passenger volumes 4.1% lower. 2020 had been forecast to become a record season for Kiel, with 200 calls and 880,000 passengers, but aspirations were dashed owing to the pandemic. This year, a number of larger vessels are scheduled to arrive at Kiel on multiple occasions making the gross tonnage of arriving ships similar to 2022. For 2023, the choice of routes and destinations approached from Kiel will be slightly broader. Moving into the future, Claus expects Kiel to settle on between 200 and 250 cruise calls annually. According to the port, last year’s promising results were the result of ‘intense planning’ with international cruise operators. While 11 calls were cancelled owing to the conflict in Ukraine and the resulting loss of St Petersburg from itineraries, nine were newly added as a result of rerouting by operators. Looking ahead, there will be a strong focus on greener shipping with Claus hoping that between 60 and 100 calls can be supplied with green shore power this year. He stated that Kiel will continue to look at strengthening shore power in line with its corporate sustainability strategy to lower carbon emissions. Work on the new Ostuferhafen shore power plant is expected to conclude towards the end of this year, resulting in Kiel being able to offer shoreside connectivity at all its ferry and cruise terminals from 2024. Along with this €17m investment, a further €2m will be invested to install solar arrays. The systems, which will be fitted on roofs at Kiel Port, are intended to cover up to 30% of the port's electricity requirements in the long term. Kiel’s first call is expected to arrive April 7 with the river vessel 'Frederic Chopin'. The first cruise ship of the season, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ 'Balmoral', will arrive a week later. The largest ships to call will be 'MSC Euribia' and 'AIDAnova'. At the other end of the scale, the 'Ocean Majesty' will visit Kiel on six occasions while chartered to Hansa Touristik. The vessel, which celebrates its 57th anniversary this year, is popular with the German source market. One of its calls is scheduled to occur on June 18 during the Kieler Woche sailing festival which will run from June 17-25. Traditionally, this marks the peak of the cruise season with this year no exception: 22 calls are expected by Kiel at the same time as the event takes place. While the highest number of calls is expected between mid-April and the end of September as usual, some ships will continue to call later in the year. 'AIDAnova'’s last departure is scheduled for November 4 whilst December 20 will see Phoenix Reisen's 'Amera' arrive at Kiel as part of a pre-Christmas itinerary. The season will draw to a close a few days later with the 'Spirit of Discovery' on December 29. Costa-, AIDA-, MSC- and TUI Cruises will again be the port's largest cruise customers. The majority of calls account for turnarounds serving the German-speaking source markets, but a number of transit calls will also take place, P&O Cruises’ Britannia, Swiss Ruby, Holland America Line’s 'Nieuw Statendam' and Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ 'Seven Seas Splendor' among them. As in previous years, the Ostuferhafen outside the city centre will be heavily utilised by MSC Cruises and most other cruise ships will arrive at the Ostseekai.