News

On the evening of Feb 3, 2025, the 'Musse' , which had set off from Strandby on Feb 2, caught fire 18 nautical miles east of Skagen. At 7:47 p.m., the Skagen Rescue Station received the report of the fire, and a major rescue operation was launched. The lifeboat 'FRB 08' was deployed to the scene as well as an SAR helicopter of the Danish Armed Forces. When the rescuers arrived at the position, the only fisherman aboard the cutter had already been rescued by a nearby cutter. The 'Musse', hiowever, was completely engulfed in flames. The rescuers had to stay at a distance for fear of an explosion. After some time, the flames began to subside, and in cooperation with the Danish Armed Forces Operations Center JRCC, it was decided to send the lifeboat 'Lars Kruse«', which is equipped with powerful fire pumps that could try to extinguish the fire. At the same time, the 'FRB 08' returned to the port of Skagen. While the fire raged, the cutter slowly drifted into Swedish waters, after which the Swedish coastal rescue service took over and continued the effort. After several hours of extinguishing work, the burnt-out cutter was finally towed to the port of Skagen. On Feb 4 at 6.54 a.m., the North Jutland Emergency Service was called to the port, after heavy smoke had been observed from the "Musse". It was decided to send smoke divers aboard to locate the new fire and at the same time ensure that the fire was completely extinguished. Reports with photo:s https://thefishingdaily.com/danish-fishing-industry-news/burning-fishing-vessel-drifts-into-swedish-waters-near-skagen/ https://fiskerforum.dk/fisker-reddet-fra-kutterbrand-i-skagerrak/?_gl=1*4udesr*_up*MQ..*_ga*NjEyMDUzMzkxLjE3Mzg2NTczNjg.*_ga_Y9J8VY7CKN*MTczODY1NzM2Ny4xLjAuMTczODY1NzM2Ny4wLjAuMA..

Nearly five months after a previous sale of the 'Elwha' was canceled, Washington State Ferries (WSF) has found a new buyer for the ferry, which was purchased by the Everett Ship Repair for $100,000 on Jan 23, 2025. A tug was scheduled to arrive at the Bainbridge Island Ferry Terminal at 9 a.m. to begin to move the vessel. Everett Ship Repair plans to convert the ferry into a floating office and warehouse space at its shipyard after some modifications. In Aug 2024, Nelson Armas attempted to tow the 'Elwha' and 'Klahowya' to Ecuador after purchasing both from WSF. He hired four sailors to tow the ferries, but the towing equipment malfunctioned. The sale was cancelled and WSF returned the ferries to the Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility on Bainbridge Island. The men alleged to the Seattle Seafarers Center that Armas left them with inadequate supplies, saying they did not have enough food or water and hadn't been paid. Eventually, the crew was deported by Customs and Border Patrol because their work permits were no longer valid. Armas denies the allegations of mistreatment.

Currently, more than 4,000 TEUs of import containers can be unloaded every day allowing vessels to complete loading and unloading goods at a faster rate, which helps reduce the vessels' stay time at jetties. Vessels' berth occupancy time that had reached 6-7 days last month came down to 3-4 days now, port officials said. The vessels' waiting time at the outer anchorage for getting berths has also dropped to 13-14 days from 16-18 days. Subsequently, the number of vessels waiting at the outer anchorage declined to 24 yesterday though the number hovered around 36 before the steps were taken. AIS Station -BDCGP

22 and 36 nautical miles Northwest of Libreville the latest acts of piracy occurred in positions 00° 30.50’N 009°06.21’E and 00° 55.24N 009° 08 09E and involved two fishing trawlers named 'amerger II' and 'Amerger VIIÄ – the first taking place 20 nautical miles off Libreville and the second 36 n.miles off Libreville. Both incidents involved a single speedboat described as a skiff powered by three engines and having 13 pirates on board. The pirates were reported as being English-speakers which gives rise to suspicions of them being of Nigerian origin, despite this being some distance from Nigeria. The boarding of each trawler resulted in three of the crew from each vessel being kidnapped. The nationalities of those kidnapped are reported as three Indonesian, two Senegalese, and one South Korean.

On Jan 23, 2025, the 'Lider Haluk' was detained in Chioggia with 14 deficiencies as the result of a port state inspection, seven of which being regarded as seriously and grounds for a detention: 1) Fire safety - Fire fighting equipment and Appliances Not as required 2) Fire safety - Fire doors/openings in fireresisting division Not as required 3) Fire safety - Fire detection and alarm systems Not as required 4) Fire safety - Means of escape Unsafe 5) Fire safety - Division - decks, bulkheads and penetrations Not as required 6) Safety of navigation - Charts Not updated 7) ISM - Ism certificate Not as required The vessel was released again on Feb 1 and has remained stationary in Chioggia since and as of Feb 4. The inspection, howeverm, led to a refusal of access to Paris-MOU ports for three months. The last detention was on July 5, 2024, also in Chioggia, with 22 deficiencies for 12 days. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063576908591

On Feb 3, 2025, the scheduled 7 a.m. departure of the 'Coastal Inspiration' from Tsawwassen and the sailing at 9 a.m. from Swartz Bay had to be cancelled due to mechanical issues. Other sailings on the route wer eexpected to run as scheduled, starting with the 7 a.m. departure from Swartz Bay and the 9 a.m. sailing out of Tsawwassen. The first run to Vancouver Island was cancelled because of a mechanical difficulty with the drive motor. An engineering team investigatedthe issue on board.

The Department of Shipping (DoS) has asked the shipping lines not to realise container detention charge on import and export shipments during the lockdown period, spurred by COVID-19 outbreak. The shipping lines are also advised not to impose any new or additional charges until May 5 when the 41-day shutdowns end. The department issued the advisory on Wednesday, which sparked resentment among the shipping agents in the country. Usually, containers get free time for 14 days after the common landing date and thereafter charged between $5 and $10 per day as detention charge until the importers return those to the port or off-docks. Associate director of Transmarine Logistics Ltd, the local agent of Yang Ming Line, Mohammad Ahsanuzzaman told the FE on Thursday most shipping lines operate their fleet on a leasing basis and pay for the rental daily. Due to the prolonged congestions at the Chittagong port, the containers now have to stay for 15 days at the outer anchorage and at berth, compared with a minimum of three to four days in recent past, he said. During the shutdown period, the containers are lying at the Chittagong port for several weeks when the designated free days expire. "The shipping lines will have to pay container rent besides the opportunity cost, but now the shipping department is asking us not to charge detention fee on importers, which is a mere cost recovery for the liners. This is not acceptable at all when you consider the impact of COVID-19 has on us," he said. "Shipping lines will incur huge financial losses if the order is implemented," said Mr Ahsanuzzaman. Chairman of the Bangladesh Shipping Agents Association (BSAA) Ahsanul Huq Chowdhury told the FE on Thursday vessels are staying at the outer anchorage and berth for weeks and counting millions of taka as demurrage. Deptt order angers shipping agentsA few days back, shipping agents had requested the government to waive some charges like port dues, pilotage fees, berthing and unbreathing tariffs, quay gantry crane, loading or discharging the container, storage charges, container and non-CPA equipment, and store rent for containers at off-docks. "The government paid no heed to our appeal rather issued an order not to realise the detention charge," Mr Chowdhury said. He said the department issued the advisory in line with the measures taken in Indian ports. But the reality is there is no such congestions in Indian ports and vessels there enter and leave in time while at the Chittagong port an additional two weeks are required in ship handling, he said. After the shipping department's advisory, he wrote that the imposition or waiver of detention charge of containers depends on foreign principals. "The principals may not consider the waiving of the container detention charge unless the government waives or reduces port tariffs for vessels," he noted. AIS station, Chittagong

On April 30, 2020, at 11.15 a.m. the NSRI Port Elizabeth duty crew were alerted by TNPA (Transnet National Ports Authority) requesting assistance to evacuate a Filipino crew member of a bunkering tanker at anchorage off-shore of the Port of Port Elizabeth. The man required transportation to a dentist as soon as possible and considering the Covid-19 lockdown the Port Health Authorities advised the tasking of NSRI to carry out the operation, taking into consideration that NSRI are well prepared for all Covid-19 Department of Health protocols, regulations and precautions. At 1 p.m. the sea rescue craft 'JLT Rescuer' was launched and rendezvoused with the tanker thre miles off Port Elizabeth in calm seas. The patient was transferred onto the sea rescue craft and he was brought to shore and transported to a dentist appointment by the ships agent. At 3.30 p.m. the patient returned to the Port of Port Elizabeth and he boarded our sea rescue craft JLT Rescuer and we transported him back to the ship and returned to base without incident.

On Jan 19, 2025, the Runner' was detained in Ahus with 34 deficiencies, five of which being regarded as seriously and grounds for a detention: 1) Fire safety - Fire doors openings in fire resisting division Not as required 2) Fire safety - Vnetilation Not as required 3) Radio communications - MF Radio Installation Inoperative 4) Life saving Appliances - Embarkation arrangement survival craft Not properly maintained 5) ISM - Ism certificate Not as required The vessel was released again on Jan 30 and left the port en route to Klintehamn, where it arrived on Feb 3. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063576908591

The 'Atoll', en route from Duisburg to Ghent, ran aground on the Main in pos. 49° 57' N 009° 46' E on Jan 31, 2025, at 3 p.m. and became wedged between the two banks at the port of the Karlstadt Schwenk cement works. Probably the helmsman had underestimated the current on the river. The ship was refloated on Feb 1 at around 9 a.m. UTC with the help of the icebreaking tugs 'Grassmann' (MMSI: 211661130) and 'Angermünde' (MMSI 211660870) and moved into the port basin of the Laudenbach industrial area. Reports with photos: https://www.mainpost.de/regional/main-spessart/vermutlich-wieder-die-stroemung-unterschaetzt-im-schwenk-hafen-hat-sich-das-naechste-schiff-auf-dem-main-verkeilt-art-11703608 https://www.tvmainfranken.de/gueterschiff-steckt-wieder-fest-bereits-zweite-havarie-an-selber-stelle-376223/ https://www.br.de/nachrichten/bayern/eisbrecher-bergen-querstehendes-gueterschiff-auf-dem-main,UbYKV3G

The Mexican tank m/v ’Irmã Dulce’, 72900 dwt (IMO: 9548691), which was under construction at Estalairo Maua in Rio de Janeiro, suffered water ingress in the engine room and aft peak in the night of May 4, 2020. The stern came to rest on bthe bottom at a water depth of four to five meters. The accident was apparently caused by a leaking valve. In the afternoon of May 5 divers managed to stabilize the ship. It was the second of a series of four for Transpetro and was launched in 2014. The order for all three ships still under construction was later canceled. The Panamax had currently been 95% completed. Report with photo: https://splash247.com/near-complete-brazilian-tanker-newbuild-sinks-at-pier/ .

On May 2, 2020, at 08.50 a.m. the NSRI Port Elizabeth duty crew and EC Government Health EMS were activated by the Transnet National Ports Authority to respond to rendezvous with a bulk carrier approaching Port Elizabeth from Cape Town to attend to a 52 year old Iraqi crew member onboard the ship suffering an emergency medical condition, not Covid-19 related. The sea rescue craft 'Spirit of Toft' was launched accompanied by an EMS rescue paramedic and rendezvoused with the ship seven miles East of Cape Recife. The EMS rescue paramedic and an NSRI rescue swimmer were transferred onto the ship and the patient was found to be in a critical condition. The paramedic took over emergency medical treatment from the ships medical crew and the patient, secured into a stokes basket stretcher, was transferred onto the sea rescue craft and the EMS paramedic and NSRI medics continued with medical care onboard the sea rescue craft while the patient was brought to the NSRI Port Elizabeth sea rescue base and in the care of paramedics he was transported to hospital by EMS ambulance. Despite extensive efforts by hospital medical staff the patient passed away.