News

The US Coast Guard was coordinating with local, state and federal agencies in response to an aircraft collision which occurred on the evening of Jan 29, 2025, over the Potomac River in Washington, killing all 67 people aboard the involved helicopter and plane. Coast Guard Sector Maryland - National Capital Region command center watchstanders received a report at approximately 8:55 p.m. reporting a helicopter and a commercial passenger aircraft collided in the vicinity of Ronald Reagan Airport. Response boat crews from the Coast Guard stations Washington, Curtis Bay, Annapolis, St. Inigoes, Oxford and Crisfield have deployed to the incident to conduct searches in coordination with local partners and enforce a safety zone. The cutters 'Sailfish', 'Bruckenthal', 'Kennebec' and 'Frank Drew' were sent to assist. An Urgent Marine Information Broadcast was issued regarding the incident and a safety zone has been established, securing all vessel traffic from the Woodrow Willson Bridge heading north along the Potomac River. Mariners are urged to avoid the area. Coast Guard pollution crews have mobilized and are pre-staged to respond to any pollution caused by the incident. The Coast Guard was working with the Army Corps of Engineers and Navy’s Supervisor of Salvage and Diving to coordinate removing the wreckage and restoring the waterways once able to do so. On Jan 30, response boat crews from Coast Guard Stations Washington, Curtis Bay, Annapolis, Oxford, Crisfield and the 'Sailfish' were on scene, working with local partners to ensure the safety of the maritime public and responders and enforcing a safety zone. Additional Coast Guard crews have mobilized to pre-stage pollution response equipment to mitigate potential environmental impacts from the incident. A safety zone has been established, restricting vessel traffic in all navigable waters north of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. Mariners are urged to avoid the area. Reports with photos: https://www.news.uscg.mil/Press-Releases/Article/4048888/update-1-coast-guard-multiple-partner-agencies-responding-to-plane-crash-in-pot/ https://apnews.com/article/ronald-reagan-national-airport-crash-62adba7fb1f546b4cf1716e42b86482b

The Greek shipping company Eurobulk Ltd. has pleaded guilty to having violated the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS) and having falsified records to hide the facts, after the 'Good Heart' was found to have discharged oily bilge water on at least two occasions directly into the sea, when it was inspected by US Coast Guard officials on April 29, 2023, in the port of Corpus Christi. The chief engineer of the vessel had also directed the crew to flush the oil-water separator with fresh water, effectively deceiving the meter on the OWS so that it showed that the oil content was within the limits. In addition, the Oil Record Book (ORB) was not updated with the discharges, which is a legal requirement for all ships under the APPS and MARPOL regulations. Eurobulk has been ordered to pay a criminal fine of $1.125 million and to serve a four-year probation, where the company will have to adhere to an environmental compliance plan. The chief engineer of the bulk carrier also pleaded guilty and was sentenced for failing to record the in ORB. He has been ordered to pay a $2000 fine.

Grand Bahama Shipyard (GBS) has officially resumed operations and welcomed back its first commercial vessel following Hurricane Dorian. The 57,062-ton crude oil tanker Agathonissos, owned by Greece-based Eletson, returned to the yard to complete repair works that began before the hurricane arrived in the Bahamas earlier this month. The shipyard also said it remains on track for the next planned cruise ship visit, Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Ecstasy, scheduled to arrive on October 5.

The American port of Brunswick has reopened on a “case by case” basis after Sunday’s capsizing of a car carrier in a nearby channel. The Golden Ray overturned with 24 crew members inside sparking a dramatic, successful rescue mission over the weekend. Authorities are still assessing how to remove the vessel, which is stuck on St Simons Sound. A half-mile perimeter has been established around the Golden Ray, which sits half in the water with its starboard side pointing skyward. An oil boom has been placed around the ship. Salvage teams are likely to start taking the bunker fuel from the ship this weekend.

The US Coast Guard was coordinating with local, state and federal agencies in response to an aircraft collision which occurred on the evening of Jan 29, 2025, over the Potomac River in Washington, killing all 67 people aboard the involved helicopter and plane. Coast Guard Sector Maryland - National Capital Region command center watchstanders received a report at approximately 8:55 p.m. reporting a helicopter and a commercial passenger aircraft collided in the vicinity of Ronald Reagan Airport. Response boat crews from the Coast Guard stations Washington, Curtis Bay, Annapolis, St. Inigoes, Oxford and Crisfield have deployed to the incident to conduct searches in coordination with local partners and enforce a safety zone. The cutters 'Sailfish', 'Bruckenthal', 'Kennebec' and 'Frank Drew' were sent to assist. An Urgent Marine Information Broadcast was issued regarding the incident and a safety zone has been established, securing all vessel traffic from the Woodrow Willson Bridge heading north along the Potomac River. Mariners are urged to avoid the area. Coast Guard pollution crews have mobilized and are pre-staged to respond to any pollution caused by the incident. The Coast Guard was working with the Army Corps of Engineers and Navy’s Supervisor of Salvage and Diving to coordinate removing the wreckage and restoring the waterways once able to do so. On Jan 30, response boat crews from Coast Guard Stations Washington, Curtis Bay, Annapolis, Oxford, Crisfield and the 'Sailfish' were on scene working with local partners to ensure the safety of the maritime public and responders and enforcing a safety zone. Additional Coast Guard crews have mobilized to pre-stage pollution response equipment to mitigate potential environmental impacts from the incident. A safety zone has been established, restricting vessel traffic in all navigable waters north of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. Mariners are urged to avoid the area. Reports with photos: https://www.news.uscg.mil/Press-Releases/Article/4048888/update-1-coast-guard-multiple-partner-agencies-responding-to-plane-crash-in-pot/ https://apnews.com/article/ronald-reagan-national-airport-crash-62adba7fb1f546b4cf1716e42b86482b

On the early morning Jan 30, 2025, the 'Marie Currie', en route from Huelva, sufffered a blackout when approaching the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The ship got out of control and allided with the quay during the docking manoever. The ship suffered a leak at the bulbous bow with ensuing water ingress, which could be contained by the crew with the means available on board. The Maritime Authority, bnned the ferry from sailing, which was awaiting a damage assessment and a decision regarding a repair at the Astican Shipyard. The cargo which was destined to the port of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria was transferred to the Fred. Olsen Cargo Express ferry “Bahía Cargo”. Balearia has scheduled the “Bentayga Cargo” as a freighter for the Huelva line and a double rotation for its twin “Bahía Cargo” on the eastern line. The Maritime Authority of Tenerife authorised the transfer of the “Marie Curie” from the dock at the riverside quay to the second alignment of the eastern dock, where Tenerife Shipyards is carrying out a makeshift repair that will allow it to travel to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria to enter the Astican Yard for permanent repairs, if it is finally deemed necessary.

The US Coast Guard is continuing efforts on containing an oil spill on the Mississippi River in New Orleans. First assets were deployed on September 11 after a helicopter aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans observed a sheen on the water earlier in the day during a routine overflight. Fifteen hundred feet of boom has been deployed to contain the sheen while oil spill response company OMI Environmental Solutions has been contracted to contain and recover the product. The Coast Guard is yet to provide details on the cause or source of the spill. The incident is still under investigation. In addition to US Coast Guard assets, Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator’s Office has joined the response effort and six oil spill response boats have been on site as of September 13.

Cyprus continues to address every facet of its maritime offering to lure more shipowners to the island. The country’s deputy minister for shipping Natasa Pilides has revealed plans to abolish initial ship registration fees to boost one of Europe’s fastest growing flags. Members of parliament will vote on the issue later this month with a view to making the regulation official in time for Cyprus’s shipping week, which kicks off on October 6. The Cypriot register today is the 11th largest in the world with 24.4m gt on its books.

The 'Finlaggan', serving on the route Kennacraig-Islay, suffered an issue with the bow door on the night of Jan 30, 2025. The failure resulted in the vessel operating delayed. The ferry sailed from Kennacraig at 7:20 p.m., one hour and 20 minutes late, and arrived in Port Askaig at 9:15 p.m. The scheduled sailing on Jan 31 at 07:00 a.m. from Kennacraig now departed at 08:00 a.m. and diverted to Port Askaig. The scheduled crossing from Port Ellen at 09:45 a.m. now departed from Port Askaig instead.

On Jan 28, 2025, the 'Gal' was detained in Antalya with 15 deficiencies, three of which being regarded as seriously and grounds for a detention: 1) Structural conditions - Wheelhouse, door-window Cracked 2) Emergency systems - Emergency lighting, batteries and switces Inoperative 3) Emergency systems - Public adress system Inoperative The vessel was released again Jan 29 and left the port enroute to Rhodes with an ETA as of Jan 31. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063576908591

Dutch dredging and offshore outfit Royal Boskalis Westminster has been awarded contracts in the United Kingdom and Romania worth a combined €85m ($94m). Portsmouth City Council has contracted Boskalis to construct new sea defenses in Southsea, near Portsmouth, in a joint venture with VolkerStevin. Boskalis will deploy a large trailing suction hopper dredger to replenish the beach and will construct revetments using rock barges. Project execution is expected to start early 2020 and is estimated to take five years.

The port in Northern Ireland has committed GB£254m of investment to deliver new marine and estate infrastructure. Belfast Harbour’s investment is part of a 2019-2023 Strategic Plan to boost Northern Ireland’s economy. The plan focuses on increased collaboration and partnerships with key city stakeholders to drive growth and regeneration in Belfast’s waterfront area and has been unveiled alongside an outlook through to 2035. Belfast Harbour’s chairman, David Dobbin, said: “Over the next five years Belfast Harbour intends to invest £254 million in new Port and estate infrastructure and facilities. This major investment programme is really only possible because of our Trust Port status which allows us to reinvest every penny of our net earnings back into the business.” Belfast Harbour will upgrade its cranes and material handling equipment, install new ramps to accommodate larger vessels and build new storage facilities. Work will also begin on digital ‘Smart Port’ initiatives to provide greater automation and a new unified system to coordinate cargo and shipping communications.