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The Coast Guard Cutter 'Kimball (WMSL 756)' offloaded approximately 18,898 pounds of cocaine, with an estimated value of more than $214.3 million, on April 24, 2025, in San Diego. The offload was a result of six separate suspected drug smuggling vessel interdictions or events off the coasts of Mexico and Central and South America by the 'Kimball' and the F'orward' during the months of February through April. Multiple U.S. agencies, including the Departments of Defense, Justice, and Homeland Security, collaboradte in the effort to combat transnational organized crime. The Coast Guard, Navy, Customs and Border Protection, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, along with allied and international partner agencies, all played a role in counter-narcotic operations.   Report with photos and video: https://www.news.uscg.mil/Press-Releases/Article/4165700/coast-guard-offloads-more-than-214-million-worth-of-illegal-cocaine-in-san-diego/

On the morning of April 25, 2025, the Corfu Port Authority was informed by the Captain of the 'Superfast I',that a 62-year-old Greek crew member, the Chief Financial Officer, required hospital treatment. The ship was sailing two nautical miles north of the island of Vidos, Corfu, on the scheduled route Patras-Igoumenitsa-Bari. The ferry proceeded to the port of Corfu, where the man was disembarked and transported by an ambulance to the General Hospital of Corfu for further medical examinations and hospitalization. The ship then continued on its scheduled route.

The Port of Kiel concluded this year’s cruise season with the call of AIDA Cruises’ AIDAnova on Nov 4. The port welcomed a total of 215 ship calls from 26 companies and a total of 1,174,000 cruise passengers, marking the port’s busiest season ever. “We are closing the 2023 season with a good result. The development in the tourism industry shows a clear trend towards the cruise sector, which was also evident in Kiel this season. “For us, the main issue is to make maritime tourism more environmentally friendly on the port side. Shore power was the dominant topic for us and will continue to be so in the coming season,” said Dirk Claus, managing director of SEEHAFEN KIEL GmbH & Co. Among the ships that visited the port during 2023 was ​​the 'Disney Dream', the first ship from Disney Cruise Line to be welcomed in Kiel, as well as MSC Cruises’ 'MSC Euribia'. Earlier this year, the port of Kiel achieved a milestone by becoming the first German port to supply a ship with liquidified natural gas. Since then, the' AIDAnova' and 'MSC Euribia' have regularly bunkered LNG in the port of Kiel.

Ukrainian forces struck the Russian naval base in Sevastopol, in Russian-occupied Crimea 150 miles south of the Ukraine front line on Sep 13, 2023. Fires were raging across a drydock that exploded in the early morning, which cradled two warships, the Ropucha-class amphibious vessel 'Minsk' and the Kilo-class submarine 'Rostov on Don'. The Black Sea Fleet could lose two more of its roughly 30 large ships—ships it can’t replace until Russia’s wider war on Ukraine ends and Turkey reopens the Bosphorus Strait connecting the Black Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. A nighttime drone-boat attack on the landing ship 'Olenegorsky Gornyak' in Novorossiysk, a port in southern Russia just 70 miles east of Russian-occupied Crimea, brought to four the number of major Black Sea Fleet warships the Ukrainian navy definitely has put out of action. The losses include the landing ship 'Saratov', blasted by a ballistic missile in March 2022; the cruiser 'Moskva', holed by an anti-ship missile the following month; the rescue ship 'Vasily Bekh', another victim of an anti-ship missile; and then the 'Olenegorsky Gornyak', which entered a drydock a few days after the Ukrainian attack—and may be out of the war, for good. The Ukrainians also have sank or badly damaged several Russian patrol boats and landing craft—and also recently ejected Russian forces from a pair of captured Ukrainian oil platforms that the Russians had been using as naval outposts in the western Black Sea. The sinkings and raids are a remarkable feat for a Ukrainian fleet that, after scuttling its sole frigate in the early hours of the Russian invasion in February 2022, apparently has just one large ship left: an aging landing ship that has been hiding out near the mouth of the Dnipro River and occasionally lobbing short-range rockets at Russian forces. The Ukrainian navy now effectively is a shipless navy, but no less dangerous for its lack of large hulls. Between its locally-made Neptune anti-ship missiles and Western-made Harpoon ASMs, as well as its missile-armed TB-2 drones and one-way drone boats, the Ukrainian navy isn’t just holding the Russian Black Sea Fleet at bay, it actively is beating back the fleet. Russian warships staging from Crimea are under constant assault; as of last month, ships in Russia proper are at risk, too. When Russian warships leave port, they do so briefly—usually only long enough to launch a few cruise missiles at Ukrainian cities. The Russian fleet’s security is going to get worse before it gets better. The number and variety of deep-strike weapons with which Ukrainian forces can attack the fleet steadily are growing. The Ukrainian industry is developing a new thousand-mile cruise missile; and the administration of U.S. president Joe Biden reportedly has signaled it will donate to Ukraine Army Tactical Missile System ballistic rockets that range as far as 190 miles. Either prospective new weapon could hit Sevastopol from the Ukrainian side of the front line. And the steady drumbeat of Ukrainian attacks on Russian ships is clear evidence that Ukrainian intelligence has no problem pinpointing the ships’ locations. Reports with photos and videos: https://gagadget.com/en/314212-one-of-the-best-vr-games-on-pc-half-life-shooter-until-19-september-alyx-costs-20-on-steam/ https://www.newsweek.com/photos-russian-landing-ship-submarine-damage-crimea-drydocks-hit-sevastopol-1826581

The 'Kimball (WMSL 756)' offloaded approximately 18,898 pounds of cocaine, with an estimated value of more than $214.3 million, on April 24, 2025, in San Diego. The offload was a result of six separate suspected drug smuggling vessel interdictions or events off the coasts of Mexico and Central and South America by the 'Kimball' and another Coast Guard Cutter, the F'orward' during the months of February through April. Multiple U.S. agencies, including the Departments of Defense, Justice, and Homeland Security, collaboradte in the effort to combat transnational organized crime. The Coast Guard, Navy, Customs and Border Protection, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, along with allied and international partner agencies, all played a role in counter-narcotic operations.   Report with video: https://www.news.uscg.mil/Press-Releases/Article/4165700/coast-guard-offloads-more-than-214-million-worth-of-illegal-cocaine-in-san-diego/

On April 24, 2025, the motor boat 'Cutty All', with two crew members on board, issued a mayday call on VHF channel 16, with no clear position, near Maó. The CCS Palma of Salvamento Marítimo mobilized the 'Salvamar Antares' to assist. The SAR boat located the disabled boat near the rocky shore and took it in tow. It was safely pulled to Maó. https://x.com/salvamentogob/status/1915388301860630808

Ukraine has managed a serious blow against the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Crimea on Nov 4, 2023, severely damaging the corvette 'Askold', that was docked at the Zaliv shipyard during successful attacks on the shipping and port infrastructure of the Zaliv shipyard in the temporarily occupied city of Kerch. The “Askold”, which is able to carry up to eight Kalibr or Onyx guided missiles, has been hit by at least one Ukrainian cruise missile. The upper part of the ship was significantly damaged. The damage and destruction of warships of this type is important for the security of Ukraine. Reports with photos: https://www.merkur.de/politik/ukraine-krieg-krim-schwarzmeerflotte-russland-flotte-kiew-moskau-zr-92657747.html https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/ukrainian-forces-hit-russian-ship-in-kerch-aftermath-photo/ar-AA1julmU?ocid=weather-verthp-feeds

During a Ukrainian attack in the morning of Aug 4, 2023, in Novorossyisk, the Russian landing craft ÄOlenegorski Gornjak-SDK 91' of the Ropucha class was severly damaged by a maritime drone carrying a 450 kg warhead. The explosion of the drone caused a significant water leak, as well as a strong list to port side, which could lead to the total loss of the ship. The military port of Novorossiysk (Krasnodar Krai) was attacked by several Ukrainian maritime drones. It should be noted that the port in question is very far from the Ukrainian front lines with maritime access, and even more from Ukrainian ports. For example, a drone that left Odessa must have traveled at least 700 kilometres, unless a ship of camouflaged commerce in the Eastern Black Sea deployed the drones used in this attack. The LST was towed by a tug towards the port, the latest videos show it on the side of the entrance to the military port. With 3,450 tons, it is the third largest Ukrainian attack against the Russian Navy in the Black Sea, after the loss of the cruiser 'Moskva' and the loss of a Alligator-class tank landing ship and damage to two Ropucha-class tank landing ships after a Ukrainian Tochka missile attack on the port of Berdyansk. The LST had previously made headlines by being used as ferries between Crimea and mainland Russia to help civilian ferries provide the only direct connection after the Crimean road bridge explosion. While this is indeed the first attack by maritime drones in this Russian region, the neighboring port of Tuapse had also been attacked by aerial drones, once again demonstrating the capacity of the Armed Forces Ukrainians to project means, albeit light, at very long distances. Reports with photos and video: https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/security/2023/08/northern-fleet-ship-seriously-damaged-drone-attack https://air-cosmos.com/article/attaque-a-novorossiisk-un-navire-de-debarquement-russe-tres-serieusement-endommage-par-un-drone-ukrainien-65581

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has determined that an inexperienced pilot’s failure to compensate for outdraft current, combined with cell phone use, led to the allision of the 'Amber Brittany' with a vane dake on the Ohio River on March 8, 2024. The tug was pushing 15 barges and navigating out of the McAlpine Locks in Louisville, Kentucky, when the accident happened. The allision caused the tow to break apart, sending 10 barges downstream and resulting in approximately $1.3 million in damage to barges, cargo, and dam gates. The accident sequence began as the 'Amber Brittany' made a port turn while passing under the L&I Railroad Bridge. The vessel encountered a strong outdraft current, created by nearly fully open dam gates and rising river levels. Despite the pilot’s attempts, they failed to effectively counteract the current’s force. Two critical factors contributed to the accident. First, the pilot lacked experience navigating the McAlpine Locks and Dam area. While company personnel believed the pilot had previous Ohio River experience, they later admitted to investigators having no prior operations in the area. Second, cell phone records showed the pilot was actively using their personal phone immediately before the incident, with text messages coinciding with the vessel’s departure from its intended course. The safety board specifically addressed the dangers of mobile device use in challenging navigation situations. Using cell phones and other wireless electronic devices has been demonstrated to be visually, manually, and cognitively distracting, and sending or reading text messages is potentially even more distracting than talking because texting requires visual attention to the display screen of the device. Rull report: https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/MIR2514.pdf

A fire destroyed the opening motors of the BIZERTE port bridge on July 26, 2023. The port remained closed to navigation from that date untill November 19. 2023, date of the re-opening of the Port to navigation.

At the last weekend, the port of Kiel reached the mark of one million cruise passengers in one season for the first time. On Sep 16, 2023,, the MSC EURIBIA, AIDANOVA and EXCELLENCE CORAL called at the PORT OF KIEL, and on Sep 17 the AIDABELLA and AIDALUNA visited the Ostsee Quay. Kiel had already seen a positive trend in the cruise business in recent years, which had been put on hold by the slump during the Corona pandemic. In addition to the strong presence of the major European cruise lines AIDA, Costa, MSC and TUI, in recent years North American shipping companies, such as Holland America Line, Norwegian Cruise Line and Disney Cruise Line, have increasingly chosen Kiel as a cruise destination in the Baltic Sea region for their fleets. As recently as 2022, Kiel's seaport recorded its busiest season ever with 243 calls and 835,000 passengers. For the current season 2023, 222 cruise calls have been announced.

On Jan 7, 2020, the Civil Protection, National Guard and Customs Guard units evacuated the crew of the 'Hamada S' which had rund aground on the coast of Bizerte near Errimel at the the Rimal beach on Dec 11, 2019, at dawn. Among the 11 sailors were two Syrians, two Egyptians and six Indians. The decision to take them off was made for humanitarian reasons because they no longer had enough provisions on board. They were repatriated on Jan 6, 2020.. The ship had been broken down off Bizerte two days ago, but the local authorities had denied access to the port and requested the ship to accept tug assistance. The captain refused to pay for the towing services after lengthy negotiations before the ropes broke due to bad weather on Dec 10. The ship had arrived from Algeria and was bound to a repair yard in Menzel Bourguiba, but was prevented from crossing the canal by bad weather. The stormy seas had brought it stepwise closer to the coast. The civil protection and the Maritime Guard as well as the regional authorities represented by the governor of the region arrived at the scene. The wreck remained in situ as of April 2025, but had developed an increased list to starboard site since the inital grounding. Photos: https://www.shipspotting.com/photos/3656735?navList=gallery&imo=7946643&page=1&viewType=normal&sortBy=newest https://www.shipspotting.com/photos/3831280?navList=gallery&imo=7946643&page=1&viewType=normal&sortBy=newest https://www.shipspotting.com/photos/3831305?navList=gallery&imo=7946643&page=1&viewType=normal&sortBy=newest