After entering the port of Pozzallo on Jujne 15, the Italian authorities have detained the 'Sey Eye 5' on teh evening of June 16. The Italian authorities justified the measure with alleged violations by the crew of instructions from the MRCC in Rome. Sea-Eye announced that it would take legal action against the detention. The ship had rescued 65 refugees from an overcrowded rubber dinghy about 50 nautical miles off the Libyan coast on Juen 14 and brought them to Sicily. Among the rescued were numerous women and several seriously injured. Upon the arrival in Pozzallo, the crew of the 'Sea-Eye 5' was initially not allowed to disembark all of the rescued people as planned. After several hours of negotiations with the Italian authorities, the y were brought ashore safely. The authorities initially quarantined the rescue ship.
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SPEEDRUNNER JET 2
On June 17, 2025, at midday, the Port Authority of Skopelos was informed by the Captain of the 'Speeddrunner Jet 2' about a failure of the starboard side ramp during the mechanical release process. As a consequence, the departure of the ferry was delayed. Following the manual closure of the ramp, the ship departed for Glossa, Skiathos and Mantoudi at 315 p.m., instead of the scheduled at 1:40 p.m., with 140 passengers, 18 cars, 3 RVs and one camper on board.
MELITA
The 'Melita', while listing heavily to port side with a flooded hull, has remained afloat. Its buoyancy was increased with additional balloons so that it may towed to the port of Zadar. While it was kept stable for now by the tug 'Pollux',, towing may cause additional flooding with the risk of sinking completely. Work was underway to stabilize and inspect the catamaran so that it can be towed to a safe berth, after which an investigation into the causes of this maritime accident can begin by the National Center for Coordination of Search and Rescue at Sea in Rijeka. The Agency for the Investigation of Accidents in Air, Sea and Rail Transport will conduct an on-site investigation to determine the circumstances of the accident. The "Melita" will most likely end up in the shipyard in Betina or Šibenik. After the ship had passed Ždrelac, it was hit by severe swell on the route Zadar - Sali - Zaglav - Bršanj - Zadar, and in front of Zadar, a wave hit the bow so hard that that it cracked. The sea slowly started to enter the ship, and it started to list. Reports with photo and video: https://zadarski.slobodnadalmacija.hr/zadar/kalelarga/butkovic-o-havariji-broda-melita-brod-jos-uvijek-pluta-stabilizira-se-dodatnim-balonima-da-ne-potone-1483451 https://zadarski.slobodnadalmacija.hr/zadar/4-kantuna/ispovijest-putnika-s-katamarana-melita-posada-je-bila-odlicna-bili-smo-smireni-samo-su-dva-talijana-u-panici-skocili-u-more-1483417 https://zadarski.slobodnadalmacija.hr/zadar/4-kantuna/ispovijest-putnika-s-katamarana-melita-posada-je-bila-odlicna-bili-smo-smireni-samo-su-dva-talijana-u-panici-skocili-u-more-1483417?fbclid=IwY2xjawK_guxleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHpiycrvYR6hPiIfBtd8hkkWMnjWRGjX44uRIsqPv2rVhY95azaVi3F0tuekK_aem_XPZou2dfG07R49ik3y5naQ
WAN HAI 503
As of June 17 at 6 p.m., the 'Wan Hai 503' was positioned in pos. 10°03.64'N, 075°00.41'E, approximately 68.5 nautical miles off the Kerala coast, maintaining a slow north westward drift on course 250° at 1.0 knots. The vessel remained connected via a single towline to the tug 'Offshore Warrior', which continued to maintain its offshore position. The weather at the site remained adverse, with Lat. 10°03.64'N, Long. 075°00.41'E 68.5 nm from Kerala coast westerly winds between 29–34 knots, gusting up to 39 knots, intermittent heavy rainfall, and periods of zero visibility, all of which were significantly impeding firefighting and boarding operations. The condition of the fire onboard continued to show incremental improvement. Grey smoke was still observed in the midship area near Frame 113 (Bay 14) and at Frame 37–39, indicating persistent heat concentration. Light white smoke was intermittently visible forward of the accommodation block at Bay 50 on the starboard side. No naked flames have been reported in the accommodation or aft sections. Boundary cooling was being effectively maintained on the deck, and internal compartments were being monitored through thermal imaging. The vessel remained stable, although the structural condition, particularly in high-heat-exposed zones, remained under close evaluation by the salvage team. Firefighting and boundary cooling efforts continued in rotation with the support of the tugs 'Boka Winger', 'Garnet', 'Saksham' and 'Water Lily', each targeting identified risk zones across the vessel, with emphasis on the midship and forward areas. The operational plan involveed the continuation of this rotation, ensuring uninterrupted cooling and containment. The tug ‘Boka Winger’ was conducting fifi operation. The 'Offshore Warrior' remained in command of towing and was also receiving bunkering support from the Indian Coast Guard to sustain operations, though the bunkering operations to further replenish the vessel were not successful owing to adverse weather conditions. While the 'Triton Liberty' has been released for redeployment by the Indian Navy, the 'Saroja Blessing', which returned to port for engine repairs, was expected to be operational by midnight and may be tasked with laying a second towline, subject to prevailing conditions. Additional international salvage personnel including Dutch, Filipino, and Indian, were scheduled to board, along with specialised firefighting resources and equipment, including SCBAs and thermal cameras. MERC and SpillTech were now jointly managing the shoreline response mechanism, operating a 24x7 unit for container recovery and HAZMAT handling. The coordination for the mobilisation and visa facilitation of SpillTech’s experts was ongoing. Environmental support continued through ITOPF, and efforts were underway to assess and expedite high-capacity salvage tugs from regional hubs, including Sri Lanka and Singapore. Contingency discussions for a Port of Refuge continued, with Jebel Ali under primary consideration, subject to complete fire suppression, structural integrity assessments, and regulatory permissions. Alternatives in Bahrain, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Qatar were also under review. The identification of a body reportedly washed ashore near the Kerala coast is currently under verification, with support from the local authorities. The Directorate General of Shipping continued to lead the real-time coordination of all stakeholders, with regular operational briefings being submitted to the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and reviewed at the highest levels of government. Efforts remained focused on fire suppression, structural safety, and safe relocation of the vessel out of Indian waters under controlled tow. The Indian authorities have opened a criminal inquiry against the master and crew of the 'Wan Hai 503', They have determined that the fire was likely caused by a misdeclared cargo of explosives. Misdeclaration occurs during the landside segment of the logistics process, before the container arrives at the quay and is loaded aboard the ship. The Fort Kochi Police have received a First Information Report (initial criminal allegation) against the vessel and the surviving crew members, alleging that they were responsible for the cargo fire that left four shipmates missing. The charges were comprehensive, including negligent navigation; obstructing lines of navigation; negligent handling toxic substances; negligent handling of flammable materials; and endangering human life by using explosives. An additional conspiracy charge applied to the crew's allegedly unified actions. The crew had abandoned the vessel immediately after the explosion. The decision to leave the ship was suspicious. No charges have been announced yet against any shoreside entities in connection with the alleged misdeclaration of the cargo. However, Nhava Sheva port officials were looking into whether a shipping agency may have booked explosives as general cargo.
YSER
On the early morning of June 16, 2025, the CROSS Gris-Nez was alerted by the police (DIPN North - Lille), which postponed the departure of a migrant boat off the Dunkirk Dunes Canal. The CROSS deployed the 'Yser' to locate the boat. Once on site, the vessel noticed that the boat was overloaded, and approached it to clarify the situation of the occupants, three of whom requested assistance. The 'Yse'r initially began treating three injured people. before subsequently recovering 21 other migrants of the boat. The boat continued its journey towards British waters with the remaining occupants, while the launch headed for the port of Calais to disembark the rescued people, whjo were taken into care by the emergency services on land.