After a 12-year-old boy plummeted to his death after falling from a balcony in the ship's "Central Park" neighborhood — an open area in the ship's interior on the 8th deck — which includes bars, restaurants, shops, and more than 10,000 plants and flowers, the FBI confirmed that it was investigating the incident. It wasthe primary federal agency authorized to investigate potential crimes on the high seas, and was coordinating with the U.S. Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection. The FBI and Royal Caribbean did not reveal the circumstances of how the boy fell from the balcony. Royal Caribbean released a statement on the boy's death: “We are deeply saddened to confirm the death of one of our guests. Our Care Team is providing support and assistance to the guest’s family during this difficult time. For the privacy of the guest and their family, we have no additional details to share.” Already in 2019, a 16-year-old boy fell to his death while attempting to climb into his room from the balcony of the 'Harmony of the Seas'. The teen was on the eighth deck, according to the Broward Medical Examiner’s Office. He landed on a pier after attempting to climb into his room from a nearby balcony because he forgot his room key.
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TYRHAUG
Two men were facing charges after the 'Tyrhaug' collided with the workboat ' Frøy Loke' on Nordmøre on June 28, 2023, just outside Ringholmen in the Aure municipality. There were 31 passengers and a crew of five on board the speedboat and four people aboard the work boat. Several people were sent to hospital after the accident, including two of the employees on board the speedboat. One of these were seriously injured. One of those on board the 'Frøy Loke' was also injured in the incident. The express boat usually runs between Kristiansund and Trondheim. It was on its way to Trondheim when the accident happened. In the aftermath of the accident, the master of the fast ferry was charged with breach of Penal Code 356. The public prosecutor in Møre og Romsdal has now brought charges against two people in connection with the case under Section 356 of the Penal Code, cf. Section 355, for negligently causing damage at sea, which could have led to the loss of human life. The collision occurred because the bridge of the 'Tyrhaug' was not manned in accordance with the current procedure, and because the helmsman of the 'Tyrhaug' was not sufficiently observant of other traffic, the indictment states. The case will be heard in Møre and Romsdal district court in January. Four days have been set aside for the case. None of the lawyers for the two defendants have so far commented on the indictment. In February, the National Accident Investigation Board issued its report on the accident. According to the report, the crew of the service boat did not perceive it as abnormal that the speedboat was coming directly towards them, as this was normal, and they were obliged to give way. The crew of the service vessel then maintained the same speed and course. The navigator on the speedboat was focused on a passing sailboat and the support navigator was in another room behind the bridge. None of them should have perceived the risk of collision, the report states. On board the work boat they saw that the fast boat was approaching on a steady course and that they were going to pass close by. They assumed that the speedboat saw them and wanted clearance to pass. When they discovered that this did not work, everything happened so quickly that they did not have time to take remedial measures to avoid a collision. When the accident happened, there was only one navigator on the bridge, the Accident Investigation Board wrote in the report. The support navigator must then have stayed in the room behind the bridge and not perceive the danger of collision. If there had been two navigators present on the bridge, this would have increased the chance of observing the 'Frøy Loke', the Accident Investigation Board wrote in the report.
TOG MOR
The grounding of the “Tog Mor”on the beach of Villa Allende, in the municipality of Coatzacoalcos had a positive impact on the local economy, generating temporary employment for about 20 people. The workers originally from Villa Allende have been hired to carry out cleaning work and remove the waste that the ship has left on the beach. The group helped with the collection of foam, bottles and other materials that the ship has released. it was expected to take three to five days. To avoid possible looting, the “Tog Mor” is monitored 24 hours a day by personnel from the Navy and private security, who maintain checkpoints and carry out patrols both on land and at sea. It has not yet been reported when the work to refloat the ship will begin. The grounding of the “Tog Mor” was caused by strong winds and waves caused by cold front number 1 and tropical wave number 21. Report with photo and video: https://alornoticias.com.mx/noticias/video-barcaza-tog-mor-encallada-en-villa-allende-se-convierte-en-atractivo-y-genera-empleo-temporal-en-coatzacoalcos/
AYA
The Ukraine President Zelenskiy accused Russia of attacking the 'Aya', with 23 Syrian crew members on board and carrying 26,550 tons of wheat in the Black Sea en route from Chornomorsk, where it sailed on Sep 11, 2024, to Egypt, 30 nautical miles away from the town of Sf. Gheorghe, within Romania's Exclusive Economic Zone, at 11.03 p.m. The captain requested a change of course towards Constanța for an assessment of the damages. The maritime surveillance ship 'MAI 0201', which was on patrol mission, was sent to the bulk carrier in coordination with the Romanian Naval Authority, in order to provide assistance in case needed. After communicating with the captain, he did not request assistance. So far, there has been no need for intervention by the border police. The ship was moored off Constanta on Sep 12. The president condemned the attack as being "brazen" and a violation of international norms, endangering global food security and navigational freedom. Ukrainian officials have claimed that the Kh-22 missiles that struck the vessel were launched by Russian Tupolev Tu-22 bombers. The vessel suffered damage on its port side, including its crane and the cargo hold. No injuries were reported among the crew. If confirmed, the act of aggression would escalate tensions between Russia, and NATO military alliance, as the attack was allegedly carried out near the mouth of the Danube River, close to the waters of Romania, Romania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned the Russian armed forces' attack, calling it an unprecedented escalation of Russia's actions in its illegal and unjustified war against Ukraine. The ministry also emphasized that the deliberate targeting of a commercial ship is a serious violation of international humanitarian law governing naval warfare, and firmly urged the Russian Federation to cease all attacks on commercial vessels and to respect the freedom of navigation. The Romanian Ministry of Defense echoed the condemnation, adding that freedom of navigation in the Black Sea must be protected. Ukraine will immediately notify the UN and the International Maritime Organization of the attack which violates a UNGA resolution and threatens freedom of navigation and food security and was an assault on freedom of navigation and global food security, in violation of UN General Assembly Resolution A.1183. Reports with photos: https://www.romania-insider.com/ukrainian-wheat-ship-hit-russian-missile-near-romanian-waters-2024 https://unn.ua/en/news/ukraine-will-inform-the-un-and-the-international-maritime-organization-about-russias-attack-on-a-civilian-vessel-in-the-black-sea-mfa
MT TERRA NOVA
The Philippine government announced that it had completed the recovery of the fuel cargo from the 'Terranova' on Sep 12, thus avoiding an environmental catastrophe. Most of the 1,400 tons of oil have been pumped out. The salvors have recovered 96 % of the oil waste. Authorities decided after a meeting on (Sep 12 to announce the end of siphoning operations by Sep 13. Some 1.38 million liters of oil waste were recovered between Aug 19 and Sep 10, The mixture of oil and water was transported to a treatment facility near Manila. As a precaution, local governments have nevertheless imposed fishing bans affecting tens of thousands of fishermen in the bay. Report with photo: https://lemarin.ouest-france.fr/sciences-environnement/aux-philippines-la-maree-noire-a-ete-evitee-apres-le-naufrage-du-petrolier-terranova-b213349c-7111-11ef-9636-7dbb9f35abc5