The "Morning Midas," with around 3,000 cars on board, iin danger of sinking. Criticism of the salvage operation was growing louder. The crew of the tug 'Gretchen Dunlap' has no choice but to monitor the ship from a safe distance. Two additional tugs, dispatched by the ship's owner, Zodiac Maritime Systems, are not expected at the scene until the next few days. The chances that the burned-out 'Morning Midas' can still be towed to a port are diminishing with each passing day. Because the remnants of the cargo can slide at any time in rough seas, the burned-out ship is in danger of listing and sinking.The cars had been secured by the tires with straps, but there seems to be nothing left of this now, and the decks appear to be nothing but glowing scrap metal. The unmanned wreck was drifting northeast at a speed of about two knots. The specialized firefighting tug 'Garth Foss' (IMO: 9070266) arrived at the vessel’s location, en route from Dutch Harbor, on June 15 and has taken over operations from the tug 'Gretchen Dunlap', which had been on scene since June 9. A third tug with long-distance towing capabilities was expected to arrive within the next week. Both thermal scans and visual inspections showed no signs of active fire onboar. There were no signs of pollution to the water and the vessel’s watertight integrity remained intact,. The Resolve Marine, appointed by the vessel's manager Zodiac Maritime, is implementing comprehensive salvage and safety plans with US Coast Guard oversight.
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MSC ELSA 3
Though police have registered a case in connection with the sinking of the 'MSC Elsa 3', they are yet to record statements from the crew as most of them have tested positive for Covid-19. The crew members were placed under quarantine at a hotel in Kochi. The crew underwent medical tests recently, following which most of them were found to be Covid-positive.The police will wait for their health to improve before recording their statements. Meanwhile, they have sought details from the company regarding the wreckage and the cargo containers that fell into the sea and were seeking details from Vizhinjam port regarding containers loaded before the ship started voyage to Kochi port,”Once the legal formalities have been completed, the crew may approach the court seeking permission to leave the country. The court will impose conditions to ensure that the captain and crew are available whenever required for investigation or trial. The charges registered against the accused are currently bailable. The ship’s owner, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), has been named as the first accused. The vessel’s captain, identified as Russian national Ivanov Alexander, along with 23 crew members from Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, and the Philippines, have been listed as the second and third accused. The charges include negligent navigation, causing obstruction and danger in navigational routes, careless handling of hazardous, flammable, and explosive materials, and committing the offence in an organised manner.
EAGLE S
The National Bureau of Investigation of Finland (NBI) has completed its criminal investigation into the damage caused to cables in the Gulf of Finland by the 'EAgle S' on Dec 25,. 2024. As stated, based on the investigation, senior officers of the tanker were suspected of aggravated criminal mischief and aggravated interference with telecommunications. The investigation focused on the possible involvement of the tanker, which was present in the area at the time the cables were damaged. As a result of the investigative measures carried out during the criminal investigation, the police support that they have a clear understanding of the sequence of events. Drawing on evidence gathered from the vessel, seabed analysis and crew interviews, senior officers of the 'Eagle S' were suspected of committing aggravated criminal mischief and serious interference with telecommunications. Furthermore, among the suspects are the master, the chief mate and the second mate, who were responsible for the safe passage, navigation and operation of the vessel. The criminal investigation has examined and assessed, among other things, the extent of their responsibility for the condition of the vessel and the degree to which they should have observed the anchor falling into the sea. The investigation involved close cooperation with both national and international authorities to establish the course of events and has been concluded with the case being referred to the Office of the Prosecutor General for consideration of charges. Report with photo: https://safety4sea.com/finland-accuses-vessel-crew-of-damaging-undersea-cable/
WILSON NANJING
On June 12, 2025, at 8:15 p.m., the 'Wilson Nanjing' allided with another ship during the departure maneuver from the Weserport Terminal 1 in Bremen's industrial ports en route to Delfzijl. The port side stern struck the foreship of a ship which was moored at the pier. Both vessels sustained minor damage. When the Bremen Water Police officers arrived to assess the accident, they immediately noticed the smell of alcohol on the 55 year old Russian captain. A voluntary breathalyzer test confirmed their suspicion and showed over 1.6 per mille. The police prohibited the man from continuing his journey. A blood sample was taken and a €5,000 security deposit was withheld. The investigation against the captain for endangering shipping was ongoing. The ship sghifted its berth within the industrial port on June 13 and remained stationary in Bremen as of June 16. Report with graphic: https://maritime-executive.com/article/drunken-russian-captain-hits-moored-ship-in-bremen
WAN HAI 503
Containers that fell overboard from the 'Wan Hai 503' were likely to wash ashore on the Ernakulam, Alappuzha and Kollam coasts between June 16 and June 18, the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) is announced on June 14, citing the Indian Coast Guard and the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation Limited (ITOPF). The public have been advised to stay away from any suspicious object found on the coast. Coastal areas in Alappuzha, Kerala, were on alert after a lifeboat from the 'Wan Hai 503' washed ashore at Paravur in Punnapra North grama panchayat on June 15, at around 9 p.m. Resudebts immediately informed the police and the District Disaster Management Authority. It was later shifted to a safe location. The lifeboat has ‘Wan Hai 503 Singapore’ written on it. The ship was towed 45 nautical miles away from Azhikkal coast in Kannur on the evening of June 14. The ship had drifted 17 miles off the coast before. The ship was pulled beyond the 1,000-metre sounding line by the 'Offshore Warrior'. The Coast Guard ship 'Saksham' was fuelling the tug so that it could continue to operate without disruption. THE 'Vikram' and 'Samarth', along with IN Ship Sharda, tug 'Water Lily', 'Triton Liberty' and 'Garnett' continued to take turns for boundary cooling. Due to heavy weather, towing speed was restricted to 1.5 knots to get the ship as far as 50 miles off the coast. However, due to the rough sea, several more containers fell overboard on the starboard side, causing the list to increase to port. The 'Offshore Warrior' also proved to be insufficiently strong to tow the ship further offshore under these conditions. Although the fire on board was largely contained on June 13 after the ‘air-fighting operation’ and was extinguished on June 14 except for a few isolated fires, it flared up again due to strong monsoon winds. The ndian authorities were planning to deploy more firefighters.