News

The 'Finlaggan', sailing on the route Kennacraig-Islay, suffered an issue with the starboard side main engine on Feb 5, 2025, at midday. As a consequence, the scheduled sailing from Kennacraig at 1 p.m. and the departure from Port Askaig at 3.30 p.m. were delayed to allow repairs to take place. These sailings weree liable to cancellation at short notice. After the issue with the main engine has been resolved, the vessel started loading operations.. The 3:30 p.m. sailing from Port Askaig finally started at 6:45 p.m. Due to an issue with the mezzanine deck, the vessel's arrival in Kennacraig on Feb 6 be delayed. Passengers booked on the scheduled 1:00 p.m. departure from the port of Kennacraig were, however, requested to check in as normal.

For the third day in a row, B.C. Ferries has cancelled sailings of the 'Coastal Inspiration' due to mechanical issues with the vessel's main engine on Feb 6. All sailings of the vessel between Swartz Bay and Tsawwassen are cancelled: 7 a.m. departure Tsawwassen 9 a.m. departure Swartz Bay 11 a.m. departure Tsawwassen 1 p.m. departure Swartz Bay 3 p.m. departure Tsawwassen 5 p.m. departure Swartz Bay 7 p.m. departure Tsawwassen 9 p.m. departure Swartz Bay Other sailings on this route were expected to proceed as scheduled, starting with the 7 a.m. departure from Swartz Bay and the 9 a.m. departure from Tsawwassen. B.C. Ferries added a vessel to the route on Feb 5. Anyone with a booking on one of the cancelled sailings wast to be contacted by the B.C. Ferries’ customer service centre, which would then try to arrange travel on an alternate sailing. In the case of a cancellation, the ferry corporation says it will refund fees and/or fares. Alternate service was available via the Tsawwassen (Vancouver) – Duke Point (Nanaimo) route.

On the nigh of Feb 5, the 'Guardamar Urania' rescued 52 migrants, one of them a minor, from a cayuco, which had been located by a merchant ship 26 nautical miles from Arguineguín. They were taken on board and dropped off at the port at 1 a.m. (Canary Islands time). Report with photo: https://x.com/salvamentogob/status/1887446204813922622

On Jan 30, 2025, a crew member of the 'Diamond Princess' suffered a serious eye injury and needed urgent hospital specialist treatment. The cruise ship was en route from Brisbane to Auckland and sailing about 37 kilometres east of Matauri Bay when the accident occurred. A helicopter hoisted the patient off the Northland coast amid good conditions with favourable weather, daylight and a competent crew aboard the ship. The victim was transported to shore for further medical care on a higher level. Report with video: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/dramatic-winch-rescue-off-northland-coast-as-cruise-ship-worker-injured/ZJX3R4FCBZAXHJG5K7PJBFJWTY/

In the process of the removal of diesel fuel and other pollutants from the HMNZS 'Manawanui', the salvage barge has returned from the wreck site to Apia to unload tanktainers of liquid, completing the second cycle of removal. The salvors have recovered a significant amount of liquid from tanks, after operating above the 'Manawanui' for the past 17 day. The salvors have pumped liquid from the larger and more accessible tanks, and were now moving to harder to reach, and smaller, tank. At this stage of the operation the salvors’ divers need to cut access into the ship to reach the more difficult to get to tanks. There are 54 tanks of various sizes on the ship. Some contain diesel fuel, some lubricating oil, and some water, wastewater and bilge water. As of Feb 4, just over 340,000 litres of liquid has been recovered from the 'Manawanui'. Of this an estimated 320,000 litres of diesel fuel mix has been recovered from the ship’s diesel fuel tanks. This liquid is a mixture of diesel fuel and seawater. The amount of diesel fuel in the liquid recovered won’t be known until the liquid is processed, although the majority of the volume of liquid recovered so far is assessed to be diesel fuel. In addition to the liquids from the diesel fuel tanks, the salvors have recovered around 18,000 litres of lubricating oil from oil storage tanks within the ship.