The 'Manawanui' will not be replaced, according to Defence Minister Judith Collins, as dive and survey work is not the Defence’s “main job”: "I’d rather have that money go into the fact that we have a large maritime area, and we have to be significantly more, say, able to deal with that and what might be happening in the future.” Collins will before the end of March reveal the Government’s long-awaited Defence Capability Plan, which will outline billions of dollars of defence spending for the coming decades. Major decisions need to be made about navy assets in particular, with much of the fleet reaching end-of-life in a decade. The $103 million dive and survey vessel acquired by defence in 2019, was among late-arising issues in the development of the plan, which Collins said was being considered by Cabinet. Collins said she would not spend $120m or $200m on a new survey ship, given dive and survey needs could be met by the offshore patrol vessel HMNZS 'Otago' and the new Niwa vessel 'Kaharoa II'. Also unresolved was a question of whether the 'Manawanui' would remain on the sea floor which would depend on discussions with the Samoan Government. However, Collins suggested it was likely to remain in place. "The reality of actually taking it off the sea bed, where it's been sitting there now for quite some time, may be almost impossible, and could possibly bring other issues to bear that are even more dangerous. But it might become part of a reef." Report with photos: https://www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360554576/sunken-manawanui-will-not-be-replaced-collins-says
News
MARCO POLO
The Blekinge County Administrative Board has received SEK 1.6 million in compensation from the TT-Line AB for costs related to the oil spill from the 'Marco Polo', which had run aground on Oct 22, 2023, northwest of Hanö outside Karlshamn, en route from Trelleborg to Karlshamn, according to an agreement that was finalized in early January. The grounding had resulted in a large oil spill in the Pukaviks bight in Blekinge, which according to the Coast Guard amounted to 60 tons. The spill hit animals and nature hard in an already sensitive environment. The Blekinge County Administrative Board had a constructive dialogue with both TT-Line and their insurance company. With this agreement, it was considered that the damages case has now been closed. The compensation included, among other things, costs for salaries and staff work, coordination and collaboration between actors in the county, work with regulations, marking of stay bans and environmental surveys. The County Administrative Board had previously received 450,000 SEK in compensation. With this agreement, an additional 1,150,000 SEK has been added, which means that the total compensation from the shipping company amounted to 1,600,000 SEK. Of these, just over 600,000 SEK were consultancy costs for an environmental survey. The cleanup work along parts of the Blekinge coast is still ongoing.
CENT. DEL ATLANTICO
On Jan 20, 2025, at around 8 p.m. the "Centurión del Atlántico" allided with a concrete dock in the port of Ushuaai with more than 90 crew members on board. It approached the quay with high speed and hit with its starboard side. No injuries or serious damage to the infrastructure have been reported. The Argentine Naval Prefecture and the Provincial Port Directorate started carrying out the relevant investigations into the incident. The Dirección Provincial de Puertos confirmed that he dock remained operational and the incident did not affect the normal development of port tasks. Work was continued to ensure the safety and proper functioning of all activities at the Port of Ushuaia. https://canal12web.com/nacionales/un-buque-pesquero-colisiono-contra-el-muelle-del-puerto-de-ushuaia/
DOLPHIN 18
The 'Dolphin 18' sank 274 nautical miles southwest of Vung Tau on Jan 11, 2025, within the Singapore Maritime SAR Region, en route from Ppua New Guinea to An Giang with 5,300 cubic meters of wood as cargo on board and 18 Vietnamese crew members on board, who were safely rescued. At around 7:00 AM SGT, the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) operated by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) had received a report from the container ship 'Nicolai Maersk', en route to Tanjung Pelepas, which had received a distress call from the vessel in pos. 05°25’ N, 105°55’ E. At 05:38 LTt he quick response tTeam in Anambas received an information about the discovery of an empty lifeboat on a small island in Air Glubi Village, Bintan Pesisir District, Bintan Regency, in pos. 01°55’ N, 104°46’ E. At 7.11 p.m. the Vietnam MRCC reported through SAR Natuna that the crew of the 'Dolphin 18' had abandoned the ship using two liefeboats. They were rescued by the 'Nicolai Maersk' from two life rafts in good health, and transferred to Tanjung Pelepas Port, Malaysia. All crew members were reported safe and have reunited with their families. The response was coordinated by the SROP Tarempa, SAR Natuna, Vietnam MRCC, and nearby vessels. The MRCC issued a navigational broadcast to alert nearby vessels to be on the lookout. The Vietnamese Maritime authorities were also informed about the incident.
ANNIKA
On the afternoon of Jan 21, the 'Annika' has arrived at the quayside of the Volkswerft maritime industrial and commercial park Stralsund, towed by the tugs 'Robin Hood' (IMO: 9096454) and 'Fairplay 55' (IMO: 9021124) as steering tug, for permanent repairs by the company Strela Shiprepair. Extensive work is pending in the rear area of the ship. Accordingly, the main and auxiliary engines must be repaired, and the living quarters and storage rooms must be rebuilt. For this, the decks will have to be separated. This means that the ship will be completely opened up from the back and from above, before it can be investigated which structures can be retained. The electrical system will also be checked and replaced if necessary. Work is also due on the steering engine- It will actually be a new build in the rear section The repair is expected to cost several million Euros and take3,5 to4,5 months. Many subcontractors, trades and processes have to be coordinated. Strela Shiprepair, a company specializing in ship repairs, has won the most extensive contract since it was founded in Stralsund's maritime industrial and commercial park. The company's expertise and the maritime industry's trust in the location were decisive for the award of the contract. The Federal Bureau of Maritime Accident Investigation (BSU) classified the fire on the "Annika" as a "serious maritime accident". After investigations have already been carried out on board, a report is to summarize the results. It will probably take at least months until then. Reports with photos: https://www.nordkurier.de/regional/mecklenburg-vorpommern/tankschiff-annika-nach-brand-zur-renovierung-in-stralsund-3259920 https://www.sundblick.info/annika-hat-in-stralsund-festgemacht/?fbclid=IwY2xjawH9mo1leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHczOlGQrrOEpDXXUwoS32Kzze6YUhPeBiwVNmkE22rumoUpBXPC73EKNcw_aem_PvLwgZHzLmAPljxVB-xV4g https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/mecklenburg-vorpommern/vorpommern/In-Brand-geratener-Oeltanker-Annika-jetzt-in-Stralsund-zur-Reparatur-,mvregiogreifswald2074.html