On Feb 6, 2025, the Bangladesh Coast Guard (BCG) has seized the 'Dolphin 19' and the Bangladeshi oil tanker 'OT Union' on charges of illegally exchanging fuel oil, evading customs duties at the outer anchorage of Kutubdia in Cox's Bazar. The maritime law enforcement force also detained nine crews of the “OT Union” on charges of illegally supplying fuel. When the BCG’s vessel ‘Apurba Bangla’ was on regular patrol at the outer anchorage of Kutubdia, the crew saw the 'Dolphin 19' collecting fuel oil from the 'OT Union'. It trasnferred approximately 356 metric tons of fuel oil from the Bangladeshi tanker, evading the government a huge amount of revenue. An appropriate legal action of the Chittagong Port Authority is on process through the Marine Court.
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FERMITA
The U.S. Coast Guard medevaced a crew ember from the 'Fermita' about 240 nautical miles southwest of Unalaska on Feb 5, 2025. A rescue coordination center in Norway contacted the Coast Guard on Feb 4 at around 7 p.m. , requesting assistance for the patient who showed signs of a stroke. A MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew was sent the next morning to hoist the man from the 6vessel. An HC-140 Hercules airplane crew assisted the helicopter team, providing communication during the mission. The patient was taken to Cold Bay, where they were transferred to Anchorage on a LifeMed flight for further medical attention.
MATTHEW TT
Four men - the Ukrainians Mykhailo Gavryk, 32, and Vitaliy Vlasoi, 32; the Iranian Soheil Jelveh, 51, and the Dutch national 49-year-old Cumali Ozgen - have pleaded guilty to having 2.2 tonnes of cocaine for supply on board the 'Matthew' in Sep 2023. They appeared before the Special Criminal Court in Dublin on Feb 6, where they were each arraigned on one of three charges against them. The guilty pleas were acceptable to the Director of Public Prosecutions on a full-facts basis. Ms Justice Melanie Greally remanded the four defendants in custody until Feb 24, when their cases are listed for mention with a view to fixing a sentence date for next term. Eight men in total are facing a number of charges in relation to the drugs seizure. The men had applied to the non-jury Special Criminal Court on Jan 13 to have the charges against them dismissed. Two other defendants Iranian Saeid Hassani, 39, and Filipino Harold Estoesta, 31, will stand trial on Feb 10 before the Special Criminal Court arising from the seizure of the cocaine. The two men were remanded in custody until then. A seventh man, Ukrainian national Vitaliy Lapa, 62, with an address at Rudenka, Repina Str in Berdyansk, was previously arraigned on one of the two charges against him. Mr Lapa pleaded guilty that on dates between Sep 21 and 25, 2023, He attempted to possess cocaine for the purpose of selling or otherwise supplying to another. Mr. Lapa was also facing a charge that between July 15 and Sep 23m 2023, both dates inclusive, within the state, with knowledge of the existence of a criminal organisation, that he participated in, or contributed to, activity intending to, or being reckless as to whether such participation or contribution could facilitate the commission of a serious offence by that criminal organisation or any of its members. Lapa was the only one of the accused men who did not make an application under the Criminal Procedure Act to have his case dismissed. The UK national Jamie Harbron, 31, has also pleaded guilty to an offence arising from the seizure. He will appear before the court later this year for a sentencing hearing. Mr. Harbron, of South Avenue in Billingham, pleaded guilty that on a date between Sep 21 and 25, 2023, both dates inclusive, he attempted to have cocaine in his possession for the purpose of sale or supply, an offence under the Misuse of Drugs Act.The 2.25 tonnes of cocaine that was seized from the 'Matthew' has an estimated value of more than €157 million.
SIRI
A new sanctions package of the US government on Feb 6, 2025, targeted the 'CH Billion', which took on more than 700,000 barrels of Iranian crude from a Tehran-owned tanker in waters off Singapore in 2024. The vessel was also used to ferry oil from Russia’s Pacific port of Kozmino. The fleet involved in that trade was heavily sanctioned last month, and two other tankers, the 'Gioiosa' and the 'Star Forest'. Separately, the 'Siri' was also singled out. The already-sanctioned vessel has been operating under a disguise after its Iranian owner falsified documents and physically hid its name to conceal its identity and pass it off as a different tanker called 'New Prime'. The sanctions also targeted several entities and individuals across different countries that were involved in the trade, which was on behalf of Tehran’s Armed Forces General Staff and its sanctioned front company, Sepehr Energy Jahan Nama Pars.
BAO SHUN
The 'Bao Shun' that was previously driven away by the Coast Guard has again been detected off Taiwan's coast amid concerns about undersea cable sabotage. The ship crossed the median line from waters off Guangzhou Province's Shantou into waters southwest of Taiwan on Jan. 30. It remained within Taiwan’s restricted waters between Hengchun and Tainan, passing over the submarine cables near Pingtung County's Fangshan Township, as well as off the coasts of the Port of Kaohsiung, Zuoying Naval Base, and the Port of Anping from Feb 5 to 6. On Feb 7 the 'Bao Shun' was near Taiwan's coast and Penghu County's Qimei Island. On Jan 6 the 'Bao Shun' has been spotted taking an erratic course over subsea cables off north Taiwan, prompting the Coast Guard to drive the vessel away. The ship then moved north of Pengjia Islet and in and out of Taiwan 12 miles territorial waters in a southwest-northeast direction for five days. Records of the ship's movements around Taiwan first appeared on Feb. 27, 2023. Snce March 1, 2023, the 'Bao Shun' has visited the Port of Kaohsiung 50 times, but never visited another port until it was driven away in January. It was not until Jan 27 that the 'Bao Shun' called at a port in Hong Kong, where it stayed for just 72 minutes. The 'Bao Shun' again returned to Taiwan's southwest coast on Feb. 1, while over 136 days the AIS data were missing. The 'Bao Shun's owner and operator, the Hong Kong based Changhang Shipping, has just this one cargo ship that seems to go nowhere and transport nothing. The 'Bao Shun' had 28 encounters at sea, 15 of which were with its constant companion, the Mongolia-flagged and Hong Kong-registered m/v 'Smoothly', which has exclusively operated out of Taiwan ports until recently.