Since May 23, 2025, the 'Yasa Tokyo', loaded with 33,000 tons of wheat bound for Angola, has remained stranded in San Pedro in front of the local dock, unable to rejoin the Main Waterway. The incident not only paralyzed port operations but also exposed the structural deficit facing the river terminal. Over the weekend, the dredger 'Afonso de Albuquerque' removed more than 65,000 cubic meters of sediment from the access channel. However, the minimum depth of 9.80 meters required for the ship to set sail was not reached. More than 300,000 cubic meters of sediment would need to be removed to ensure a safe exit, three times what is normally extracted in an entire year. The sediment accumulation is explained by the drag of the Arrecifes River and the recent floods that impacted the Baradero area, with direct consequences upstream. Other vessels that were scheduled to call at the port remained on hold, with no clear date for resuming operations. The firm Grobocopatel Hermanos, one of the main port operators, has already begun to experience delays with a direct commercial impact. Report with photo: https://sl24.com.ar/un-puerto-sin-agua-y-un-barco-varado-hace-dias/
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STL QIANJIANG
The 'STL Qianjiang,', that loaded in Port Neches headed to Dahej on June 11, 2025,, after Washington required US exporters to seek licenses to ship the shale gas to top buyer China. Around half of all US ethane exports head to China, where it is used by the petrochemical industry. The vessel's change in destination underscores how the fallout from trade tensions between the United States and China is shifting ethane flows. The 'STL Qianjiang', had loaded at Energy Transfer's Nederland terminal for China's Satellite Chemical, signaled Dahej. The final buyer of the cargo is India's Reliance Industries. The ship has traversed only between the United States and Satellite Chemical's Lianyungang petrochemical facility since July 2022. Energy Transfer and Enterprise Products Partners, two of the top US ethane producers and exporters, have received letters from the US Commerce Department requiring the companies to apply for a license to ship ethane to China.
BARCAROLE
Two activists who were on board the 'Barcarole' on its way to Gaza have been placed in solitary confinement. The Arab-Israeli human rights organization Adalah reported on June 11, the Brazilian Thiago Avila and French MEP Rima Hassan. They were taken to separate detention centers. Thiago Ávila started a hunger strike on the morning of June 9. The four French activists will be deported on June 12 and 13. Israel previously gave the 12 activists the opportunity to leave the country immediately or to initiate deportation proceedings. Among the eight who did not agree were probably Hassan and the Dutchman Marco van Rennes. The Media organization Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF) condemned on June 11 the detention of Yanis Mhamdi, a French journalist for the internet platform Blast. The journalist organization is calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Mhamdi,. Mhamdi would have to sign documents from the Israeli authorities before being released. According to Mhamdi's employer Blast, their employee refused to sign, which is why he is still being held.
GOLDY SEVEN
On May 26, 2025, the 'Goldy Seven' Goldy Seven' was detained in Southampton, UK with 20 deficienciev, four of which being regarded as seriously and grounds for a detention: 1) Fire safety - Evaluation of crew performance Lack of training 2) Labour conditions - Sanitary facilities Not as required 3) Radio communications - Reservce source of energy Not as required 4) Pollution Prevention - Garbage shipboard handling Not as required The vessel was released again on June 10 and left the port en route to Tangier with an ETA as of June 15. The inspection led to a refusal of access to Paris MOU ports. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063576908591
JAYA
The US-sanctioned 'Jaya', which had been assuming the identity of a scrapped vessel, is now heading towards Singapore after spending about 10 days in waters near Dalian. Now renamed 'Quasar', the vessel is using the IMO number of Sos (IMO: 9233791), which was dismantled in 2022. The AIS draught readings suggested it was unable to discharge its cargo during this latest trip to China. Quasar received around 1.8m barrels of Iranian crude via a ship-to-ship transfer with a National Iranian Tanker Co vessel offshore Singapore on May 8. Before continuing up China’s coast, the vessel lingered near Dongjiakou between May 23-27 and attempted to call at the port with an ETA of May 24, declaring the cargo as Iraqi. Satellite imagery did not capture the vessel alongside at Dongjiakou during this period, nor later at the port of Dalian. The 'Jaya' evaded detection by repeatedly changing its name and MMSI numbers, adopting the identity of a scrapped ship and spoofing AIS/GNSS data, enabling it to covertly transport Iranian oil to China despite tightening US sanctions and global surveillance. The vessel has since sailed to waters near China’s Zhejiang province, with its AIS destination now set as Singapore, after departing Dalian on June 10. On its previous voyage to China in April, the 'Quasar' successfully discharged about two million barrels of Iranian crude at Dongjiakou. The cargo was transferred from another NITC tanker in the Gulf of Oman around March 12, after which Jaya adopted the International Maritime Organization number of the scrapped 'Sos' and later changed its name to 'Quasar'. Over the past three months, the 'Jaya' has broadcast false positions and identities, appearing as multiple vessels and complicating tracking by authorities and analysts, highlightings the growing sophistication of sanctions evasion tactics. Meanwhile, China’s oil trade and related companies are facing increasing pressure from the US. Earlier this year, three private Chinese refineries and three terminal operators were added to Washington’s sanctions list for allegedly accepting Iranian crude oil. The Shandong Port Group, which manages Dongjiakou and several other major nearby ports, issued a ban in January on servicing sanctioned vessels, especially those blacklisted by the US.