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Unusual maneuvers by Russian ships have been observed in the southern Kattegat, indicating possible underwater operations. Particularly conspicuous were the presence of the tugs "Sergeji Balk" and "SB123". The "Sergeji Balk" has been observed since the afternoon of Jan 6 on the deep-water route that leads from the Great Belt through the Kattegat. It was moving up and down a stretch of about 21.5 nautical mile east of Grenaa on northeast and southwest courses. Since the evening of Jan 6, it has been supported by the "SB123", which was obviously specially ordered from Baltiysk. The operation, in which at least two other units were involved, was stopped around noon on Jan 8, and both tugs started transiting through the Great Belt into the central Baltic Sea. The recorded movements have nothing in common with a normal passage. As far as publicly available information suggests, submarine cables did not appear to be the direct focus of current interest. Instead, another suspicion is coming into focus: Not far from the conspicuous search strips of the Russian units, the "Yi Peng 3" had been anchoredi. The bulk carrier was identified at both locations where damage to submarine cables between Sweden and Lithuania and between Finland and Germany was detected in mid-November and are the subject of further investigations. The "SB123" had already aroused suspicion in the same sea area, when the tug, together with the 'Chusovoy -GS-31', a hydroacoustic reconnaissance vessel, had moved towards Skagen on Oct 4, 2024 and anchored in the Great Belt in the sea area between Grenaa, Seelands Odde and Anholt. It remained nearby for some time before continuing north. At that time the laying of underwater cables near an offshore wind farm Anholt may have aroused Russian interest. The "Chusovoy" is capable of deploying underwater equipment. The "Sergeji Balk" was observed on Dec 31, 2024, together with an unidentified Kilo-class submarine, passing through the Great Belt and escorted by the Danish Navy. Both took shelter from the approaching storm southeast of Skagen in Denmark on January 1, 2025. hey were joined on Jan 2 by the missile corvette "Soobrazitelny", which accompanied the Russian tanker "General Skobelev" and the roro vessel "Sparta II" on their way to the Mediterranean. The "Sergeij Balk" and the submarine, which was believed to be the B-608 "Mozhaisk" to be delivered to the Pacific Fleet, stayed in the sea area around Skagen for a relatively long time, it was reasonable to assume that there was a technical problem on one of the two vessels. This suspicion was reinforced by the departure of the "SB123" and another tug, the "Evgeniy Churov". The apparently inexplicable movements of the "Sergeji Balk", the "SB 123" and two other units linked to Russia that can now be observed indicate a different order situation. In addition, on the morning of Jan 8, the corvette "Soobrazitelny" and an unidentifiable submarine were spotted heading south in the northern part of the Kattegat, east of the island of Läsoe.

Two cruise ships, the 'Eurodam' and the 'Nautica' have reported gastrointestinal outbreaks early in the new year. The 'Eurodam', carrying 2,900 passengers and crew members, saw 86 passengers, or 4%, and eight crew members contract norovirus during its southern Caribbean voyage. The ship returned to Port Everglades on Jan 8, 2025, and has implemented isolation and deep cleaning. The 'Nautica', with just over 1,000 people on board, reported 15 passengers and 16 crew members experiencing similar symptoms. Both ships were following protocols to prevent further spread of the virus.

Unusual maneuvers by Russian ships have been observed in the southern Kattegat, indicating possible underwater operations. Particularly conspicuous were the presence of the tugs "Sergeji Balk" and "SB 123". The "Sergeji Balk" has been observed since the afternoon of Jan 6 on the deep-water route that leads from the Great Belt through the Kattegat. It was moving up and down a stretch of about 21.5 nautical mile east of Grenaa on northeast and southwest courses. Since the evening of Jan 6, it has been supported by the "SB 123", which was obviously specially ordered from Baltiysk. The operation, in which at least two other units were involved, was stopped around noon on Jan 8, and both tugs started transiting through the Great Belt into the central Baltic Sea. The recorded movements have nothing in common with a normal passage. As far as publicly available information suggests, submarine cables did not appear to be the direct focus of current interest. Instead, another suspicion is coming into focus: Not far from the conspicuous search strips of the Russian units, the "Yi Peng 3" had been anchoredi. The bulk carrier was identified at both locations where damage to submarine cables between Sweden and Lithuania and between Finland and Germany was detected in mid-November and are the subject of further investigations. The "SB123" had already aroused suspicion in the same sea area, when the tug, together with the 'Chusovoy -GS-31', a hydroacoustic reconnaissance vessel, had moved towards Skagen on Oct 4, 2024 and anchored in the Great Belt in the sea area between Grenaa, Seelands Odde and Anholt. It remained nearby for some time before continuing north. At that time the laying of underwater cables near an offshore wind farm Anholt may have aroused Russian interest. The "Chusovoy" is capable of deploying underwater equipment. The "Sergeji Balk" was observed on Dec 31, 2024, together with an unidentified Kilo-class submarine, passing through the Great Belt and escorted by the Danish Navy. Both took shelter from the approaching storm southeast of Skagen in Denmark on January 1, 2025. hey were joined on Jan 2 by the missile corvette "Soobrazitelny", which accompanied the Russian tanker "General Skobelev" and the roro vessel "Sparta II" on their way to the Mediterranean. The "Sergeij Balk" and the submarine, which was believed to be the B-608 "Mozhaisk" to be delivered to the Pacific Fleet, stayed in the sea area around Skagen for a relatively long time, it was reasonable to assume that there was a technical problem on one of the two vessels. This suspicion was reinforced by the departure of the "SB 123" and another tug, the "Evgeniy Churov". The apparently inexplicable movements of the "Sergeji Balk", the "SB 123" and two other units linked to Russia that can now be observed indicate a different order situation. In addition, on the morning of Jan 8, the corvette "Soobrazitelny" and an unidentifiable submarine were spotted heading south in the northern part of the Kattegat, east of the island of Läsoe.

The 'African Magnolia' docked at the port of General Lagos, south of Rosario, on Jan 6, 2025, at around 6 p.m. with the objective of loading soy flour, but also carrying aboard one of its crew members who had died at sea on Dec 25, 2024. The news of the death was communicated by the ship's captain to the maritime agency that represents the ship in Argentina when it was en route towards the province of Santa Fe. Personnel of the Naval Prefecture of Arroyo Seco were aware of what had happened on board from a communication from the same maritime agency and so was the Federal Prosecutor's Office of Rosario. The crew member, originally from the Philippines and 47 years old, had died presumably from a heart attack. The Naval Prefecture officers, with the knowledge of the Prosecutor's Office in charge of Javier Arzubi Calvo and the assistant prosecutor, María Virginia Sosa, verified that the rest of the crew, about 20 people in total, had complied with all the protocols for preserving the body in cases of death at sea. In this sense, the tasks of disinfecting the vessel were also carried out with the coordination of the Prefecture, in accordance with the provisions of the Border Health Unit of the Ministry of Health of the Nation. Once all these issues were checked, the Prosecutor's Office authorized the transfer of the body to the Legal Medical Institute, which was in charge of the Rosario Zapadores Firefighters. The crew of the 'General Lagos' underwent all the tests and check-ups to rule out the possibility of transmitting a virus, such as Ebola. None of them presented suspicious symptoms such as fever, diarrhea or vomiting, and the preservation of the body was carried out correctly in the cold chambers of the ship. Report with photo: https://www.unosantafe.com.ar/la-region/confirmaron-que-el-tripulante-filipino-un-barco-africano-fallecio-muerte-natural-n10173333.html

Two cruise ships, the 'Eurodam' and the 'Nautica' have reported gastrointestinal outbreaks early in the new year. The 'Eurodam', carrying 2,900 passengers and crew members, saw 86 passengers, or 4%, and eight crew members contract norovirus during its southern Caribbean voyage. The ship returned to Port Everglades on Jan 8, 2025, and has implemented isolation and deep cleaning. The 'Nautica', with just over 1,000 people on board, reported 15 passengers and 16 crew members experiencing similar symptoms. Both ships were following protocols to prevent further spread of the virus.