The name of 'James Joyce' is to be given to the 'Oscar Wilde', while Irish Ferries recently acquired the 'Spirit of Britain', formerly on P&O’s Dover-Calais link, to take on the same name after the famous Dublin born writer. The 'James Joyce' will continue operating out of Dublin to Wales and France, while in its new guise as 'Oscar Wilde', the ferry will return to the Strait of Dover, competing with its previous owner and DFDS.
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MSC ANNA
The world’s largest container ship 'MSC Anna' has become a significant challenge for importers in Karachi. The ship arrived on June 19, 2024, with 19,000 containers, overwhelming the port’s capacity to handle such a large volume. Due to insufficient arrangements at the port, thousands of containers remained stuck, threatening timely clearance. Despite a week having passed, the containers could not be grounded, jeopardizing their clearance within the stipulated time. Consequently, there were fears of heavy detention and demurrage charges for importers. The port authorities were critiziesed for their lack of preparation. The port administration failed to take necessary measures to ensure timely clearance of the containers.
NISOS KALYMNOS
In the morning of June 7, 2024, the Port Authority of Kalymnos was informed by the Master of the 'Nisos Kalymnos', which was due to sail for Leros-Leipsos-Patmos-Arkios-Agathonisi-Pythagorion and return, that a crew member did not come to take over his duty. The Port Authority of Kalymnos, which was conducting the preliminary investigation, initially prohibited the sailing of the ferry due to an insufficient composition of the crew, while after the restoration of its composition, it was allowed to sail for the execution of the planned itinerary.
VERTOM ODETTE
The 'Vertom Odette', which, according to Podemos, could carry weapons destined for Israel, arrived in Cartagena on June 6 at 6 p.m. and left the port heading to Bar (Montenegro) at 9.15 p.m. It berthed at the Escombreras terminal, and it was unknown if the ship has unloaded any merchandise or if it has been inspected to verify that it was not transporting weapons that could be used against Gaza, as Podemos and pro-Palestinian associations have requested. The head of the central investigative court number 1 of the National Court has opened preliminary proceedings on the transit through Spanish waters of the ship which, according to a complaint by Podemos presented to the court, could carry weapons intended for Israel. About a hundred people carrying Palestinian flags and a banner with the slogan 'Cartagena is not a port for genocidal ships' gathered on June 6 on the esplanade of the port of Cartagena demanding that the authorities inspect the ship.
CELEBRITY SUMMIT
68 passengers of the 'Celebrity Summit' got sick in a norovirus outbreak during a recent cruise, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The ship had bon board 2,264 guests on a cruise that ended on Jne 7, 2024, along with five crew members. Their main symptoms were diarrhea and vomiting. The ship is currently sailing week-long Alaska voyages between Vancouver and Seward. In response to the outbreak, the cruise line isolated sick passengers and crew members and collected samples for testing, among other steps. There were an isolated number of cases on board and the impacted guests are no longer on the ship, which was also sanitized.