On the morning of April 16, 2025, the Port Authority of Argosaronic Gulf of the Central Port Authority of Piraeus was informed by the Captain of the 'Acaheos', that ahead of the departure on its scheduled route from Piraeus to Aegina and Agistri with 628 passengers, 97 vehicles and 28 two-wheelers on board, a malfunction of two of its main engines occurred. The Port Guard prohibited the ship from sailing until the damage was repaired and a certificate of class maintenance was presented by the classification society that monitors it. The passengers and vehicles were forwarded to their destinations with the care of the shipping company.
News
MSC BALTIC III
There were renewed concerns about pollution coming from the 'MSC Baltic III', after some small tar balls were found on the beach near the vessel last week. The Canadian Coast Guard collected the tarry substances, approximately the size of tennis balls, for analysis. No other oil has been observed on the water or the shoreline. An underwater survey was conducted on April 13 with no signs of oil. The vessel still contains about 1.700 tons of heavy fuel and marine gas oil. The salvage company hired to clean up and remove the wreck has resumed the process of heating and pumping oil from the vessel into tanks on the deck. A barge will be brought alongside the vessel when the weather allows, to transfer the oil onto tanks onto the barge. The Coast Guard sremained on-site and was working with the salvage company to ensure that contaminant are removed from the vessel as quickly as possible.
FERDINAND
The two upper segments of the crane boom of the 'Ferdinand' became detached on April 10, 2025, in the port of Barth. Using their own resources, the employees of the Ueckermünde-based hydraulic engineering company Colcrete managed to repair the defective crane, The damaged second-to-last segment was removed, and the upper end piece was reattached to the remaining boom. Although this shortened the boom somewhat, the reach was sufficient for the remaining sheet piles of the construction of the new marina. allowing to pull the remaining steel piles of the sheet pile barrier by the afternoon of April 14. To make things worse, the barge "Roock 84," which was alongside and was supposed to transport the 15-meter-long, two-ton sheet piles, sank on April 12. The loaded sheet piles were recovered and have been stored on the crane platform. The sunken barge was brought back to the surface on April 15. A small leak above the normal waterline led to the sinking. As it was continuously loaded with sheet piles, the barge sank deeper until the leak was below the water surface, so that the barge filled up with water in the access channel to the new Barth marina, which had recently been dredged to a depth of three meters. The barge was then completely unloaded and pumped dry. Because the leak was now above the water surface again, there was no danger as long as the barge is not moved. The dredging of the remaining sand barrier was scheduled to continue on April 22. Reports with photos: https://www.ostsee-zeitung.de/lokales/vorpommern-ruegen/ribnitz-damgarten/barth-pannen-bei-arbeiten-am-neuen-yachthafen-kran-kaputt-und-schiff-gesunken-QK3LTZCQ5RFTBFFVTVGL2IAWMM.html https://www.ostsee-zeitung.de/lokales/vorpommern-ruegen/ribnitz-damgarten/gesunkenes-arbeitsschiff-im-barther-yachthafen-gehoben-zufahrt-nach-ostern-frei-DYFYV6TWZVELXONFQ6DRB7HRVU.html
SALVAMAR DIPHDA
On April 15, a cayuco was located half a mile from the port of La Restinga (Hierro). The CCS Tenerife of Salvamento Marítimo mobilized the 'Salvamar Diphda', which escorted the boat to the port, where 62 people disembarked. Among them were one woman, and three minors. The migrants were assisted by medical and safety teams in La Restinga.
ANTIDA
The 'Antida', en route from Nijmegen, was in collision with the barge 'Alexandra' (MMSI: 244660931), en route from Gorinchem to Duisburg on the Waal on April 11, 2025. The 'Antida'was berthed in Weurt in the outer harbour. The ship arrived in Maasbracht on April 12. The 'Alexandra' berthed at the Asto Shipyard in Keizersveer.
GRANDE COSTA DAVORI
In the hearing on April 15, the National Transportation Safety Board approved final conclusions from the investigation of the fire aboard the 'Grande Costa D'Avorio' in the port of Newark in 2023. The investigators confirmed that the fire started when the Jeep Wrangler that longshoremen used as a pusher vehicle overheated and burned inside the cargo bay, setting nearby vehicles on fire. The 'Grande Costa D'Avorio' carried used cars from the U.S. to Africa, including forklifts that were so damaged that they could not roll, and "non-runner" vehicles that have to be pushed aboard. The Terminal operator Ports America's local unit in Newark was in the practice of using ordinary passenger vehicles as pusher trucks to shove non-running but still-rolling cars up the loading ramp and up the interior ramps inside the vessel. The Jeep Wrangler was in use in an industrial application for which it was not intended. This particular vehicle model was subject to a recall notice because its transmission had a tendency to overheat under extreme offroad use. Overheating would cause the transmission fluid to boil out of the housing and contact hot engine parts or exhaust piping, where it would catch fire. To address this known problem, the recall required installing an audible hot oil alarm and a warning light on the dashboard; the Jeep had had this service done - but the alarm was just a warning, not a shutoff. On the day of the fire, the 'Grande Costa D'Avorio' was loading 920 used cars for export, including nonrunners. At about 0 p.m., a longshoreman was driving the Wrangler on his 38th push run of the day up the nterior ramps, a far heavier task than the offroading conditions addressed by Jeep's recall. He was shoving a nonrunner ahead when he heard a clunk, and he saw fireballs dripping from underneath the vehicle. Based on the recall notice, the evidence from the scene and the extreme duty cycle imposed on the Jeep, The NTSB concluded that the casualty was caused by the decision to use a vehicle that wasn't designed for the application, resulting in its transmission oil boiling over and catching fire on hot engine parts. The Jeep operator was not able to get the fire out with an extinguisher, and the ship's fire alarm system went off, alerting the crew. 22 minutes after the fire was discovered, the master ordered the space sealed off and the fixed CO2 firefighting system discharged. However, the crew could not close the Deck 12 garage door because there was no external control to operate it. In order to close it, one crew member would have had to stand inside the burning space, hold an actuator button down to shut themselves in with the smoke and fire, then make their way 120 feet aft to a ladder well on the port side - between tightly parked cars. The lack of a button on the ramp side of the door was a SOLAS violation, according to NTSB, but the class society told the agency that it was acceptable because the door stays closed while at sea and does not need to be operated under way - only in port. The captain agreed that closing the door with crew members on the fire side would be unsafe, so the garage door stayed open. The CO2 system was discharged anyways with the door still fully open; an ATF study performed after the fact found that if the crew had had a practical way to close the door, the CO2 would have put out the fire. When the firefighters arrived on scene, the incident commander ordered a squad into the space to attack the fire. The local fire department's decision to open and close other compartment boundaries for moving personnel in and out further reduced the CO2 concentration and the fixed firefighting system's effectiveness, the NTSB concluded, ultimately increasing the severity of the fire. The NTSB noted that this decision was contrary to normal marine firefighting practice. Two firefighters went missing in the space and a SAR effort began. The compartment's ventilation system was turned on to clear smoke, removing the rest of the CO2 and introducing fresh oxygen. The two missing men lost their lives inside the space, and the fire burned for days. The NTSB believed that the two firefighters were exposed to an unnecessary risk when they were ordered into the CO2 flooding zone without being informed that it had been activated. The incident commander did not communicate the fact that the CO2 system had been discharged to the personnel entering the ship; at one point, a fire battalion chief even climbed a ladder well and opened a hatch to look in, despite the risk of asphyxiation on the other side. The NTSB found that most of the local first responders had not recently taken marine firefighting classes, and they were not familiar with the vessel's fire control plan or with CO2 flooding systems. The lack of marine vessel firefighting training left the land based firefighters unprepared to respond to a vessel fire, resulting in an ineffective response that contributed to the fire's spread, vessel damage and led to the firefighters' casualties. The NTSB believed that local Newark firefighters should never have entered the space to fight the fire. The best method to extinguish that fire was to work with the crew to close the Deck 12 door and allow the CO2 to function. The NTSB has issued a recommendation to AAPA to inform all port authorities of the risks of the dangerous misuse of passenger trucks as pusher vehicles. It also asked seaports to help out their local fire departments to increase awareness, adopt basic vessel familiarization and firefighter training among first responders. The NTSB also recommended that the 'Grande Costa D'Avorio''s class society should change its guidelines to require SOLAS fire doors to be closeable from both sides.
DELPHINE
The major fire aboard the 'Delphine' was moreless under control after five hours of extinguishing at the CLdN terminal on the border of Heist and Zeebrugge. The fire started on the cargo deck of the ship. All 26 crew members and other people present were immediately evacuated. Only the captain remained on board to help coordinate the situation. The police also set up a large perimeter on land and on the water. The emergency services were present in large contingents throughout the afternoon and evening. Two fire boats were deployed as well as the Ghent fire brigade, which came to provide reinforcement. It was not clear how many of the vehicles present caught fire. There were about 190 new vehicles on the third deck, 60 of which were electric. It was one of those electric vehicles that caught fire. The affected cars were presumed to be a total loss. The heavy smoke was blowed towards the sea and therefore did not pose a danger to the residents of Knokke-Heist and Zeebrugge. The automatic fire extinguishing system was activated shortly after the fire, and as a result, the fire was limited to one deck. The affected deck of the ship will also only be reopened after the rescue forces have taken the necessary precautions. According to an initial estimate, around 60 to 70 vehicles have completely burned out. A boom has been laid out around the ship so that harmful substances released into the water cannot spread further. The fire brigade remained present all night to monitor the situation and blow nitrogen into the deck that was brought over from Antwerp. After a whole night of extinguishing the fire, the emergency services were still unable to open the doors due to the high temperature on April 17. There may also be damage to the ship itself, where deformations were to be seen, The emergency services were now waiting for CO² to be supplied to fill the tanks on board the ship. These are completely empty due to the extinguishing work, and in order not to take any risks, they were waiting for it to be replenished, which is expected at around noon. Then it will take another 6 to 8 hours to fill the tanks completely. The fire brigade has to stay on site all that time and may be even for days, as ince the temperature is low enough and the doors can be opened, the vehicles will probably have to be removed from the ship one by one. The fire brigade will also have to remain present in this case. It is not yet possible to give a precise timeline to this, but it is clear that it will be a long-term job. The damage to the ship will then also have to be assessed. Reports with phtoos and video: https://www.pzc.nl/brugge/zelfs-na-hele-nacht-koelen-is-temperatuur-in-cargoschip-in-zeebrugge-nog-te-hoog-te-gevaarlijk-om-ruimte-al-te-betreden~ad3dd5f3/ https://www.hln.be/brugge/blusboten-vechten-al-uren-tegen-zware-brand-op-schip-met-bijna-200-wagens-in-zeebrugge-blijven-hele-nacht-aanwezig~a781ce15/ https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20250416_95102958 https://www.egear.be/brand-haven-zeebrugge-2025-04/ https://www.hbvl.be/regio/brand-in-schip-met-ruim-honderd-wagens-na-uren-blussen-onder-controle-geen-gewonden/57933000.html
PETROBRAS 32
A dispute between the state-run oil company Petrobras and steelmaker Gerdau delayed the first dismantling the 'Petrobras 32',of an oil production vessel in Brazil by at least a year, in a setback for local shipyards. The operation had been hailed as a chance to reinvent Brazil's struggling shipbuilders as industrial recyclers, generating jobs as Petrobras plans to spend $9.9 billion in the next five years to retire another 10 ships of the same kind. The FPSO was set to wrap up its decommissioning by Dec 2024 under a new Petrobras sustainability program. Instead, the work began only in March 2025, according to the head of a local metalworker's union in Rio Grande do Sul state Benito de Oliveira Goncalves The dispute between Petrobras and Gerdau over removing petroleum residues from the vessel had stalled work for more than a year. The sale of the FPSO took place on July 7, 2023. In a collaboration supervised by Petrobras, the steel company Gerdau S.A. and shipyard Ecovix have been entrusted with the responsible and environmentally sound recycling of the unit.
WHITE EAGLE
The 'White Eagle' has been lying idle in the port of Nador for more than two months for reasons that were remainng unclear. The ship was en route from Sierra Leone to Lebanon, but switched off its AIS near the coast of Rabat. Then it unexpectedly berthed in Nador. What happened in the meantime remained a mystery. The ship has had a total of seven different names since it was built in Shanghai in 1991. It has previously been called 'Breadbox Falcon', 'Saphir', 'Baltimar Sirius' and 'Moresby Chief', among others. It was suggested that the ship had technical problems, but it was not towed, and the port of Nador has no repair facilities. Rumors of smuggling were now circulating. The 'White Eagle' has been involved in drug trafficking investigations in the past. However, the ship has not yet been fully searched. The crew, mainly of Filipino origin, has been on board all the time and is not allowed to leave. Even a visit by the Philippine ambassador did not change that.
BOUDRAGON
On April 15, 2025, the 'Boudragon' issued a PAN PAN signal with eight people on board. The crew reported that they have run out of engine. The yacht was sailing with the main sail. The crew requested assistance to enter the port of Garrucha. The CCS Almería of Salvamento Marítimo mobilized the SAR boat 'Salvamar Algenib' (MMSI: 224068730) from the local rescue station, which took the yacht in tow and safely pulled it to Garrucha.
BENEDETTO
On April 12, 2025, at 4.45 a.m. the inland cargo vessel 'Tranquilo' (MMSI: 244070504), en route from Duisburg, was in a head-on collision with the 'Benedetto', which was en route from Rotterdam, on the Waal near Nijmegen. The 'Tranquilo' berthed in Moerdijk on April 13. The 'Benedetto' berthed in Boven-Hardinxveld, Giessendam, the same day. No reports on damages.
PSP CORMORAN
On the morning of April 15, numerous migrant boat departures were reported to the CROSS Gris-Nez between the Walde Lighthouse and Dunkirk. The CROSS deployed several maritime rescue resources to monitor the boats. Initially, the CROSS Gris-Nez engaged the 'Abeille Normandie' to track a boat off the coast of Gravelines. The emergency tug quickly launched its RHIB to assist the occupants of the boat, which was experiencing engine difficulties, and rescued 11 people and brought them to the quay in Boulogne-sur-Mer. At the same time, the CROSS deployed the 'Cormoran' to conduct boat surveillance off the coast of Equihen. Upon arrival, the patrol boat launched its RHIB and made contact with the boat, some of whose occupants requested assistance. In total, the RHIB picked up 12 people and dropped them off at the quay in Boulogne-sur-Mer. Furthermore, the CROSS deployed another patrol boat, the 'Pluvier', to assist a boat in distress off the coast of Bleriot. Once the 'Pluvier' arrived on scene, some of the boat's occupants requested assistance. It picked up seven people on board and dropped them off in Calais. In total, 30 people were assisted and taken into care by the emergency services.
ALTZEK
The 'Altzek', loaded with coal bound from Nacala in Nampula, to Poland via Las Palmas, caught fire following an engine room explosion on the afternoon of April 13, 2025. Four tugs with fire-fighting equipment from the CFM-Logistic and Corredor Logístico Norte were mobilized to the site, but the fire had already been extinguished by the ship’s crew. There were four minor injuries among the crew members. They were out of danger and undergoing treatment at a clinic in Nacala after being dropped off in the port. A team of naval engineers was called to carry out a technical assessment of the ship to determine whether it could continue its voyage. Report with photos: https://clubofmozambique.com/news/mozambique-four-sustain-minor-injuries-in-coal-ship-fire-280217/
OCEAN SWELL
On April 15, 2025, the Canadian Coast Guard responded to an assistance call of the 'Ocean Swell' off the coast of Newfoundland. The Coast Guard deployed its fishing support vessel 'Teleost' (IMO: 8714346 ) was deployed to provide assistance to the disabled fishing vessel. It was taken in tow and safely pulled to St. John's harbour for repairs. Video: https://www.tiktok.com/@mudders_adventures/video/7493676415225728262?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
NORDKAPPFANGST
The 'Nordkappfangst' was destroyed by a fire, which broke out in the engine room, on the evening of April 12, 2025. off Honningsvåg, outside Nordvågen in the Nordkapp municipality. while catching shrimps. The skipper Stig Ivar Pettersen was down to pack some shrimp, when suddenly there was smoke around him, and he heard the alarms. Pettersen tried to reach the fire extinguisher, but had to give up because of the smoke. He contacted the fishing boat "Amalie Sofie" that was nearby, via coastal radio. Captain Arnt Magne Johansens alerted his deckhand Even Vigeland (29), wjho had his first week on the shrimp trawler. They could only see a red dot in the middle of the sea. Also the rescue helicopter SAR Queen was on its way, but the fire developed so quickly that it did not arrive in time. Pettersen and his deckhand put on their life jackets and survival suits. The "Amalie Sofie" arrived about five minutes later. It was dark, visibility was poor, and the weather conditions were bad. The crew of the 'Nordkappfangst' was standing on the deck before they had to jump into the water to escape the rapidly spreading flames. One of them was drifting behind the boat, where the flames were the worst. Johansen and Vigeland had to circle around the burning shrimper, but managed to throw a rope. After a short time, both fishermen were rescued. Pettersen had inhaled a lot of smoke, which meant that he had to wear an oxygen mask for 20 minutes in the ambulance. Report with photos: https://www.vg.no/nyheter/i/xmv2jl/fiskebaat-i-full-fyr-maatte-hoppe-i-sjoeen
BAYESIAN
The salvage start of the "Bayesian" will be on 'April 26, and the wreck is to brought to shore by the end of May, Simon Graves, a principal investigator for the Marine Accident Investigation Branch told a pre-inquest hearing said on April 15. The inquests into the deaths of Lynch and the other three British victims are being held in Ipswich. Inquests were opened and adjourned in October pending the completion of probes by both the UK investigators and a criminal inquiry by Italian prosecutors. An MAIB interim report on whether there were any breaches of maritime legislation could be published online in four to six weeks, with the final report to follow in months. The Coroner Nigel Parsley said he was in the hands of the criminal investigations as to when a final inquest hearing date could be set. The inquest in the UK is examining the deaths of the British tech mogul Mike Lynch and his daughter, Hannah, 18, as well as Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, 70, and his 71-year-old wife Judy Bloomer, who were also British nationals. The others who died were US lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo, and Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas, who was working as a chef on the yacht. Angela Bacares, Lynch's wife and Hannah's mother, was among the 15 survivors.
ALEXANDRA
The inland cargo ship 'Antida' (MMSI 244670643), en route from Nijmegen, was in collision with the 'Alexandra' ina, en route from Gorinchem to Duisburg on the Waal on April 11, 2025. The 'Antida'was berthed in Weurt in the outer harbour. The ship arrived in Maasbracht on April 12. The 'Alexandra' berthed at the Asto Shipyard in Keizersveer.
TRANQUILO
On April 12, 2025, at 4.45 a.m. the 'Tranquilo', en route from Duisburg, was in a head-on collision with the tank barge 'Benedetto' (MMSI: 211883850), which was en route from Rotterdam, on the Waal near Nijmegen. The 'Tranquilo' berthed in Moerdijk on April 13. The 'Benedetto' berthed in Boven-Hardinxveld, Giessendam, the same day. No reports on damages.
ABEILLE NORMANDIE
On the morning of April 15, numerous migrant boat departures were reported to the CROSS Gris-Nez between the Walde Lighthouse and Dunkirk. The CROSS deployed several maritime rescue resources to monitor the boats. Initially, the CROSS Gris-Nez engaged the 'Abeille Normandie' to track a boat off the coast of Gravelines. The emergency tug quickly launched its RHIB to assist the occupants of the boat, which was experiencing engine difficulties, and rescued 11 people and brought them to the quay in Boulogne-sur-Mer. At the same time, the CROSS deployed the 'Cormoran' to conduct boat surveillance off the coast of Equihen. Upon arrival, the patrol boat launched its RHIB and made contact with the boat, some of whose occupants requested assistance. In total, the RHIB picked up 12 people and dropped them off at the quay in Boulogne-sur-Mer. Furthermore, the CROSS deployed another patrol boat, the 'Pluvier', to assist a boat in distress off the coast of Bleriot. Once the 'Pluvier' arrived on scene, some of the boat's occupants requested assistance. It picked up seven people on board and dropped them off in Calais. In total, 30 people were assisted and taken into care by the emergency services.