News

A crew member of the 'Icon of the Seas' has died after going overboard. A man overboard call went off aboard the ship on July 25, 2025, at around 7:00 p.m., a few hundred miles off the coast of the Bahamas. Crews deployed rescue efforts. The crew member was located and pulled onto a dinghy; however, he passed away.

The 'El Venizelos' is expected to permanently join the Algérie Ferries fleet under a lease-purchase agreement. A lease agreement with a purchase option has been signed between the two parties, providing for a transfer of ownership after a five-year period. The 'El Venizelos' is one of the oldest vessels in the fleet of the Greek maritime group Attica. Since June 2025, the ferry has been operating between Algeria, France, and Spain under the Algérie Ferries banner. Its acquisition would bring the Algerian company's fleet to five, which currently includes the 'Badji Mokhtar III', the 'Tassili II', the 'Djazaïr II' and the 'Tariq Ibn Ziad'. The latter, which has been under repair for two years, is expected to return to service in Aug 2025.

On July 22, the 46.80-meter-long and 9.36-meter-wide,lock gate, which was damaged by the 'Madicken' on Jan 2, has been removed and brought to Kiel by the tugs 'Kiel' and 'Holtenau'. The 1500-tons- gate was to be repaired in Kiel. The impact had caused the gate to be dented about two meters deep over a width of about eight to ten meters. For the crossing to Kiel, technicians had stabilized the gate with two floating pontoons. The gate was to be drydocked in Dock 8a at the German Naval Yards shipyard in Kiel at the earliest opportunity. A replacement lock gate will be installed in Brunsbüttel at the start of August. It has just been towed from Kiel after repairs. Divers are currently using the time to replace worn rail plates on the floor of the lock chamber. Report with photo: https://www.kn-online.de/lokales/kiel/schleusentor-nach-schiffshavarie-zur-reparatur-nach-kiel-geschleppt-KS3A46TF2VFB5FSFXO53HK2ATA.html

The master of the KM 'Barcelona V' has been named as a suspect by the North Sulawesi police in connection with the fire that burned through the vessel. He was under investigation because of passenger manifest irregularities and possible non-compliance with emergency procedures during the fire and evacuation. The possible involvement of other crew members was investigated too. Evidence collection was ongoing to ensure this case is completed and submitted to the courts as soon as possible. Passengers had engaged in apparent self-directed evacuation into the water, without use of the vessel's liferafts. There were not enough lifejackets on board the vessel, and passengers panicked. Two people remained missing, and a search was still under way off the coast of the island of Talisei. The questions about the vessel's manifest stem from differing passenger counts. Only 280 personnel, including 16 crew members, were listed on the official manifest. The SAR agency Basarnas recorded the rescue of 575 people from the water, plus three fatalities and two missing The Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi has asked the police to investigate the details of the the 'Barcelona V's manifest. 13 agencies were involved in the post-accident inquiry.

Throughout July 24, emergency personnel from the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) in Cuxhaven and Bremerhaven worked to remove the marine diesel oil that had leaked from the damaged tank of the 'Coastal Legend'. They made significant progress: The oil film had diminished significantly in the afternoon. The ship was able to move to a berth in the New Fishing Harbour on the afternoon with own power. The hull had already been temporarily sealed by divers. For the transit, the emergency personnel briefly opened the oil boom that had surrounded the vessel and allowed it to sail out, assisted by the work vessel 'Steubenhöft' of the port operator Niedersachsen Ports and the tug 'Wulf 7'. The fact that the ship was no longer at the scene of the accident, mad the clean-up work easier, among other things. The Central Command for Maritime Emergencies, which was leading the operation, was confident that the situation would continue to improve. The 'Capella' left CVuxhaven on the foremidday of July 25 en route to Bremen.

On the night of July 24, the 'Aidascoma', en route from Marseille to Barcelona, requested the medical evacuation of a sick passenger. The CCS of Salvamento Marítimo in Barcelona mobilized the SAR helicopter Helimer 203 to take the patient off, who was hoisted and transported to the port, where an ambulance was waiting for further tranfer to a hospital.

On July 23, 2025, at around 11:00 a.m., the KNRM IJmuiden was alerted for a medical evacuation from the 'STI Fulham', which was anchored approximately 10 nautical miles off the coast of IJmuiden in pos. 52° 31' N 004° 20' E. A crew member required medical assistance and had to be removed from the ship. After coming alongside, the patient was transferred aboard the lifeboat, which then set course for IJmuiden, from where he was transported to the hospital. Report with photo: https://www.knrm.nl/nieuws/knrm-reddingstation-ijmuiden/prio-2-medevac

The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka ordered on July 24, that the Singaporean shipping company X Press Feeders has to pay $1 billion in interim damages for the sinking of the "X-Press Pearl". The Sri Lankan authorities have requested $40 million in compensation the day after the accident, now up to $1 billion, which could increase further depending on the calculation of other compensation, according to the judgment. The accident caused an unprecedented ecological disaster, preventing all fishing activity for several months and causing significant deposits of chemicals and plastic pellets along 80 kilometres of coastline. Despite obtaining an order from a London maritime court in July 2023, limiting their liability to a maximum of $25 million, the Singaporean owners are facing an appeal of this decision by Sri Lanka and are now awaiting a decision from the London court. The owners have already had to pay $7.85 million for cleanup and compensation to the fishermen. Sri Lankan authorities believe the fire was caused by a nitric acid leak, which the crew appeared to have been aware of nine days before the fire began. Ports in Qatar and India had refused to unload the leaking nitric acid.

Within a few days, it will become clear whether two Rotterdam buyers will be allowed to sell 260 brand-new BMWs or whether the vehicles must be destroyed. They were stored in the hold of the 'Fremantle Highway', when a fire broke out on board on July 25, 2023, approximately 27 kilometers off the coast of Ameland. while the ship was en route from Bremerhaven to Singapore with nearly 4,000 new cars, but ultimately had to be towed to Eemshaven. The entrepreneurs bought the seemingly flawless BMWs in Eemshaven for over five million euros. They intended to resell them. According to them, the BMWs are in excellent condition, but the German car manufacturer itself claims the cars were damaged in the fire. BMW seized the vehicles and, in legal proceedings, demanded that all 260 be destroyed. BMW is against the sale, partly because cars intended for the Asian market are not allowed to be sold in Europe. Furthermore, BMW can no longer guarantee the safety of the cars, the car manufacturer's lawyer argued in February 2024. BMW's position is that the cars have been damaged by the heat and soot, and by the ship itself, that the quality has deteriorated, and that any future claims will cause BMW problems. The judge will rule on the case no later than the first week of August. All 260 hybrid cars are still parked in an industrial estate in Moerdijk. If the judge in the main proceedings does decide that the cars must be destroyed, Bakker and his colleague buyer will face enormous expenses. Not only the demolition is expensive- The storage also costs money, and while the cars are getting older every day, their value decreases.

Following the recent attack by the Houthi terrorists on the bulk carrier 'Eternity C' of the Cosmo Shipmanagement in Athens, the 'Giant' was mobilized to the Red Sea from Pieraeus on July 23, 2025, by the Hellenic Association of Towboat Owners, in cooperation with the Ministry of Maritime Affairs in Athens to assist in the event of attacks and accidents. It is intended to protect human life and the environment and support global shipping. The tug is manned by a qualified crew of 14 Greek sailors. It has four 16,000 hp engines and is capable of operating in the most adverse weather conditions. The vessel is equipped with an IACS navigator. Its main tasks are providing assistance to ships in distress, combating marine pollution, and protecting human life. The 'Giant' also has firefighting capabilities (Level 2, i.e., 7,200 cubic meters of water per hour at a distance of 200 meters) with a self-protection system throughout the ship. There are rescue zones and accommodations for 40 people, with the ability to accommodate a rescue team and rescued persons. There is also a hospital on board and the ability to supply electricity to damaged vessels. It can support salvage operations and offers space for helicopter operations (with winch only) as well as storage of rescue equipment. The ship will support, protect, and assist Greek-owned vessels and Greek seafarers, according to the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy, Vassilis Kikilias. The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy supports the efforts and the cooperation between the public and private sectors.

Investigators of the New Zealand’s Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) have released their final report on an incident with the 'Achilles Bulker', now sailing as 'Nab Bulker' and found out that poor welding during maintenance led to a series of failures that saw the vessel lose its rudder and nearly run aground. The bulk carrier had sailed from Tauiranga on July 24, 2023, fully loaded with logs bound for China. Shortly after clearing Tauranga Harbor, the bridge team reported the vessel was steering erratically and veering off course. As they attempted to steer it back on course, the ship shuddered, and there was a loud bang. The pilot took control of navigation, trying to get the vessel on course when a second, louder bang was heard. Unable to get the vessel back into the channel, the pilot struggled to slow the ship and ordered the crew to immediately drop both anchors. 30 minutes later, the vessel was stopped outside the channel. It had narrowly avoided grounding, with the reports indicating there was less than one meter of clearance under the keel. Divers inspecting the vessel found that its rudder was gone. They were able to recover the rudder two days later from the sea floor. Inspectors found out that the rudder pintle was missing, and they concluded that it left the bottom of the rudder unsupported and allowed excess movement in the rudder system. The rudder broke off hen the rudder palm fractured on both sides of the stock. Reviewing the vessel’s records, it turned out that in 2021, during a routine dry docking, the rudder pintle assembly had been removed and later reinstalled. The rudder pintle assembly did not ensure that the pintle would remained in place during normal shipboard operations, which meant that components used to secure the pintle in place failed, allowing the pintle to drop from the bottom of the rudder. The TAIC concluded that the securing parts installed had weak, porous welds. After the ship was back in service, the welds failed due to vibrations. The nut that retained the pintle as part of the assembly unwound itself, and the pintle dropped unnoticed from the casting and sank. The rudder began experiencing unintended movement, adding to the stresses. Moving side-to-side and fore and aft, the forces were beyond the designed strength of the coupling plate (palm) at the top that joined the rudder to the solid shaft (stock) that connected to the internal steering mechanism. Fatigue cracks grew until the rudder finally fell off. The vessel was repaired and returned to service. The TAIC has issuied a warning and called for robust quality assurance procedures at the shipyard for the installation of a rudder pintle. It also notified the Maritime Safety Administration of China and said it will work with the International Maritime Organization to promote enhanced global standards for quality assurance of rudder systems during installation, maintenance, and repairs.

On July 18, 2025, the 'RMS Ratingen' was detained in Leixoes with seven deficiencies, one of which being regarded as serious and ground for a detention: 1) Pollution Prevention - Oil filtering equipment Missing The vessel was released again on July 21 and left the port en route to Varzea. The last detention was on Jan 5 in Goole with19 deficiencies for 30 days.

On the night of July 23, 2025, the 'Ranis', which was anchored off Las Palmas in pos. 28° 06' N 015° 24' W, requested the urgent meidical evacuation of a crew member. The CCS of Salvamento Marítimo in LasPalmas mobilized the SAR-helicopter Helimer 204, which hoisted the patient and transported him to a hospital for further medical care.

The 'La Superba' was towed out of the port of Palermo on the morning of July 23,on its final voyage in the direction of Aliaga by the tug 'MSC Dragon' (IMO: 9240952) where it will be demolished following the extensive damage caused by the fire that occurred on the night of Jan 14, 2023 at the time of departure from Palermo in the direction of Naples. The ship was due to arrive in Aliaga on July 28. The Port Authority of tPalermo had recently published the company's application dated July 7, seeking the authorization for the vessel's voluntary demolition. Any comments regarding the application can be submitted by the first week of September. Following the fire, the intention of the owner company GNV was to declare the ferry a "constructive total loss," a step that would then allow ownership to be transferred to the insurance company (SIAT) that had provided hull and engine coverage, to manage its end-of-life. For a time, the Genoese ferry company seemed intent on evaluating srepairing the vessel, but the estimated costs evidently made this option unviable. Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/DMdFNVJIx-3/?igsh=MTl4ZDY1Nm10NjdwOQ==

On July 24, 2025, the 'Torm Splendid' has been detained in Fos-sur-Mèr following a port state control by the Ship Safety Center of the Mediterranean Interregional Directorate for Maritime Affairs (Dirm Med). The tanker had sailed from Bizerte on July 21 and arrived in Fos harbor on July 23.

The salvage pf the 'Infinitiy IV' in La Louvière by the company Antwerp Underwater Solutions is due to start on July 28, affter preparatory work on the barge has been carried out. The ship is still stuck under the collapsed bridge over the Canal du Centre in La Louvière, which is currently being demolished. The motorway was temporarily closed near the work site for a nighttime operation from July 9 to July 10t. Traffic across the canal has been flowing in both directions over the remaining bridge. The section affected is the section between the E42/A15 interchange with the A501 and the E42/A15 interchange with the E19/A7. When on March 6, a bridge over the E42 motorway collapsed, one person had died and three were injured. A crane landed on the barge during the accident, trapping two other people on board. They were freed by emergency services.

The 'Kalolimnos' was boarded by 6-7 armed perpetrators on July 10, 2025, at 2.20 a.m., en route from Jubail to Chittagong Shipbreakers, while moored at the Chittagong ‘C’ Anchorage in pos. N 19''8' N 91°43.8' E off the coast of Bangladesh. The crew members were not injured and nothing was reported stolen in the incident. The Bangladesh Coast Guard later arrested the perpetrators and handed them over to the local police.

Throughout July 24, emergency personnel from the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) in Cuxhaven and Bremerhaven worked to remove the marine diesel oil that had leaked from the damaged tank of the 'Coastal Legend'. They made significant progress: The oil film had diminished significantly in the afternoon. The ship was able to move to a berth in the New Fishing Harbour on the afternoon with own power. The hull had already been temporarily sealed by divers. For the transit, the emergency personnel briefly opened the oil boom that had surrounded the vessel and allowed it to sail out, assisted by the work vessel 'Steubenhöft' of the port operator Niedersachsen Ports and the tug 'Wulf 7'. The fact that the ship was no longer at the scene of the accident, mad the clean-up work easier, among other things. The Central Command for Maritime Emergencies, which was leading the operation, was confident that the situation would continue to improve. The 'Capella' left CVuxhaven on the foremidday of July 25 en route to Bremen.

Due to the technical issues of the 'Isle of Cumbrae', serving on the route Largs-Cumbrae, which were impacting the vessel’s steering, the sailings operated by the ship were suspended on July 24 after further cancellations on July 23 in connection with the ramp issues. Sailings with the 'Loch Shira', departing from Largs at a quarter past and quarter to the hour and departing from Cumbrae on the hour and half past the hour, remained unaffected. The 'Isle of Cumbrae' remained sidelined in Largs for troubleshooting. After the issue was successfully resolved, the service was resumed with the 6:00 p.m. sailing departing Largs.

The 'Merinos Livestock' came under arms fire near Hodeidah, en route from Bosaso to Jeddah, on July 24, 2025, b y a wooden skiff that was occupied by armed men. The ship was ordered to head to Mokh and then made a 180-degree turn and headed to the port The vessel was detained by the Yemeni Coast Guard for a brief time for suspicion before being released. The Naval forces expressed their concern over the vessel as it was travelling with its AIS turned off and was sailing close to the established maritime security transit corridor north of the Horn of Africa. There were no reports of damage to the vessel or injuries to the crew. The identity of the assailants that carried out the initial attack on the vessel was unknown.