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Pictures have been released which show how the National Task Force boarded the 'Vezhen' by helicopter. They parachuted down from one of the Swedish Armed Forces helicopters in order to be able to take control of the ship as quickly as possible. After the Coast Guard had approached the ship out at sea and escorted it towards the Swedish coast, the police's National Task Force took over. After the master heeded the call to take the vessel to anchorage, the police chose to board the vessel from a helicopter. The weather conditions were difficult with strong winds and rough seas combined with darkness and cold, which meant that resources were required from the task force for safety reasons. The personnel from the task force went up to the ship's bridge, They had police dogs and other equipment with them. One of the police tasks on board has been to secure various types of evidence on behalf of the Security Service, which is handling the preliminary investigation, and it was confirmed that the anchor was of interest in the investigation and will be examined by forensic experts. A number of other investigative measures will follow in the future, where the police support the Security Service with cutting-edge expertise in areas such as IT forensics, forensic technology and interrogation management. The weather continues to be a challenge and the work environment perspective is important to take into account. The police are working closely with the Coast Guard and the Armed Forces. Reports with photo and video: https://www.svt.se/nyheter/inrikes/har-stormas-fartyget-av-insatsstyrkan-efter-misstankta-kabelsabotaget https://polisen.se/aktuellt/nyheter/nationell/2025/januari/polisen-bordade-fartyget-under-svara-vaderforhallanden/

The initial phase of fuel removal from the 'Manawanui' has been completed at the Tafitoala Reef. 950 tonnes of diesel were on board when the ship went down. The salvors have recovered a significant amount of liquid, a mix of fuel and other pollutants along with seawater, which has been pumped from the tanks in the ship up into tanktainers on the barge. Cycle one tanktainers were offloaded in Apia more than a week ago and cycle two tanktainers were stored on the barge. The offloaded tanktainers were being stored at the port while disposal processes for the fuel and pollutants were being organised. The liquid was tested in preparation for processing. The salvage teams have faced technical challenges in extracting the remaining fuel and pollutants. The Sāmoan government had expanded areas for fishing activities based on recent water testing results. For safety reasons, a two-kilometre-restricted zone around the 'Manawanui' remains in effect during the ongoing fuel removal. The second cycle in the removal was now well underway, with the salvors making excellent progress in favourable weather conditions.The salvors have pumped the fuel and other pollutants from the larger and more accessible tanks. Now they were preparing and pumping liquids from harder-to-reach areas. Once tanks are pumped of fuel and other pollutants, they are sealed. The salvors were continually monitoring the weather and sea state. It was thus not possible to provide an exact timeline of when the fuel recovery operation would be completed. Report with photos: https://www.samoaobserver.ws/category/samoa/112909

On Jan 27, 2025, at around 11.40 p.m. UTC the 'ASL Bauhinia' with an all Chinese-crew on board caught fire and went adrift in the southern Red Sea about 122 nautical miles northwest of Hodeidah (Lat. 16.5100 Lng. 40.9150) on a northbound voyage en route from Jebel Ali towards the Suez Canal, according to the Diaplous Maritime Services, a security consultancy which stated that the ship was posing a navigational hazard to other vessels in the area. It was unknown if the ship was attacked or if the blaze started by other reasons.

After the 'Ombo' was damaged during a storm on the evening of Jan 24, the ferry remaine stationary at the Bekhus Quay in Stavanger for repairs as of Jan 28 and will be out of service for at least a week. The battery ferry 'Hella' (IMO: 9871268), which normally operates on the Hella-Vangsnes-Dragsvik route in Sogn, has taken over as a replacement on the route Judaberg-Stavanger. On the morning of Jan 27, one departure from Judaberg was also canceled due to technical challenges, and in addition, the departures from Judaberg at 07.50 a.m. and Fogn at 08.05 a.m. were canceled due to the need for charging. Moire departures may be affected by the ferry's charging needs.

The Swedish intelligence service has seized the 'Vezhen', en route from the Russian port of Ust-Luga towards Denmark, which is suspected of being behind a sabotage against an undersea fiber optic cable between Latvia and Sweden in the Baltic Sea, which occurred on Jan 26, 2025, and in which at least one underwater data cable between the island of Gotland and Latvia was damaged. The ship had crossed the cable at at 12.45 a.m. The Latvian radio and television company LVRTC, which owns the cable, described the damage as serious. The Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson stated that he had been in close contact with the Latvian Prime Minister during the course of the day. The Swedish prosecutor's office said that a number of investigative steps were now being taken, which they would not specify in more detail for the sake of the investigation. The Swedish Coast Guard, the Swedish Defence Force and the police were among those working on the suspected espionage. The ship changed course on Jan 26 and sailed towards Karlskrona, where it moored off Hasslö and Aspö in the Karlskrona archipelago in pos. 56° 04' N 015° 31' E with a ship from the Swedish Coast Guard nearby. Late on the evening, the Coast Guard boarded the ship. The Latvian cable operator stated on Jabn 26 that the damage to the cable was probably due to "external influence". The 'Vezhen' is operated by the Bulgarian company Navigation Maritime Bulgare. Reports with video: https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/europa/unterseekabel-lettland-schweden-102.html https://www.tv4.se/artikel/4EMMULmnbDrkDACHRx7gNT/tv4-pa-plats-vid-fartyget-ser-att-det-har-skador-pa-ankaret https://www.svt.se/nyheter/inrikes/har-tvarvander-kustbevakningen-i-jakt-pa-det-misstankta-fartyget

After the veteran ship 'R142 Ystad' came close to a serious collision with the 'Silverpilen' on Sep 7, 2024, both a commander and a mate are being charged with gross negligence in maritime traffic. The former robot boat had passed a few meters astern of the 'Silverpilen' at a speed of 35 knots and in dense fog at Gålö in the Stockholm archipelago. The ferry was on its way with passengers from Utö to the Årsta jetty. According to the prosecutor, the passengers on the ferry were seconds away from possibly losing their lives. "If the ship had collided with the 'Silverpilen', there would have been fatalities, I am absolutely convinced of that", prosecutor Anton Tunving stated on Jan 27, 2025. According to the description of the incident, the robot boat was sailing south between Äggskären and Vitsgarn, when the 'Silverpilen' appeared on the radar. The commander and the first officer mistakenly believed that the ship was heading in the same direction as the 'R142 Ystad'. They began a port turn astern of the 'Silverpilen', when the ferry suddenly appeared onthe port side as an oncoming ship. The robot boat completed its planned turn and was only between five and ten meters from the 'Silverpilen' when they met. According to the investigation, there were around 40 passengers on the deck of the veteran ship and around 25 passengers on board the 'Silverpilen'. The prosecutor believes that those responsible on the 'R142 Ystad' did not have sufficient supervision and did not keep the speed down sufficiently, which is the basis for the indictment. However, both defendants denied a crime. The robot boat is owned by the State Maritime and Transport History Museums, but the Swedish Robot Boats Association uses the ship in its operations. The ship is almost 44 meters long and has a displacement of 240 tons with full equipment and a crew of 30 people. The Swedish Accident Investigation Board is working on an investigation into the incident. Report with photo: https://www.sjofartstidningen.se/tva-atalas-efter-kollisionstillbud/

The 'Burak', ballasting from Messina to Tuzla, suffered an engine failure in front of Kepez during the transit of the Dardanelles Strait on Jan 22, 2025, at around 9 p.m. UTC. The Çanakkale VTS Center deployed the tugs 'Türkeli' (IMO: 9816256) and 'Kurtarma 18' (IMO: 9974890) to taken the ship in tow to Karanlık Liman. The ship was safely moored in pos. 40° 02' N 026° 18' E close to Erisköy under the coordination of a pilot shortly past 10 p.m. It raised anchor again on Jan 23 at around 9 p.m. UTC and proceeded to the Tuzla shipyard area for permanent repairs, where it arrived on Jan 24 at noon and remained stationary as of Jan 28. Report with photo: https://x.com/kiyiemniyet/status/1882317882790703302

The crew of the 'ASL Bauhinia' has abandoned the vessel in the southern Red Sea early on Jan 28. A nearby vessel rescued the crew with no injuries reported. Thick smoke was reportedly seen emanating from the forward section of the ship. The 'ASL Bauhinia' remains adrift, while investigations into the cause of the explosion and fire were ongoing. The securiy firm Ambre suggested that the fire may have been caused by an explosion involving hazardous cargo. The vessel was en route from the Jebel Ali commercial terminal in Dubai, scheduled to make a port call in Jeddah on Jan 29 with an ETA in Aqaba as of Jan 31, operating on behalf of CU Lines, on a regular rotation between Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and the port of Aqaba.The vessel is classed by Japan’s Nippon Kaiji Kyokai and is insured by the UK Mutual Steam Ship Assurance Association. Vespucci Maritime chief executive Lars Jensen suggested that the next stage would be organising salvage and the likely declaration of General Average on its cargo. However, he also questioned whether shippers insured against General Average would be able to claim, given the location of the casualty. Report with photo: https://theloadstar.com/crew-abandons-chinese-feeder-vessel-on-fire-in-the-red-sea/

The 'Kildin' caught fire and burned for several hours on Jan 23, 2025, off Syria’s Mediterranean coast near the port of Tartus. The crew hoisted two black spheres, signaling it was NUC, but declined assistance from other nearby Russian ships and told the Togolese-flagged cargo m/v 'Milla Moon', which was nearby, to keep its distance. Thick black smoke and flames were billowing funnel, indicating a possible engine-room fire. The blaze was contained after about five hours. French and other Western naval forces monitored the situation, ready to intervene, but Russia did not request aid. It was uncertain whether the 'Kildin' could continue its intelligence-gathering mission. The spy ship, which left a Baltic Sea base in the fall of 2024 and entered the Mediterranean in mid-November, had reportedly conducted surveillance near Spain, France, Italy, and more recently Turkey, before disappearing from radar on Dec 17, 2024. Report with photos: https://www.polskieradio.pl/395/7785/Artykul/3475924,russian-spy-ship-catches-fire-off-syrian-coast-crew-declines-help

The 'Maersk Saltoro', which had set sail on Dec 27 from the main port of San Antonio in Chile with more than 1,300 containers full of cherries and an ETA at Nansha as of Jan 20, remained NUC in the the waters of Micronesia as of Jan 28. about 1,200 kilometers northeast of New Guinea, after suffering a technical failure in its main engine, which forced it to stop while the necessary repairs were being carried out. The Maersk company assured that it was in contact with the owners of the ship and the affected clients to report on the progress of the work and the next stages of the trip. The delay could lead to million-dollar losses for those involved in the export chain and also raised questions about legal responsibilities and possible compensation. The expert lawyer and founder of Legal Export, Rafael Durán, stressed that it must be analyzed whether the technical problem can be classified as a fortuitous event that exonerates the shipping company from any fault. To do so, certain criteria must be met: that the event is external, unforeseeable and irresistible. In addition, it is essential to check whether the ship had all the necessary certifications and preventive maintenance to guarantee its navigability. In the event that any negligence is proven, those affected could request relevant documentation from the shipping company, as permitted by Chilean maritime legislation. Exporters should also record any physical or commercial damage suffered by the cargo and submit protest notes within the time stipulated by law. The possibility that the shipping company declares “general average” to distribute the repair costs among the owners of the cargo is an additional concern. This scenario would imply unforeseen expenses for the owners of the containers. Given this uncertainty, exporters are advised to act with diligence, minimize potential damage and document all efforts made to protect their interests.

The Bulgarian Embassy in Stockholm is in contact with the relevant Swedish authorities and is actively following the development of the 'Vezhen' case. This was announced by the BTA Foreign Ministry on the occasion of the information from the Swedish Prosecutor's Office about the detention of the "Vezhen" in the Baltic Sea and the initiation of a preliminary investigation into suspected sabotage. "It is possible that the" Vezhen "caused the damage to the cable, but I personally do not assume that this was sabotage on the part of our crew," said the Executive Director of the shipping company "Navigation Maritime Bulgare", Captain Alexandar Kaltchev. He explained that on the evening of Jan 25, the ship was sailing in extremely bad weather with southwest winds of more than 25 meters per second. On the morning, when the wind died down, the crew inspected the ship for damage and found that the port side anchor was damaged and had apparently been dragged along the seabed. Kalchev stressed that even if the ship caused the damage to the data cable, it was not intentional or "sabotage". The 'Vezhen', through a complicated arrangement with several subsidiaries, is de facto owned by Hai Kuo Shipping 2015B, which in turn is owned by ICBC Leasing, a state-owned Chinese company linked to the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China: The ship had left the Russian port of Ust-Luga, which is the same port which the 'Yi Peng 3' had departed from before the Chinese ship destroyed two cables in the Baltic Sea in mid-November 2024. Report with photo: https://www.msn.com/sv-se/nyheter/inrikes/ankaret-skadat-%C3%A4garen-nekar-till-sabotage/ar-AA1xVHOA

On Jan 12, the 'Glyvursnes' left the port of Hirtshals and headed to Frederikshavn, where it berthed at the Orskov Yard for permanent repairs of the extensive fire damage suffered on the evening of Jan 2. The authorities' investigations will also still take a long time. In the violent fire, which had broken out in the ship's engine room, a 34-year-old crew member had died. The Smyril Line chartered the roro ferry 'Mykines' (IMO: 9121998) as a replacement ship.

The crew of the 'Salvamar Adhara' has accompanied a cayuco with 67 sub-Saharan people on board, among them two minors, on the morning of Jan 27. The boat had been located about eight nautical miles southeast of La Restinga (El Hierro). The response was coordinated by the CCS Tenerife of Salvamento Marítimo. At 9:20 a.m. LT the migrants had safely disembarked in the port. Report with photo: https://x.com/salvamentogob/status/1883821606180716824

A violent fire broke out on Jan 26, 2025, at 1.25 a.m. in the engine room of the 'Kriti Captain' with more than 30,000m³ of diesel on board at the anchorage of Port-la-Nouvelle in pos. 43° 01' N 003° 05'. E. 51 firefighters from the barracks of Narbonne, Salles-d’Aude, Port-la-Nouvelle, Leucate, Sigean and Salles-d’Aude were mobilized to the scene. Shortly after 2 a.m., a first team managed to board this vessel. They could be stood down only on Jan 26 at 12:30 p.m. after. more than 11 consecutive hours of intervention. A long inspection of the vessel took place in the middle of the day, and it was found out that it was no longer able to navigate independently. It needed to be towed to the port of Marseille. For this purpose, the tug 'Abeille Méditerranée' (IMO: 9417749) arrived at around 1 p.m. Both ships remained stationary as of Jan 28. Report with photo: https://actu.fr/occitanie/port-la-nouvelle_11266/aude-un-violent-incendie-se-declare-dans-un-cargo-petrolier-11-heures-d-intervention-pour-les-pompiers_62169919.html

On Jan 28, 2025, at around 9 a.m. a fire broke out in the engine room of the 'Firuze G', which was berthed at the Sanayi Pier in the port of Samsun. Firefighters tried to tackle the blaze aboard the unloaded ship from the shore, and two firefighting tugs of the Port Authority assisted from the sea. The fire brigade attended with 15 vehicles and 50 personnel. Besides the fire department, the police and Provincial Disaster and Emergency Directorate (AFAD) teams were deployed to the scene too. The fire could be brought under control within 2,5 hours, and the cooling operation was started. The fire was believed to have been caused by a generator failure. All 33 people aboard the ship were evacuated in good health. Reports with photo and video: https://www.milliyet.com.tr/gundem/samsun-limaninda-bulunan-gemide-cikan-yangina-mudahale-ediliyor-7293334 https://www.denizhaber.com/samsun-limaninda-firuze-g-adli-ro-ro-gemisinde-yangin-cikti/123631 https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/gundem/samsun-limaninda-bulunan-gemide-cikan-yangin-kontrol-altina-alindi/3464066 https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/gundem/samsun-limaninda-gemi-yangini-mudahale-ediliyor-42673140 https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/gundem/samsun-limaninda-bulunan-gemide-cikan-yangin-kontrol-altina-alindi/3464066 https://oxu.az/tr/gundem/samsun-da-kuru-yuk-gemisinde-yangin

The laden ' Unity' has broken down in the stormy Bay of Biscay off France on Jan 23, 2025. The aframax tanker had departed from Primorsk on Jan 16 with Russian oil bound for Mangalore. The ship ran into difficulties overnight off the west coast of France, losing its propulsion during extremely stormy conditions in the Atlantic. On Jan 24 the ship turned around, and on Jan 27 it dropped anchor off the French coast in pos. 49° 49' N 000° 56' W. The tanker is owned by Moscow-headquartered Argo Tanker Group, who acquired the ship in September 2024.

The 'Sea Lord', towing the hull of the new mine countermeasures vessel 'Scheveningen', has been stuck in the Mediterranean Sea north of Morocco for several days. The ships have been on their way from Romania to France for more than a month for the completion of the newbuilding. The delay has been caused by the bad weather on the Atlantic Ocean and in the Bay of Biscay. It is currently quite stormy on the Atlantic Ocean. The storm that was mainly affecting Ireland, reached wind gusts of up to 183 kilometres per hour. Wave heights of more than 11 metres (sea state 8) were recorded on the morning of Jan 24, 2025, southwest of Ireland, and wave heights of 4 to 5 meters (sea state 6) were measured on the morning on the route from the Strait of Gibraltar to Concarneau. For the 'Sea Lord' that was reason enough to wait in the Alboran Sea, the western part of the Mediterranean Sea, east of Ceuta and close to the Strait of Gibraltar. She entered the port of Malaga on Jan 25. A new storm was expected on Jan 26, which will also affect Ireland and the United Kingdom. Wave heights of more than 10 metres (sea state 8) were forecast for Jan 27 in the Bay of Biscay southwest of Brittany and even more than 13 metres southwest of Ireland in the Atlantic Ocean. A third front will follow on Jan 29 with a high sea state as a result, but this time the peaks are expected off the coast of Portugal. That too is on the route to Brittany and on the evening the waves will reach heights of more than 10 meters. On Jan 31 the sea seems to calm down again. Report with photos: https://marineschepen.nl/nieuws/Storm-houdt-sleepboot-met-romp-mijnenbestrijdingsvaartuig-Scheveningen-langer-in-Middellandse-Zee-240125.html

Latvia's army has sent naval divers to help investigate the damage to the submarine cablee used by the Latvian State Radio and Television Center (LVRTC) in the Baltic Sea. According to the armed forces, a team of divers was on its way to the sea area between Latvia and Sweden on Jan 27. There they will carry out on-site investigations and collect further clues. The divers will be supported by ships from the Swedish Coast Guard. The authorities in Stockholm are investigating a possible serious sabotage. The "Vezhen" re,aomed anchored south of Karlskrona as of Jan 28. The patrol ship 'KBV 034' (MMSI: 266334000) of the Swedish Coast Guard was monitoring the vessel.

On Jan 26, 2025, the 'Northumberland' (formerly the Elbe ferry 'Fanafjord') arrived in Pictou. The ferrywill serve the Wood Islands, Prince Edward Island to Caribou, Nova Scotia route. She was acquired by the Government of Canada as an interim solution to replace the former 'Holiday Island'. The vessel will now undergo final refit work to prepare for service. This vessel allows for a safe and reliable two-vessel service between Woods Islands, Prince Edward Island, and Caribou, Nova Scotia. The 'Northumberland' is expected to be ready for service for the beginning of the 2025 operating season. Report with photo: https://www.canada.ca/en/transport-canada/news/2025/01/canada-welcomes-the-arrival-of-the-mv-northumberland.html

The Spanish flagged 15-m-fishing vessel “Daniela Y Sara-3AM-1-4-05”, 7,6 gt (CS: EA8499), with five crew members on board, requested towing assistance following a power loss about 6.9 nautical miles south of Punta Genoveses on Jan 27, 2025. The CCS Almería of Salvamento Marítimo mobilized the 'Salvamar Spica', which took the ship in tow and safely pulled it to Carboneras due to the poor state of the sea. Video: https://x.com/i/status/1883940367172788328