Northumberland Ferries cancelled two early morning crossings between P.E.I. and Nova Scotia on Aug 15, 2024, but the schedule returned to normal as of 10 a.m. The 7 a.m. departure from Caribou, N.S. and the 8:30 a.m. sailing from Wood Islands, P.E.I. were cancelled due to technical issues with the 'Saaremaa 1'. Some sailings of that ferry were also cancelled on Aug 14.
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FD ATHINA
On the morning of Aug 14, the Argosaronicos Coast Guard was informed by the master of the 'Flying Dolphin Athina', that immediately after the ship's departure, a mechanical failure occurred. The ferry returned to the port, where it safely disembarked its 76 passengers, who were forwarded to their destinations by the care of the owner company. The Port Authority of Argosaronicos banned the ship from sailing until the presentation of a certificate of class maintenance by the monitoring classification society.
BRAZOS
The 'Brazos' suffered a fire approximately 40 miles offshore from Marsh Island, Louisiana, in pos. 28° 55' N 092° 14' W on Aug 11, 2024. At approximately 7:53 p.m. watchstanders of the US Coast Guard received a notification from the ship about the incicdent and that two crew members needed medical attention. From the Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter was deployed to conduct the medevac, which hoisted the men aboard, and transported them to awaiting emergency medical services personnel at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Lafayette, Louisiana. The fire was extinguished and no pollution was reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
SALVAMAR ARCTURUS
On Aug 14 the 'Salvamar Arcturus' rescued four Moroccan men at 8:53 a.m. from a toy boat which had been located by a merchant ship four nautical miles southeast of Tarifa. They were taken on board and disembarked in El Saladillo at 9:36 a.m. The response was coordinated by maritime controllers from the Maritime Safety Centre.
JACQUELINE A
The NTSB has released its investigative report on the sinking of the 'Jacqueline A'in the Atlantic off the coast of South Carolina. The vessel went down because of corrosion holes in small void spaces above the lazarette, leading to water ingress and progressive flooding through unsealed wire runs between compartments. In mid-2023, the vessel's owner decided to return the 'Jacqueline A' to service and contracted with a yard in Louisiana to make upgrades and repairs. The owner hired a captain, mate and deckhand for a transit voyage to deliver the vessel to the yard. The captain said that the vessel's mechanical spaces looked to be in great shape, but the lazarette was not visually inspected immediately prior to the voyage (it had been checked three months earlier during a yard period). The master got under way on Aug 6, 2023, and headed for the Intracoastal Waterway. As the weather improved, the master decided to take an open-ocean route from the Cape Fear River inlet in North Carolina to Port St. Lucie, Florida, saving time. At about 1.50 p.m. on Aug 8, the 'Jacqueline A' left the Cape Fear River channel and headed southwest along the coastline. The seas were on the port beam at four feet, and the vessel was rolling. The aft deck was taking water over the bulwarks, not unusual for a towing vessel in rough weather. Conditions subsided over the next few hours, but sea spray continued to wash over the vessel periodically. Between 6.30-6.50 p.m., the captain - who was on watch - noticed that the tug had taken on a port list. He went out of the wheelhouse on the port side to look aft, and he saw that the main deck was underwater up to the edge of the deckhouse. The master checked the engine room and found that water was spilling in from the two wire runs that connected the engine room to the lazarette. The 'Jacqueline A' had two four-inch pipes running from the aft engine room to the lazarette, through the potable-water tanks. They were unsealed and open-ended. There was water in the bilge up to the bottom of the engine on the port side. The crew attempted to start bilge pumps, but the situation rapidly deteriorated, and the Jacqueline A quickly took on a severe port list and aft trim. At 6.56 p.m., the master made a mayday call and gave the Coast Guard the vessel's position - just in time, as the generator shut down and took out the radio shortly after. The 'Jacqueline A' began to go down quickly by the stern, but as she was only in 31 feet of water, her downward progress was arrested when her hull struck the bottom. The bow remained above the surface, and the crew moved forward of the wheelhouse, where they stayed to wait for a rescue. Three near-shore response boats from local agencies arrived at about 7.40 p.m., and they took the crew aboard for safe delivery ashore. No injuries were reported; the 'Jacqueline A' fully sank after the rescue. The vessel was raised by a salvage crew on Aug 21. The ships's systems had sustained extensive damage throughout, and the cost of repairs was more than the value of the tug, so she was declared a total loss. During a post-casualty inspection, the inboard plating of the bulwarks was cut away, and revealed wastage with holes of 2-8 inches in diameter on the deck plating of the small void spaces inside. The exterior of the bulwarks also showed substantial wastage, some of which had been covered with fiberglass patches. The port engineer had identified the enclosed bulwarks as a hazard earlier, and they were due for removal during the Louisiana yard repair period. There was also a previously-undetected hole on the stern hull plating - the aft bulkhead of the lazarette - that was less than one inch in diameter. Gaskets were also missing from weathertight doors on the deckhouse. The Coast Guard's Marine Safety Center concluded that as the 'Jacqueline A's lazarette began to flood and the stern sank lower, the holes in the deck would have accelerated the rate of water ingress. Once the lazarette filled, it would have begun flooding the engine room via the unsealed wire runs at up to 1,100 gallons a minute. From start to finish, once the aft deck was submerged, the tug would have gone down in 9-16 minutes. The agency cautioned operators, yards and designers to avoid creating small void spaces, where moisture can accumulate undetected and lead to severe, undetectable corrosion. It also reminded owners of the need for proper sealing of wire runs and other penetrations through bulkheads, since holes enable progressive flooding. Informally, NTSB noted that the crew could have observed the vessel's "poor material condition" when they arrived at the pier and should have conducted a more thorough inspection - including opening up the lazarette for a visual examination - before getting under way.
MAA SALEHA BEGUM
On Aug 15, 2024, at 11.15 a.m. a fire broke out inthe engine room of the 'Maa Saleha Begum', which anchored at the Mizushima Port in Kurashiki City, There were 25 Bangladeshi crew members on board, including the captain. As of now, no one has been injured,. The source of the fire has not been confirmed, and the crew attemped to seal off the engine room, which was believed to be the site of the fire, in order to put it out.
MINCK
On the morning of Aug 13, the CROSS Gris-Nez was informed that a migrant boat had set sail and was in difficulty off the coast of Malo-les-Bains. The 'Minck' was deployed to locate the boat and check the situation in the area. Once the 'Minck' was on site, the people on board the boat requested assistance. The crew then launched their semi-rigid boat and recovered the 50 people on board. The boat people were then dropped off at the quay in Dunkirk and taken care of by land rescue services and border police.
SUPERJET
On the morning of Aug 14, the Milos Port Authority was informed by the master of the 'Superjet' about an electrical fault, while the ship had already sailed to perform a scheduled route. The ship returned to the port of Milos, where an extraordinary inspection was carried out by officials of the Port Authority of Milos during which it was established that the ship's systems were in good working order. The master stated that it was a minor damage which had been fully repaired. Following this, the ferry departed to continue its approved route with 252 passengers.
QUEEN BEETLE
Kyushu Railway said on Aug 14, 2024, that its jet ferry subsidiary covered up a water leak on the 'Queen Beetle' for over three months. The JR Kyushu Jet Ferry, operated the high-speed ferry linking the Hakata district of the city of Fukuoka and the South Korean city of Busan, despite the water ingress. It found that the cover-up was ordered by the subsidiary's leadership and replaced its president, Wataru Tanaka, with board director Kenji Oba on Aug 13. The cover-up was discovered through a hearing with crew members during a surprise probe by the transport ministry on Aug. 6. A water leak in the bow section of the high-speed vessel was confirmed Feb. 12, but it was not reported to the ministry or recorded in the logbook on Tanaka's instruction. The amount of water that entered the ship was recorded in a separate book. The amount increased on May 27, but the sensor to detect entry of water into the vessel was moved from 44 centimeters above the bottom of the ship to one meter above the following day. The ferry unit continued to operate the 'Queen Beetle', while draining the water with a pump. The company reported the water leak on May 30, pretending that it had just found the leak, and suspended the services the same day. The ship went back into operation on July 11.
DESERT PIONEER
On Aug 14, 2024, the 'Desert Pioneer' requested the medevac of a crew member about 275 nautical miles southwest of El Hierro. AHD.21 helicopter and a D.4 aircraft from Wing 46 were deployed to the ship, and the man was hoisted and taken to shore. The response was coordinated by the ARCC Canarias and Salvamentogob. Photos: https://x.com/Ala46_ea/status/1823827173209465175
MSC CAPETOWN III
A major catastrophe was averted at the Port of Colombo’s Jaya Container Terminal (JCT) when the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) successfully extinguished a fire aboard the 'MSC Capetown III' on Aug 11, 2024, while the vessel was discharging 995 boxes and loading 880 boxes. The fire started in the 41/43 hatch area of the vessel, affecting approximately 100 under-deck containers and 60 on-deck containers. The fire quickly turned into an explosion, but the SLPA’s firefighting team led by the Harbour Master and supported by other port services, was able to control the situation. The vessel, while docked at the terminal, showed no prior signs of fire. However, during operations, the SLPA team identified the precise location from where the smoke had started, resulting in an explosion. The firefighters responded swiftly to extinguish the fire and safely remove the damaged cargo. The ship also carried 596 out-port containers, in addition to the 995 boxes being discharged and the 880 boxes that were loaded. The Sri Lanka Ports Authority remains committed to the safety and security of its terminals and will continue to monitor the situation actively.
MSC EURIBIA
On Aug 10, 2024, the federal police arrested a Ukrainian, who was aboard the "MSC Euribia", in the port of Kiel. The 53-year-old man was arrested during entry control. The officers' routine comparison of the passenger list before entering the port resulted in the manhunt. The Hamburg public prosecutor's office had issued an arrest warrant against the man for tax evasion from a previous case. The arrest warrant had been suspended at the time in favour of deportation to Ukraine. However, it remains valid in the event of re-entry or a return to Germany. After the police measures had been completed, he must now serve the remainder of his prison sentence of 1,152 days for tax evasion. It is unclear why the man booked a cruise with a German port of call despite the entry ban. He may have assumed that there would be no border controls when traveling in the Schengen area. The arrest warrant would no longer have been valid next year, according to the federal police. He may have boarded in Copenhagen and had not taken into account that the federal police check all lists of passengers and crew members before entering a German port as part of border police measures.
SUPEREXPRESS
On the afternoon of Aug 13, 2024, the Port Authority of Tinos was informed by the Master of the 'Superexpress', which was running a scheduled route from the port of Tinos to the port of Rafina, that it was deemed unsafe to continue sailing and returned to the port of Tinos. After the ship's departure, there was a fight between 14 passengers in the ship's salon. Upon the return of the ferry to the port of Tinos, officers of the Port Authority with the assistance of officers of the Police Department of Tinos proceeded to the arrest of the passengers for violation of article 292 of the Civil Code. (Obstruction of traffic). In further investigations, two guns (replicas) were found in luggage, which were confiscated. At the request of the ship-owning company, two officers of the Port Authority of Tinos boarded the ship to continue its route to the port of Rafina, where it arrived safely. A preliminary investigation was carried out by the Port Authority of Tinos.
SUPERFAST I
On Aug 14 at noon, the Port Authority of Patras was informed about the injury of a 55-year-old crew member aboard the 'Superfast 1', which occurred while berthing at the port during the process of mooring the ship. The man was injured in the gastrocnemius of his right leg while going down a ladder. A preliminary investigation was carried out by the Central Port Authority of Patras.
KM MAJU 88
The 'Maju88' suffered water ingress on Aug 10, 2024, which caused a severe list. The 1st officer noticed that the vessel was listed towards the starboard side. Promptly, the captain of the vessel instructed to divert the vessel to look for a safe anchorage and check for leakages. The leak was identified in the ballast tank 1 on the starboard side of the vessel's bow. The crew immediately attempted to control the water ingress using Alcon pumps and submersible pumps with no avail. Moreover, the rising waves worsened the ship's condition. On Aug 11 aat around 12:15 a.m. local time, the vessel was listing at 25 degrees. The captain called for assistance from nearby vessels, and shortly after,, the tug 'PU 1605' arrived and evacuated the crew. The 'Maju 88' was in ballast at the time of the incident.
SALVAMAR ALPHERATZ
The MRCC of Salvamento Marítimo in Tenerife was notified of the sighting of a cayuco in the vicinity of Las Galletas on Aug 15. The 'Salvamar Alpheratz' was mobilized and spotted the cayuco and reports that there could be between 150 and 170 people on board, apparently in good condition. The boat was escorted to Los Cristianos. There was an official count on land. Report with photo: https://x.com/salvamentogob/status/1824074052304093600
CARNIVAL DREAM
A female crew member from the 'Carnival Dream' has been declared missing at sea after she failed to report for duty on Aug 9. The incident occurred while the vessel was en route from Cozumel to Galveston. Following an extensive onboard search, maritime authorities were alerted to what is believed to be a man overboard situation. The crew member wass presumed to have gone overboard ~2:30 a.m. on Friday as the ship navigated the waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. The head of Yucatan’s Harbour Master Office, Frigate Captain Jose Antonio Solano Claustro, was overseeing the ongoing search and rescue operations, with both the U.S. and Mexican Coast Guards involved. Authorities have called on the maritime community to stay vigilant and report any relevant information to the local harbour master offices.