The 'Ke Xue San Hao' was conducting unauthorized operations in the Philippine exclusive economic zone (EEZ), just 20 nautical miles off the Sabina Shoal for about 10 days, It has been doing a zigzag pattern close to Sabina and the southern part of Sabina Shoal, it was announced on Aug 6, 2024. China did not ask for permission to conduct survey operation. The Chinese government lays claim to a large swath of the western Philippine EEZ, along with the vast majority of the South China Sea, despite the 2016 arbitral ruling that found its claims invalid under UNCLOS. The Philippine cutter BRP 'Teresa Magbanua' has been stationed at Sabina Shoal for months in order to closely monitor Chinese movements. Last month, the China Coast Guard dispatched the world's largest cutter, the'CCG 5901', to anchor at a position within 800 yards of the Magbanua. As of Aug 5, shewas still holding the same position. China regularly deploys survey vessels to operate without authorization in waters claimed by its neighbors, including Taiwan, the Philippines and Vietnam. In June, the government of Vietnam vigorously protested the operations of a new Chinese survey vessel in the Gulf of Tonkin, alleging that the ship was engaged in "illegal" activities in the Vietnamese exclusive economic zone. Report with photo: https://maritime-executive.com/article/chinese-survey-vessel-loiters-near-sabina-shoal-raising-suspicions
News
ULTRA COLONSAY
On Aug 6, 2024, while the 'Ultra Colonsy' was sailing around 4.3 nautical miles from Pulau Cula in the Eastbound lane of the Traffic separation scheme of the Strait of Malacca and Singapore, the bulk carrier was boarded by a group of five to six armed robbers with knives, who were sighted in the engine room. Immediately, the alarm was raised, and the robbers escaped, stealing engine spare parts and the cellphone of a chief engineer. No injuries were reported, and the incident was reported to the Singapore Vessel Traffic Information System. The vessel was boarded by the Singapore Police Guard upon its arrival at the Singapore Anchorage, but found no perpetrators aboard.
SALVAMAR ALCYONE
On Aug 6, the 7-m-pleasure boat 'Amatxi Boni' went adrift in Bilbao due to an injector explosion. Its five crew members had gone fishing. The 'Salvamar Alcyone' was mobilized to tow it to Getxo Kaia. The response was coordinated of the MRCC of Salvamento Marítimo in Bilbao.
ULTRA GALAXY
Salvage master Rudolph Punt, a member of the Smit Salvage team trying to prevent further oil spills from the 'Ultra Galaxy', was conducting assessment on the side of the ship that was leaning over 115 degree in the surf lines. Only once it is safe underfoot and it doesn’t feel like it’s falling apart, the salvors disconnect from the helicopter and connect to the safety lines that have been pre-rigged onboard the vessel. Salvors were drilling holes into tanks to see if there was any oil in them. Once they have identified where the oil is, they offload the oil on to a platform supply vessel (PSV) as one component of a complex operation to avoid an environmental disaster. It takes up to 48 hours to heat the oil, which is then circulated before being pumped into a tank on the PSV. The ship had been carrying 320 tonnes of very low sulphur fuel oil and 130 tonnes of low sulphur marine gas oil. Fuel oil tank No. 2 has breached totally, and had 10 tonnes of oil on it. Oil tank No. 1 had 162 tonnes of heavy fuel, and it was not yet known exactly how much was left, but the vast majority of that has leaked out. There was also diesel oil in a tank that has 35 tonnes, that has minimal leakage for the time being. Drums of lube oil drums and eight tonnes of marine gas oil were removed from the vessel before it broke apart. The fertiliser cargo aboard the ship dissolved into the ocean. SpillTech has employed over 200 members from the surrounding coastal communities to assist in the beach cleanup operations with over 200 community members raking in the tar balls from the beach sand to mitigate the extent of the oil spill from the vessel. They have recovered about 200 tonnes of waste, including empty cargo bags, debris from the vessel, oil residue and contaminated sand. The collected waste is disposed of at a hazardous waste management facility. Report with photos and video: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-08-05-west-coast-oil-spill-inside-the-emergency-response-effort-and-salvage-operation/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=53&v=bjP4WGQAhwI&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailymaverick.co.za%2F&source_ve_path=MTM5MTE3LDIzODUx
PIONEER
On Aug 1, 2024, a ship belonging to Russia’s suspected dark fleet, the 'Pioneer' appears to be loading at the country’s new production facility Arctic LNG 2, possibly the first export from the plant, which is subject to Western sanctions. The ship was chartered by Russia’s main LNG producer Novatek, with a capacity of 138,000 cubic meters of LNG, or 0.085bcm. The tanker was still there over the weekend. Some flaring, which could be related to the initial steps of loading, was also observed. Novatek, the operator of Arctic LNG 2, started up the first 6.6m tonnes per year unit in Dec 2023, with first exports initially planned for Q1. However, the company has been unable to export as it lacks sufficient ice-breaker class LNG ships of its own, and the facility and new vessel builds have been sanctioned by the US and the EU as part of their curbs on Russia. The ship appeared to have arrived at the Arctic LNG 2 terminal after spoofing. The ship’s AIS data still were showing it circling east of northern Russian archipelago Novaja Semlja. It is believed it will reappear along the Norwegian coast, to seamlessly tie into a return from its current AIS-reported circling pattern. Novatek would likely then report a successful loading of a commissioning cargo. Firms tied to Russia are believed by market observers to have bought older LNG and oil vessels to create dark fleets that evade Western sanctions. The 'Pioneer' was one of three LNG vessels in Russia’s LNG dark fleet, although the total number was uncertain. Considering recent movements by the ''Pioneer', as well as the 'Asya Energy' and 'Everest Energy', t 3.3m tonnes per year of the Arctic LNG 2 were considered to be operational with a sufficient fleet. The first cargo’s destination was unlikely to be the EU. While there was imited market impact from the first cargo, this should change with increased volume from three ships. India was considered to be a potential destination candidate, possibly in a Red Sea transit pact involving Russia, Iran and the Houthis rebels in Yemen.
CP323
The 'CP 323' was in collision with a migrant craft on the evening of Aug 3, 2024, leaving two dead and one missing about 17 miles off the coast of Syracuse. The patrol boat was dispatched to the distressed boat and found difficult conditions upon its arrival. The weather and sea surface were rough, and the challenges of a nighttime rescue were exacerbated by low visibility. When the boats collided, several occupants of the migrant boat ended up in the water, and the patrol boat brought 34 survivors on board. One of them died of a pulmonary embolism as the boat made its way back to shore, and another passed away after he was delivered to shore and taken to a hospital for care. One person remaineds missing, and a search effort was still under way as of Aug 5. 10 more survivors sustained serious injuries, including fractures, and were delivered to hospitals around the region for higher care. The prosecutor's office in Syracuse was investigating the circumstances of the accident, and the Italian Coast Guard is cooperating in the probe.
MINCK
On the afternoon of Aug 5, 2024, land services reported the departure of a migrant boat from the CROSS Gris-Nez. The 'Minck' was deployed to relocate the boat. Once on scene, its crew rescued 26 people. Several people still on board the boat refused the assistance offered by French resources and continued on their way. The castaways were then dropped off at the quayside in Calais.
BIDEFORD DOLPHIN
Beached at Aliaga 05.08.24 https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10160393102100036&set=pcb.10163239713188943
ILIDA DOLPHIN
On the afternoon of Aug 5, the Port Authorities of Corfu and Poros were informed that the 'Ilida Dolphin' haded a failure in the starboard side main engine, during the execution of the scheduled route from the port of Paxos to the port of Corfu with 70 passengers and six crew members on board. The hydrofoil sailed under its own power at sreduced speed to the port of Corfu, where it safely disembarked its passengers. An inspection was carried out by the officers of the Local Scale of Ship Inspection and the Central Port Authority of Corfu eho prohibited the sailing of the ferry until the repair of the damage and the presentation of a certificate of class maintenance by the monitoring classification society.
GALAXY LEADER
The Philippines’ Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has reported ongoing efforts to secure the release of 17 Filipino crew members of the 'Galaxy Leader'. Three sailors were showing malaria symptoms and have been hospitalized. DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac provided updates during the News Forum in Quezon City on Aug 3, stating that the three ailing crew members were receiving medical care in a hospital, while the remaining 14 crew members were still on board the vessel, being fed and given their basic necessities on board the ship. The release of three hospitalized crew members was under negotiation, with the Department of Foreign Affairs engaging with governments that have communication channels with the Houthi terrorists and coordinating with the DMW for information and assistance. The Honorary Consul to Yemen Mohammad Saleh Al-Jamal was also seeking assistance from the Sana’a authorities for the release of Filipino crew members on humanitarian grounds due to their deteriorating health. He was planning to visit the 'Galaxy Leader', his first visit in about three months.
MAAB AQUA 1
he crew of the 'Maab Aqua 1', among them three Kenyan nationals and five Sri Lankan nationals, accused of illegally fishing in Malagasy waters, have been taken in preventive detention. They appeared before the Nosy Be court prosecutor's office on Aug 3, 2024. The ishermen, who were arrested in early July aboard the 'Maab Aqua' 87 kilometers northwest of Nosy-Be, were being held at the Perfume Island prison awaiting their trial, the date of which has not yet been set. The eight men have been charged with fishing without authorization, failure to hold a fishing log, and failure to possess a tracking beacon. They were also accused of failing to file an entry declaration.
EARTH HARMONY
On July 21, 2024, at 3.40 a.m. the 'Earth Harmony‘ was boarded by three perpetrators armed with knives, at the Kuala Tanjung Anchorage in pos. 3° 26 N 99° 27' E. The crew was tied up, and the intruders stole engine spares. and escaped.
SALVAMAR ADHARA
On Aug 6 at dawn, the 'Salvamar Adhara' accompanied a cayuco with 88 sub-Saharan people on board. Among them were 85 men, two women and one minor. The boat was escorted to the port of La Restinga (El Hierro). The response was coordinated by the MRCC of Salvamento Marítimo in Tenerife.
MT TERRA NOVA
The fabrication of metal caps for the storage tanks of the MT 'Terra Nova' was underway. Two of the metal caps have been completed as of Aug 4 and the protoypes were now undergoing testing by the salvage firm hired by the owner of the tanker. The canvass-type capping bags that were earlier installed on the valves of the storage tanks hade to be replaced with metal caps before the ship’s cargo of 1.4 million liters of industrial fuel oil could be siphoned off. The siphoning process with the canvass-type capping bags in place might have caused oil to further spill from the storage tanks. The tanker has eight storage tanks with three valves each. The oil sheen has been contained. Oil spill booms were well in place. The fabrication of the metal caps was expected to be completed this week. After the metal caps are installed, siphoning can start.
MT TERRA NOVA
The shipping company, Portavaga Ship Management Inc., which owns the 'Terra Nova', on Aug 6 denied allegations of oil smuggling after the Department of Justice (DOJ) floated speculation of a conspiracy. The DOJ said that it could draw conclusions from the ships’ distance from one another, which were only three to five nautical miles away from one another. “The owners of MTKR Terranova, categorically deny the allegations of smuggling and involvement in ‘paihi’ operations,” Portavaga Ship Management Inc. said in a statement. According to the company, the Terranova has a CCTV system, and there were no records of oil loss claims or reports of abnormal losses filed against the 'Terra Nova' by any of its charterers. The Portavaga Ship Management Inc. said that its owners were meeting with the local government officials of Cavite, Bataan, and Bulacan to assess the impact of the oil spill on coastal towns, which was believed to have already reached the shores of Bataan, Cavite, Bulacan and Metro Manila. A total of eight Cavite towns have declared a state of calamity due to the oil spill. The The owner of the the cargo is the San Miguel Shipping and Lighterage Corporation subsidiary SL Harbor Bulk Terminal Corporation.