The new Swedish owner Gotlandsbolaget of the 'Pearl Seaways' and 'Crown Seaways', which had been serving the route København - Fredrikshavn- Oslo, have revealed the names of the ships they will have in future. The names will simply be 'Nordic Pearl' and 'Nordic Crown'. The 'Pearl Seaways' is undergoing major maintenance in Landskrona since Jan 2, 2025. Both ships will be serving the Oslo-Copenhagen route and have been handed over on Nov 1, 2024. in June 2024, Gotlandsbolaget had announced that after Oct 31 the company would take over the DFDS line after the Danish shipping company sold the line for approximately 400 MDKK. The deal included the two cruise ferries and just over 800 employees, who were also transferred to Gotlandsbolaget.
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SANWAMARU
On Jan 6, 2025, at 6 p.m. the 'Sanwa Maru', en route from Tomakamai to a port in Akita Prefecture with a cargo of 3800 tons kerosene, ran aground east of Esancho, near the Cape Esan in Hakodate, Hokkaido, in pos. 41° 47' N 141° 10' E, amid ind speeds of five meters per second. initial efforts to refloat the grounded ship did not succeed, The salvage attempts were halted on Jan 7 due to bad weather in the area. The Hakodate Coast Guard confirmed on Jan 8, that heavy oil had leaked from a fuel tank at the bottom of the ship which appeared to have been damaged. To date, about one ton of diesel and 3,1 tons of kerosene have leaked from the tanker. An oil boom was laid out. The Coast Guard rescued seven of the 11 crew members with a boat, which was deployed from the patrol vessel 'Okushiri'. The remaining four intended to remain on board in order to support the work to pull the ship from the reef. The ship had a list of five degrees to starboard side. Reportsd with photos and video: https://www.gettyimages.hk/detail/新聞照片/the-tanker-sanwa-maru-runs-aground-off-hakodate-in-the-新聞照片/2192328978?adppopup=true https://newsdig.tbs.co.jp/articles/-/1652383?display=1 https://www.fnn.jp/articles/-/811348 https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/national/20250108-OYT1T50045/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoSXOF7vjBw&t=1s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BD3tJMu5eQ https://www.hbc.co.jp/news/af591e5235c65fb5f026eec6270120ea.html https://www3.nhk.or.jp/sapporo-news/20250107/7000072432.html https://www3.nhk.or.jp/sapporo-news/20250108/7000072463.html
SALVAMAR MIZAR
On Nov 6, the 'Salvamar Spica' has rescued 15 migrants from a boat, which had been located by a merchant vessel about 20 nautical miles south of Faro Sabinal. The castaways were transferred to Almeria. The 'Salvamar Gienah' has transferred 21 people to Motril from a boat which was previously located by the Guardia Civil south of Almuñécar. On the morning, the 'Salvamar Mizar' was mobilized to a cayuco which was located ten nautical miles south of El Hierro with 55 people on board. T'he migrants were accompanied to the port of La Restinga. The 'Guardamar Polimnia' has rescued 68 people from a rubber boat 42 nautical miles east of Arrecife. Report with photo: https://x.com/salvamentogob/status/1854147707532718127
CMS PAHLAVAN
Azerbaijan has sent a note to Eritrea regarding three Azerbaijan flagged tugs and their crews, which were detained after entering the territorial waters of the State of Eritrea on Nov 7, 2024. Each ship had six Azerbaijani sailors, with a total of 18 crew members, on board. The 'CMS Pahlavan', 'CMS Igid' and 'CMS-3', operated by the Azerbaijani branch of the company Caspian Marine Services B.V., had no choice but to enter due to deteriorating weather conditions, en route from the Suez Canal to Abu Dhabi. Although prior contact was made with the port authorities of the State of Eritrea, it was not possible to provide information. After entering the 12-mile territorial waters of the State of Eritrea, the relevant authority of the State emphasized that the entry was unauthorized, and the vessels were detained. Azerbaijan sent a note to Eritrea, through the Azerbaijani embassies in Ethiopia and Russia, stating that the entry into Eritrean territorial waters did not contradict international legal norms. Relevant meetings were held at the Eritrean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Eritrea’s embassies in Türkiye and Moscow. Efforts were ongoing to resolve the issue, secure the release of the vessels and crew, and provide necessary consular and legal assistance. The Agency was also in regular contact with the Azerbaijani branch of the Caspian Marine Services B.V. company, which owns the ship. The ships are supplied with food and other necessities on time, and relevant assistance is provided for communication between the crew and their families.
VOLGONEFT-239
More than three weeks after the 'Volgoneft 212' and 'Volgoneft 239' shipwrecked, several dead whales have washed up on the annexed Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea. Local politician Pavel Kharlamov, who is involved in cleaning up the beaches, told on Jan 8 that the carcasses washed up in Sevastopol would now be removed. The authorities appointed by Russia feared that the situation in Crimea would worsen further. On Jan 5, an animal welfare organization from Sochi had announced that more than 30 marine mammals had been found dead since the accident. Most of the dead animals were a subspecies of porpoise found in the Black Sea, which is one of the smallest species of whale and is often confused with dolphins. The Moscow-appointed governor of the occupied Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, said on Jan 8 that there was a high risk that the situation will worsen and the extent of the crisis will be comparable to that in the Russian region of Krasnodar. The main focus now would have to be on keeping the oil slick away from the coast and cleaning the water. Thousands of people are involved in cleaning the beaches of the Crimean peninsula and the Russian Black Sea coast, including many volunteers. On Jan 7, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations announced that more than 118,000 tons of contaminated sand and soil had been removed from a dozen-kilometer stretch of beach on the Russian coast. At least 287 tons have been cleaned so far in Crimea and Sevastopol.
NORDIC PEARL
The new Swedish owner Gotlandsbolaget of the 'Pearl Seaways' and 'Crown Seaways', which had been serving the route København - Fredrikshavn- Oslo, have revealed the names of the ships they will have in future. The names will simply be 'Nordic Pearl' and 'Nordic Crown'. The 'Pearl Seaways' is undergoing major maintenance in Landskrona since Jan 2, 2025. Both ships will be serving the Oslo-Copenhagen route and have been handed over on Nov 1, 2024. in June 2024, Gotlandsbolaget had announced that after Oct 31 the company would take over the DFDS line after the Danish shipping company sold the line for approximately 400 MDKK. The deal included the two cruise ferries and just over 800 employees, who were also transferred to Gotlandsbolaget.
SANWAMARU
On Jan 10 at high tide, an attempt was made to tow the 'Sanwa Maru' away from the rocks off the coast of Esan, Hakodate City, after the oil leakage was stopped by transferring the remaining fuel oil in the damaged fuel tank to another empty tank. Ballast water was being pumped out, and the contracted tug 'Koyo Maru' (IMO: 9966348) of the company Nippon Salvage started moving back and forth in small movements at 10.04 a.m. LT, but the tanker did not move, and the operation was halted at 11.10 a.m. Meanwhole it turned out that the grounding seems to have been caused by a human error of the helmsman. The Japanes Coastguard continued its investigation into the accident. Reports with photos and video: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/sapporo-news/20250110/7000072539.html https://www.saitama-np.co.jp/articles/117809/postDetail https://newsdig.tbs.co.jp/articles/-/1659986?display=1 https://www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/article/1109510/?ref=top
SUILVEN
MSAF, the Fiji Ports Corporation and the Environment Ministry were marshalling resources to drain fuel and oils from the 'Suilven', which sank in the harbour 10 years ago, and remove the vessel. With the help from Dive Centre upon Fiji the leaks have been sealed and the oil leakage stopped. It came from the hull and was likely heavy fuel oil or marine diesel oil, with both posing environmental risks. The ministry was aware of the potential risks of reoccurrence and is working with MSAF and Fiji Ports to secure resources to refloat and drain out all oils and fuels. The 'Suilven', which was owned by the Venu Shipping since 2012, capsized in Suva Harbour o nNov 24, 2015. There were no passengers aboard at the time and the crew was rescued. The vessel owner has ignored court orders to remove pollutants and salvage and dispose of the wreck. Faced with a potential bill for $1.36 million to recover and/or scuttle 34 abandoned vessels around the Harbour MSAF has opted to hand the work to steel recyclers. The joint committee on derelict vessel removal had exhausted all the legal provisions so that the safe and proper disposal of abandoned or derelict vessels could progress and is now surveying a suitable site for scuttling, but towing them to deep water is expensive.
CMS 3
Azerbaijan has sent a note to Eritrea regarding three Azerbaijan flagged tugs and their crews, which were detained after entering the territorial waters of the State of Eritrea on Nov 7, 2024. Each ship had six Azerbaijani sailors, with a total of 18 crew members, on board. The 'CMS Pahlavan', 'CMS Igid' and 'CMS-3', operated by the Azerbaijani branch of the company Caspian Marine Services B.V., had no choice but to enter due to deteriorating weather conditions, en route from the Suez Canal to Abu Dhabi. Although prior contact was made with the port authorities of the State of Eritrea, it was not possible to provide information. After entering the 12-mile territorial waters of the State of Eritrea, the relevant authority of the State emphasized that the entry was unauthorized, and the vessels were detained. Azerbaijan sent a note to Eritrea, through the Azerbaijani embassies in Ethiopia and Russia, stating that the entry into Eritrean territorial waters did not contradict international legal norms. Relevant meetings were held at the Eritrean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Eritrea’s embassies in Türkiye and Moscow. Efforts were ongoing to resolve the issue, secure the release of the vessels and crew, and provide necessary consular and legal assistance. The Agency was also in regular contact with the Azerbaijani branch of the Caspian Marine Services B.V. company, which owns the ship. The ships are supplied with food and other necessities on time, and relevant assistance is provided for communication between the crew and their families.
NORWEGIAN EPIC
An SAR operation was started for Dan McGilvray, 51, a passenger of the 'Norwegian Epic' who went overboard while the ship en route to the Bahamas has been abandoned. on Dec 26 2024. The 51-year-old man went overboard at approximately 3 p.m. as the 'Norwegian Epic' was sailing northbound from Ocho Rios, Jamaica, toward Great Stirrup Cay. Before, he yelled “I can’t take it anymore”, and his elderly mom had in vain tried to grab him to stop him going over. The authorities were immediately notified, and the SAR operation under the guidance and oversight of the Bahamas Rescue Coordination Center was started. The search was ultimately deemed unsuccessful, after which the ship was 'released by the authorities to continue its voyage, after the local Coastguard along with the ship's crew had scoured the water for the missing man but were unable to locate him. The man who went overboard was traveling with a large group, including his family. Bahamas investigators believed that McGilvray, a financial adviser from Denver, may have experienced an adverse reaction to his seizure medication before he climbed over a balcony. Before jumping, he was visibly distressed, and despite attempts to restrain him, he jumped from a balcony into the sea. The ship had departed Port Canaveral, Florida, on Dec 22 on a seven-night Western Caribbean voyage. The vessel was now being diverted to Nassau. Itreturned to the Sunshine State on Dec 28. Reports with photos: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14228815/Norwegian-cruise-ship-overboard-passenger-Bahamas.html https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/distressed-colorado-dad-dan-mcgilvray-jumped-off-cruise-ship-in-caribbean-despite-mom-trying-to-stop-him-report/ar-AA1xaPPb
VOLGONEFT-212
More than three weeks after the 'Volgoneft 212' and 'Volgoneft 239' shipwrecked, several dead whales have washed up on the annexed Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea. Local politician Pavel Kharlamov, who is involved in cleaning up the beaches, told on Jan 8 that the carcasses washed up in Sevastopol would now be removed. The authorities appointed by Russia feared that the situation in Crimea would worsen further. On Jan 5, an animal welfare organization from Sochi had announced that more than 30 marine mammals had been found dead since the accident. Most of the dead animals were a subspecies of porpoise found in the Black Sea, which is one of the smallest species of whale and is often confused with dolphins. The Moscow-appointed governor of the occupied Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, said on Jan 8 that there was a high risk that the situation will worsen and the extent of the crisis will be comparable to that in the Russian region of Krasnodar. The main focus now would have to be on keeping the oil slick away from the coast and cleaning the water. Thousands of people are involved in cleaning the beaches of the Crimean peninsula and the Russian Black Sea coast, including many volunteers. On Jan 7, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations announced that more than 118,000 tons of contaminated sand and soil had been removed from a dozen-kilometer stretch of beach on the Russian coast. At least 287 tons have been cleaned so far in Crimea and Sevastopol.
GUARDAMAR URANIA
The crew of the 'Guardamar Urania' has rescued the occupants of three precarious boats on the night of Jan 9/10. The first response was for a cayuco, which had been located seven nautical miles south of Gran Canaria, which had 63 people on board. They arrived in Arguineguín at 10:50 p.m. LT. On Jan 10 at 4:20 a.m., two cayucos were located six nautical miles from Pasito Blanco in southern Gran Canaria. They had on board 63 and 69 people respectively. At 6:10 a.m. the disembarkation in the port of Arguineguín began. The responses were coordinated by the MRCC of Salvamento Marítimo in Las Palmas. Report with photo: https://x.com/salvamentogob/status/1877629733053059128
SALVAMAR MACONDO
On Jan 9, 2025, a cayuco was spotted five nautical miles south of Gran Canaria. The 'Salvamar Macondo' was tasked to assist and took the boat in towto the port of Arguineguín, where the 63 people of sub-Saharan origin on board safely disembarked. Report with photo: https://x.com/salvamentogob/status/1877387716351934689
GUARDAMAR TALIA
On Jan 6, the MRCC of Salvamento Marítimo in Tenerife Center coordinated the escort of two cayucos to La Restinga and one more boat to Los Cristianos. The MRCC of Salvamento Marítimo in Las Palmas coordinated the response for two cayucos. The migrants were disembarked in the ports of Aguineguín and Arrecife. 350 migrants of sub-Saharan and Maghreb origin were aboard four boats, among them at least 51 women and 24 minors. Involved in the SAR operations were the 'Guardamar Urania', the 'Guardamar Talia', the 'Salvamar Alpheratz' and the 'Salvamar Acrux', which escorted a boat with 143 people of sub-Saharan origin on board, among them 74 men, 47 women and 22 minors, tothe port of La Restinga (El Hierro) after 9:30 p.m., after having been sighted by a fishing boat about 37 kilometers from the coast.. The SAR helicopter Helimer 202 evacuated a newborn child and his mother, who had given berth 20 minutes before the rescue, from the 'Guardamar Talia' and transported them to a hospital in Arrecife for further care. Rescuers knew there was a pregnant woman on board but were surprised to find a baby born with the mother on the floor of the boat, while the baby was being held by another person. The captain of the 'Guardamar Talía', Domingo Trujillo, had already experienced a similar situation in 2020, during the lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic, when the 'Salvamar Mizar', aboard which he was the skipper, rescued the occupants of a boat in which a woman had also just given birth. Reports with photos: https://www.koha.net/en/bote/nje-foshnje-u-lind-ne-varken-plot-migrante https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1270235-baby-born-on-migrant-vessel-in-atlantic-spanish-rescuers
CMS IGID
Azerbaijan has sent a note to Eritrea regarding three Azerbaijan flagged tugs and their crews, which were detained after entering the territorial waters of the State of Eritrea on Nov 7, 2024. Each ship had six Azerbaijani sailors, with a total of 18 crew members, on board. The 'CMS Pahlavan', 'CMS Igid' and 'CMS-3', operated by the Azerbaijani branch of the company Caspian Marine Services B.V., had no choice but to enter due to deteriorating weather conditions, en route from the Suez Canal to Abu Dhabi. Although prior contact was made with the port authorities of the State of Eritrea, it was not possible to provide information. After entering the 12-mile territorial waters of the State of Eritrea, the relevant authority of the State emphasized that the entry was unauthorized, and the vessels were detained. Azerbaijan sent a note to Eritrea, through the Azerbaijani embassies in Ethiopia and Russia, stating that the entry into Eritrean territorial waters did not contradict international legal norms. Relevant meetings were held at the Eritrean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Eritrea’s embassies in Türkiye and Moscow. Efforts were ongoing to resolve the issue, secure the release of the vessels and crew, and provide necessary consular and legal assistance. The Agency was also in regular contact with the Azerbaijani branch of the Caspian Marine Services B.V. company, which owns the ship. The ships are supplied with food and other necessities on time, and relevant assistance is provided for communication between the crew and their families.
QUEEN OF ALBERNI
A passenger went overboard from the 'Queen of Alberni' , en route from Duke Point, Vancouver, near Tsawwassen on Jan 8, 2025, at 7.45 a.m., prompting the cancellation of two sailings on the Duke Point-Tsawwassen route. The 10:15 a.m. departure from Tsawwassen and the 12:45 p.m. sailing from Duke Point were both cancelled. Alternative travel arrangements were made available, including service via the Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay to Departure Bay in Nanaimo. The person was rescued and brought ashore and received care from Emergency Health Services. The crew of the vessel activated emergency protocols, including contacting emergency services, which responded to what was determined to be a “mental health incident” that was resolved with the person being taken to hospital.