The 'Berge Mauna Loa', while underway in the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) of the Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS), sailing 3,2 nautical miles northwest of Pulau Cula, en route from Itaqui to Lanshan, was boarded by three perpetrators on July 29, 2024, at 02.15 a.m. in pos. 1° 3.8' N 103° 40'1 E. Nothing was reported stolen.
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RIVERO
On July 30, 2024, the 'Rivero' assisted the pleasure boat 'Mistral' on the Waal, which had run onto a groyne between Heerenwaarden and Heesselt. The boat had suffered a leak. The fire boat 'Bastouwe' from Tiel, that arrived shortly afterwards, then took over and towed the boat to the marina in Kerkdriel, where it was hoisted onto the shore to assess the damage. Report with photos: https://www.digitaalburg.com/rn02/vrachtschip-op-de-waal-schiet-plezierjacht-te-hulp-dat-een-krib-raakt/
LODBROG
Nearly a third of Tonga’s population remained without internet access, with restoration expected only by mid-August. Repairs to damaged cables in Ha’apai and Vava’u were hindered when tthe 'Lodbrog', en route from Singapore broke down on July 21, 2024, and has been stuck in Suva for over a week due to a mechanical fault and fishing net entangled in its propeller. The vessel was anticipated to arrive in Tongan waters in just over a week.
SPIRIT OF NORFOLK
The 'Spirit of Norfolk' is being prepared at the Colonna's Shipyard for serving as an artificial reef, along with the 'Skippin Sue', a vessel owned by Coleen Marine Inc. Both were sold for $740,000 to be used as artificial marine reefs off the shore of the Destin-Fort Walton Beach area. The request from the tourism development department in Okaloosa County was approved. The vessel has nearly 40 ft of relief and a 16 ft mast which will provide some of the highest relief in the area. Both vessels will also provide scuba diving and fishing opportunities as well as provide essential habitat for numerous species of fish and a great location for divers and fishermen to visit enabling Destin-Fort Walton Beach to continue to improve its status as a premier fishing and diving destination in Florida. The fire which gutted the 'Spirit of Norfolk', once a popular passenger ship in Virginia's Hampton Roads region, on the Elizabeth River on June 7, 2022, was too large to be tackled by the crew, according to the report of the National Transportation Safety Board,. All 108 passengers and crew had to be evacuated from the vessel. The fire wasn't fully extinguished until days later on June 11. The NTSB reported a $5 million loss from the fire. The investigation determined the fire was likely caused by the ignition of combustible materials stored near the exhaust pipe of the operating port generator. Since the boat was operating before 1996, it was not required to have engine-room fire detection and fixed fire-extinguishing systems.
LOVEBUG
The cause of the sinking of the 'Lovebug' was unknown, but the salvage may get some clues as to what happened, according to the Maryland DNR police. Once everybody was secured, it was just a matter of placing the safety protocols around the yacht to keep out contaminants and trying to follow up with the captain and owner of the vessel. The ship sank in a heavily traveled area at the mouth of the West River. Trevor Hardman, the skipper of the tour boat 'Annapolis', was nearby when the yacht began to sink just after 12:30 p.m. Within four to five minutes the ship was consumed. and the captain had made the determination that they needed to abandon ship. Towboat U.S. and first responders helped to save the five people aboard. They entered the water off the stern of the 'Lovebug'. One rescued person onboard complained of head soreness but declined to get checked out at the hospital. Report with photo: https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/yacht-capsizes-near-chesapeake-bay-witnesses-describe-rescue-of-five-people-onboard/
LIFE SUPPORT
On the early morning of July 29, the 'Life Support' rescued 41 people who were on board a distressed boat in international waters of the Libyan SAR zone. The overcrowded small fiberglass boat was spotted just before 3 a.m. The rescue was completed with the safe transfer of the 41 shipwrecked people, including three unaccompanied minors, at around 3.45 a.m. During the SAR operation, an unidentified and unlit boat approached the area of operations but did not cause any disturbance, The migrants had left Sabratha in Libya at midnight and were coming from Syria, Egypt, Bangladesh. Two people who were on board the boat refused assistance and, after the completion of the SAR operation, left together with the unidentified boat, which had approached the rescue operations. The authorities have assigned Naples as the port of disembarkation with an ETA as of July 31 at around 6 p.m.
SIDINA
The 'Sidina' ran aground on July 29, 2024, on a sandbank near Perfume Point at the entrance of Napier’s inner harbour. The vessel was refloated as the tide came in. The Hawke’s Bay harbour master’s office was advised that the fishing vessel had run aground early in the evening. The Coastguard Hawke’s Bay was contacted by the harbour master and made aware that the vessel had run aground.The skipper on board has indicated that the vessel has not sustained any structural damage and there was also no visible sign of pollution from the vessel. Other vessels were prohibited from entering or leaving the inner harbour until the refloating took place with the 1,7 meter-tide. A survey was to be undertaken to confirm the depths at the critical points within the channel. Report with photos: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/napier-inner-harbour-channel-to-be-surveyed-after-commercial-fishing-vessel-runs-aground/4LAG72UDPBEIVO6L7HZO5TTZIQ/
GUARDAMAR TALIA
On July 30 at 8.30 a.m. LT the 'Guardamar Talía' rescued 35 sub-Saharan migrants about 44.4 nautical miles northeast of Arrecife. At 8.49 a.m. another boat was located one nautical mile away from the previous position, The 'Guardamar Talía' was called to assist another time and rescued another 37 sub-Saharan migrants. The 72 castaways were disembarked at Puerto Naos at around noon.
CERES I
Ahead of investigating various allegations against the 'Ceres I', the priority was still the safety of the ships. The priority was to keep the tankers afloat, especially the 'Hafnia Nile'. The Malaysian authorities were working with the Singapore authorities on this issue. The initial investigation has not detected any oil spill, only a layer of oil suspected to have been caused by the 'Hafnia Nile'. The salvors have placed an oil containment barrier around the 'Hafnia Nile' to control the situation. There was no reported oil spill from the 'Ceres I'. The 22 crew members of the 'Hafnia Nile' were rescued by the RSS 'Supreme' of the Republic of Singapore Navy. The crew of the 'Ceres I' were still on board the vessel, which was unladen and headed to Langshan. In the aftermath of the collision, the 'Ceres I' was identified as a "serial phony", ships that deliberately manipulate AIS data to disguise their actual location. The 'Ceres I' also discharged Iranian heavy crude into waters off the U.S. East Coast around June, in an area known for storage and ship-to-ship transfers of sanctioned Iranian, Venezuelan and Russian oil bound for China.
LCT ISLAND VENTURES2
The LCT 'Island Venture II' with 152 passengers and 25 crew members ran aground en route Bantayan Island to Hagnaya, San Remigio, near the entrance to Hagnaya Channel in the waters off Barangay Punta, San Remigio town, on the evening of July 26, 2024m at 7.19 p.m. LT. All passengers on board were deemed safe after being transferred to pump boats and brought to Hagnaya port. The ship was able to move when the passengers were disembarked The Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) was expected to conduct an investigation into the incident and decide whether to temporarily suspend the ship’s operations.
ULTRA GALAXY
After the 'Ultra Galaxy' broke up just south of Brand se Baai in the Western Cape., the clean-up operations started on July 29. The heavy swells and high waves assisted in washing the oil onto the immediate beach, preventing any oil from drifting seawards and further down the coastline. Clean-up teams, comprising salvors and 125 local community members, have been diligently working to remove the oil that washed up onto the beach, covering an area of approximately one kilometre south of the wreck. The clean-up operation will continue throughout the week. Because the oil has congealed into tar balls, it was making it easier to collect it from the sand. Continuous monitoring of the vessel was being conducted through both aerial and surface surveys to track the extent of the spill and its environmental impact. The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (Sanccob), in conjunction with the Department of Environmental Affairs, Forestry, and Fisheries, remained on standby. As a precautionary measure, they planned to set up a temporary stabilisation facility in Lambert's Bay to respond swiftly should seabirds become affected by the spill. The Sanccob had raised concerns about oil slicks affecting foraging birds, including gannets and penguins, as well as spreading to the Elephant Rock Marine Reserve, an island near the Oliphants River mouth estuary. Active salvage work was paused due to the inclement weather and was set to resume once conditions allow safe access to the wreck. Report with photos: https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/west-coast-oil-spill-confined-to-beach-near-shipwreck-says-samsa-20240730
REACHY SPRING
The 'Reachy Spring" has been detained in Singapore on July 24, 2024, at 11.40 p.m. LT at the Eastern Bunkering Anchorage on behalf of the Allen and Gledhill LLP. The reason of the arrest was likely disputes over the payment of goods and services during the ship's operation. Its commercial contoller is the Reachy Shipping in Singapore.
HK CHALLENGER
JRCC watchstanders received an alert from the EPIRB of the 45-ft-yacht 'Espiritu' on 25, 2024, about 230 miles northeast of Palmyra Atoll. Watchstanders issued a SafetyNet broadcast, polled the AMVER database, and diverted the 'HK Challenger' to the position of the yacht. The crew of the wood chip carrier transited approximately 120 miles to deliver fuel and supplies to the man and woman aboard the 'Espiritu'. On July 27, the JRCC Honolulu received an alert from the EPIRB registered to the 'Espiritu'. Because the EPIRB’s location was within the territorial waters of the Republic of Kiribati, JRCC watchstanders forwarded the alert to Kiribati’s search and rescue coordinator, who organized a local response. Kiribati officials searched for the Espiritu but were unable to locate the vessel.The U.S. Coast Guard assisted the Republic of Kiribati with the response to the distressed sailing vessel near Tabuaeran, Kiribati, on July 28. The Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC) Honolulu received a request from Republic of Kiribati SAR coordinators at 10 a.m. to conduct an aerial search for thesailing vessel, believed to be in a remote area on the unpopulated eastern side of Tabuaeran, also known as Fanning Island. Two Kiribati vessels were dispatched to investigate the location too. A Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point HC-130J Super Hercules aircarft launched at 2 p.m. The aircrew located the 'Espiritu' at 6:56 p.m. and dropped supplies and a radio on the beach near the vessel. The 'Espiritu' was heavily damaged and aground on the east side of Fanning Island, where the Tabuaeran Island Police met the castaways to provide further assistance. Report with photo: https://www.news.uscg.mil/Press-Releases/Article/3854767/us-coast-guard-assists-kiribati-with-rescue-of-2-people-aboard-damaged-sailboat/ “We’re committed to supporting our partners in the region,” said Kevin Cooper, search and rescue mission coordinator, U.S. Coast Guard District 14. “The Coast Guard remains dedicated to safeguarding life and property at sea and will always stand ready to assist in times of need.”
OVERSEAS SANTORINI
The 'Overseas Santorini' also faced strong protests from pro-Palestinian supporters as it made a port call at Gibraltar for bunkering. Protesters, including members of the British parliament, alleged that the vessel was transporting military fuel destined for Israel and should not be allowed to bunker in the port of Gibraltar. It had arrived off the coast of Gibraltar on the night of July 30. Protestors claimed that the ship was carrying 300,000 barrels of jet fuel onboard, which could be used for bombings in Gaza. They further claimed that the fuel was being shipped by Valero Energy Corporation and was headed for the port of Ashkelon. The ship had already skipped a scheduled stop in Algeciras, anticipating the protest it was facing there too. The British authorities had received a request from the tanker for bunkering, but the captain of the Gibraltar had not granted the request yet. A coalition of British politicians and activists has urged the UK and Gibraltar governments to do everything in their power to prevent the vessel from bunkering in Gibraltar. The protestors alleged that allowing the ship to dock at Gibraltar would make the port complicit in Israeli violations of international law. The tanker left Gibraltar after some four hours towards the Mediterranean.
HAFNIA NILE
Ahead of investigating various allegations against the 'Ceres I', the priority was still the safety of the ships. The priority was to keep the tankers afloat, especially the 'Hafnia Nile'. The Malaysian authorities were working with the Singapore authorities on this issue. The initial investigation has not detected any oil spill, only a layer of oil suspected to have been caused by the 'Hafnia Nile'. The salvors have placed an oil containment barrier around the 'Hafnia Nile' to control the situation. There was no reported oil spill from the 'Ceres I'. The 22 crew members of the 'Hafnia Nile' were rescued by the RSS 'Supreme' of the Republic of Singapore Navy. The crew of the 'Ceres I' were still on board the vessel, which was unladen and headed to Langshan. In the aftermath of the collision, the 'Ceres I' was identified as a "serial phony", ships that deliberately manipulate AIS data to disguise their actual location. The 'Ceres I' also discharged Iranian heavy crude into waters off the U.S. East Coast around June, in an area known for storage and ship-to-ship transfers of sanctioned Iranian, Venezuelan and Russian oil bound for China.
ROSCO POPLAR
On July 26, 2024, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) published the investigation on an incident in which the 'Rosco Poplar' came within 200 meters of grounding in the Great Barrier Reef, after a GPS unit onboard the ship began providing false information to the pilot and crew on board. On May 4, 2022, at 03.11 a.m. LT, the bulk carrier was transiting the Great Barrier Reef via Hydrographers Passage under the conduct of a coastal pilot. Upon suddenly noticing that a reef sector light was indicating red, the pilot ordered a course correction. This was followed almost immediately by the activation of an alert from the ship’s electronic navigational equipment indicating that the ship was passing less than 200 meters from Bond Reef (normal clearance was about 1,500 m). The ship’s course was corrected and the remaining pilotage was conducted uneventfully. The ATSB found that during the early stages of the pilotage, one of the ship’s 3 GPS units began outputting incorrect positional data, likely due to an antenna malfunction. Because the bridge navigational equipment, including the electronic chart display and information system (ECDIS), radars and automatic identification system (AIS), were receiving a single position input from the same GPS unit, the ship’s position was incorrectly displayed on all these systems. However, no alarms were triggered from the failure because the GPS unit incorrectly indicated that position accuracy was within acceptable limits. The investigation found that the pilot and bridge team solely relied on GPS positioning to monitor the ship’s progress and did not maintain a proper lookout through use of radar and visual observations. As a result, they did not identify that the position reported on the ECDIS units was incorrect and that the ship had deviated significantly from the planned track. Full report: https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2022/mair/mo-2022-005
MT TERRA NOVA
Oil from the 'Terra Nova' has reached the Philippine coast near a fishing village north of the capital Manila. There are growing concerns about the impact of the leak on nature. The Coas guard insisted, that the situation was under control, but could not rule out that fuel oil was still leaking from the wreck. On top of that, another oil tanker has sunk in the same bay on July 27, the 34-m-vessel 'Jason Bradley'. The ship had no cargo on board. However, the fuel tank contained 5,5 tons of diesel, Howeverm during its diving operations on July 28. cargo was found inside the wreck. Aerial photos by Greenpeace showed a black oil slick at the spot where the ship sank. A thick layer of oil was loacted about two kilometers from the coast. Greenpeace calls on the Philippine government to do everything it can to solve the problem. The Coastguard has postponed the major clean-up operation at sea until July 30. Divers have tried to seal leaking valves on fuel tanks. Due to the bad weather conditions, it was still unclear whether these repairs have been successful. The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), for its part, said that divers had sealed most of the sunken tanker’s leaking valves and were capping off even those that remained intact before siphoning operations could begin, hoping to seal all 24 valves as of July 29), and were conducting the final mobilization of the siphoning equipment. On the afternoon, there were monitored leaks at one liter per hour. The plan was to pump 50 tons of fuel oil per day from the 'Terra Nova'. Once 300, tons have been transferred, it was considered to be enough to move the wreck to a safe location. But this process can only begin once it has been established that all valves have been closed. Both the 'Terra Nova' and the 'Jason Bradley' sank in the aftermath of Hurricane Gaemi. Reports with photos and video: https://www.rappler.com/philippines/salvage-operations-mtkr-jason-bradley-commence-soon/ https://maritime-executive.com/article/second-tanker-sinks-in-manila-bay-as-first-spill-spreads
PEARL G
The Iran has seized the 'Pearl G' with a crew of nine Indians on board on July 26, 2024. The tanker was carrying a cargo of 700 tons smuggled Iranian crude. The vessel, which is owned by an Iraqi national residing in the UAE, was offloading smuggled oil from Iranian vessel. The tanker has been moved to the port of Bandar Imam Khomeini. The 'Pearl G' has spent the last 90 days sailing between the coast of Sharjah in the UAE and points off the coast of Iraq. The tanker was seized based on a judicial order. The registered manager is the Jinsung Marine Service Co Ltd,