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On Jan 6, 2025, the 'Loraland', en route from Pori to Halmstad with a cargo of scrap, suffered a breakdown of its main engine at Gotska Sandön and was disabled. As a result of the increasing wind strength, the ship's anchor began to drag. The Swedish Coastguard deployed the patro vessel 'KBV 003' which started an emergency towing of the ship, which has over 70 cubic metres, oil, on board.. The weather is expected to worsen in the coming days with winds up to 20 m/s in gusts. There are also power cables and other critical infrastructure nearby where the ship tried to anchor. The ship was moored in the Kappelhamnsviken in pos. 58° 15' N 019° 11' E and is waiting to be towed to a repair yard by the shipping company's contracted salvage company. The Coast Guard has ended its services as the threat has been averted, and the 'KBV 003' has returned to regular operations. As of Jan 8, the 'Loraland' was still NUC in pos. 57° 58' N 018° 52' E.

The Altera Infrastructure has accepted paying a fine of 695 500 Euro for illegally scrapping two tankers in Alang in 2020. In doing so, the Norwegian ship management company avoids going to trial. The case has been running since Altera’s office was raided five years ago. It centrered around dismantling the 'Navion Britannia' and 'Alexita Spirit' at a Alang shipbreaking yard. The trial was scheduled to start in January 2025, after Altera contested the fine. Finally, the ship operator has chosen to pay the penalty. The investigations had revealed that Altera chose to dismantle the ships in India. With the help of cash buyer Wirana, a scrap dealer already heavily fined in the Harrier case, Altera was able to sell the two tankers at a considerably higher price than what they would have obtained from selling to a sustainable ship recycling yard.’

Unusual maneuvers by Russian ships have been observed in the southern Kattegat, indicating possible underwater operations. Particularly conspicuous were the presence of the tugs "Sergeji Balk" and "SB123". The "Sergeji Balk" has been observed since the afternoon of Jan 6 on the deep-water route that leads from the Great Belt through the Kattegat. It was moving up and down a stretch of about 21.5 nautical mile east of Grenaa on northeast and southwest courses. Since the evening of Jan 6, it has been supported by the "SB123", which was obviously specially ordered from Baltiysk. The operation, in which at least two other units were involved, was stopped around noon on Jan 8, and both tugs started transiting through the Great Belt into the central Baltic Sea. The recorded movements have nothing in common with a normal passage. As far as publicly available information suggests, submarine cables did not appear to be the direct focus of current interest. Instead, another suspicion is coming into focus: Not far from the conspicuous search strips of the Russian units, the "Yi Peng 3" had been anchoredi. The bulk carrier was identified at both locations where damage to submarine cables between Sweden and Lithuania and between Finland and Germany was detected in mid-November and are the subject of further investigations. The "SB123" had already aroused suspicion in the same sea area, when the tug, together with the 'Chusovoy -GS-31', a hydroacoustic reconnaissance vessel, had moved towards Skagen on Oct 4, 2024 and anchored in the Great Belt in the sea area between Grenaa, Seelands Odde and Anholt. It remained nearby for some time before continuing north. At that time the laying of underwater cables near an offshore wind farm Anholt may have aroused Russian interest. The "Chusovoy" is capable of deploying underwater equipment. The "Sergeji Balk" was observed on Dec 31, 2024, together with an unidentified Kilo-class submarine, passing through the Great Belt and escorted by the Danish Navy. Both took shelter from the approaching storm southeast of Skagen in Denmark on January 1, 2025. hey were joined on Jan 2 by the missile corvette "Soobrazitelny", which accompanied the Russian tanker "General Skobelev" and the roro vessel "Sparta II" on their way to the Mediterranean. The "Sergeij Balk" and the submarine, which was believed to be the B-608 "Mozhaisk" to be delivered to the Pacific Fleet, stayed in the sea area around Skagen for a relatively long time, it was reasonable to assume that there was a technical problem on one of the two vessels. This suspicion was reinforced by the departure of the "SB123" and another tug, the "Evgeniy Churov". The apparently inexplicable movements of the "Sergeji Balk", the "SB 123" and two other units linked to Russia that can now be observed indicate a different order situation. In addition, on the morning of Jan 8, the corvette "Soobrazitelny" and an unidentifiable submarine were spotted heading south in the northern part of the Kattegat, east of the island of Läsoe.

arrived Bhavnagar Anchorage 08.01.25

The Chinese-owned 'Shun Xing 39', suspected of damaging a subsea cable off the north coast of Taiwan, appears to have been using two different AIS transponders at the same time, according to Taiwan's Coastguard. On Jan 3 at about 12.40 p.m. the Chungwha Telecom notified Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration (CGA) that a subsea communications cable had been severed just off the coast of Keelung, which was a component of the Trans-Pacific Express, a high-speed fiber optic cable linking China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan and the United States. At about 5 p.m. a patrol boat intercepted the Hong Kong-owned 'Xing Shun 39' at a position near the cable break. The Coastguard crew was unable to board the freighter because of rough weather conditions, and instead of heading for Keelung, as directed, the 'Xing Shun 39' got under way for Busan, and departed Taiwanese jurisdiction later that day. The CGA identified the vessel as the 'Shunxing-39', a ship that does not exist in IMO records. The authorities now believed that the freighter was using two different AIS devices and two different identities: its legitimate name, 'Xing Shun 39', and a closely-matched fake name, 'Shunxing-39'. By switching back and forth, the ship created an interrupted AIS record. The ship appeared to switch AIS transponders at about the same time that the Taiwan CGA asked it to halt for an inspection. "Shunxing-39" disappeared from AIS tracking at 4.51 p.m., and 'Xing Shun 39' appeared one minute later at a position about 50 feet away. Though the freighter is now out of reach of Taiwanese authorities, they have asked officials in the port of Busan to help in obtaining evidence from the vessel if it arrives in the port. The case will be forwarded to the prosecutor's office in Keelung for possible criminal or civil actions against the freighter. In the meantime, the CGA is launching a comprehensive review of its procedure for responding to potential cable sabotage incidents involving ships, and it is coordinating with other security agencies. The cable is expected to be repaired by Feb 3.

Two cruise ships, the 'Eurodam' and the 'Nautica' have reported gastrointestinal outbreaks early in the new year. The 'Eurodam', carrying 2,900 passengers and crew members, saw 86 passengers, or 4%, and eight crew members contract norovirus during its southern Caribbean voyage. The ship returned to Port Everglades on Jan 8, 2025, and has implemented isolation and deep cleaning. The 'Nautica', with just over 1,000 people on board, reported 15 passengers and 16 crew members experiencing similar symptoms. Both ships were following protocols to prevent further spread of the virus.

The 'African Magnolia' docked at the port of General Lagos, south of Rosario, on Jan 6, 2025, at around 6 p.m. with the objective of loading soy flour, but also carrying aboard one of its crew members who had died at sea on Dec 25, 2024. The news of the death was communicated by the ship's captain to the maritime agency that represents the ship in Argentina when it was en route towards the province of Santa Fe. Personnel of the Naval Prefecture of Arroyo Seco were aware of what had happened on board from a communication from the same maritime agency and so was the Federal Prosecutor's Office of Rosario. The crew member, originally from the Philippines and 47 years old, had died presumably from a heart attack. The Naval Prefecture officers, with the knowledge of the Prosecutor's Office in charge of Javier Arzubi Calvo and the assistant prosecutor, María Virginia Sosa, verified that the rest of the crew, about 20 people in total, had complied with all the protocols for preserving the body in cases of death at sea. In this sense, the tasks of disinfecting the vessel were also carried out with the coordination of the Prefecture, in accordance with the provisions of the Border Health Unit of the Ministry of Health of the Nation. Once all these issues were checked, the Prosecutor's Office authorized the transfer of the body to the Legal Medical Institute, which was in charge of the Rosario Zapadores Firefighters. The crew of the 'General Lagos' underwent all the tests and check-ups to rule out the possibility of transmitting a virus, such as Ebola. None of them presented suspicious symptoms such as fever, diarrhea or vomiting, and the preservation of the body was carried out correctly in the cold chambers of the ship. Report with photo: https://www.unosantafe.com.ar/la-region/confirmaron-que-el-tripulante-filipino-un-barco-africano-fallecio-muerte-natural-n10173333.html

On Dec 16, 2024, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has published an investigation into the incident where the ' Chang Hang Hui Hai' broke free from its mooring during high winds in the Brownsville Ship Channel on Jan 8, 2024, leading to the allision with the tug ' Signet Defender'. The bulk carrier, which had been moored at dock no. 12 in the Brownsville Ship Channel in Brownsville, Texas, drifted across the ship channel and struck the tug, which was tied up to the tug 'Signet Magic' at the Signet Maritime pier along with the tug 'Signet Ranger'. Th damage was estimated at $2.5 million.The accident occurred during rapidly deteriorating weather conditions, with wind speeds increasing and gusts reaching 62 knots within only a few hours. As conditions worsened, the crew of the freighter increased the initial 10-line mooring arrangement to 16 lines with all lines available, excluding the spares. As the winds picked up, the higher wind speed increased the wind load acting on the 'Chang Hang Hui Hai’s lateral surface area above the water. The freeboard had been increasing as it offloaded, increasing its sail area. This force, acting on the vessel nearly perpendicular to its length, significantly strained the mooring lines holding the ship. The force of wind against the ship’s side overcame the breaking strength of several lines forward, causing them to part and the ship’s bow to move away from the pier. This began a cascading failure as the remaining lines took up additional strain. Ten mooring lines and two bollards (with five lines attached) failed, and one line paid out, leading to the ship drifting away from the dock. Neither postcasualty testing of the mooring lines nor an assessment of the mooring bollards’ condition was conducted. However, all the lines were certificated and in good condition, per their last inspection. Nevertheless, without postcasualty tests or an assessment of the condition of the mooring lines and bollards, investigators could not definitively rule out weakened or overloaded mooring lines or overloaded bollards as contributing factors in the casualty. The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable cause of the breakaway of the 'Chang Hang Hui Hai' was due to the force of the wind acting on the exposed freeboard of the vessel, which overcame the breaking strength of several mooring lines. Full report: https://safety4sea.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/NTSB-Breakaway-of-Bulk-Carrier-Collision-with-tug-2024_12.pdf

The Altera Infrastructure has accepted paying a fine of 695 500 Euro for illegally scrapping two tankers in Alang in 2020. In doing so, the Norwegian ship management company avoids going to trial. The case has been running since Altera’s office was raided five years ago. It centrered around dismantling the 'Navion Britannia' and 'Alexita Spirit' at a Alang shipbreaking yard. The trial was scheduled to start in January 2025, after Altera contested the fine. Finally, the ship operator has chosen to pay the penalty. The investigations had revealed that Altera chose to dismantle the ships in India. With the help of cash buyer Wirana, a scrap dealer already heavily fined in the Harrier case, Altera was able to sell the two tankers at a considerably higher price than what they would have obtained from selling to a sustainable ship recycling yard.’

Unusual maneuvers by Russian ships have been observed in the southern Kattegat, indicating possible underwater operations. Particularly conspicuous were the presence of the tugs "Sergeji Balk" and "SB 123". The "Sergeji Balk" has been observed since the afternoon of Jan 6 on the deep-water route that leads from the Great Belt through the Kattegat. It was moving up and down a stretch of about 21.5 nautical mile east of Grenaa on northeast and southwest courses. Since the evening of Jan 6, it has been supported by the "SB 123", which was obviously specially ordered from Baltiysk. The operation, in which at least two other units were involved, was stopped around noon on Jan 8, and both tugs started transiting through the Great Belt into the central Baltic Sea. The recorded movements have nothing in common with a normal passage. As far as publicly available information suggests, submarine cables did not appear to be the direct focus of current interest. Instead, another suspicion is coming into focus: Not far from the conspicuous search strips of the Russian units, the "Yi Peng 3" had been anchoredi. The bulk carrier was identified at both locations where damage to submarine cables between Sweden and Lithuania and between Finland and Germany was detected in mid-November and are the subject of further investigations. The "SB123" had already aroused suspicion in the same sea area, when the tug, together with the 'Chusovoy -GS-31', a hydroacoustic reconnaissance vessel, had moved towards Skagen on Oct 4, 2024 and anchored in the Great Belt in the sea area between Grenaa, Seelands Odde and Anholt. It remained nearby for some time before continuing north. At that time the laying of underwater cables near an offshore wind farm Anholt may have aroused Russian interest. The "Chusovoy" is capable of deploying underwater equipment. The "Sergeji Balk" was observed on Dec 31, 2024, together with an unidentified Kilo-class submarine, passing through the Great Belt and escorted by the Danish Navy. Both took shelter from the approaching storm southeast of Skagen in Denmark on January 1, 2025. hey were joined on Jan 2 by the missile corvette "Soobrazitelny", which accompanied the Russian tanker "General Skobelev" and the roro vessel "Sparta II" on their way to the Mediterranean. The "Sergeij Balk" and the submarine, which was believed to be the B-608 "Mozhaisk" to be delivered to the Pacific Fleet, stayed in the sea area around Skagen for a relatively long time, it was reasonable to assume that there was a technical problem on one of the two vessels. This suspicion was reinforced by the departure of the "SB 123" and another tug, the "Evgeniy Churov". The apparently inexplicable movements of the "Sergeji Balk", the "SB 123" and two other units linked to Russia that can now be observed indicate a different order situation. In addition, on the morning of Jan 8, the corvette "Soobrazitelny" and an unidentifiable submarine were spotted heading south in the northern part of the Kattegat, east of the island of Läsoe.

arrived Alang Anchorage 07.01.25

Two people and a dog were rescued from a buoy after their boat hit a cruise ship’s wake and sank on the evening of Jan. 4, 2025 The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO). and Coast Guard soon found the trio clinging to the buoy, which they swam to after their boat hit the wake near Gadsden Point. The Tampa Bay Harbor pilots Michael Stutevoss and Dan Hemmer were piloting a Royal Caribbean cruise ship when they heard people had entered the water and contacted the Coast Guard. They also contacted fellow pilot Matthew Riley, who helped look for the boaters. The incident occurred as the 'Enchantment of the Seas' and the 'Radiance of the Seas' were departing Port Tampa Bay. Guests on one ship spotted the stranded boaters and alerted the crew. The two people pulled from the buoy were subsequently transported to Tampa General Hospital. It is unclear which of the cruise ships was involved in creating the wake that apparently caused the smaller boat to sink. Report with photo and video: https://ca.news.yahoo.com/2-people-dog-rescued-fla-205618436.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QEUvZilMTM&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thestreet.com%2F

Two cruise ships, the 'Eurodam' and the 'Nautica' have reported gastrointestinal outbreaks early in the new year. The 'Eurodam', carrying 2,900 passengers and crew members, saw 86 passengers, or 4%, and eight crew members contract norovirus during its southern Caribbean voyage. The ship returned to Port Everglades on Jan 8, 2025, and has implemented isolation and deep cleaning. The 'Nautica', with just over 1,000 people on board, reported 15 passengers and 16 crew members experiencing similar symptoms. Both ships were following protocols to prevent further spread of the virus.

The 13 Russian and Georgian crew members fof the 'Larus' are seeing the end of the tunnel, after the tanker was immobilized for a month in front of Saint-Brieuc, then an additional month at anchor in Douarnenez Bay and Brest. The departure in tow is scheduled for this week, after the crew has been spending two months virtually stationary, without setting foot on land. As of Jan 8, the ship remained stationary at anchor in pos. 48° 21' N 004° 29' W. The tanker is to be released once the salvage costs have been paid.

On Dec 16, 2024, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has published an investigation into the incident where the ' Chang Hang Hui Hai' broke free from its mooring during high winds in the Brownsville Ship Channel on Jan 8, 2024, leading to the allision with the tug ' Signet Defender'. The bulk carrier, which had been moored at dock no. 12 in the Brownsville Ship Channel in Brownsville, Texas, drifted across the ship channel and struck the tug, which was tied up to the tug 'Signet Magic' at the Signet Maritime pier along with the tug 'Signet Ranger'. Th damage was estimated at $2.5 million.The accident occurred during rapidly deteriorating weather conditions, with wind speeds increasing and gusts reaching 62 knots within only a few hours. As conditions worsened, the crew of the freighter increased the initial 10-line mooring arrangement to 16 lines with all lines available, excluding the spares. As the winds picked up, the higher wind speed increased the wind load acting on the 'Chang Hang Hui Hai’s lateral surface area above the water. The freeboard had been increasing as it offloaded, increasing its sail area. This force, acting on the vessel nearly perpendicular to its length, significantly strained the mooring lines holding the ship. The force of wind against the ship’s side overcame the breaking strength of several lines forward, causing them to part and the ship’s bow to move away from the pier. This began a cascading failure as the remaining lines took up additional strain. Ten mooring lines and two bollards (with five lines attached) failed, and one line paid out, leading to the ship drifting away from the dock. Neither postcasualty testing of the mooring lines nor an assessment of the mooring bollards’ condition was conducted. However, all the lines were certificated and in good condition, per their last inspection. Nevertheless, without postcasualty tests or an assessment of the condition of the mooring lines and bollards, investigators could not definitively rule out weakened or overloaded mooring lines or overloaded bollards as contributing factors in the casualty. The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable cause of the breakaway of the 'Chang Hang Hui Hai' was due to the force of the wind acting on the exposed freeboard of the vessel, which overcame the breaking strength of several mooring lines. Full report: https://safety4sea.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/NTSB-Breakaway-of-Bulk-Carrier-Collision-with-tug-2024_12.pdf

Almost a month after the accidents of the 'Volgoneft 212' and 'Volgoneft 239' in the Kerch Strait, the authorities are planning to pump oil (crude oil) out of the latter ship, the Russian sea rescue service announced on Jan 8. The type of oil that has leaked solidifies at a temperature below 25 degrees. Due to the low water temperature, the oil is currently not floating on the surface, but is sinking to the bottom in clumps or floating in the water, which makes the recovery more difficult. The equipment for pumping out is designed for liquid fuels. The heating system of the tanker "Volgoneft 239" is therefore to be put back into operation and the oil to be heated to around 45 degrees. It will then be pumped onto another ship. The 2,400 tons of heavy oil, whch leaked into the sea, have been spreading further and further and are being washed up on the Russian Black Sea coast and the Russian occupied Crimean peninsula. Thousands of helpers are collecting it from the beaches and trying to save birds covered in oil. Numerous animals already died. Environmentalists believe it is possible that the pollution in the sea could continue for years because the oil forms clumps and sinks to the bottom.

Unusual maneuvers by Russian ships have been observed in the southern Kattegat, indicating possible underwater operations. Particularly conspicuous were the presence of the tugs "Sergeji Balk" and "SB123". The "Sergeji Balk" has been observed since the afternoon of Jan 6 on the deep-water route that leads from the Great Belt through the Kattegat. It was moving up and down a stretch of about 21.5 nautical mile east of Grenaa on northeast and southwest courses. Since the evening of Jan 6, it has been supported by the "SB123", which was obviously specially ordered from Baltiysk. The operation, in which at least two other units were involved, was stopped around noon on Jan 8, and both tugs started transiting through the Great Belt into the central Baltic Sea. The recorded movements have nothing in common with a normal passage. As far as publicly available information suggests, submarine cables did not appear to be the direct focus of current interest. Instead, another suspicion is coming into focus: Not far from the conspicuous search strips of the Russian units, the "Yi Peng 3" had been anchoredi. The bulk carrier was identified at both locations where damage to submarine cables between Sweden and Lithuania and between Finland and Germany was detected in mid-November and are the subject of further investigations. The "SB123" had already aroused suspicion in the same sea area, when the tug, together with the 'Chusovoy -GS-31', a hydroacoustic reconnaissance vessel, had moved towards Skagen on Oct 4, 2024 and anchored in the Great Belt in the sea area between Grenaa, Seelands Odde and Anholt. It remained nearby for some time before continuing north. At that time the laying of underwater cables near an offshore wind farm Anholt may have aroused Russian interest. The "Chusovoy" is capable of deploying underwater equipment. The "Sergeji Balk" was observed on Dec 31, 2024, together with an unidentified Kilo-class submarine, passing through the Great Belt and escorted by the Danish Navy. Both took shelter from the approaching storm southeast of Skagen in Denmark on January 1, 2025. hey were joined on Jan 2 by the missile corvette "Soobrazitelny", which accompanied the Russian tanker "General Skobelev" and the roro vessel "Sparta II" on their way to the Mediterranean. The "Sergeij Balk" and the submarine, which was believed to be the B-608 "Mozhaisk" to be delivered to the Pacific Fleet, stayed in the sea area around Skagen for a relatively long time, it was reasonable to assume that there was a technical problem on one of the two vessels. This suspicion was reinforced by the departure of the "SB123" and another tug, the "Evgeniy Churov". The apparently inexplicable movements of the "Sergeji Balk", the "SB 123" and two other units linked to Russia that can now be observed indicate a different order situation. In addition, on the morning of Jan 8, the corvette "Soobrazitelny" and an unidentifiable submarine were spotted heading south in the northern part of the Kattegat, east of the island of Läsoe.

After Finnish and Swedish authorities have recovered the lost anchor of the 'Eagle S' on Jan 6 at 5 p.m., it showed signs of extreme damage. At least one fluke was broken off and missing, the location of the break has worn and rounded edges, indicating abrasion after the break occurred. A large crack is visible on the crown. Maritime security experts have expressed little doubt that the anchor-drag incident was intentional, given how many manual tasks would have to be performed and then overlooked by the crew to cause it by accident. Eight crewmembers are suspected of criminal activity. To execute this maneuver by accident, the 'Eagle S' would have to slow down and pay out the right length of anchor chain, then secure it to prevent it from running out all the way under extreme loads. This sequence would have to happen while making way in a busy sea lane, next to submarine cable crossings, factors that firmly rule out a normal anchoring evolution. Then, over the course of a 50-mile transit, they would have to fail to notice the effects of the anchor dragging on the bottom. Dragging typically causes vibration of the chain at the hawsepipe, a vibration that would likely be extreme when dragging under power at nine knots, a load severe enough to damage the anchor. "The location where the anchor was found was along the tanker’s route, near the Porkkala Peninsula. The anchor was located towards the western end of the drag trace found on the seabed, near the point where the trace ends, according to Finland's National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). Officials suspect that the 'Eagle S' dragged its anchor under power for about 50 nautical miles along the bottom of the Baltic, dredging up and severing five cables. It was the third such incident in 15 months, following similar cable casualties involving the Chinese 'Newnew Polar Bear' and 'Yi Peng 3'. Report with photos: https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/suspected-sabotage-ship-s-anchor-shows-signs-of-extreme-damage

Two people and a dog were rescued from a buoy after their boat hit a cruise ship’s wake and sank on the evening of Jan. 4, 2025 The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO). and Coast Guard soon found the trio clinging to the buoy, which they swam to after their boat hit the wake near Gadsden Point. The Tampa Bay Harbor pilots Michael Stutevoss and Dan Hemmer were piloting a Royal Caribbean cruise ship when they heard people had entered the water and contacted the Coast Guard. They also contacted fellow pilot Matthew Riley, who helped look for the boaters. The incident occurred as the 'Enchantment of the Seas' and the 'Radiance of the Seas' were departing Port Tampa Bay. Guests on one ship spotted the stranded boaters and alerted the crew. The two people pulled from the buoy were subsequently transported to Tampa General Hospital. It is unclear which of the cruise ships was involved in creating the wake that apparently caused the smaller boat to sink. Report with photo and video: https://ca.news.yahoo.com/2-people-dog-rescued-fla-205618436.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QEUvZilMTM&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thestreet.com%2F

The return of the 'Carnival Conquest' to Port Miami was delayed on Jan 6, 2025, due to speed issues caused by propulsion prpblems, keeping the ship docked in Miami until just after 8 p.m. The, guests on board were told on the nightof Jan 6 that the ship would dock three hours late the next morning, delaying debark and impacting some guests' flight plans. The cruise ship skipped the call at Princess Cay and headed for Freeport instead.