News

Beached at Aliaga 10.01.25

The 'Eventin' was disabled and adrift, en route from Ust-Luga to Port Said with 24 crew members on board, on the afternoon of Jan 10, 2025, in the coastal waters of the Baltic Sea, north of Rügen island. The distance was only 14 miles as of 3 p.m. At the request of the Warnemünde traffic control center, the emergency command in Cuxhaven has taken over overall command of the operation. Actually it was not deemed necessary to evacuate the crew. To avoid further danger, the multi-purpose vessel 'Arkona' of the Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration and the emergency tug 'Bremen Fighter' were deployed to the tanker, as well as the tug 'Brmen' and a specially trained team that can abseil down to the vessel to establish a tow connection. The ship could be towed to Rostock or Denmark. The Federal Police sent the patrol ship 'Bamberg' to the casualty. The Do 228 sensor aircraft is on its way to the sea area to obtain further information. According to current knowledge, the tanker is carrying around 99,000 tons of oil. The tanker belongs to the so-called shadow fleet which consists of tankers that are used by shipping companies to transport Russian oil in order to circumvent EU and US sanctions. Tankers are bought from companies that have no connection to companies in the EU.

The body of a 43-year-old man who was among the two missing passengers after a Navy craft rammed into the 'Neel Kamal' off the Mumbai coast, was found on Dec 19 near the ferry. The incident happened near Butcher Island, about eight kilometres from the Gateway of India. The Navy craft undergoing engine trials lost control and collided with the ferry. The death toll in the tragedy has now gone up to 14. Search operation continued to locate a seven-year-old boy who was still missing a day after the accident. A naval helicopter and boats of the Navy and Coast Guard were deployed on Dec 19 . Eight boats, including those from the Navy and Coast Guard, were involved in the SAR operation. Of the 113 persons on board both vessels, 14 died and 98, including two injured, were rescued. There were six persons on board the Navy craft, of which two survived. The 14 who died included eight men, four women and two children. A Navy personnel and two contractual naval employees were among the deceased. Late in the night, police released the names of ten of the deceased. They are Mahendra Singh Shekhawat (Navy); Praveen Sharma (worker on NAD boat); Mangesh (worker on NAD boat); Mohammad Rehan Qureshi (passenger boat); Rakesh Nanaji Ahire (passenger Boat); Safiana Pathan; Mahi Pawara (aged 3); Akshata Rakesh Ahire; Mithu Rakesh Ahire (aged 8) and Deepak V. Two women and a male victim were yet to be identified.

Damage to Holyhead Port during storm Darragh is feared to be worse than originally thought, and could see ferry services cancelled until after Christmas, resulting in Christmas parcels travelling to and from Ireland being delayed until after the festive season, with people travelling for the festive period also affected. Initally all services were cancelled until Dec 20, but the damage was becoming more apparent as the days went by. Port bosses revealed on Dec 16, that the reported two separate incidents on December 6 and 7 had led to part of the berth structure collapsing and becoming unusable, with underwater inspections of the structural integrity of other berths taking place from Dec 10, after the passing of Darragh. This process was still ongoing. Ferry services will only be permitted to resume once it was sure it would be safe. On Dec 15 the junior minister at the Department of Transport, James Lawless, met his Welsh counterpart Ken Skates. Both met with Stena Line on Dec 16 at 1 p.m. Both ministers were asking for Stena Line to give more accurate and timely updates on the scale of the damage and repairs needed at Holyhead.

Crews were still working to dislodge the 'Algoma Verity', carrying 45,000 tons of solar salt and 30 crew members on board, on Jan 10. To do so, they will have to unload and redistribute the weight on board.The ship had veered slightly off course in the river's shipping lane and got stuck The US Coast Guard was collaborating with the Army Corps of Engineers and divers to free the vessel, scan the bottom and identify any hazards and remove them immediately, and to prevent any further accidents. Right now, all vessels were prohibited from traveling the channel between the Ben Franklin Bridge and Tioga Marine Terminal, about 3,5 miles, until the ship can be moved. The Coast Guard warned of abnormally low water levels through low tide on the night of Jan 9, and advised ships to be aware. It was not clear yet if weather played a factor in the grounding.

The Finnish police have released pictures of the recovered anchor of the 'Eagle S'. which show that the anchor's crown is cracked, and its flukes are much shorter than typical. Previous photos of the 'Eagle S', which were taken in years past, when she operated under a previous name, showed that the tanker was originally equipped with normal Hall- or Speck-type anchors, like most merchant ships. The NBI was investigating serious sabotage after the cable break on the Estlink 2 power cable on Christmas Day, with the tanker being suspected of dragging the anchor on the seabed, destroying several important cables on the bottom of the Gulf of Finland. The anchor, which came loose and disappeared into the sea, was recovered by the Swedish submarine rescue ship 'Belos'. The anchor is about four meters long, two and a half meters wide and weighs 11 tons. It was found at a depth of 55 meters. A Swedish and a Finnish diver worked together on the seabed. The anchor was taken care of by the 'Belos' and then handed over to Finnish authorities for further investigation. The police confirmed that a forensic analysis of the anchor has determined that it belongs to the 'Eagle S'. Investigations on the seabed also confirmed that the trail is longer than initially thought - approximately 100 kilometers in total. The police continued to analyze the trail. The location where the anchor was recovered happened to be near the place where Finnish authorities instructed the 'Eagle S' to raise her anchor. This is of interest to the authorities, as it raises questions about whether the incident could have been worse without government intervention. The tanker's onward route would have passed over the Estlink 1 power cable, as well as the Balticconnector gas line. If the anchor only came loose during the hoisting, it is likely that the anchor could have caused further damage to the seabed infrastructure if the vessel had continued its journey, Detective Superintendent Risto Lohi of the National Bureau of Investigation said in a statement. The 'Belos' has meanwhile returned to Sweden after helping the Finnish authorities in the investigation into the cable sabotage. On Jan 4, HMS the 'Belos' had left the portof Karlskrona with a crew of 42 people on board, This is the fourth time that the ship has gone out to investigate suspected sabotage in the Baltic Sea, but the commander Fredrik Folbert expects to go out again. Reports with photos: https://maritime-executive.com/article/dark-fleet-tanker-might-have-damaged-more-subsea-lines-if-not-stopped https://www.expressen.se/nyheter/sverige/har-ar-eagle-s-ankare/ https://sverigesradio.se/artikel/besattningen-pa-hms-belos-blixtinkallades-for-att-barga-ankare https://www.svt.se/nyheter/lokalt/blekinge/folj-med-ombord-pa-hms-belos-fartyget-som-hittade-ankaret-efter-kabelsabotaget https://www.maritimedanmark.dk/finsk-politi-anker-kunne-udlose-storre-skade

13 persons died and 101 others were rescued after a Navy speed boat crashed into the ferry 'Neelkamal' off the Mumbai coast on Dec 17, 2024. The dead included 10 civilians and three Navy personnel. The ferry was on way to Elephanta Islands, a popular tourist destination near Mumbai, when the speed boat crashed into it around 4 p.m, The Navy and Coast Guard launched a massive SAR operation, with 11 Navy boats and three boats of Marine Police and a boat of Coast Guard being deployed in the area. Four helicopters were also involved as well as personnel from police, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority and fishermen in the area. Report with photos and video: https://www.telegraphindia.com/gallery/several-passengers-dead-many-rescued-after-speed-boat-rams-ferry-off-mumbai-coast-photogallery/cid/2071682?slide=1 https://www.republicworld.com/videos/india/boat-colliding-into-passenger-ferry-video

The shipbuilder Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft (FSG) and the superyacht shipyard Nobiskrug Rendsburg have officially filed for insolvency on Dec 12, 2024, deepening the ongoing crisis for their parent company, Tennor Group, and its owner, Lars Windhorst. District courts in Flensburg and Neumünster have appointed the lawyers Christoph Morgen, Partner, Brinkmann & Partner and Hendrik Gittermann, Partner, REIMER as provisional insolvency administrators. The insolvency filings, submitted to the district courts in Flensburg and Neumünster, follow months of financial instability and reported mismanagement. The bleak reality of the situation became evident on Dec 9, when the SH public utility company threatened to cut off the power supply at the Rendsburg facility due to a lack of payments since Dec 1. No immediate action was taken because the federal police ship 'Neustadt' was still in the drydock for repairs. Workers at both firms are bearing the brunt of the crisis. The shipyards’ financial woes have left around 500 employees in limbo before Christmas, many of whom have already been laid off. At a recent rally in Flensberg, workers' union representatives alleged repeated delays in salary payments, including November wages and Christmas bonuses. Local sources report that Flensburg Works Council chairman Jan Brandt accused Windhorst of lying repeatedly and breaking promises of timely payments. Windhorst has become a target of criticism. He has been accused of mismanagement, poor communication and unfulfilled promises. In recent months, workers, unions and politicians have all demanded his resignation. Schleswig-Holstein’s Economics Minister, Claus Ruhe Madsen, called for Windhorst to face up to his responsibility and sell the shipyards or insolvency would clear the way for new investors. The Tennor Group took over the FSG in 2019, relaunching it as “FSG 2.0” without old debts or new orders. Despite repeated announcements of future projects, they failed to materialise, leaving the shipyard vulnerable. In 2021, FSG acquired the Rendsburg-based yard Nobiskrug as it filed for insolvency, but the acquisition has done little to alleviate the financial strain. In the summer 2024, the situation worsened as the German federal government withdrew a €62 million grant intended for the construction of liquefied gas bunker ships at FSG, citing Tennor’s inability to demonstrate sufficient equity capital. Now, the provisional insolvency administrators are working with the project managers of the RoRo ferry at FSG and the yacht Nobiskrug to resolve both projects. If necessary, the administrators plan to consult with federal and state governments about potential interim financing to bridge construction costs until client acceptance and payment. Meanwhile, they will explore further restructuring strategies for both shipyards. Insolvency pre-financing has also been arranged to secure financial recompense for the 340 workers at the Flensburg site and the 140 employees from the Rendsburg facility. This measure will cover payments through the end of Jan 2025, including the overdue November salaries.

At around p.m. on Jan 10 the emergncy tug 'Bremen Fighter' (IMO: 9321287 ) established a towing connection to the 'Eventin', which had been disabled by a blackout. Also the mult purpose ship 'Arkona' (IMO: 9285811) was attending. The tanker will be held in position for the forthcoming time facing an upcoming storm, while the next steps are being assessed. As of 7 p.m., the ship was NUC in pos. 54° 50' N 013° 12' E. More tugs, the ',VB Bremen' (IMO: 9211212) and 'VB Luca' (IMO: 9803833), were en route to the ship. The shadow fleet comprises up to 460 tankers, depending on the definition and information from various shipping information services. Greenpeace lists 192 dilapidated tankers that transport Russian oil around the world. Of these ships, 171 have sailed through the German Baltic Sea and the Kadet Trench waters in the Mecklenburg Bay at least once in the past two years. All of the tankers are outdated, many have technical defects, have temporarily switched off their AIS or have handed over cargo to other tankers at sea, which is a particularly risky maneuver. Photos: https://www.havariekommando.de/SharedDocs/Fotogalerie/DE/2025/20250110_EVENTIN/20250110_EVENTIN_Bildergalerie.html?nn=1461832&cms_gcp_4540030=0#gcp_anchor_4540030

Beached at Aliaga 09.01.25 https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10161080257020036&set=gm.10164195572568943&idorvanity=6884293942

Holyhead Port is to remain closed until Jan 15, 2025, at the earliest. All ferry services between Dublin and Holyhead are cancelled until this time. The closure follows the damage to the Terminal 3 berth on Dec 6 by the 'Ulsysses' during Storm Darragh. The damage was still being assessed and the port took the decision to keep the ferry berths closed to provide certainty for passengers, freight customers and ferry operators and allow them make alternative arrangements. Stena Line said it was contacting all affected passengers. People who are booked to travel on the Dublin-Holyhead route from Dec 20 onwards can transfer the booking free of charge to alternative routes, including Dublin-Liverpool, Dublin-Fishguard as well as Belfast-Cairnryan. The company was doing everything in its power to mitigate the effects of the closure on passenger and freight traffic. 10,000 freight vehicles were moving in and out of Holyhead per week before its closure. 60% of the goods coming into Ireland normally move through the damaged port.

The shipbuilder Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft (FSG) and the superyacht shipyard Nobiskrug Rendsburg have officially filed for insolvency on Dec 12, 2024, deepening the ongoing crisis for their parent company, Tennor Group, and its owner, Lars Windhorst. District courts in Flensburg and Neumünster have appointed the lawyers Christoph Morgen, Partner, Brinkmann & Partner and Hendrik Gittermann, Partner, REIMER as provisional insolvency administrators. The insolvency filings, submitted to the district courts in Flensburg and Neumünster, follow months of financial instability and reported mismanagement. The bleak reality of the situation became evident on Dec 9, when the SH public utility company threatened to cut off the power supply at the Rendsburg facility due to a lack of payments since Dec 1. No immediate action was taken because the federal police ship 'Neustadt' was still in the drydock for repairs. Workers at both firms are bearing the brunt of the crisis. The shipyards’ financial woes have left around 500 employees in limbo before Christmas, many of whom have already been laid off. At a recent rally in Flensberg, workers' union representatives alleged repeated delays in salary payments, including November wages and Christmas bonuses. Local sources report that Flensburg Works Council chairman Jan Brandt accused Windhorst of lying repeatedly and breaking promises of timely payments. Windhorst has become a target of criticism. He has been accused of mismanagement, poor communication and unfulfilled promises. In recent months, workers, unions and politicians have all demanded his resignation. Schleswig-Holstein’s Economics Minister, Claus Ruhe Madsen, called for Windhorst to face up to his responsibility and sell the shipyards or insolvency would clear the way for new investors. The Tennor Group took over the FSG in 2019, relaunching it as “FSG 2.0” without old debts or new orders. Despite repeated announcements of future projects, they failed to materialise, leaving the shipyard vulnerable. In 2021, FSG acquired the Rendsburg-based yard Nobiskrug as it filed for insolvency, but the acquisition has done little to alleviate the financial strain. In the summer 2024, the situation worsened as the German federal government withdrew a €62 million grant intended for the construction of liquefied gas bunker ships at FSG, citing Tennor’s inability to demonstrate sufficient equity capital. Now, the provisional insolvency administrators are working with the project managers of the RoRo ferry at FSG and the yacht Nobiskrug to resolve both projects. If necessary, the administrators plan to consult with federal and state governments about potential interim financing to bridge construction costs until client acceptance and payment. Meanwhile, they will explore further restructuring strategies for both shipyards. Insolvency pre-financing has also been arranged to secure financial recompense for the 340 workers at the Flensburg site and the 140 employees from the Rendsburg facility. This measure will cover payments through the end of Jan 2025, including the overdue November salaries.