International investigators are suspecting the 'Yi Peng 3' of deliberately dragging the port side anchor 111 miles along the sea bed to sever two subsea cables. The bulk carrier sailed over both the C-Lion1 Helsinki-Rostock cable and the BCS East-West link cable between Lithuania and Sweden around the time they were cut. The investigators believed that the ship dropped anchor in Swedish waters on Nov 17 at around 9 p.m. LT, but continued sailing - even as it greatly reduced its speed. The dragging anchor cut the first cable between Sweden and Lithuania shortly afterward, and then cut the second cable on Nov 18 at around 3 a.m. During this time, the ship's AIS transponder was shut down. The vessel then started zigzagging, raised its anchor, and continued on its normal track. Both the vessel’s anchor and hull showed damage that was consistent with dragging an anchor and damaging cables. Weather conditions also made the likelihood of accidental anchor dragging low. Investigators were now looking into whether Russian intelligence officials ordered the cable’s destruction, with the ship having last docked at the Russian port of Ust-Luga to pick up a delivery of Russian fertilizer. The 'Yi Peng 3 is captained by a Chinese national, and the crew includes a Russian sailor. The crew has yet to be questioned. Western law enforcement and intelligence officials don’t believe the Chinese government was part of the suspected scheme, and the ship’s owner,the Ningbo Yipeng Shipping, is cooperating with investigators.
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SALVAMAR SPICA
On Nov 28 at 3:45 a.m., the 'Salvamar Algenib' rescued 12 Maghrebian migrants, among them five men, three women and and four minors, from a precarious boatwhich had been located by the m/v 'Georgia S' about 28 nautical miles southeast of Cabo de Gata. The castaways were disembarked in Almería at 5:40 a.m. At 7:58 a.m., the 'Salvamar Spica' rescued 25 Maghrebian boat people. among them 22 men, one woman and two minors, from a precarious boat, whoch had been located by the mm/v 'Almariya' about 40 nautical miles souhtsoutheast of Almería. The boat people were disembarked in Almería at 9.47 am. The emergency responses were coordinated by the Almería Maritime Rescue Centre of Salvamento Marítimo.
LOMAIVITI PRINCESS 7
The 'Lomaiviti Princess VII' ran aground with 245 passengers and 33 crew members on board, on the Cakova Reef near Moala Island in the Lau Group on the evening of Nov 27, 2024. The Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji i has activated its emergency response procedures, coordinating with SAR teams to ensure the safety of all onboard the vessel. Life saving appliances such as life jackets were immediately deployed to passengers after the grounding. All passengers have been safely transferred to a second vessel dispatched by the Goundar Shipping Ltd. The 3crew remained aboard the vessel in preparation of the salvage off the reef. The MSAF ws working closely with the Goundar Shipping and otherteams to ensure the crew’s safety during the salvage operation. There has been no breach of the hull, and no water ingress has been reported.
DEBI
At least 21 crew members of the 'Debi', which has been detained in Paradip since Dec 1, 2023, after the recovery of 22 kg of cocaine worth R 220 crore aboard the vessel, staged a protest on Nov 27, 2024, against their prolonged detention. The protest started when the ship was moored at the berth for supplies. Crew members halted al work.preventing the ship from returning to the anchorage area for several hours. ;aid many crew members are suffering from depression due to tthe prolonged detention. Despite the drug haul, no arrests have been made as the State Forensic Science Laboratory (SFSL) in Bhubaneswar is yet to submit its analysis report to the Kujang court. In Jan, the Vietnamese ship owner's petition for the vessel's release was rejected by the Kujang court.
BELOMORYE
The 'Belmorye', loaded with 1,950 tonnes of frozen fish, encountered steering problems and began to drift approximately 100 nautical miles northwest of the island of Frøya on the evening of Nov 24, 2024, amid stormy winds and high seas. When it turned out that the crew was unable to solve the problem, they contacted the maritime traffic center of the Norwegian Coastal Administration in Vardø and asked for assistance. The MTC in Vardø contacted the ship's Norwegian agent and the Norwegian insurance company, Skuld, to find a vessel that could assist. On the evening of Nov 25, the shipowner contracted the Bukser og Berging to take the ship in tow. The Norwegian Coastal Administration, in cooperation with the Norwegian Defense Forces, has referred the vessel to a suitable anchoring position at Kristiansund. On Nov 27 at 9.15 a.m. a towing connection was established with the tug 'BB Coaster'. The weather conditions were good and the towage got ahead at a speed of 7-8 knots. The Norwegian Coastal Administration's pilot went on board at 8.30 p.m. to bring the vessel to the assigned anchorage point. The ship was safely anchored in Freifjorden at Kristiansund at 11.50 p.m. it will remain at the anchoragefor a week, awaiting another towing vessel which will take the cargo ship to Kaliningrad for permanent repairs to the rudder defect.
KLAIPEDA
On Nov 27, 2024, at 09:24 a.m. the"Klaipeda" en route from IJmuiden t Liepaja, suffered an engine failure during the eastbound transit of the Kiel Canal at the eastern end of the Dükerswisch switch. The ship drifted perpendicular to the fairway and hit the dolphins. The section between Kudensee and Fischerhütte was closed for shipping traffic for a short time. The ship was moored in pos. 54° 03' N 009° 18' E and was to towed back to Brunsbüttel for inspections by two tugts and safely berthed at 6 p.m. It was banned from sailing until its class has been confirmed.
VSG GLORY
On Nov 22, 2024, the 'VSG Glory' grounded on the beach in front of the Mövenpick Resort in El Quseir, en route from Yemen to Port Tawfiq in Suez. The ship was carrying 4,000 tons of cargo, 70 tons of fuel oil, and 50 tons of diesel. The accident happened due to ‘strong winds, high waves, and a technical malfunction, and caused extensive damage to the coral reefs and fractured the hull, resulting in an oil leak from the flooded engine room and causing the ship to tilt. The Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation Association (HEPCA) immediately coordinated with the Marine Protected Areas (MPA) team, who worked on-site on the morning of Nov 23. The minor spill was contained using 200 meters of rubber barriers and 100 meters of oil-absorbent booms. The 21 crew members from India, Egypt, Iraq, and Syria were safely evacuated without any injuries. They were brought ashore in rubber boats and transferred to ambulances for health checks. However, the ship’s captain warned that the vessel was at risk of splitting in two due to extensive water ingress. He also said the crew had run out of fuel and food days before the accident. The vessel had been drifting slowly in the Red Sea for over a month, making erratic movements. The ship has a history of safety violations. Inspectors have found over 200 deficiencies in the past, including engine room oil leaks and poor maintenance. Reports with photos: https://divemagazine.com/scuba-diving-news/cargo-ship-grounded-in-el-quseir-egypt https://www.marineinsight.com/shipping-news/300-foot-cargo-ship-ran-aground-spills-oil-off-popular-red-sea-tourist-town-el-quseir/?fbclid=IwY2xjawG1FGhleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHbVAeDcsI0gson9b9VXAhrF_PoeuKf3URnY5fGXSW-sICfP5_J1RXKxd-g_aem_riDq5tQn2NF-CDkyGSSH2A
STORD
On Nov 28 just after 12 p.m. smoke development was reported on the 'Stord', which was docked at thhe Havyard Leirvik in Hyllestad, The emergency services responded to the minor fire in the engine room if the ferry, and it has been declared extinguished at 12.30 tp.m. Smoke divers from the Industrial Protection Agency went on board, and were going through the ferry. There was still light smoke on board. The cause of the fire was unknown at this date. The ferry has been docked for repairs after a fire on Oct 16, 2024, while the ship was serving on the Stavanger–Tau connection. That fire started when a diesel hose sprung a leak, causing diesel to spray into the engine compartment. No one has been reported injured. It was unknown what effect the fire will have on the repair of ferry. According to the plan, the work was to be completed only in the new year. There was still a lot of work to get it ready for operation again.
SALVAMAR ALGENIB
On Nov 28 at 3:45 a.m., the 'Salvamar Algenib' rescued 12 Maghrebian migrants, among them five men, three women and and four minors, from a precarious boatwhich had been located by the m/v 'Georgia S' about 28 nautical miles southeast of Cabo de Gata. The castaways were disembarked in Almería at 5:40 a.m. At 7:58 a.m., the 'Salvamar Spica' rescued 25 Maghrebian boat people. among them 22 men, one woman and two minors, from a precarious boat, whoch had been located by the mm/v 'Almariya' about 40 nautical miles souhtsoutheast of Almería. The boat people were disembarked in Almería at 9.47 am. The emergency responses were coordinated by the Almería Maritime Rescue Centre of Salvamento Marítimo.
SEALION 2000
The port side main engine on the 'SeaLink’s SeaLion 2000' has failed, despite both main engines having been replaced in May 2024. The ferry was removed from the Kangaroo Island service on Nov. 28, 2024, and sidelined in Adelaide, after a mechanical issue involving a component with the main engine.
EL CANAVERA
On Nov 25 at 4.41 p.m. the 'El Cañavera', that sank an hour earlier just over a mile east of Punta Candieira, stopped transmitting AIS signals. On Nov 26, it was still half-sunken, with its bow sticking out of the sea. If there were no changes, a decision was to be made on Nov 27 on what to do witt the vessel. The Ferrol Maritime Authority has specified that the measures to be adopted depended on the weather conditions, which were not favourable Due to the risk it poses to navigation, the area where the wreck was drifting, has been marked by the 'Condesa Pardo de Bazá' from the Cedeira Red Cross. The fishing boat has not sunk because an air bubble has formed inside it. The owner can take charge of the wreck by presenting a salvage plan and, if necessary, a towing plan, presumably through the insurance company. If not, the public body will take charge, which initially planned to try to tow it to an area closer to the coast. The crew of the 'El Cañavera' attributes the shipwreck to a leak that they were unable to control.
GUNN-LOTTE
On Jan 26, 2024, the 'Gunn-Lotte' suffered propeller damage and ended up in the reefs outside Stamsund. When the lifeboat 'Det Norske Veritas' was trying to pull the fishing vessel off shore, it ran aground itself, and at the same time the fishing vessel capsized, according to the Accident Investigation Board's report. The fisherman ended up in the sea, not wearing an inflatable life jacket. A rescuer jumped into the sea to save the fman, but he was later declared dead. From the time the fisherman fell into the sea until the rescuer was with him, it only took 3-4 minutes, but the fisherman was then unconscious. According to the Accident Investigation Board's report, it is unclear what causedhim to lose consciousness so quickly, but the fall into the cold water may have led to cold shock, which, in combination with waves, increased the risk of inhaling water and drowning. The Accident Investigation Board emphasized that the use of a life jacket significantly increases survivability in cold water and reduces the risk of shock in the event of a fall overboard. The life jacket had been found and was ready in the wheelhouse, but it was unclear why it was not used, as Kystradio Nord several times asked the fisherman to put it on. "The accident shows that a situation can quickly develop into a critical one, and acting proactively and using the aids you have on board can be decisive. In addition, it is important to follow the instructions given by Kystradioen and the other rescue agencies," says the Accident Investigation Board's report. Report with photos: https://www.kystogfjord.no/nyheter/i/4Bx9BR/rapporten-etter-stamsund-ulykka-klar
BAYESIAN
The 'Bayesian ' is to be raised rom a depth of 50 meters from the seabed off Porticelli without losing clues. Representatives of the ship insurer P&I British Marine, through which the 'Bayesian's policy is held, have met at the beginning of the week with representatives of the yacht builder, investigators from the public prosecutor's office and members of the Coastguard to discuss possible salvage methods. The background to this was a corresponding tender from the insurer, which has expired on Nov 22, 2024. The public prosecutor's office in Termini Imerese wants to raise the ship in such a way that it remains as intact as possible. The yacht is a piece of evidence, and further investigations in the case depend on its examination. Therefore, neither the mast should be cut off nor the approximately 18,000 liters of fuel and oil should be drained from the tanks. At the same time, the Coastguard is demanding safety guarantees and compliance with environmental protection regulations during the operation. Eight plans were submitted, one of which has already been rejected due to excessive risks. The remaining seven will be voted on in the next two weeks. The final contract is to be awarded in mid-December. Part of the plans envisage securing the "Bayesian" with straps, turning it 90 degrees and hoisting it with cranes onto a pontoon specially built for this purpose. Buoyancy balloons will be used, which are attached to the sides of the hull to provide more stability. Depending on the condition of the hull, a decision will then be made as to how the "Bayesian" can be towed to a port. A lot depends on how much buoyancy the hull still has. Palermo and Termini Imerese were being discussed as the ports of destination. There, in contrast to other, closer ports, it will be possible to secure the ship with its 75-meter-high mast during the investigation. The start of the salvage operation is planned for mid-January 2025, and should not take longer than four to five weeks. However, the schedule depends largely on weather conditions and sea conditions. The "Bayesian" sank in mid-August off Porticelli on the north coast of Sicily during a stormy night. 22 people were on board at the time, ten of them crew members. 15 people survived the sinking, seven died, including the British tech magnate Mike Lynch and his daughter Hannah.
VSG GLORY
On Nov 27 the operation to drain the fuel from the 'VSG Glory', which remained hard aground with its cargo of 4000 tons of flour.off El Quseir, has commenced. It was expected that the fuel removal would take about two days. The ship was meanwhile listing considerably to starboard side and was much down by the stern. The offshore supply ship 'PMS 'Abu Qir' (IMO: 9680499) was on site.
HEBRIDES
The starboard side propeller of the 'Hebrides', serving on the route Uig-Tarbert.Lochmaddy, caught debris in the port of Uig on Nov 28, 2024, which had to be removed. As a consequence, the 'Hebrides' departed from the port only at 10:10 a..m., 30 minutes behind the scheduled departure time at 9.40 a.m., with an ETA at Tarbert as of 11:50 a.m.
SALVAMAR LEO
On Nov 28, a precarious boat was located by a French Frontex aircraft 96 nautical miles from Alicante. The 'Salvamar Leo' was deployed to assist and rescued 13 Maghrebian migrants from the boat at 4:01 a.m. The boat people were disembarked in Alicante at 7:50 a.m. The rmergency coordination was carried out by the Maritime Rescue Centre of Salvamento Marítimo in Valencia.
SEA FIDELITY
The shadow fleet tanker 'Sea Fidelity' has loaded 560,000 barrels of Russian oil in St. Petersburg on Nov 27, 2024, two days after the UK government cited the vessel as an example of the success of its sanctions policy, after weeks of idling in the Baltic Sea. The 'Sea Fidelity' along with, the Gabon-flagged tanker 'Artemis' were cited by British officials as examples that its targeting of the shadow fleet was having a concrete impact by stopping them from trading. The 'Sea Fidelity' remained at anchor in pos. 60° 06' N 029° 20' E in the Baltic Sea on Nov 28 in a possible sign that the sanctions were still having a disruptive effect on the vessel’s normal trading activity. The vessel had passed through the English Channel 10 times in 2024, before being sanctioned by the British government, hauling oil from Russian ports to India, Turkey and Morocco. It last delivered a crude cargo to a refinery in Gujara on Sep 9 before ballasting back to the Baltic where it has remained since then. The vessel is owned by single ship company Elory Logistics.
MOUNT MATTERHORN
The Australian port of Newcastle, the world's largest coal exporter located 170 kilometres north of Sydney, was temporarily blocked by environmental activists between Nov 21 and Nov 24, 2024. Environmental activists demonstrated around bulk carriers going to and from the port. The 'Mount Matterhorn' had to be escorted by police vessels to leave Newcastle and the 'ITG Uming 3' was greeted by a hundred kayaks and other floating boats, arriving via the adjacent Nobby beach, as it entered the port. With this action, the Rising Tide organization that initiated the movement wanted to ask the Australian government to cancel all new fossil fuel projects, to end all coal exports from Newcastle by 2030, and to tax 78% of the profits from the export of fossil fuels to finance the industrial transition. Australia has committed to reaching the Net Zero objective by 2050, although it continues to approve projects that include fossil fuels (coal, of which it is one of the main producers, and gas). In total, 170 activists, including 14 miners, were arrested and 138 demonstrators risked a maximum penalty of 13,550 euros in fines and two years in prison for "disrupting a major installation". Meanwhile, 32 other people, accused of failing to comply with officers’ instructions, were facing a fine of €2,000. The New South Wales government has strict laws on actions that hinder economic activity. Authorities tried to invoke the Maritime Safety Act of 1998 to create a temporary exclusion zone around the port, but the Supreme Court overturned the measure on Nov 21, just before the protests began, Report with photo: https://lemarin.ouest-france.fr/sciences-environnement/en-australie-des-vraquiers-accueillis-par-une-centaine-de-militants-au-port-a-charbon-de-newcastle-b17d912e-aca0-11ef-9f0f-abd6acfb270c
UNISOUL
On Nov 27, 2024, at 11.12 a.m. the Unisoul', en route from Savannah to Inkoo, suffered engine trouble short after leaving the Hoyer bunker station in Brunsbüttel for the eastbound transit of the Kiel Canal. The ship was now proceeding at a slow speed tiowards the switch Kudensee. Here it was moored to investigate the problem, and resumed the voyage at around noon with an ETA at the port of destination as of Nov 30.
OCEAN VIKING
The "Ocean Viking" has rescued 48 distressed migrants off the coast of Libya on Nov 27. According to the NGO "SOS Méditerranée", most of them were minors. They were taken on board from an overcrowded rubber dinghy after a radio call from a NATO aircraft. The organization criticized that a ship from the so-called Libyan Coastguard had tried to hinder the SAR operation with dangerous maneuvers. AThe Italian authorities assigned the "Ocean Viking" to the distant port of Ravenna to disembark the boat people.