The French Navy was conducting an SAR operation for a crew member of the 'Forbin', an escort ship for the aircraft carrier ' Charles-de-Gaulle', who went missing at sea, as the carrier strike group was preparing to return to Toulon after a five-month mission, ion the night of April 23, 2025. After he was reported missing, searches were launched on board in vain. The carrier battle group, which was sailing 150 nautical miles south of the Toulon coast, immediately turned back to conduct a search at sea. An Atlantique-2 maritime surveillance aircraft joined the search late in the night. The strike group had left Toulon at the end of Nov 2024 for the "Clemenceau 25" mission, which took it as far east as the Philippines. In addition to the aircraft carrier, it is comprised of a replenishment ship, three frigates, and a nuclear-powered attack submarine.
News
VICTORIA K
The 'Victoria K' is among those vessels, the Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence Service has idientfied to be involved in Russia's export of coking coal from temporarily occupied territories through the port of Mariupol, as part of a deliberate strategy to exploit the occupied territories, violating international law and the rules of warfare. The 'Alfa M' exported about 40.000 tons, the 'Alfa 1' more than 20,000 tons of coking coal, the 'Alpha Hermes' more than 5,000 tons, the "Victoria K' more than 20,000 tons, and the 'Victoria V' more than 35,000 tons, totalling to 120,000 tons of coal. The value of this coal will be sufficient to produce thousands of tons of steel. Russia is using the occupied Ukrainian territories as a source of raw materials to secure its economy. which is a serious violation of international humanitarian law, including the 1907 Hague Convention, which prohibits the use of resources of occupied territories for the benefit of the occupier without the consent of the legitimate authority.
Holyhead
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.
Holyhead
Following the allision of the 'Ulöysses', where part of the pier collapsed, the port will remain closed until at least Dec 20. Irish Ferries has redeployed the “James Joyce” to the Rosslare - Pembroke route whilst the “Ulysses” has deviated from the Holyhead route for the first time in history. On Dec 12 the ferry left Dublin on the 4 p.m. service to Cherbourg in place of the“WB Yeats” Meanwhile, the Stena Line have sent the ‘Stena Adventurer' to Fishguard and the ‘Stena Estrid' to Birkenhead.
TRANOY
On the morning of April 24, the servoce of the "Tranøy", serving between Bognes and Lødingen, had to cancelled by the operator Torghatten until further notice due to technical problems. All departures for the route, starting from 12:45 a.m. until the departure at 11:30 p.m. were cancelled. which also affected the bus from Bodø to Sortland on Line 100. The departure from the Lødingen ferry pier at 12:45 p.m, was delayed 1.5 hours due to the canceled ferry service. The ship remained sidelined in Lødingen for troubleshooting.
ALPHA HERMES
The 'Alpha Hermes' is among those vessels, the Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence Service has idientfied to be involved in Russia's export of coking coal from temporarily occupied territories through the port of Mariupol, as part of a deliberate strategy to exploit the occupied territories, violating international law and the rules of warfare. The 'Alfa M' exported about 40.000 tons, the 'Alfa 1' more than 20,000 tons of coking coal, the 'Alpha Hermes' more than 5,000 tons, the "Victoria K' more than 20,000 tons, and the 'Victoria V' more than 35,000 tons, totalling to 120,000 tons of coal. The value of this coal will be sufficient to produce thousands of tons of steel. Russia is using the occupied Ukrainian territories as a source of raw materials to secure its economy. which is a serious violation of international humanitarian law, including the 1907 Hague Convention, which prohibits the use of resources of occupied territories for the benefit of the occupier without the consent of the legitimate authority.
Flensburg
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.
Holyhead
On Dec 12 the divers were still carrying out their inspections on the berth at Holyhead with all the steel columns being checked for any damages under the waterline. Stena was still deeming this an ongoing technical issue- Once the inspections have been finished a decision is made by the relevant teams regarding the chance that the T5 berth can begin operating again and Holyhead Por can once again resume operations.
VICTORIA V
The 'Victoria V' is among those vessels, the Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence Service has idientfied to be involved in Russia's export of coking coal from temporarily occupied territories through the port of Mariupol, as part of a deliberate strategy to exploit the occupied territories, violating international law and the rules of warfare. The 'Alfa M' exported about 40.000 tons, the 'Alfa 1' more than 20,000 tons of coking coal, the 'Alpha Hermes' more than 5,000 tons, the "Victoria K' more than 20,000 tons, and the 'Victoria V' more than 35,000 tons, totalling to 120,000 tons of coal. The value of this coal will be sufficient to produce thousands of tons of steel. Russia is using the occupied Ukrainian territories as a source of raw materials to secure its economy. which is a serious violation of international humanitarian law, including the 1907 Hague Convention, which prohibits the use of resources of occupied territories for the benefit of the occupier without the consent of the legitimate authority.
ALFA 1
The 'Alfa 1' is among those vessels, the Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence Service has idientfied to be involved in Russia's export of coking coal from temporarily occupied territories through the port of Mariupol, as part of a deliberate strategy to exploit the occupied territories, violating international law and the rules of warfare. The 'Alfa M' exported about 40.000 tons, the 'Alfa 1' more than 20,000 tons of coking coal, the 'Alpha Hermes' more than 5,000 tons, the "Victoria K' more than 20,000 tons, and the 'Victoria V' more than 35,000 tons, totalling to 120,000 tons of coal. The value of this coal will be sufficient to produce thousands of tons of steel. Russia is using the occupied Ukrainian territories as a source of raw materials to secure its economy. which is a serious violation of international humanitarian law, including the 1907 Hague Convention, which prohibits the use of resources of occupied territories for the benefit of the occupier without the consent of the legitimate authority.
Rendsburg
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.
Holyhead
As the 'Stena Adventurer' makes her way to Fishguard on Dec 11, Stena Line has now cancelled sailings to/from Holyhead up until the departure from Dublin on the afternoon of Dec 12. Irish Ferries have, so far, also cancelled all sailings on Dec 11. The port has been closed to SHIP traffic since the weekend when its infrastructure was damaged during the storm when the 'Ulysses' destroyed a dolphin. The port’s management has been surveying and addressing the damage since and it was previously indicated that crossings would be able to resume on Dec 10 from 6 p.m. However, underwater inspections in the port last night were hindered by bad weather, causing the resumption of sailings to be further delayed.