BLUE MARLIN

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Tug wrongly accused to have been used by pirates released

On May 22 the Government of Equatorial Guinea has released the Nigerian-flagged tug "Charis" and its crew of 10 which had been wrongly arrested for alleged piracy on May 7 following suspicion that it was used by pirates to attack the "Blue Marlin" off the coast of Malabo on May 5. The release came following the intervention of Nigeria’s Ambassador to Equatorial Guinea Toko Ali Gongulong and Defence Attache Navy Captain Olaseyi Oladipo. The vessel, which arrived at Onne had suffered pirates’ attack the same day as the Spanish ship but was detained for 15 days despite making a distress call and providing documents to show they were on legitimate business. When the pirates attacked, the Captain of the tug immediately sent a distress call. In response to the call, a Spanish Navy team arrived the vicinity and boarded the "Blue Marlin". However, the pirates escaped. The "Charis" was also boarded and escorted to Malabo by Equatorial Guinea Navy. On arrival at Malabo, while the heavy load carrier was taken for repairs and the crew well administered, the tug was under tight security and its crew detained at the police cell at Malabo, having been mistaken for the pirates. The release was facilitated by Nigeria’s Ambassador to Equatorial Guinea Toko Ali Gongulong, assisted by the Defence Attache, Navy Captain Seyi Oladipo, the Consular Officer along with NIMASA officials.

Hijacked ship freed by Spanish Navy

The "Blue Marlin" was attacked and boarded by sebven armed pirates on May 5, 2019, atr noon in vicinity 03 00 N 007 50 E in the Gulf of Guinea, SW of Luba port. The ship had left Luba in the morning of May 5 after unloading its cargo and was bound for Valetta. The The master activated SSAS, and all 20 crew members mustered in the citadel. The pirates demanded from the crew via PA to surrender and give them all money and valuables . The crew, however, remained in the citadel. The pirates found a hole and fired through it into the citadel, but without injuring anyone. Meanwhile,the Operations and Surveillance Center of the Navy (COVAM), alerted by ship’s distress signal, ordered a patrol boat of the "Serviola - P 71" of the Spanish Navy, which was being deployed in an international security mission in the Gulf of Guinea, to free the hijacked ship. In the morning of May 6 a special operation team boarded the "Blue Marlin". Alsi two helicopters were immediately mobilised from Equatorial Guinea, followed by a Navy vessel of Equatorial Guinea and the one from the Spanish Navy, part of the MDAT-GoG mission. The boarding team fully searched the ship, but no pirates were found and the crew was freed from the citadel. All the crew members are in good health. The pirates had shot several times during their time aboard the "Blue Marlin" and caused substantial material damage on the bridge, preventing the ship from being sailable. It moored approximately 40 miles offshore Equatorial Guinea, in international waters. Report with photos: https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/spanish-navy-rescues-boskalis-heavy-lift-ship-from-pirates

Nation’s Largest Floating Drydock Arrives In Portland

The soon-to-be largest floating drydock in the United States made its way up the Willamette River and into Portland on Monday aboard the Blue Marlin. The drydock, known as the Vigorous, is destined for Vigor Industrial’s Portland shipyard. Fully assemble, the drydock will measure a whopping 960-feet – more than three times the height of the Statue of Liberty – and will have 80,000-tons of capacity, making it the largest in the nation. The dock was designed to meet the requirements of the US Navy’s MIL-STD 1625D and the American Bureau of Shipping. Vigor is investing more than $50 million to build and deliver the Vigorous, which will be used to service vessels such as cruise ships, tankers and cargo ships. Two large vessels, as a matter of fact, both Maritime Administration cargo ships, are already booked for repairs when the drydock enters service in November. The drydock was designed by the U.S. company Heger Dry Dock and constructed by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries in Jiangsu Province, China. It is being delivered to Portland in three pieces aboard the Blue Marlin, a semi-submersible heavy lift ship owned by Dockwise Ltd.