Repair work on the subsea power line EstLink 2 that runs between Finland and Estonia and was damaged by the 'Eagle S', will start in May and is expected to return to commercial use on July 15, the Finnish power grid operator Fingrid said on April 16. A new cable was being installed on the seabed to replace the existing one over a distance of around one kilometer (0.62 miles). Implementing such extensive repair work has required detailed planning and necessitates a specially equipped vessel for the task. The work was being carried out by Nexans. After the incident, the Finnish authorities had seized the tanker, which was carrying Russian oil in the Baltic Sea, on suspicion it caused the outage of the undersea power cable as well as four internet lines.
News
Beirut
The Port of Beirut (PoB) resumed partial operations on Aug 10 with the first two container ships berthing in the container terminal after the explosion which killed at least 160 persons, injured thousands and made hundred thousands homeless. Out of 16 cranes at the container terminal, 12 were currently operational. The port was gradually resuming operations to ensure the supply of all kinds of goods to citizens. Bassem Al Kaissi, the new Director of the PoB, said that the container terminal will be fully operational by Aug 14. Al Kaissi said that 420 containers were unloaded on Aug 10. The container terminal storage area has been cleaned up and restored to its state before the blast. The container terminal represents 80 percent of the overall cargo movement at the PoB. It is located one kilometer away from the blast epicenter. Container vessels can dock at quay number 16. Shipping movement at the PoB had already plunged by 75 percent due to the economic crisis and has reached 15 percent following the blast. Customs have opened offices in the PoB’s warehouse number 14 which was partially damaged. The customs have become able to carry out the inspection of merchandise- Customs duties are being temporarily paid at the Rafic Hariri International Airport. Tthe PoB is now handling only full containers as groupage consignment requires warehouses which don’t exist now. Amer Al Kaissi said groupage, which represents 15 percent of shipments at the PoB, will be diverted to the Port of Tripoli until the rebuilding of warehouses at the PoB is completed. The first two containerships to berth at the PoB after the blast were the 'Electra' (Gezairi Transport) and the 'Nicolas Delmas' (CMA CGM). The 'Electra', which was carrying 400 containers, was diverted to Tripoli where there was a license to operate but the company insisted to unload it in Beirut when it was told that the PoB has resumed operation. The CMA CGM Group and CEVA Logistics said they are fully operational and ensuring business continuity to serve their customers. The Group has redeployed its employees in its two back-up sites in Beirut Digital District and reinforced its presence in Tripoli. Part of CMA CGM’s vessels has been temporarily directed to Tripoli. Few shipping companies are authorized to operate in other ports such as Tripoli or Saida. BCTC, the Customs and the PoB’s authorities did their best to handle the clearing formalities despite the difficult working conditions. The general cargo area was fully operational on Aug 12 both for imports and exports. This includes wheat and other grains as well as construction steel bars. The cost of rebuilding the port is estimated at around $1 billion.
COBRA
On Aprl 15, nearly 70 people, including families, colleagues of the fishermen and leaders of the Coronel area, boarded the Navy vessel "Janequeo" to travel to the area where the "Bruma" sank and bid farewell to the seven fishermen who have been missing since March 30. This followed the Navy's decision on April 14 to suspend the search for the seven fishermen after 17 days. They are the skipper José Luis Medel Sepúlveda, José Luis Medel González, his son Juan Jorge Muñoz Balladares, José Fernando Carrasco González, Julio Eduardo Gallardo Díaz, Carlos Hugo Escárate Ramírez and Jonathan Daniel Torres Saldaña. At the site, near the bay of Santa María Island, an ecumenical ceremony was being held aboard the "Janequeo" to bid farewell to the missing fishermen. to pay tribute of reverence and respect to them. The Biobío Prosecutor's Office is leading the investigation targeting the Blumar's "Cobra" and its crew as responsible for the accident. The Executive Branch has also filed a complaint for homicide. Meanwhile, the fishermen's families also filed a complaint for the same crime, in addition to the failure to provide assistance against the captain of the "Cobra". In response to the incident, the crew of the 'Cobra' publsihed a public statement, stated that they were "deeply saddened by the loss of our colleagues, because we are only now in a position to do so. We had not been able to express our pain before.” The crew members acknowledged that they felt stigmatized after the sinking of the 'Bruma', noting that “several of us cannot go out into the streets because we are being pointed at not only as protagonists of the accident, but also as responsible for this tragedy. For us, life is the most valuable thing. Not only ours, but everyone's, especially that of hardworking people like us, with whom we share a profession we love.” Along with this, they reiterated that "we are actively cooperating with the investigation and trust that the causes of this unfortunate accident will be clearly established." Therefore, "we ask for respect for ourselves and, above all, for our families" until the cause of the 'Bruma' sinking is determined.
DELPHINE
On April 16, 2025, at 3 p.m. a fire broke out on a vehicle deck of the 'Delphine', which had arrived from Immingham on April 15 and was moored at the Britannia Dock in the port of Zeebrugge. There were 110 electrical cars on board. Firefighters were attending in large contingents. Everyone on board was safely evacuated, there were no injuries. The captain of the ship remained on board to monitor the situation together with the fire brigade and emergency services. The fire was brought under control. Besides the fire brigade, four tugs were also deployed to fight the fire and cool down the ship's hull at starboard side. The internal fire fighting system was activated. By cutting off the oxygen supply with carbon dioxide, the fire was brought under control. The fire brigade was now looking at how to tackle the fire further. There was a risk that the fire might flare up again when the hatches are opened. It was also not yet clear how extensive the damage is. The hold is pitch black due to the large amount of smoke. There was a lot of smoke from the electric cars, which also made the extinguishing work more difficult.The fire had no major consequences for the operation of the rest of the port. The ships can still sail in and out, a ship that was at the LNG terminal had to wait because of the perimeter. Report with photo: https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2025/04/16/brand-cargoschip-zeebrugge/?fbclid=IwY2xjawJsukpleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHkXXEm991fWYvFkGT82yNG3f2l3C3_KoYBSUpmK08mIF06cgsQM4eP6jIfko_aem_Ctw36kMssSfI_sSFUneKdQ https://focus-wtv.be/nieuws/brand-op-russisch-cargoschip-in-haven-zeebrugge-brandweer-nog-volop-aan-het-blussen
Beirut
A powerful explosion rocked Beirut port on Aug 4, 2020, killing and injuring dozens of people, and causing widespread damage. There was no clarity yet with regards to the cause of explosions, and what triggered it. The talk was of a firework factory which blew up. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pR88CECmTso&feature=emb_title
AVISO
At the quay in Kapelle-op-den-Bos, a pipe burst during cargo operations of the 'Aviso', carrying cement, causing a cloud of cement to be released on April 16, 2025, at around 9 a.m.The accident occurred at the Etex factory, formerly Eternit, on the Brussels-Scheldt-Maritime Canal. The fine cement dust spread around the ship and settled on various locations in the centre of the municipality. The center of Kapelle-op-den-Bos was also affected. Cement has also ended up on the ship itself. This must be removed too, but first and foremost everything was being done to prevent the cement from ending up in the water of the cana. In order to coordinate the emergency services, the municipal disaster plan was announced, which was lifted just before 2 p.m. There were no injuries, one person was taken to hospital for a check-up, but has since been released. Etex immediately took the necessary action, and the competent services were on site and are monitoring the situation. The remaining cement residue formed a fine layer and was mainly located at the West dike up to the Borms St. on the bridge and in the Karel Muyldermanslaan. The civil protection and fire brigade sprayed the cement on the public domain with water, so that it flowed into the public sewer. It esd requested to clean areas and materials on private property with water. Tesidents were asked to ensure that the cement does not come into contact with their skin or eyes. It was recommended to use appropriate protective equipment such as a face mask and gloves when spraying away, which were made available at the reception of the administrative centre. Anyone living in the area who has suffered any damage as a result of the incident or whose car was parked in the impacted streets can report this to Etex via, Bo.huberland@etexgroup.com, Silke.mons@etexgroup.com or 015 71 77 20. Reports with photos: https://www.hln.be/kapelle-op-den-bos/leidingbreuk-tijdens-lossen-vrachtschip-veroorzaakt-cementwolk-in-centrum-kapelle-op-den-bos~ab480572/ https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20250416_94062442 https://www.kapelle-op-den-bos.be/incident-16-april-2025
WAN XIANG 699
The 'Hong Hai 16' ex 'Wan Xiang 699', started to tip over amid moderate sea conditions and capsized on April 15, at 5:20 p.m. off Barangay Malawaan in Rizal, Occidental Mindoro. The ship, carrying 7,400 cubic meters of sand, was preparing to depart for Manila with a cargo of sand at 4:30 p.m., when it suddenly tilted during the turning manoever and then toppled over with10 people on board, among them seven Filipinos and three Chinese nationals, who went missing. The Philippine Coast Guard Sub-Station in San Jose, the Special Operations Unit and the Marine Environmental Protection Enforcement Response Group in Southern Tagalog launched an SAR operation. The dredger was drifting bottom up, with possible personnel trapped inside the engine room. The sand carrier vessel, operated by the Keen Peak Corporation, had 25 crew members on board, composed of 13 Filipinos and 12 Chinese nationals. Six Filipinos and eight Chinese crew members survived the accident, while one Chinese national was declared dead on arrival at San Jose District Hospital. The Coast Guard was also coordinating with the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office to prepare for potential environmental impacts, considering the deployment of oil booms. The PCG unit in Sablayan has dispatched an additional response team to support the operations. The PCG was checking underwater conditions and preparing for diving operations and cutting work. The SAR operation was going on on April 16. Reports with photo and video: https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2025/4/16/authorities-recover-another-body-from-ship-that-capsized-off-occidental-mindoro-1529 https://www.philstar.com/nation/2025/04/16/2436473/search-ongoing-7-filipinos-3-chinese-after-vessel-capsizes-occidental-mindoro https://www.bairdmaritime.com/security/incidents/accidents/one-dead-ten-missing-after-sand-carrier-capsizes-off-occidental-mindoro-philippines https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2025/4/16/authorities-recover-another-body-from-ship-that-capsized-off-occidental-mindoro-1529 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwPlx-9ePnQ
