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The US Coast Guard has decommissioned the 'Mustang (WPB 1310)' during a ceremony in Seward on April 15, 2025. Capt. Christopher Culpepper, the commander of Coast Guard Sector Western Alaska & U.S. Arctic, presided over the ceremony honoring the nearly 40 years of service of the 'Mustang' and its crews. Commissioned on Aug 29, 1986, the 'Mustang' was the 10th Island-Class cutter to join the fleet. She has been stationed in Seward since it was commissioned, and its crews have since responded to over 200 SAR cases and completed over 2000 law enforcement sorties. The Coast Guard is replacing the aging Island-Class patrol boats with Sentinel-Class Fast Response Cutters (FRCs) which feature enhanced capability to meet service needs. There are currently four FRC's homeported in Alaska, with two more scheduled for delivery in the near future. Report with photo: https://www.news.uscg.mil/Press-Releases/Article/4154295/coast-guard-cutter-mustang-decommissioned-after-nearly-40-years-of-service/

The major fire aboard the 'Delphine' was moreless under control after five hours of extinguishing at the CLdN terminal on the border of Heist and Zeebrugge. The fire started on the cargo deck of the ship. All 26 crew members and other people present were immediately evacuated. Only the captain remained on board to help coordinate the situation. The police also set up a large perimeter on land and on the water. The emergency services were present in large contingents throughout the afternoon and evening. Two fire boats were deployed as well as the Ghent fire brigade, which came to provide reinforcement. It was not clear how many of the vehicles present caught fire. There were about 190 new vehicles on the third deck, 60 of which were electric. It was one of those electric vehicles that caught fire. The affected cars were presumed to be a total loss. The heavy smoke was blowed towards the sea and therefore did not pose a danger to the residents of Knokke-Heist and Zeebrugge. The automatic fire extinguishing system was activated shortly after the fire, and as a result, the fire was limited to one deck. The affected deck of the ship will also only be reopened after the rescue forces have taken the necessary precautions. According to an initial estimate, around 60 to 70 vehicles have completely burned out. A boom has been laid out around the ship so that harmful substances released into the water cannot spread further. The fire brigade remained present all night to monitor the situation and blow nitrogen into the deck that was brought over from Antwerp. After a whole night of extinguishing the fire, the emergency services were still unable to open the doors due to the high temperature on April 17. There may also be damage to the ship itself, where deformations were to be seen, The emergency services were now waiting for CO² to be supplied to fill the tanks on board the ship. These are completely empty due to the extinguishing work, and in order not to take any risks, they were waiting for it to be replenished, which is expected at around noon. Then it will take another 6 to 8 hours to fill the tanks completely. The fire brigade has to stay on site all that time and may be even for days, as ince the temperature is low enough and the doors can be opened, the vehicles will probably have to be removed from the ship one by one. The fire brigade will also have to remain present in this case. It is not yet possible to give a precise timeline to this, but it is clear that it will be a long-term job. The damage to the ship will then also have to be assessed. Reports with phtoos and video: https://www.pzc.nl/brugge/zelfs-na-hele-nacht-koelen-is-temperatuur-in-cargoschip-in-zeebrugge-nog-te-hoog-te-gevaarlijk-om-ruimte-al-te-betreden~ad3dd5f3/ https://www.hln.be/brugge/blusboten-vechten-al-uren-tegen-zware-brand-op-schip-met-bijna-200-wagens-in-zeebrugge-blijven-hele-nacht-aanwezig~a781ce15/ https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20250416_95102958 https://www.egear.be/brand-haven-zeebrugge-2025-04/ https://www.hbvl.be/regio/brand-in-schip-met-ruim-honderd-wagens-na-uren-blussen-onder-controle-geen-gewonden/57933000.html

At the Yatomi Pier in the port of Nagoya an accident occurred aboard the Japanese cargo m/v 'Tensho Maru No. 1', 1600 dwt (IMO: 9105437), on Feb 3, 2020, at 8.30 a.m. while unloading 72 concrete slabs, in piles of 8 units each. Two workers were buried underneath one when the plate with a weight of 7 to 8 tons fell down after the ropes were untied. Firefighters were called, and cranes were used to rescue them. One of the workers, Keigo Niwa, 24, from Minato-ku, in Nagoya, was recovered dead after having been pressed in the abdominal region. The other, in his 30s, had suffered fractures in both legs. With the fall of the plate, the cargo ship was tilted about 30 degrees to starboard side. The Coast Guard was investigating the cause of the accident. Report with photo: https://www.portalmie.com/atualidade/noticias-do-japao/acidentes/2020/02/acidente-no-navio-cargueiro-em-aichi-mata-um-trabalhador/

On its way from Cebu to Tagbilaran City, Bohol, the 'Oceanjet 88', 240 gt (IMO: 9712929), was forced to return to port in the morning of Jan 10, 2020, after its starboard-side generator set experienced a voltage fluctuation due to bogged down air-conditioning compressor. The chief engineer found out that the port and starboard’s air-conditioning compressor broke down and experienced high voltage, affecting the starboard-side generator. The malfunction occurred while sailing along the vicinity of the Naga Point just between the waters of Bohol and Cebu. At the Pier 1, all of the 191 passengers of the 'Oceanjet 88' were transferred to the 'Oceanjet 15' which departed at 10:10 a.m.

An interim factfinding report on the allision of the' Maersk Shekou' at Fremantle on Aug 22, 2024, which was published on April 17, 2025, suggested that the vessel's helmsman and pilots were operating with different goals. The helmsman was actively steering to maintain a heading of 083 degrees, his last received helm order. Meanwhile, the pilots were trying to make an emergency turn to port, using full ahead thrust, assist tugs, bow thrusters and the port anchor, They unaware that their helmsman was applying starboard rudder to counteract them. Early on Aug 22, the 'Maersk ShekouÄ began heading inbound into Fremantle's harbour and took aboard two pilots. The primary pilot assigned for the transit was fatigued, so the backup pilot took charge during the master/pilot exchange. At about 06.10 a.m., as they entered the narrow entrance channel for the inner port, southwesterly winds picked up to about 40 knots on the starboard quarter. The ship began to swing to starboard. The pilot ordered the helmsman to steer 083; the helmsman correctly acknowledged the order at about 0613:45 a.m. This was the heading that the helmsman would try to maintain throughout the final minutes of the casualty sequence. At the time that the order was given, the helmsman had the rudder hard to port to counteract the effects of the strengthening wind. It wasn't enough to do the job, and the 'Maersk Shekou's heading was about four degrees off to starboard (087). The master suggested going to full ahead to increase steering forces, and at about 0614:34 a.m. the pilot agreed. There was a pier ahead, and they needed to turn to port fast in order to enter the harbor. With more power and a series of assist tug movements, the 'Maersk Shekou' began to swing back to port. As it swung back from 087 through 086, the helmsman moved to check the swing: he brought the helm to midships, then briefly to 33 degrees starboard. The vessel steadied up squarely on 083, the last ordered heading he had received, which was straight towards the pier. The pilot was unsure why the vessel had stopped swinging to port, and at 615:33 a.m. he told the secondary pilot that something was wrong. The secondary pilot had been on a phone conversation at the back of the bridge and had not been involved in the back-and-forth among the bridge team, but he interrupted the call and joined the decisionmaking process. Together, without checking in with the helmsman, they began working the assist tugs to try to turn Maersk Shekou to port. The rudder was amidships at this point, and the helmsman was maintaining a steady heading of 083.5 towards the moored tall ship 'Leeuwin II', now less than a ship length away, with the boxship full ahead and making seven knots. At 0615:54 a.m., the master put the bow thrusters full to port. At 0616:10 a.m., the secondary pilot ordered stop engines, then full astern, and the master ordered the crew to prepare to drop the port anchor. Beginning at 0616:21 a.m., as these emergency measures to turn to port were under way, the helmsman applied more starboard rudder to try to counteract the effort to turn to port. The rudder would be over to starboard as much as 29 degrees over the course of the next minute. At 0616:49 a.m., the engines reached full astern and the 'Maersk Shekou' began to slow. The anchor, tugs and bow thruster managed to start a swing to port, but not fast enough to avert an allision. At about 0618 a.m., the 'Maersk Shekou' hit the 'Leeuwin II' at about three knots. The 'Maersk Shekou' came to a full stop by about 0618:30 a.m., but continued to spin in place. The bow thrusters were still on full to port, and the ship was swinging to port at about 13 degrees per minute. At 0619:52 a.m., the master noted to the pilots that the bow thrusters were still running with full power to port, and the thrusters were shut down,but not quickly enough to prevent contact in the narrow confines of the harbour. 40 seconds later, a stack of containers on the 'Maersk Shekou's starboard quarter hit the roof of the Western Australia Maritime Museum. The ship's hull scraped along the wharf for a short distance, damaging the quayside and breaching a small section of the hull plating above the waterline. The ATSB continues its investigation and will release its full report, including its formal conclusions, when it has completed its review. Interim report: https://www.atsb.gov.au/sites/default/files/2025-04/MO-2024-001%20Interim%20report.pdf

On April 15, 2025, the Canadian Coast Guard responded to an assistance call of the 'Ocean Swell' off the coast of Newfoundland. The Coast Guard deployed its fishing support vessel 'Teleost' (IMO: 8714346 ) was deployed to provide assistance to the disabled fishing vessel. It was taken in tow and safely pulled to St. John's harbour for repairs. Video: https://www.tiktok.com/@mudders_adventures/video/7493676415225728262?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

In the second ship-to-ship LNG bunkering operation to take place in Germany and the first ever in the Port of Rostock, on Jan 22, 2020 the world’s largest LNG bunker vessel 'Kairos' supplied fuel to the newly-built offshore installation vessel 'Orion' which was berthed at the Liebherr construction yard in the Port of Rostock, where she is being outfitted with a 5,000-tonne crane. DEME is a leading adopter of LNG as a marine fuel, and the 'Orion' is its fifth dual-fuel vessel. This operation strengthens the LNG cluster in Rostock significantly and is an essential extension of the services offered by the port. The continuous development from the LNG bunkering operations by truck during the last years towards the first ship-to-ship LNG bunkering operation shows the strong operational performance of the port team. Report with photo: https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/port-of-rostock-hosts-its-first-ship-to-ship-lng-bunkering

On Jan 7, 2020, at 6:23 a.m. a fire broke out in the silo of the "Raps und Ölsaatenververarbeitung GmbH" in the North Port of Kiel. Heavy smoke and fire were already visible on the 12th floor of the silo. Several troops of the fire brigade entered the building under respiratory protection to extinguish the fire in the ventilation system. The operational measures were extended because the fire had to be extinguished not only in the building but also on the outer facade. This turned out to be difficult because it was not possible to erase the turntable ladder to this height. After two hours the fire was out. A total of 75 emergency services of the professional fire brigade and vthe olunteer fire brigades Suchsdorf, Russee, Gaarden and the emergency services were on site. German report with photo: https://www.presseportal.de/blaulicht/pm/82765/4485121

On the morning of April 16, 2025, the Port Authority of Argosaronic Gulf of the Central Port Authority of Piraeus was informed by the Captain of the 'Acaheos', that ahead of the departure on its scheduled route from Piraeus to Aegina and Agistri with 628 passengers, 97 vehicles and 28 two-wheelers on board, a malfunction of two of its main engines occurred. The Port Guard prohibited the ship from sailing until the damage was repaired and a certificate of class maintenance was presented by the classification society that monitors it. The passengers and vehicles were forwarded to their destinations with the care of the shipping company.

On April 3, the lift of the 'Loch Portain' was out of order. As a consequence, the operator CalMac amended the Berneray-Leverburgh timetable until May 9. The amended timetable was allowing the crew to support passengers who required assistance, and met statutory requirements for crew hours of rest. Replacement parts for the repair have been ordered for the lift. CalMac issued an amended timetable valid until May 9: https://www.calmac.co.uk/en-gb/service-status/#/service-status/065?route=23

The Port of Kiel has reported that it achieved good results in 2019. The cargo sector achieved an increase of 1.9 % to 6.8 million t handled on the terminals operated by the port. Taking into account the bulk cargo business at independent facilities, all in all the 7 million t mark could be affirmed despite the decommissioning of the local coal power station. Highlights: Handling result rose by 1.9 % in port areas operated by the Port of Kiel. The port again reached the 7 million t mark in overall cargo handling. Investment in shore power supply plants at Norwegenkai, Ostseekai and Schwedenkai. Passenger traffic rose by 8.4 % to nearly 2.4 million passengers. Dr. Dirk Claus, Managing Director at the port, said: “The Port of Kiel was able to pursue its growth course in its core business areas – the ferry traffic and the cruise business sector. At the same time, the focus of our investments lies on the implementation of the Blue Port strategy – on the shore power plants and the intermodal traffic, so that the Port of Kiel will be climate-neutral by 2030.” Approximately €15 million are currently being invested in the construction of shore power plants so that they will be ready for operation at all three ferry and cruise terminals in the city port in the course of 2020. The Color Line ferry has been supplied with shore power at the Norwegenkai Terminal on a daily basis since early summer 2019. Ferry traffic contributing more to overall transhipment rate The core business of the port is the general cargo handled in the ferry traffic sector and with nearly 6 million t it accounts for 85% of overall transhipment activities. The biggest volume handled was on the Kiel – Klaipeda (Lithuania) service of the DFDS shipping company. For the first time, 2.5 million t of cargo were transhipped and the frequency was also augmented with an eighth weekly departure in autumn. Since April 2019, more trucks destined for Russia have been transported on this route after the weekly ferry service to St. Petersburg was suspended. Longer trains and new connections in intermodal transport In the ferry traffic sector to Norway resp. West Sweden the service of an additional freight ferry has had a positive impact on the Kiel – Oslo route, whereas fewer unaccompanied trailers were transported between Kiel and Gothenburg in 2019. Trains with an overall length of 750 m (550 m before) can now enter the Rbf Kiel-Meimersdorf and a third shunting track is about to be completed at the Schwedenkai Terminal. At this terminal, no less than 25% of the hinterland transport units are transhipped by rail already. After nearly 24 000 load units were transhipped by rail in 2019, this number is expected to increase to well over 32 000 in 2020. Investments in terminal facilities and environmental protection The port is currently investing nearly €30 million in terminal facilities and environmental protection. After the apron in Ostuferhafen (Germany) was completely redesigned in 2019 in order to optimise logistical processes and to create more space for trucks, trailers and passenger cars, the construction projects now focus on the city port. The interior construction of the new terminal measuring 3700 m2 is in full swing while the works on the exterior façade are nearly finished. The €10 million building will be inaugurated in spring with the beginning of the season. The largest single investment of the port is the shore power supply plant for the Ostseekai and Schwedenkai terminals amounting to €13 million. Construction works at the shore power supply plant started last autumn and the structural as well as the civil engineering is currently in progress. The technical equipment will follow so that the power plant can start test operations during the season.

There are 5 seaports in the world that operate 1 million or 1 million single container premises annually. The name of the main Chittagong seaport has been added to the list of the three million port. Chittagong seaport has set a new record of 1 lakh single container courtyard on Saturday. This container container has been set up in Chittagong port from January 1 to December 25. There are still 7 days left to complete 20 years; Chittagong port has already been named in the list. It is worth mentioning that the Chittagong port is now ranked 5th in the list of one hundred seaports in the world. Chittagong Port has achieved this position in view of the 2 million single container building in 20 years. Earlier, the port was the 5th in the 21st. The Lloyds List, the world’s oldest shipping magazine, produces and publishes this list every year. There are 5 seaports in that list; Those who build more than one million million container containers a year. And the port of Chittagong was the 5th, but was not considered as a port of three millionaires. Confirming the matter, Chittagong Port Member (Administration and Planning) Jafar Alam told Kall Kantha that the combined efforts of the port authorities and users have achieved this milestone. We have been able to handle 1 million units without having to deal with constraints and many challenges. It would not be logical to combine our Chittagong port with the best and busiest ports in the world. Because most of the ports there are transshipment ports; Not an ‘end port’ or end destination like ours. “If we can still transfer delivery from the port to the Bay Terminal, we can show more success,” he said. I can be on the front row more on the Lloyds list. Referring to the glory of Chittagong port being linked to the port of the World’s Three Millionaire Club, Galaxy Bangladesh Shipping Lines Chairman Ahmed Yusuf Walid told Kal Kantha that the image of Bangladesh along with Chittagong port at sea port of the world will be brightened. We must build capacity to sustain growth and further enhance the port’s efficiency by protecting this continuity. Because the economy of Bangladesh is very dependent on the efficiency of the port. The four-year plan of the Chittagong Port, made by the Hamburg Port Consultancy (HPC) in Germany, stated that in the port of Chittagong, container shipments would be about 2 million units in 20 years; There will be 25 lakh 1 thousand units in 20 and 25 lakh units in 2021. The Chittagong port has fulfilled its forecast in the last 25 years. Great plan has indicated that new jet terminals and machinery will have to be added to keep up with the growth of product lines. Otherwise, the business of commodity trading will take off elsewhere. And if this situation continues, the port growth will slow down. That means it will take longer than expected to leave the product. But the Chittagong Port Authority has so far handled the commodity boom with the addition of new and modern equipment, but by 2020 it will not be possible to keep up with the growth of the port without actually having a new terminal or jetty. Port officials say the port authorities are building a Patenga Container Terminal (PCT) on the banks of the Karnaphuli river to curb growth. It was supposed to be launched in the 21st, the government is working with the army for speedy execution. But that project is also unlikely to start before 2020. Otherwise, no JT-terminal will be coming to port in the next two years. As a result, 2020 is very important for the port. The port is seeking to build only a delivery yard and a truck terminal at the Bay Terminal at the moment. But the file is stuck in the ministry. If the Chittagong port does not keep up with the sustained growth, the country’s economy will also be under pressure, and its importers will have to pay losses. If the port does not function properly, Bangladesh will fall behind in competition in the world export market. Asked to know, Chittagong Chamber President Mahbubul Alam told Kal Kantha, “It is not only Chittagong, but the economy for the entire country.” Because despite the government’s highest policy-making forums, construction of the Bay Terminal has apparently not progressed. Construction didn’t start until the sand filled the distance. So when will the delivery yard, truck terminal be built? We want to know why the most important ‘Bay Terminal project’ of the port is not being taken on the Prime Minister’s priority fast track, he added. Source : https://chittagongportagent.com