News

On the evening of Feb 6, 2025, the 'Fortune Pride' (IMO: 8861802) capsized and sank in the Atlantic Ocean about 18 kilometers southeast of Sambro, Nova Scotia. The authorities were alerted by the EPIRB signal of the vessel. Unable to contact the ship over radio, the Canadian Coast Guard deployed the SAR vessel Hare Bay (MMSI: 316044024) and the tender 'Sir William Alexander' (IMO: 8320482) along with a helicopter and a fixed-wing aircraft to assist. When they arrived at the last reported position of the fishing vessel, there was no sign of it, but they located three crew members, wearing survival suits, in the water. They were rescued by the 'Hare Bay' and taken to hospital. A fourth crew member was found on the morning of Feb 10 inside an overturned life raft. He was later hoisted onto the helicopter and transported to hospital, but the crew member along with one other fisherman rescued earlier had perished. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has launched an investigation into the incident. The 'Fortune Pride' had sailed from Sambro and encountered four meter waves and strong winds, when it capsized.

On the night of Feb 8 and on Feb 9, numerous departures of migrant boats were reported to the CROSS Gris-Nez. In the Pas de Calais Strait sector the departure of a migrant boat around was noticed off Gravelines, and the 'Ridens' was deployed for surveillance. On the early morning, the rubber boat quickly deflated off Calais. The 'Ridens' immediately rescued the 57 people on board with the help of the two semi-rigid boats of the 'Abeille Normandie' as reinforcements. Once they were rescued on board, the 'Ridens' raised alert about the condition of three migrants, one of them being unconscious and two suffering from hypothermia. The CROSS Gris Nez engaged the medical team of the SMUR Maritime of Boulogne-sur-Mer who were dropped off on board by a Dauphin helicopter of the French Navy base in Le Touquet. The unconscious victim was airlifted to the hospital in Boulogne-sur-Mer. The other two were dropped off in Calais by the Ridens and taken care of by the rescue services at around 9:45 am. At the same time, the CROSS Gris-Nez engaged the 'Minck' to monitor a boat that had left Le Portel. The 38 occupants requested assistance and were picked up by the vessel, which disembarked them in Boulogne-sur-Mer where they were taken care of early in the morning. On the morning of Feb 9, a third boat in distress was reported to the CROSS Gris-Nez off Petit-Fort-Philippe, and the 'Abeille Normandie' was deployed to assist. 19 people were then rescued, while the boat, with 40 other people on board, continued its route towards the British coast, without requesting assistance. A fourth boat was reported leaving Malo-les-Bains. The CROSS Gris-Nez engaged the PSP 'Cormoran' and the Dauphin helicopter of the French Navy base in Le Touquet. The patrol boat made contact with the boat, and it turned out that some of the occupants required emergency assistance. 42 people from the boat were recovered using semi-rigid boats from the 'Cormoran'. Among them, two people were injured. The CROSS informed the SAMU in order to send a medical team to the scene using a Dauphin helicopter of the French Navy. These two people were then winched up and dropped off at the hospital in Boulogne-sur-Mer. The boat with 17 people still on board continued its route without requesting assistance. At taround 8:00 p.m., the patrol boat 'Jeanne Barret' rescued 33 people on a boat that had left on the earlymorning from the Baie de Somme sector. This operation followed an attempted boarding, at the beaches of Berck-sur-Mer. During this attempt, 41 people who were unable to board were rescued on the beach by the State services, under the coordination of the CROSS Gris-Nez. In total, 230 people were rescued at sea, under the coordination of the CROSS Gris-Nez during five operations.

With the successful start an important milestone has been reached in the execution of the contract to operate the tugboat fleet for Fortescue Metals Group (Fortescue) in Port Hedland, the world’s largest bulk export port on Australia´s west coast. The fleet consists of eight new ART 85-32W and one RT80-32 Rotortugs®. Six of them are Fortescue owned, three are owned by KOTUG, which are chartered directly to Fortescue. KOTUG manages the entire contract.

The Ports and Maritime Organization of Iran is going to sign a contract with the private sector on Tuesday for the construction of Iran’s biggest mechanized mineral terminal at Shahid Rajaee Port, the deputy head of PMO announced on Monday. Ali Hassanzadeh added that the contract is worth 50 trillion rials (over $430 million). The terminal’s capacity will reach 50 million tons per year upon the completion of the project, which will be carried out in three phases, covering 180 hectares of land, each spread over 60 hectares. It will be the biggest mineral terminal in the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman, and mark a major development in Iran’s mining industry, considering its considerable mineral capacity, Mehr News Agency reported.

On the night of Feb 8 and on Feb 9, numerous departures of migrant boats were reported to the CROSS Gris-Nez. In the Pas de Calais Strait sector the departure of a migrant boat around was noticed off Gravelines, and the 'Ridens' was deployed for surveillance. On the early morning, the rubber boat quickly deflated off Calais. The 'Ridens' immediately rescued the 57 people on board with the help of the two semi-rigid boats of the 'Abeille Normandie' as reinforcements. Once they were rescued on board, the 'Ridens' raised alert about the condition of three migrants, one of them being unconscious and two suffering from hypothermia. The CROSS Gris Nez engaged the medical team of the SMUR Maritime of Boulogne-sur-Mer who were dropped off on board by a Dauphin helicopter of the French Navy base in Le Touquet. The unconscious victim was airlifted to the hospital in Boulogne-sur-Mer. The other two were dropped off in Calais by the Ridens and taken care of by the rescue services at around 9:45 am. At the same time, the CROSS Gris-Nez engaged the 'Minck' to monitor a boat that had left Le Portel. The 38 occupants requested assistance and were picked up by the vessel, which disembarked them in Boulogne-sur-Mer where they were taken care of early in the morning. On the morning of Feb 9, a third boat in distress was reported to the CROSS Gris-Nez off Petit-Fort-Philippe, and the 'Abeille Normandie' was deployed to assist. 19 people were then rescued, while the boat, with 40 other people on board, continued its route towards the British coast, without requesting assistance. A fourth boat was reported leaving Malo-les-Bains. The CROSS Gris-Nez engaged the PSP 'Cormoran' and the Dauphin helicopter of the French Navy base in Le Touquet. The patrol boat made contact with the boat, and it turned out that some of the occupants required emergency assistance. 42 people from the boat were recovered using semi-rigid boats from the 'Cormoran'. Among them, two people were injured. The CROSS informed the SAMU in order to send a medical team to the scene using a Dauphin helicopter of the French Navy. These two people were then winched up and dropped off at the hospital in Boulogne-sur-Mer. The boat with 17 people still on board continued its route without requesting assistance. At taround 8:00 p.m., the 'Jeanne Barret' rescued 33 people on a boat that had left on the earlymorning from the Baie de Somme sector. This operation followed an attempted boarding, at the beaches of Berck-sur-Mer. During this attempt, 41 people who were unable to board were rescued on the beach by the State services, under the coordination of the CROSS Gris-Nez. In total, 230 people were rescued at sea, under the coordination of the CROSS Gris-Nez during five operations.

On the night of Feb 8 and on Feb 9, numerous departures of migrant boats were reported to the CROSS Gris-Nez. In the Pas de Calais Strait sector the departure of a migrant boat around was noticed off Gravelines, and the 'Ridens' was deployed for surveillance. On the early morning, the rubber boat quickly deflated off Calais. The 'Ridens' immediately rescued the 57 people on board with the help of the two semi-rigid boats of the 'Abeille Normandie' as reinforcements. Once they were rescued on board, the 'Ridens' raised alert about the condition of three migrants, one of them being unconscious and two suffering from hypothermia. The CROSS Gris Nez engaged the medical team of the SMUR Maritime of Boulogne-sur-Mer who were dropped off on board by a Dauphin helicopter of the French Navy base in Le Touquet. The unconscious victim was airlifted to the hospital in Boulogne-sur-Mer. The other two were dropped off in Calais by the Ridens and taken care of by the rescue services at around 9:45 am. At the same time, the CROSS Gris-Nez engaged the 'Minck' to monitor a boat that had left Le Portel. The 38 occupants requested assistance and were picked up by the vessel, which disembarked them in Boulogne-sur-Mer where they were taken care of early in the morning. On the morning of Feb 9, a third boat in distress was reported to the CROSS Gris-Nez off Petit-Fort-Philippe, and the 'Abeille Normandie' was deployed to assist. 19 people were then rescued, while the boat, with 40 other people on board, continued its route towards the British coast, without requesting assistance. A fourth boat was reported leaving Malo-les-Bains. The CROSS Gris-Nez engaged the PSP 'Cormoran' and the Dauphin helicopter of the French Navy base in Le Touquet. The patrol boat made contact with the boat, and it turned out that some of the occupants required emergency assistance. 42 people from the boat were recovered using semi-rigid boats from the 'Cormoran'. Among them, two people were injured. The CROSS informed the SAMU in order to send a medical team to the scene using a Dauphin helicopter of the French Navy. These two people were then winched up and dropped off at the hospital in Boulogne-sur-Mer. The boat with 17 people still on board continued its route without requesting assistance. At taround 8:00 p.m., the patrol boat 'Jeanne Barret' rescued 33 people on a boat that had left on the earlymorning from the Baie de Somme sector. This operation followed an attempted boarding, at the beaches of Berck-sur-Mer. During this attempt, 41 people who were unable to board were rescued on the beach by the State services, under the coordination of the CROSS Gris-Nez. In total, 230 people were rescued at sea, under the coordination of the CROSS Gris-Nez during five operations.

Gas infrastructure along Russia’s Northern Sea Route is set to get a Japanese upgrade with news Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) have signed a cooperation agreement with Novatek to develop LNG transhipment projects in Kamchatka and Murmansk. The projects will construct floating storage units (FSUs) to tranship LNG cargoes from ice-breaking LNG ships to conventional LNG ships. The FSUs will be located in Kamchatka and in Murmansk and will be used for the transhipment of LNG cargoes produced by Novatek’s Yamal LNG Project and Arctic LNG 2 Project, two of the largest gas developments in the world.

Port of Antwerp has ordered construction of a tug powered by hydrogen, the first in the world. This unique “Hydrotug” is driven by combustion engines that burn hydrogen in combination with diesel. The motors also comply with the very strictest standard, the EU Stage V, making them the lowest-rated for emissions on the market. This ultra-low-emission tug is being built by Compagnie Maritime Belge (CMB), a pioneer in the field of hydrogen power for shipping. With this world first Antwerp is making an important step in the transition to a sustainable, CO2-neutral port. By lending support to this promising technology Port of Antwerp hopes that the shipping industry will follow. The port is systematically pursuing a policy of making its entire fleet eco-friendly by incorporating the most environment-friendly technologies available on the market.

On the night of Feb 8 and on Feb 9, numerous departures of migrant boats were reported to the CROSS Gris-Nez. In the Pas de Calais Strait sector the departure of a migrant boat around was noticed off Gravelines, and the 'Ridens' was deployed for surveillance. On the early morning, the rubber boat quickly deflated off Calais. The 'Ridens' immediately rescued the 57 people on board with the help of the two semi-rigid boats of the 'Abeille Normandie' as reinforcements. Once they were rescued on board, the 'Ridens' raised alert about the condition of three migrants, one of them being unconscious and two suffering from hypothermia. The CROSS Gris Nez engaged the medical team of the SMUR Maritime of Boulogne-sur-Mer who were dropped off on board by a Dauphin helicopter of the French Navy base in Le Touquet. The unconscious victim was airlifted to the hospital in Boulogne-sur-Mer. The other two were dropped off in Calais by the Ridens and taken care of by the rescue services at around 9:45 am. At the same time, the CROSS Gris-Nez engaged the 'Minck' to monitor a boat that had left Le Portel. The 38 occupants requested assistance and were picked up by the vessel, which disembarked them in Boulogne-sur-Mer where they were taken care of early in the morning. On the morning of Feb 9, a third boat in distress was reported to the CROSS Gris-Nez off Petit-Fort-Philippe, and the 'Abeille Normandie' was deployed to assist. 19 people were then rescued, while the boat, with 40 other people on board, continued its route towards the British coast, without requesting assistance. A fourth boat was reported leaving Malo-les-Bains. The CROSS Gris-Nez engaged the PSP 'Cormoran' and the Dauphin helicopter of the French Navy base in Le Touquet. The patrol boat made contact with the boat, and it turned out that some of the occupants required emergency assistance. 42 people from the boat were recovered using semi-rigid boats from the 'Cormoran'. Among them, two people were injured. The CROSS informed the SAMU in order to send a medical team to the scene using a Dauphin helicopter of the French Navy. These two people were then winched up and dropped off at the hospital in Boulogne-sur-Mer. The boat with 17 people still on board continued its route without requesting assistance. At taround 8:00 p.m., the patrol boat 'Jeanne Barret' rescued 33 people on a boat that had left on the earlymorning from the Baie de Somme sector. This operation followed an attempted boarding, at the beaches of Berck-sur-Mer. During this attempt, 41 people who were unable to board were rescued on the beach by the State services, under the coordination of the CROSS Gris-Nez. In total, 230 people were rescued at sea, under the coordination of the CROSS Gris-Nez during five operations.

On the night of Feb 8 and on Feb 9, numerous departures of migrant boats were reported to the CROSS Gris-Nez. In the Pas de Calais Strait sector the departure of a migrant boat around was noticed off Gravelines, and the 'Ridens' was deployed for surveillance. On the early morning, the rubber boat quickly deflated off Calais. The 'Ridens' immediately rescued the 57 people on board with the help of the two semi-rigid boats of the 'Abeille Normandie' as reinforcements. Once they were rescued on board, the 'Ridens' raised alert about the condition of three migrants, one of them being unconscious and two suffering from hypothermia. The CROSS Gris Nez engaged the medical team of the SMUR Maritime of Boulogne-sur-Mer who were dropped off on board by a Dauphin helicopter of the French Navy base in Le Touquet. The unconscious victim was airlifted to the hospital in Boulogne-sur-Mer. The other two were dropped off in Calais by the Ridens and taken care of by the rescue services at around 9:45 am. At the same time, the CROSS Gris-Nez engaged the 'Minck' to monitor a boat that had left Le Portel. The 38 occupants requested assistance and were picked up by the vessel, which disembarked them in Boulogne-sur-Mer where they were taken care of early in the morning. On the morning of Feb 9, a third boat in distress was reported to the CROSS Gris-Nez off Petit-Fort-Philippe, and the 'Abeille Normandie' was deployed to assist. 19 people were then rescued, while the boat, with 40 other people on board, continued its route towards the British coast, without requesting assistance. A fourth boat was reported leaving Malo-les-Bains. The CROSS Gris-Nez engaged the PSP 'Cormoran' and the Dauphin helicopter of the French Navy base in Le Touquet. The patrol boat made contact with the boat, and it turned out that some of the occupants required emergency assistance. 42 people from the boat were recovered using semi-rigid boats from the 'Cormoran'. Among them, two people were injured. The CROSS informed the SAMU in order to send a medical team to the scene using a Dauphin helicopter of the French Navy. These two people were then winched up and dropped off at the hospital in Boulogne-sur-Mer. The boat with 17 people still on board continued its route without requesting assistance. At taround 8:00 p.m., the patrol boat 'Jeanne Barret' rescued 33 people on a boat that had left on the earlymorning from the Baie de Somme sector. This operation followed an attempted boarding, at the beaches of Berck-sur-Mer. During this attempt, 41 people who were unable to board were rescued on the beach by the State services, under the coordination of the CROSS Gris-Nez. In total, 230 people were rescued at sea, under the coordination of the CROSS Gris-Nez during five operations.

The Chinese Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) sees its order intake for ro-pax ferries further increase following a long-awaited double order from P&O Ferries for a next-generation of Dover-Calais shuttle ferries.

Calgary based Melius Energy has successfully transported bitumen from Edmonton, Alberta to Prince Rupert, British Columbia, continuing to global markets in custom 20-foot shipping containers utilizing intermodal rail and vessel infrastructure. The shipment is the company’s first BitCrude™ transportation process demonstration, proving the ability to move bitumen safely and efficiently, in adherence to Canada’s regulatory framework.