News

Rijkswaterstaat is looking for the owner of the 'Elmo', that has been moored in Dintelsas, because the ship has to be removed. The ship was confiscated six years ago by the Court of Appeal in Antwerp. Because Rijkswaterstaat suspected that the owner of the ship was a Flemish, they placed an advertisement in the Gazet van Antwerpen. The newspaper then discovered that the presumed last owner was a certain Cornelis L. He was convicted in 2019 by the Court of Appeal in Antwerp for smuggling cocaine via the port of Antwerp. The case did receive some attention in the press because the Dutch TV presenter Frank Masmeijer was also convicted. Cornelis L. was sentenced to 14 years in prison and a fine of 240,000 euros. In addition, the 'Elmo' was confiscated and remained in Dintelsas since, and poses a danger to shipping and the environment because it is in a poor condition. The owner is therefore called upon to remove it within two weeks. The question now is whether that is the Belgian state. Report with photo: https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2025/04/11/binnenschip-nederland-elmo-antwerpen-verbeurd-verklaard-hof-van/

Seven years after the 'Helge Ingstad' sank in the Hjelte Fjord, the Norwegian state has sued the Spanish shipbuilder Navantia for 13.3 billion Norwegian Crowns. The Ministry of Defense's amount is based on the price of the new frigate, the lifting of the ship, and a number of deductions.The claim of the Norwegian government attorney is that a safety-critical design defect contributed to the sinking off Øygarden in 2018. The lawsuit points out that the propeller shafts in the ship were hollow, which allowed water to flow between watertight sections of the ship. Similar Spanish frigates built by Navantia have a different, watertight construction. The question is whether the frigate would have been salvaged with the damage it sustained in the collision if the listed construction defects were disregarded, the court ruling stated. The Spanish shipyard has objected that the design error was discovered before the accident, and that the Armed Forces allowed sailing with several known deviations on the frigate, which were not corrected. The shipyard pointed to systematic failure in routines and systems in the Armed Forces and Defense Material. Attorney Ole Kristian Rigland at the Government Attorney's Office stated that the goal was to reach an agreement through mediation. Alternatively, the solution will only come when the case is heard by the district court in the fall.

The joint venture of Kition Ocean Holdings has submitted its proposal for the development of the existing Larnaca port and marina. After lengthy negotiations with the government, the Cypriot and Israeli joint venture of Kition Ocean Holdings submitted an updated proposal for the far-reaching utilisation and development of the Larnaca port and marina, it said. The company proposes the ultramodern upgrading and expansion of Larnaca port in order to become a pole of attraction for new companies operating in the fields of commercial cruises, transport and energy.

International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) recently took delivery of another new quay crane (QC) and eight new hybrid rubber-tired gantries (RTGs) for its flagship Manila International Container Terminal (MICT), establishing the terminal as having the largest fleet of modern container-handling equipment in the Philippines with 18 QCs and 58 RTGs. Manufactured by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industry Co. Ltd. (ZPMC), the QC is part of the five from ICTSI’s 2018 USD80-million capacity improvement program package. With a reach of up to 16 rows across twin, the new QC can service the largest feeder vessels calling the Philippines. It will be deployed at Berth 3.

On the early morning of April 9, 2025, the 'CSL Niagara', en route from Montreal, had an allision with the lower end of the approach wall below the Beauharnois Lock of the St. Lawrence Seaway. The bulk carrier sufffered a crack to the port side bow. It was sailing in ballast for Superior, WIsconsin, when the incident happened. The 'CSL Niagara' was de-ballasted to get the damaged area out of the water, and shifted back to the end of the wall to enable vessels to go around her. Divers were sent to the scene. There were no reported injuries and no reason has been given for the allison. By evening the ship was underway again, sailing eastbound back to Montreal, where it arrived at the Vickers Quay on April 10 at 5 a.m,. UTC.

The 'Fire Fighter II' was mobilized by the US Coast Guard on April 10, 2025, which was coordinating with local, state and federal agencies the response to a helicopter crash in the Hudson River that occurred on the afternoon in New York City near the Holland Tunnel. The Coast Guard Sector New York command center watchstanders received a report at approximately 3:15 p.m. reporting the downed Bell 206L4 with the registration number N216MH, into the Hudson River in New York City. Response boat crews from Coast Guard stations New York, Sandy Hook and Kings Point, and the CG 'Bonito' were deployed to the incident. An Urgent Marine Information Broadcast was issued regarding the incident and a safety zone was established, securing all vessel traffic 1 mile north and one mile south of the Holland Tunnel across the entire Hudson River. At 6 p.m., the safety zone was reduced to 1,000 feet surrounding the Holland Tunnel ventilator and vessels may resume transiting the Hudson River slowly along the New York side with permission from on-scene assets. The Coast Guard was working with the Army Corps of Engineers and the National Transportation Safety Board to salvage the helicopter. The cause of the incident is under investigation. Six people were reported dead after the small helicopter crashed into the Hudson River near Pier 40 . The victims included the three children of Agustin Escobar, a Spanish Siemens manager, and his wife. The aircraft was plummeting upside-down towards the water, its tail was missing and its rotor visibly separated and trailed behind. Six bodies were recovered from the wreckage, including the remains of the pilot. The aircraft had departed the downtown Manhattan heliport and was in the air for about 15 minutes before the crash. The aircraft is registered to a private helicopter sales and leasing company headquartered in Louisiana. The same helicopter appears in promotional materials for a New York-based flightseeing company. Video: https://twitter.com/i/status/1910424640595312989

Portsmouth International Port is set to welcome 150,000 cruise passengers each year following the completion of its multimillion-pound berth extension project, which has just been started in collaboration with construction firm Knights Brown. The renovation will include levelling out the cruise berth and building an additional dolphin. As a result, ships up to 255 metres in length will be able to safely and conveniently berth at the port.

The first cargo of liquified natural gas under the long-term contract between PGNiG and US LNG provider Cheniere Energy arrived at the President Lech Kaczyński LNG Terminal in Świnoujście. The long-term contract, which was signed in November of 2018, will total approximately 39 bcm of natural gas over the 24 year period of the agreement. The official reception ceremony of the first delivery at the LNG terminal in Świnoujście included representatives of the government of the Republic of Poland, local authorities, as well as executives from PGNiG and Cheniere Energy.

Beached at Alang 10.04.25

On April 11 at around 9 a.m. the 'Victoria L' was being towed into the port of Amsterdam by the tugs 'Multratug 36' (IMO: 9985289 ) and 'Svitzer Taurus' (IMO: 9960409) as stering tug with the ship's status as 'Restricted Movement'. It had reached the locks of IJmiden at around 4 a.m. , one and a half days after the engine room fire, which had started on April 9 at 1:11 p.m. approximately 56 kilometres from the coast, which had initially seemed to have been extinguished by the crew on board, but then flared up again. The KNRM Scheveningen, at the request of the Coastguard, had been mainly on standby for the safety of the MIRG team. After the situation was under control they sailed back to the rescue station with the MIRG team on board, where they arrived at around 7:45 p.m. The ship was berthed at the Damen Shiprepair Yard for inspections and repairs. Reports with photos: https://www.knrm.nl/nieuws/knrm-reddingstation-hoek-van-holland/prio-1-vaartuig-brand-explosie https://www.tugspotters.com/app/content/2025/04/multratug-26-met-victria-l-aangekomen-te-amsterdam/

Finnish shipbuilder Meyer Turku has cut the first piece of steel for Costa Cruises’ second LNG-powered ship, which will be named Costa Toscana and be delivered in October 2021. Using its new plasma cutter line, Meyer Turku marked the start of the ship production project during a traditional ceremony at its yard in Turku. Once complete, Costa Toscana will have dual-fuel hybrid engines and onboard LNG tanks to enable her to operate using LNG in port and at sea.

The French port of Marseille Fos plans to spend over US$22 million to reduce air emissions by extending its shoreside electrical connections to every ferry, cruise ship and repair quay in the eastern harbour. The port has also introduced speed restrictions to reduce industrial air pollution. Already available on the Corsica ferry quays, the shore power network will be expanded in two phases to cover North Africa ferry quays and the ship repair hub by 2022 and the cruise terminal between 2022 and 2025. The zero-emissions investment, which is supported by national and regional government, recognises the need to maintain the port’s economic value while improving the city’s waterside air quality.