The 'Toftevaag' sank more than 20 nautical miles northwest of Cabo de Peñas in the Cantabrian Sea, after having suffered a leak and water ingress on the afternoon of April 10, 2025. The "Toftevaag" had set sail from Cudillero at around 4:30 a.m. At 11:00 a.m., when they were about 50 kilometers from the mouth of the Nalón River, the crew felt a strong impact on the vessel. a few miles from La Arena, and the ship started taking on water. The crew activated the dewatering pumps and notified Salvamento Mariítimo to tell them what had happened, but the plan was to continue. Half an hour later, they had to contact them again with the initial plan to tow the ship to Gijón, After the situation deteriorated at around 2:30 p.m. the alarm was raised, and the SAR boat 'Salvamar Rigel' (MMSI: 224003390) from Gíjon and the SAR helicopter Pesca II, based in Viveiro in the Lugo province, were mobilized by the Galician Coastguard. A Civil Guard patrol boat also intervened, and the cargo m/v "Sandra" (IMO: 9549669), en route from Gíjon to Aviles, changed course to respond to the alert. After the evacuation of the six crew members was requested, the helicopter hoisted them one by one. The rescue operation was carried out without complications. The helicopter transported the castaways to the Asturias Airport for an assessment of their health, where the nearest ambulance was located, and were found in good condition. The "Toftevaag" had been in Cudillero since last fall. The vessel was built in 1910 in Halsnoy, Norway's second-largest fjord, in the most traditional way, with Norwegian pine, using spikes of the same wood to nail the planks, it still had retained almost three-quarters of its original timber. The schooner was fitted with an engine in 1958 to begin a new life. It had been dedicated to herring fishing and coastal shipping between the Nordic islands and the North Atlantic, and even to transporting pilots to the North Cape during World War II. In 1989, the "Toftevaag"m supported by a group of scientists from Boston, Massachusetts, embarked on a new journey, spearheading the Alnitak project, an association that has sponsored it for 33 years. Its objective is applied science or experimental methods to generate demonstrable and tangible results in nature conservation, preserving both marine natural treasures and their relationship to the cultural and material processes of the world, and collaborating with organizations such as the Earthwatch Institute and OceanCare. Reports with photos: https://enfoques.gal/galicia/gardacostas-de-galicia-rescata-a-seis-tripulantes-de-un-naufragio-en-el-norte-de-asturias/ https://www.lne.es/aviles/2025/04/11/hablan-seis-cientificos-rescatados-velero-116271753.html
News
CMA CGM PELLEAS
The 'CMA CGM Pelleas' came at close quarters with a wall before running aground as it left its berth in Southampton on April 9, 2025. The vessel too took a direct path towards the wall in front of waterside flats off Marchwood. After it beached briefly, tugs assisted the vessel and pulled it off again. The ship then docked in Southampton and is due in Rotterdam at the weekend. The Associated British Ports (ABP), the city's port owners, will play a role in any subsequent review of the incident. The matter had been referred to the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB). Report with photo: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g33y0dkngo
Keelung
Hong Kong-based Dream Cruises’ World Dream cruise ship made its first port call to Keelung on July 8 and tourism operators have said that the port could receive a visit by Royal Caribbean International’s new Spectrum of the Seas in 2021. With gross tonnage (GT) of 151,300, the World Dream is the largest ship ever to visit Keelung Port, the Keelung Harbor Bureau said on Sunday, July 21. Tourism operators have said that the 169,379GT Spectrum of the Seas could set a new record if it makes an anticipated port call in 2021.
Chittagong Shipbreakers
Bangladesh has become the top dumping ground for discarded ships in the world with the country dismantling the highest number of vessels in the first half (January-June) of the current year, according to a report of the NGO Shipbreaking Platform, a leading NGO coalition campaigning for clean and safe ship recycling.
SEA HORIZON
The 'Sea Horizon' was detained on April 8, 2025, in Tekirdag with 29 deficiencies, eight of which being regarded as seriously and grounds for a detention: 1) Certificate & Doc - International Oil Pollution Prevention Expired 2) Certificate & Doc - Cargo Ship Safety Construction (incl exemp) Expired 3) Certificate & Doc - Cargo Ship Safety Equipment (incl exemp) Expired 4) Certificate & Doc - Document of Compliance Invalid 5) Certificate & Doc - Ballast Water Management Certificate Expired 6) Pollution Prevention - Ballast Water Management Plan Missing 7) Safety of navigation - Voyage data recorder Missing 8)) Emergency systems - Emergency lighting, batteries and switches Insufficient The vessel was released again on April 10. As of April 11, it remained stationary at its mooring in pos. 40° 57' N 028° 50' E. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063576908591
VICTORIA L
The 'Victoria L', ballasting en route from Hamburg to Rotterdam, suffered an engine room fire following an explosion on April 9, 2025, at around 1 p.m. There were no injuries among the 29 crew members of the ship, which was located 56 kilometers west of Scheveningen, northwest of Hoek van Holland. After the fire was discovered, crew members initially attempted to extinguish it, but it flared up again at around 1.30 p.m. The captain quickly requested assistance from the Dutch Coastguard. The crew members then brought themselves to safety on deck. The Coast Guard deployed the emergency tug 'Multraship Protector' (IMO: 9344978) , the KNRM lifeboats 'Dorus Rijkers' and Jeanine Parqui' oas well as the aircraft 'SAR 111244511' and two helicopters. The aircraft monitored the situation and reported that there were no flames or smoke coming from the ship. Also the oil spill response vessel 'Arca' (IMO: 9167966) from Rijkswaterstaat was mobilized. The Coastguard crisis team arrived at Den Helder. There was a northerly wind force 4 to 5 and waves of 1.5 to 2 meters height with good visibility on scene. A special fire brigade team, the Maritime Incident Response Group (MIRG-NL), from Rotterdam, specialized in fighting ship fires, was picked up by the Coast Guard by helicopter from the airport in Rotterdam and dropped off aboard the ship. The fire brigade team investigated using thermal imaging cameras and then entered the engine room. After they had carried out reconnaissance, the fire appeared to be limited to the engine room. After they entered it, the fire appeared to be out at around 5:00. p.m. Smoke was still present in the ship after the fire was extinguished. It was deemed safe for the crew to remain on board. The Coast Guard remained on standby until 6:30 p.m. Around that time, the situation was finally under control and the fire brigade team also left the ship. The expectation was that the ship would later sail to the port of Rotterdam under its own power. The ship anchored in pos. 52° 21' N 003° 31' E with the 'Multraship Protector' remaining on standby to be ready to intervene, in case the situation changed, as of April 10. Reports with ühoto and video: https://kustwacht.nl/nieuws/brand-aan-boord-van-containerschip-victoria-l/ https://www.ad.nl/112-nieuws-rotterdam/spectaculaire-actie-om-brand-op-vrachtschip-in-noordzee-te-blussen~a29493da/?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fbinnenvaartlog.nl%2F
San Juan
Two more cruise ships bypassed scheduled stops in san Juan as demonstrators have been calling for the resignation of Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló. The loss of tourism is impacting the island's economy. Tourism officials said the two ships would have generated a $1.3 million economic impact. Officials estimated the island missed out on a combined $760,000 from the Seaside and Equinox on Monday
Sines
The Portuguese government announced an investment of 547 million euros in the expansion of the Port of Sines in the southwest of the country and an agreement to extend its concession from 2029 to 2049. The agreement was reached last week between Portugal and PSA Singapore for the completion of the 3rd phase of expansion of Terminal XXI, so as to greatly increase its capacity and give another 20 years of operations in Portugal to PSA Singapore. The Sines port, 58 nautical miles south of Lisbon, is one of the major European ports and the great hub port of the Iberian-Atlantic front.
MF MARSTAL
Repairs of the 'Marstal', serving on the route Ærø-Svendborg, have been completed after three weeks, and the fery is about ready to resume sailings. An extensive replacement of a hub in the gearbox sent the ferry to the quay in Søby at the end of March, but it will now be put back on the route on thr morning of April 11, one day earlier than planned. An extensive replacement of a hub in the gearbox sent the ferry to the quay in Søby at the end of March, but it will now be put on the route again on Friday morning 11 April – a day earlier than planned. Repairs were carried out by the technicians from MAN and Søby Værft as well as the staff on the ferry and in the municipal ferry company. This means that the ferry 'Ærøskøbing' sails from Ærøskøbing at 05:30 a.m., while the'Marstal' sails at 6:30 a.m.
SKY PRINCESS
On March 26, 2025, the CCS of Salvamento Marítimo in Vigo has coordinated the medical evacuation of a British passenger with heart related health problems from the 'Sky Princess' which had departed Vigo en route to Funchal, about five nautical miles southwest of Cabo Silleiro. The Pesca 1 SAR helicopter of the Galician Coast Guard was mobilized for this task. The patient was safely hoisted and transported to the Álvaro Cunqueiro Hospital in Vigo. Reports with photos: https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/2033003/british-tourist-evacuated-cruise-ship https://x.com/GardacostasGal/status/1904978591370371407
Napier
Ships could continue to be turned away from Napier Port for the next few days as an "unprecendented" swell hammers Hawke's Bay. Clifton Beach was closed by Hastings District Council on Wednesday and Napier City Council closed the Marine Parade viewing platform after tourists were drenched by a heaving sea on Wednesday morning. MetService meteorologist Tui McInnes said a slow building pressure system out to the east of Hawke's Bay had ramped up the seas, causing swells of close to 4m. McInnes said the 4m swells had the potential to "cause a bit of havoc on the coast" as it could possibly continue until Saturday morning. "The main thing that is causing the big waves is the easterly winds that are occur. "With a large space and a slow build-up it leaves time for some quite nice swells to develop," McInnes said. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12252333
Rotterdam
APM Terminals Maasvlakte II’s new rail service between its Rotterdam terminal and Venlo, a key logistics hub on the Dutch-German border is proving popular. Following the success of the initial five-times-per-week service, plans are already in place to scale this up to 14 times per week over the coming weeks.