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The 'Hafnia Amessis's allision with a military pier at Joint Base Charleston on Jan 14, 2024, was the second such incident in two years involving large commercial vessels navigating the Cooper River, according to a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report, which was published on March 24, 2025. The tanker, under the control of a Charleston Branch Pilots Association pilot, struck the Pier B at the Naval Weapons Station after getting too close to the eastern riverbank. The contact caused an estimated $8.1 million in damages to the vessel and pier. No pollution or injuries were reported. The tanker sustained damage to its side hull plating. The NTSB investigation found that as the vessel made a turn to starboard side at a bend in the channel, the pilot began favouring the eastern side of the channel in preparation for the next bend to port. That position brought the vessel into the influence of bank effect, a hydrodynamic phenomenon that pushes the bow away from the bank and pulls the stern toward it. Despite rudder and engine corrections, the pilot could not compensate for the forces acting on the vessel. The bow was also affected by flood current as it exited the shelter of the eastern bank, further compromising maneuverability. The vessel was unable to complete the turn without striking the pier. The NTSB drew parallels between this incident and a 2022 contact between Pier B and the tanker 'Bow Triumph', which came too close to the same bank. Following the two pier strikes, the U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port for Charleston issued new safety requirements. All vessels over 10,000 gross tons or with drafts greater than 25 feet are now required to use a tethered two-tug escort when transiting between Pier B and Snow Point. The NTSB report emphasized that even experienced pilots can be challenged by hydrodynamic forces in shoaling-prone channels. Squat and shallow water effects reduce rudder effectiveness, and unexpected shoaling can further exacerbate these conditions. The agency recommended that vessel operators consider risk factors and use tugs, speed adjustments, or transit delays as needed to ensure safe passage. Full report: https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/MIR2511.pdf

The 'Lunita' remained under investigation in South Korea after authorities found a huge quantity of cocaine on board. The bulk carrier arrived at Okgye Port in Gangneung, Gangwon Province on April 1. It was inspected on April 2 by South Korean officials from the Korea Coast Guard and Seoul Regional Customs Office. The search followed a tip from the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Homeland Security Investigations. The authorities found 50 tightly packed bundles of cocaine, each weighing about 20 kilograms, hidden in the vessel’s engine room. In total, the drugs weighed two metric tons. The Korea Customs Service estimated the street value at a staggering $679.6 million. All 20 crew members on the ship were Filipinos and remained on board the vesse, having not been formally detained or charged. The South Korean authorities were still investigating. If they find that the crew members were involved in trafficking the drugs, then charges and possible detention may follow. The possibility that only one person could be responsible, or that the drugs may have been placed on board at a previous port, was not ruled out either. The Norwegian shipowner, J.J. Ugland Companies, confirmed the drug seizure in a public statement on April 3. The company said it is still unclear how the drugs were smuggled onto the vessel and stated that it had already hired a lawyer to represent the crew. The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) in the Philippines also stepped in, promising to provide legal assistance. Government lawyers will be joining the legal team within the next two days to help the Filipino crew members. The DMW was coordinating with the DFA to ensure the crew receives all the necessary assistance. He reaffirmed that under the law, the crew members are presumed innocent until proven otherwise. The vessel remaine docked at Okgye Port.

Canada’s arctic port of Churchill is set to resume its first grain shipments since 2015 after a group backed by investor Prem Watsa stepped in last year to buy the facility and a related rail line linking the northern town with the rest of Manitoba. The 88-year-old port on the shores of Hudson’s Bay will resume operations in the next few months, reducing by several days the shipping time to deliver grains to Europe and the Middle East across the Atlantic Ocean.

In the largest commercial operation of its kind in the history of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah Port has received 28 state-of-the-art Liebherr cranes to start the expansion of the container terminals. The latter was decided through a MoU signed with National Container Terminal on the day the port was officially inaugurated in the presence of the Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman last February. The new cranes include 20 gantry cranes and 8 ship-to-shore (STS) cranes, which are the largest of their kind, with an outreach of 70 m (25 rows) and a safe working load of 65 t. The cranes that were supplied in this deal will join their operational counterparts in the port. They are the largest cranes exported by Liebherr and can serve mega container ships easily and seamlessly.

The LPG tanker 'Victoire' (IMO: 9321885) has been safely anchored in pos. 37° 05' W 149° 54' E in the Twofold Bay on the evening of April 9 off Eden, having been towed from a position east-south-east of Gabo Island by the 'Wambiri' after suffering a main engine failure on April 4, 2025. On April 4 at about 4 p.m. the AMSA was notified that the 'Victoire' had lost main engine power due to a mechanical issue about 45 kilometres southeast of Mallacoota in Victoria. The 'Wambiri' was sent from Eden to assist on the morning of Apri 6, but fouled a line from the ship and was taken back to Eden by the tug 'Flinders Bay' (MMSI: 503185500) for the removal of the rope. It then returned to the 'Victoire' and reached Eden on April 9 at 9.45 p.m. In Twofold Bay, the vessel will be inspected by the AMSA. It is classed with NKK, insured with Gard and due for its next special survey in May.

Investigators have concluded the master of the 'Fiordland Navigator'was asleep at the wheel when it ran aground in Doubtful Sound on Jan 24, 2024. It was moderately damaged, including a small hole below the waterline, and several of the 57 passengers on board suffered minor injuries. Following a comprehensive investigation, the Transport Accident Investigation Commission released a report on April 10, 2025, noting it was virtually certain the fatigued master fell asleep at the helm. Chief investigator of accidents Naveen Kozhuppakalam said that the operator RealNZ's policies didn't oversee exhaustion properly. The safety system didn't monitor actual rest hours or effectively manage fatigue risks for sole-charge masters. While the master held a valid medical certificate, there was no process to ensure ongoing medical fitness during the two-year certification period. Also the staff member responsible for safety oversight had an excessive workload, limiting their ability to manage fatigue risks. The master was on the sixth day of a seven-day swing. He was very likely suffering from workload-induced fatigue that had not been recognised or mitigated by the operator's safety management system. This may have been compounded by a potential drowsiness side effect of a prescribed medication they were taking, but the Commission was unable to make a determination on this. Since the accident, RealNZ had improved its standards, strengthened fatigue policies, training, and work-hour monitoring. They have added a second person to the wheelhouse during navigation and reinstated the master's assistant role. And they have introduced a maritime resource planner role and adjusted responsibilities to improve safety oversight. RealNZ chief executive Dave Beeche has welcomed the learnings TAIC identified in relation to the grounding of the 'Fiordland Navigator', including its acknowledgement of the measures already taken by RealNZ as a result of the accident.

BEST terminal in the Port of Barcelona has recently increased its storage and connection capacity for refrigerated containers, from 1,600 connection points up to 2,750, an increase of 70%, making it one of the terminals with the most connections for refrigerated containers in the whole of the Mediterranean area.

NAMPORT’s new container terminal will be officially inaugurated on 2 August, and normal operations are expected to start on it on 24 August. The new terminal, constructed at a cost of N$4 billion, is expected to increase container handling capacity from the current 355 000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) to up to 1 005 000 TEUs. Firstly, there will be a shutdown on 17 August of container operations in the port to start relocations to the new terminal. The equipment to be relocated include rubber-tired gantries and mobile harbour cranes, while reach stackers, haulers and forklifts will move the containers.

The 'Victoire' has been safely anchored in pos. 37° 05' W 149° 54' E in the Twofold Bay on the evening of April 9 off Eden, after almost a week adrift off South East Australia. The tanker was towed from a position east-south-east of Gabo Island by the tug 'Wambiri' (IMO: 8515518) after suffering a main engine failure on April 4, 2025. The LPG tanker had departed Western Port on April 3 at 08.50 a.m. and later reported ‘not under command’. On April 4 at about 4 p.m. the AMSA was notified that the 'Victoire' had lost main engine power due to a mechanical issue about 45 kilometres southeast of Mallacoota in Victoria. The 'Wambiri' was sent from Eden to assist on the morning of Apri 6, but fouled a line from the ship and was taken back to Eden by the tug 'Flinders Bay' (MMSI: 503185500) for the removal of the rope. It then returned to the 'Victoire' and reached Eden on April 9 at 9.45 p.m. In Twofold Bay, the vessel will be inspected by the AMSA. It is classed with NKK, insured with Gard and due for its next special survey in May.

The transfer of jet fuel from the'Stena Immaculate' onto the tanker 'Fure Vyl' (IMO: 9983956), which had gone alongside for an STS transfer, has been completed on April 9, and salvors were now preparing to bring the vessel into the port of Great Yarmouth later this week. The fuel will be transferred to its destination Killingholme.As of April 10, the 'Fure Vyl' was anchored in pos. 53° 44' N 000° 22' E. Meanwhile, the HM Coastguard continued to support local authorities in their response to onshore pollution from the 'Solong' as a result of the allision n both Norfolk and Lincolnshire. The clean-up operation has moved from a proactive to reactive response. HM Coastguard will continue to keep the overall situation under close review. The HM Coastguard has asked the public to keep an open eye for nurdle pollution and to report it via the agency's online tip portal. Report with photo: https://uk.news.yahoo.com/tanker-towed-great-yarmouth-month-092300564.html

A 24-hour national labour strike is planned on Jul 24, in all Italian ports and all transportations. The planned strike is subject to confirmation in the coming days.

With further development to its existing solid European products, Ocean Network Express (ONE) has announced the launch of a new direct service, the Indian Ocean Service 3 (IO3), which covers South East India, Mediterranean, and North Europe. The new product will offer new port coverage and boost reliability to a wider range of direct port call options to ONE’s valued customers. It will also further expand ONE’s already comprehensive service offerings and allow its clients to enjoy greater choice while bringing efficiency and additional values to the supply chain. The first sailing of the loop is now expected to start from 26th October 2019. IO3: Indian Ocean Service 3 Rotation: Visakhapatnam – Krishnapatnam – Chennai – Tuticorin – Colombo – Cochin – Damietta – Piraeus – Rotterdam – London Gateway – Hamburg – Antwerp – Le Havre – Damietta – Jeddah – Colombo – Visakhapatnam (Fixed day weekly service, 63-day rotation)