News

The 'De Zonnebloem' berthed at the Shipyard de Gerlien van Tiem in Druten on March 30. The company De Zonnebloem seeks support for alternative holidays now that the only ship is out of service for months. All guests have returned home safely. However, the ship sustained severe damage to the bow. The master of the 'Servia', that collided with the ship on the German Rhine tested positive for alcohol. This was announced by the police. A blood test was therefore also carried out, but the results are not yet known. The 'Servia' berthed in Strasbourg on March 31. Report with photo: https://www.schuttevaer.nl/nieuws/actueel/2025/04/02/de-zonnebloem-zoekt-steun-voor-alternatieve-vakanties-nu-enige-schip-uit-de-vaart-is/

As of Appril 2, the ferry company DFDS continued to address the technical issues arising from the assessment on the 'Tarifa Jet' in Portland. The ferry company was finalising preparations for the vessel to enter service, which was now scheduled for next week. All affected passengers were being informed of changes and were to be automatically moved to new departures with details of the schedules. If passengers are unable to travel due to the updated schedule, they will be able to move their bookings to alternative departures free of charge or can receive a full refund if they do not wish to proceed with their travel arrangements. For the planned Jersey-Portsmouth departures, DFDS has made arrangements to use a replacement vessel and have advised that there will be no changes to the existing schedule.

The 'De Zonnebloem' berthed at the Shipyard de Gerlien van Tiem in Druten on March 30. The company De Zonnebloem seeks support for alternative holidays now that the only ship is out of service for months. All guests have returned home safely. However, the ship sustained severe damage to the bow. The master of the 'Servia', that collided with the ship on the German Rhine tested positive for alcohol. This was announced by the police. A blood test was therefore also carried out, but the results are not yet known. Report with photo: https://www.schuttevaer.nl/nieuws/actueel/2025/04/02/de-zonnebloem-zoekt-steun-voor-alternatieve-vakanties-nu-enige-schip-uit-de-vaart-is/

Claims for compensation are being made against the owner of the 'Solong', which was towed to Aberdeen, where it is expected to be declared a total loss. The battle for the large amounts of compensation has already begun in the British courts, where the legal aftermath will take place, as the alision occurred in British waters. The owner, the German shipping company Ernst Russ, has set up a so-called “limitation fund” at the Admiralty Court in London, a legal maneuver that will place a financial limit on how much compensation can be paid. All containers on board the vessel, which sailed for the Icelandic shipping company Samskip, have been destroyed in the fire. The expected constructive total loss of the ship is triggering the full amount of compensation. In addition, en there is the damage on board the 'Stena Immaculate', to which is added the value of the aviation fuel that was in the damaged tank. The tanker is still at anchor in pos. 53° 44' N 000° 24' E, waiting for the aviation fuel in the ship's intact tanks to be transferred to the tanker 'Fure Vyl'. After the STS, the plan is to tow the 'Stena Immaculate' to Newcastle upon Tyne, where the damage will be assessed. About 11 tonnes of plastic pellets, washed up after the allision, have been cleared from Lincolnshire's beaches, at the coast of East Yorkshire. The Lincolnshire County Council said the clean-up operation had so far focused on the worst affected areas. The nurdles were first spotted in Lincolnshire on March 17, with the clean-up involving a team from East Lindsey District Council. So far, about 24,250lbs, 11,000kg, of waste had been recovered with the operation continuing as more pollutants continued to wash up. The recovered nurdles have been transferred to the county council's waste transfer station in Louth. Report with photos: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgpl32rp2qo

The 'Hebrides' serving on the route Uig-Lochmaddy, suffered a technical issue on March 29. Due the repair taking longer than planned, the departure from Lochmaddy at 4:45 p.m. had to be cancelled: After repairs have been carried out, the vessel operated the following amended timetable: Departure Uig – 07 :00 p.m. Arrival Lochmaddy – 08:45 p.m. Departure Lochmaddy – 09:00 p.m. Arrival Tarbert – 10:50 p.m. CalMac has admitted the extra work required for the 'Hebrides' is more extensive than initially acknowledged. The holdup was attributed to repairs needed to the bow visor. Further repairs are required to the stern ramp and the car deck in addition to the bow visor. The ferry is now expected to return to service on April 16.