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The Petersburg volunteer firefighters put out a blaze on the US flagged fishing vessel 'Carole B' in the community’s South Harbor on Nov 13, 2024, at around 7:00 p.m. Nobody was aboard the vessel when it caught fire, and no one was hurt in the response. At around 5:30 p.m., a local volunteer EMT who was passing through the area noticed smoke and flames erupting from the vessel’s galley. They called the police, who summoned two fire engines and 15 firefighters, as well as an ambulance and a PVFD work truck. Once on the scene, the crew moved an adjacent ship away. Altogether, it took them about an hour and a half to completely extinguish the fire. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation, while it was suspected that it was started by a miniature heater onboard. The extent of the damage inside the vessel was currently unknown, but there was extensive smoke damage.

The 'Barøy' suffered a fire while she was docked at Bognes in Hamarøy municipality on the foremidday of Nov 14, 2024. The emergency services have rushed to the scene, and the fire service got it under control.There must have been an explosion in a charging unit in a board. There was no fire in the battery pack. The power has been cut, so there was no danger of deterioration, but there is a lot of smoke. The fire brigade has started ventilation. There qwre no passengers on board. One person may have inhaled some smoke, and was checked by health personnel. All the crew members who were on board have been accounted for. The police was investigating at the scene.

The New Zealand Defence Force is closing in on an operation to remove the fuel from the 'Manawanui'. The service has revised its defueling plan and secured approval from the Samoan authorities to proceed, and was in final talks with a commercial salvor. Once the fuel removal contract has been finalized, the salvor will be mobilizing equipment and personnel to Samoa to remove the fuel and other pollutants from the ship. The Royal New Zealand Navy has rotated in a new group of personnel on the ground in Samoa to monitor the wreck and assist with the operation. The vessel's main fuel tanks have remained intact, and the service was keeping up daily drone surveillance of the site. After NZDF conducted a site visit on Nov 5 with the salvor and Samoan authorities, the plans for extracting the fuel from Manawanui's tanks were adjusted and finalized. The NZDF convened a formal Court of Inquiry on the sinking, and on Nov 13, the service announced that it had received the court's interim factfinding report. In a statement, Chief of Navy Rear Admiral Garin Golding said the court had made good progress and was on track with interviews and evidence gathering. The interim report will be analyzed by a government legal team, and some of its details will be released to the public later in November. The final report, which will include the court's conclusions, is expected by the end of Feb 2025.

On Nov 7, 2024, the ‚Ding Heng 27’, with 18 crew members on board and carrying 800 tons of petrol, was in danger of running aground on the PNG side of the Great Berrier Reef off Kupiano, after it suffered an engine failure. The PNG authorities quickly responded, as darkness was falling and currents and winds were pushing the tanker towards the reef. The RMC’s marine team along with the crew made up 20 minor alterations to the ship’s trim and heading to ensure it kept off the reef. The deployment of a small improvised drogue with the ship’s crane altered the heading along with the bow thruster. This action brought the drift direction from 320 degrees down to the desired clearance bearing of 275 degrees over the ground. The ship was finally towed into Port Moresby by the tug ‘Svitzer Tusker’ on Nov 11. Report with photo: https://www.postcourier.com.pg/authorities-prevent-environmental-disaster/

The UK MAIB has issued an investigation report on the incident of the girting and capsize of the tug 'Biter', while assisting the 'Hebridean Princess' on Feb 24, 2023. At 3.27 p.m., the twin screw tug capsized off Greenock, while attached to the stern of the 'Hebridean Princess', which was making its approach to James Watt Dock. The two crew members of the tug were unable to escape from the vessel and lost their lives. The investigation found that the accident happened because the tug was unable to reverse direction to operate directly astern of the 'Hebridean Princess' before the tug’s weight came onto the towing bridle and, when this happened, the tug’s gob rope did not prevent it from being towed sideways. The investigation also found that the 'Hebridean Princess'’s speed meant the load on the 'Biter'’s towlines was between two and five times greater than at the port’s recommended speed range. Thereafter, given the tug’s rapid capsize, it was unlikely that the tug crew had sufficient time to operate the emergency tow release mechanism. Once the tug was inverted, the open accommodation hatch might have prevented air from being trapped inside the wheelhouse, potentially limiting the crew’s chance of survival. The investigation also found that the master/pilot and pilot/tug information exchanges were incomplete and that the opportunity to correct the pilot’s assumption about Biter’s intended manoeuvre was lost. Further analysis indicated that the training provided had not adequately prepared the pilot for their role and that it was likely the tug master did not fully appreciate the risks associated with the manoeuvre. Full report: https://safety4sea.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/UKMAIB-Biter-HebrideanPrincess-2024_11.pdf