On the morning of Feb 27, 2025, the cargo m/v 'Friends RS 1' (IMO: 7382665) was in allision with the 'Jessica B' in the port of Gemlik, when she was maneuvering to depart from the port stern ahead, and hit the 'Jessica B' at its berth with the port side aft. The 'Jessica B' suffered a puncture at starboard side above the waterline, leading to the discharge of ballast water into the sea under pressure. Authorities initiated a damage assessment on site. The 'Friends RS 1' dropped anchor off Gemlik at 8.50 a.m. UTC in pos. 40° 25' N 029° 05' E. An investigation was launched regarding the extent of any environmental impact and assess potential pollution in the surrounding waters. The 'Jessica B' berthed in Tuzla on March 4, while the 'Friends RS 1' was detained following the investigation and remained moored off Gemlik as of March 10.
News
CONGA
During the eastbound transit of the Kiel Canal on March 6, 2025, the 'Conga“ suffered engine trouble at 3.30 a.m at the Rade switch. Already short time after entering the waterway on March 5 at 4.20 p.m.,, the ship had suffered engine problems and berthed in Brunsbüttel at 4.40 p.m. It resumed the transit at 7.30 p.m. After the second failure, the tug ' Stein' (IMO: 9241243) was deployed from Kiel and took the tanker in tow along with the tug ' Wulf 4' (IMO: 9639737). The tanker was berthed in the North port of Kiel at 10 a.m. for repairs of the main engine which had been re-started by the crew in the meantime. It had already failed in Brunsbüttel. The authorities issued a sailing ban, and the tanker was subjected to a PSC. The ship was coming from Misurata, where it had delivered cargo of oil from the Russian port Primorsk, where it had sailed on Jan 26. There is no official information about a Russian loading port, the ship was underway for orders. Therefore, the tanker is currently not on the list of 153 ships sanctioned by the EU. However, the "Conga" had already attracted attention in 2024 in connection with oil transports from Russia. On Aug 14,, there was an STS of diesel oil from the Black Sea to the tanker "Kizomba" off Sicily. The 'Conga' left Kiel again on March 8, bound to Misurata with an ETA as of March 12. Report with photo: https://www.kn-online.de/lokales/kiel/russische-schattenflotte-tanker-conga-havariert-im-nord-ostsee-kanal-IDOY2Q56SVHZHLY2IWHUCVN7VQ.html
FRIENDS RS 1
After - on the morning of Feb 27 - the 'Friends RS 1' was in allision with the cargo m/v 'Jessica B' (IMO: 9262534), in the port of Gemlik, on March 1 she was detained in the port with 24 deficiencies, 12 of which being regarded as seriously and grounds for a detention following the damage investigations: 1) Pollution Prevention - Ballast Water Record Book Entries missing 2) Certificate & Doc - Oil record book Entries missing 3) Structural conditions - Decks - Cracking Damaged 4) Structural conditions - Bulkhead - cracking Damaged 5) Structural conditions - Other (Structural conditions) Other 6) Emergency systems - Abandon ship drill Insufficient frequency 7) Safety of navigation - Charts Not updated 8)) Life saving Appliances - Inflatable liferafts Not ready for use 9) Life saving Appliances - Embarkation arrangement survival craft Not properly maintained 10) Life saving Appliances - Lifeboat inventory Not as required 11) Fire safety - Other (Fire safety) Other 12) ISM - Ism certificate Not as required The vessel was released again on March 5 and remained moored at Gemlik Anchorage in pos. 40° 25' N 029° 05' E as of March 10. The 'Jessica B' berthed in Tuzla on March 4, https://www.facebook.com/share/p/12HRMXiQiZf/
LOCH RANZA
The 'Loch Ranza', 206 gt (IMO: 8519887), serving on the route between Tayinloan and Gigha, suffered a technical issue on the morning of March 7, which was addressed in the port of Tayinloan. As a consequence, the scheduled departure from Tayinloan at 09:00 was delayed. It finally departed at 09:20 a.m., 20 minutes late.
MV MEGHNA PRINCESS
The 'Meghna Princess', which ran aground in the Koporskaya Bay of the Gulf of Finland pn Dec 29, 2024, has been refloated on March 7. The salvage vessels MFASS "Baltika", MFASS "Spasatel Karev", SO "Soyuz", RVC "Vodolaz Litvin", a hydrographic group, a diving group, and rescuers of the ASP of the Baltic branch of the Marine Rescue Service participated in the operation. During the salvage operation, 2.300 tons of the cargo of 32,600 tons of mineral fertilizers were unloaded. Soil was washed uut under the vessel. The ship, accompanied by the emergency tug "Spasatel Karev", was now awaiting a diving inspection at an anchorage off Primorsk. The bulk carrer will be handed over to the shipowner upon completion of its inspection and leak testing. No oil spill was detected in the area. Reports with photos: https://ieport.ru/news/684659-morspassluzhba-v-finskom-zalive-snyala-s-meli-balker-meghna-princess.html https://mr-7.ru/articles/2025/03/07/zastriavshee-v-finskom-zalive-sudno-megan-printsess-sniali-s-meli-spustia-dva-mesiatsa-news