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On July 1, 2025, sz 8.50 a.m. the 'Jackie Lee Anderson' and the towboat '775' capsized on the Ohio River near the Olmsted Locks and Dam in Illinois. The 'Jackie Lee Anderson' was listing on the Illinois bank of the river. the '775' has capsized below the dam.The Ohio River was closed to navigation at Olmsted Locks and Dam in Olmsted, Illinois, (Ohio River Mile 964.4). The authorities from multiple local agencies and the US Coast Guard responded to the incident. All crew members were rescued. The incident was under investigation. The name of the other towboat was suspected to be the workboat 775. The 'Jackie Lee Anderson' was assigned to the Olmsted Locks and Dam as a workboat. Report with photo and video: https://www.paducahsun.com/news/accident-prompts-multi-agency-response-at-olmsted-locks-and-dam-no-injuries-reported/article_be7bf1df-e900-5c4a-b8ce-95c86c75c375.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NR_t5QE0c7Q&t=33s https://www.kbsi23.com/news/crew-members-safe-after-boat-overturns-in-ohio-river/pic/5001556/

On June 30, the 'Wan Hai 503' was in pos. 07°52.60' N, 074°50.09' E, maintaining a steady course of 290° with a speed of 0.8 knots, approximately 130 nautical miles off the Indian coastline, outside the EEZ boundary. The vessel's drift remained controlled through coordinated towing operations. Light smoke continued to emanate from the area forward of the accommodation block, indicating residual smouldering within cargo hold no. 4, though no visible flames have been reported. Structural evaluations indicate localized heat-induced buckling between Frames 103–113; however, independent assessments by T&T Salvage, DNV, and naval architects confirmed that the vessel retains structural strength and remained stable. Dewatering operations commenced at 0730 a.m. with four pumps (150–250 m³/hour each) deployed to remove water from the flooded engine room. Dewatering operations were ongoing with five pumps actively discharging water from the flooded engine room and interconnected compartments. The source of water ingress was suspected to be linked to interconnected compartments between the engine room and cargo hold no. 3. The water quality remains relatively stable, with minimal oil traces, suggesting no significant new ingress. The multi-agency response continues with effective resource deployment on-site. The 'Water Lily' has been engaged in personnel and material transfers, successfully receiving salvage equipment from ‘the 'Saroja Blessing' earlier the day. The '‘Saksham'’ remained prepared for further support, and ‘the 'Saroja Blessing was on standby for firefighting and material supply operations. Salvage teams on board the vessel has resumed equipment installation and pump operation, with five pumps now functioning continuously to extract water. ‘The 'Offshore Warrior' wais maintaining towage operations, keeping the vessel clear of the Indian EEZ, with current power utilisation at 75%. Preparations were in place to maintain uninterrupted dewatering overnight. The salvors aimed to stabilise internal flooding to facilitate safe boarding and enable further fire suppression measures, including enhanced boundary cooling and application of additional firefighting agents as weather permits. Additional assets, including ‘the 'Atlantis Virgo' and ‘SCI Panna’, were en route to the site with firefighting equipment and Pyrocool (7000 litres), expected to enhance fire suppression efforts within the next 24 hours. Preparations for continuous overnight pumping operations are were , with emergency evacuation plans in place to ensure personnel safety during night-time activities. The intention is to sustain 24/7 dewatering using both hydraulic and submersible pumps, supplemented by emergency power from the vessel's own systems and portable generators. The sustained operation of five pumps has shown positive results in managing engine room flooding, but full dewatering remains essential to assess damage to machinery spaces and restore emergency power systems. Over 5,000 cubic meters of water were successfully pumped out from the flooded engine room, reducing water levels by approximately 1.75 meters. Further attempts to access the forward sections of the vessel for additional firefighting and structural assessment will be undertaken once dewatering sufficiently reduces on board risks. The Port of Refuge discussions remained focused, where positive initial engagements have occurred. Formal submission of the required document package to authorities is in progress, though final approvals were contingent upon demonstrating thevessel'sstability, extinguishment of smouldering, and safe dewatering. Alternative ports options remained under evaluation. The vessel remained in a high-density shipping corridor, necessitating continuous traffic warnings to passing vessels. The Directorate has directed enhanced navigational warnings to prevent incidents in this critical route between Sri Lanka and the Gulf of Aden. Indian Coast Guard assets continued to provide aerial surveillance and maritime monitoring, with readiness to intervene if necessary. Continuous inter-agency coordination, including with MPA Singapore, ITOPF, and Indian authorities, is ongoing to manage the situation effectively and prevent environmental or navigational hazards. Offshore oil removal remains unsafe under current conditions, with preferred options being defueling alongside a wharf at a Port of Refuge. The salvage team continued the preparations to transition from soft to wire towlines, advance dewatering, and monitor the vessel's integrity.

A VDR transcript has emerged with a series of conversations between the master of the 'XPress Pearl' and shoreside managers. The document was filed by Sri Lanka's government in a case before Colombo's Supreme Court; the shipowner disputes the document's accuracy and completeness, and was contesting it in court proceedings. It appeared to confirm initial accounts of a slow-rolling catastrophe that began long before the 'XPress Pearl' reached Sri Lanka in May 2021. It providd new details of the crew's attempts to respond to a leaking container of nitric acid, and Vitaly Tyutkalo. the Russian master's growing frustration with the lack of a solution: "About one liter an hour [leak rate from the container]. Remain the same. We're washing deck continuously by fire pump, seawater, because main deck too much corrosion . . . very strong chemical, very strong chemical If you will read my email, I sent to everybody, right, already three days fire pump running. But leakage remain on deck and maybe more and more corrosion." After the call with the home office, he complained to a crew member on the bridge that "they don't take any action, don't give me any advice," and claimed that company officials wouldn't take responsibility. Port officials at Hamad, Qatar and Hazira, India refused to provide a port-of-refuge service to unload the leaking boxes from the 'Xpress Pearl', so the ship sailed onwards to Colombo, Sri Lanka, a voyage of some 1,000 nautical miles southeast from Hazira. After the arrival off Colombo, a container on deck caught fire, but local authorities refused to allow the 'XPress Pearl' to berth for firefighting operations. The master was facing criminal charges in connection with the disaster and remained in Sri Lanka at least as recently as last year, free to live on the island but unable to leave until court proceedings have finished.

The 'Glen Sannox', serving on the route Troon-Brodic, suffered an electrical issue impacting the ship's firefighting system on the morning of July 1. As a consqeuence, the scheduled departures frrom Troon at 06:30 a.m. and from Brodick at 08:40 a.m. were cancelled. While the issue could be resolved., in order to allow sufficient crew compensatory rest following overnight repairs, the ship returned to service with the 10:50 a.m. sailing from Troon.

The Philippines authorities were working with local crewing agencies and others to resolve a pay dispute and release a crew that had been stranded on the 'Hirman Star', which has been anchored in the Iloilo Strait off off Iloilo City in pos. 10° 42' N 122° 36' E. The crew, which had been signed on on April 3, 2025, was in a standoff with the owners who were refusing their pay, and provisions, until the ship departed, while the crew contended the vessel was unseaworthy. A newly elected representative for Iloilo City, Julienne “Jam Jam” Baronda took an interest in the crew’s plight and intervened to negotiate the resolution. Six Filipino crew were removed from the vessel on June 30, and taken to a hotel. They were debriefed and received medical evaluation before their repatriation. Among the Filipino crew members, three were from the Iloilo towns of Tigbauan, San Joaquin and Estancia. The seven Indian crew members were due to leave the vessel on July 1. The crew was signed on at the start of April by apparently a new owner of the ship, which was operated by Chinese owners until possibly 2024. The owner is now in the UAE, and the vessel has been registered in the Comoros. The shipl had arrived in the Philippines in Aug 2024, carrying a cargo of bags with rice from Vietnam. The Philippines undertook a Port State Inspection and listed 27 deficiencies in a broad range of categories and issued a detention order. They even questioned the seaworthiness of the vessel and found expired certificates. The crew was changed twice, with the current crew coming aboard on April 3 and havomg beem told to prepare for a voyage to Singapore. The Philippines lifted the detention order in April, and the Port Authority granted port clearance on May 7. The vessel was preparing to depart when the gyro compass malfunctioned. The captain contended the owners told the vessel to sail using just a magnetic compass, but the master refused, citing concerns. The crew also reported the vessel was listing, and attempting to rectify the list, they found a crack in the bulbous bow causing a water ingress. The standoff began with the crew refusing to sail saying the ship was unseaworthy. The owners stopped the delivery of food and water on May 12. Further, they only paid partial wages in April and none in May, saying the crew would not be paid until the vessel departed. The crew sought assistance from the office of Iloilo City Lone District Rep. Julienne Baronda on June 28. Baronda convened a meeting with the Philippines’ Department of Migrant Workers, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, as well as the Philippine Coast Guard, the Bureaus of Immigration and Customs, and MARINA on June 30. She also spoke with the crewing agencies and the vessel's owner, who had a representative from the UAE in the Philippines. An agreement was reached to settle the pay issues and to immediately provide provisions to the vessel. Baronda and other officials went to the ship to meet with the crew. The Philippines was also providing financial assistance to the crew members and assisting with the repatriations for the Filipinos. The Indian Embassy was assisting the Indian crew members. Report with photos: https://www.manilatimes.net/2025/07/02/regions/13-stranded-seafarers-rescued-after-2-months/2141308