News

The allision of the 'Regina K' with the Moselle lock in Müden happened while the ship was on autopilot, when it sailed into the lock at high speed. Analysis of the recorded data shows that the ship entered the lock at a speed of 12.2 kilometers per hour. The public prosecutor's office confirmed that semi-autonomous driving with autopilot is generally permitted on the Moselle on the condition that the ship's master can intervene at any time. The authorities were still investigating why this did not happen in this case. Investigations had showed that neither the engine nor the ship's controls had any technical defects. In addition, no evidence of alcohol or drug consumption by the responsible captain was found. Video recordings showed that the ship continued to sail at high speed until the impact,which destroyed the lock gate. The public prosecutor's office is still investigating why the ship's captain did not intervene. Possible human errors or a misassessment of the situation were the focus of the investigation.

The “Volcán de Tauce”, which has been moored since Jan 14 at the Santa Catalina dock in the port of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, after resolving the technical trouble that altered the La Palma line in December by inserting the catamaran “Volcán de Tirajana”, has been sold to the Emirates International Air Cargo company from the United Arab Emirates. The ferry will presumably be delivered on Feb 13. The management of the Armas Trasmediterránea Group has informed the company's staff on Feb 5 of the sale of the ship, which is listed as the property of Anarafe S.L., one of the companies controlled by the Armas Trasmediterránea Group. According to reports, its new owner intends to convert it into a hospital ship.

The sunken foreship of the 'Volgoneft 239' and all of the 'Volgoneft212' are currently being examined underwater, but with no attempts yet being made to haul them to shore or extract the fuel oil left in their tanks .According to Eugene Simonov, an expert with the Ukraine War Environmental Consequences Work Group (UWEC) , the sunken parts are left untouched because Russian authorities simply do not have the appropriate equipment to extract oil from underwater reservoirs. As a result, according to Viktor Danilov-Danilyan, the head of science at the Russian Academy of Sciences, the wrecks could evolve into the worst ecological catastrophe, Russia has seen in the 21st century. On Jan. 25, the Russian government officially had declared that the emergency services had finished the ongoing oil extraction operation, but this only concerned the grounded stern of the Volgoneft 239'.

Clean-up operations were ongoing after oil escaped from the wreck of the 'Ultra Galaxy' during salvage operations. The oil, which was trapped within the wreck, leaked during the complex wreck removal process. Clean-up operations were carried out with a workforce of around 180 people in 12 teams and progressing steadily. As the risk of oil escaping during operations of this nature is anticipated, robust contingency measures are always in place. The South African Maritime Safety Authority stated on Jan 29 that SpillTech, a dedicated spill management company, has been on site from the onset of the removal operation to handle such incidents promptly and effectively. To safeguard marine life and coastal ecosystems, the SAMSA is working closely with SANCCOB (Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds) and Cape Nature, both of which are on standby to respond should wildlife be affected. The wreck removal operation began in December, and approximately 4206 tons of wreckage have been removed from the site.

The sunken foreship of the 'Volgoneft 239' and all of the 'Volgoneft212' are currently being examined underwater, but with no attempts yet being made to haul them to shore or extract the fuel oil left in their tanks .According to Eugene Simonov, an expert with the Ukraine War Environmental Consequences Work Group (UWEC) , the sunken parts are left untouched because Russian authorities simply do not have the appropriate equipment to extract oil from underwater reservoirs. As a result, according to Viktor Danilov-Danilyan, the head of science at the Russian Academy of Sciences, the wrecks could evolve into the worst ecological catastrophe, Russia has seen in the 21st century. On Jan. 25, the Russian government officially had declared that the emergency services had finished the ongoing oil extraction operation, but this only concerned the grounded stern of the Volgoneft 239'.