On March 19, 2025, short before 10 p.m. the Gijón Coordination Center received a call or assistance from the 'Costa da Barca', which was disabled seven nautical miles north of El Musel, after its fishing gear had got entangled in the propeller, and it was unable to steer. The tug Alonso de Chaves ( IMO: 8411164) and the SAR boat 'Salvamar Rigel' were immediately mobilized. On March 20 at 2:45 a.m., the fishing vessel was safely berthed at the Rendiello dock in Gíjon. Report with photo: https://x.com/salvamentogob/status/1902694788912103630
News
SOLONG
More than a week after the alision of the 'Solong' and the 'Stena Immaculate' off Lincolnshire, clumps of tiny, molten pellets, known as nurdles, were being washed up on its beaches, including in Skegness. While the resort's Pleasure Beach is due to reopen to the public on March 22 after the winter break, black mounds, of varying shapes and sizes, are peppeing the sands. At beach level, people are inspecting them. Teams from East Lindsey District Council have started to clear the mess up. The clumps of pellets, which were fused together by the heat and stinks of fuel. The owners of the 'Solong' have admitted the pellets, which were stored in containers on board, were released because of the accident. On March 17 the HM Coastguard said some were beginning to wash up around The Wash, a large inlet of the North Sea stretching from just south of Skegness to near Hunstanton, in Norfolk. According to the authorities, the pellets are not toxic to humans. Conservationists were warning that wildlife, especially birds, could ingest the pellets and fall seriously ill. The local authorities were leading the onshore response in both Norfolk and Lincolnshire. After the fires on board the 'Solong' have been extinguished, the salvors were now accessing all parts of the vessel. Aerial surveillance flights were monitoring both vessels, which remained stable, and the salvage operation daily. Reports with photos: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c15qy413wkwo https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2817e01yno https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/news/grimsby-news/beach-clean-up-continuing-salvors-10037858
STENA IMMACULATE
More than a week after the alision of the 'Solong' and the 'Stena Immaculate' off Lincolnshire, clumps of tiny, molten pellets, known as nurdles, were being washed up on its beaches, including in Skegness. While the resort's Pleasure Beach is due to reopen to the public on March 22 after the winter break, black mounds, of varying shapes and sizes, are peppeing the sands. At beach level, people are inspecting them. Teams from East Lindsey District Council have started to clear the mess up. The clumps of pellets, which were fused together by the heat and stinks of fuel. The owners of the 'Solong' have admitted the pellets, which were stored in containers on board, were released because of the accident. On March 17 the HM Coastguard said some were beginning to wash up around The Wash, a large inlet of the North Sea stretching from just south of Skegness to near Hunstanton, in Norfolk. According to the authorities, the pellets are not toxic to humans. Conservationists were warning that wildlife, especially birds, could ingest the pellets and fall seriously ill. The local authorities were leading the onshore response in both Norfolk and Lincolnshire. After the fires on board the 'Solong' have been extinguished, the salvors were now accessing all parts of the vessel. Aerial surveillance flights were monitoring both vessels, which remained stable, and the salvage operation daily. Reports with photos: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c15qy413wkwo https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2817e01yno https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/news/grimsby-news/beach-clean-up-continuing-salvors-10037858
BETANZOS
On March 13, 2025, the ARA "Bahía Agradable" (IMO: 701831000) was alerted by the Petrel Maritime Rescue Coordination Center to assist the "Betanzos," which had suffered a serious damage and was forced to anchor north of Livingston Island, in the South Shetland Islands. The logistics ship had suffered total loss of propulsion. The 'Bahía Agradable', which was participating in the Combined Naval Antarctic Patrol, was ordered to tow it to a safe area. On the early morning of March 14, it approached the 'Betanzos' under adverse weather conditions. The safest way to carry out the towing was evaluated, a maneuver that began with the aviso, circling Livingston Island to the west and then sailing through the Fleet Sea to Discovery Bay, a more favourable area. The towing took place over a 130-nautical-miles and lasted 24 hours. in unfavourable conditions, including icebergs, loose debris, low visibility, and waves exceeding three meters height. Despite the difficult weather, the operation was concluded successfully by the Argentine force. The 'Betanzos' was moored in pos. 62° 29' N 059° 42' W on March 15, where it remained stationary as of March 20. Report with photo: https://www.eldiariodelfindelmundo.com/noticias/2025/03/20/110245-la-armada-argentina-asistio-a-buque-chileno
BERS
The 'Bers' suffered an engine failure during the transit of the Bosphorus in loaden condition, in front of the 15 Temmuz Şehitler Köprüsü (July 15 Martyrs Bridge), while en route from Iskenderun to Constanta on March 19, 2025, short past noon. The Bosphorus Strait’s shipping traffic was temporarily suspended in both directions. The ship was taken in tow by the tug 'Kurtarma 11' (IMO: 9854399) about one hour later, and safely moored at the Ahırkapı Demir anchorage short before 2 p.m. UTC, under the coordination of the Istanbul VTS Center and assisted by a pilot. Strait traffic was reopened during the afternoon. As of March 20, it remained stationary in pos. 40° 59' N 028° 58' E. Report with photo: https://x.com/kiyiemniyet/status/1902416230411096350