The 'El Perla', with 10 crew members on board, requested assistance due to an engine failure off Altafulla (Lat. 41.1024 Lng. 1.3790) on Nov 18, 2024, at around 4.30 a.m UTC. The SAR boat 'Salvamar Fomalhaut' was mobilized to asisst. It took the ship in tow and safely pulled it to Tarragona at around 8 a.m. UTC.
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ANDREAS KALVOS
The 'Andreas Kalvos', serving the route Patras, Sami, Ithaca, Sami, with 157 passengers and 33 crew members. and loaded with 32 cars, three trucks and three buses, allided with the quay, en route from Patras, in the port of Sami in Kefalonia during the mooring process on Nov 17, 2024. The ship was damaged at the starboard side stern. The passengers disembarked safely. No injuries were reported, and no marine pollution was observed. The Sami Port Department of the Kefallinian Port Authority banned the ship from sailing until the damage was repaired and a certificate of seaworthiness was presented by the monitoring classification society. The 36 passengers destined for Ithaca wee forwarded to their destination by the care of the owner company.
HMNZS MANAWANUI
The deputy chief of the Royal New Zealand Navy does not expect it to be safe or practical to remove absolutely all the liquids from the HMNZS 'Manawanui'. The fuel removal is expected to start in December, the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) stated. It will be done by salvage companies Pacific 7 and Bay Underwater Services NZ. The first priority was to remove the bulk fuel first, which poses the largest environmental risk, then progressing to the smaller quantities of oils and other contaminants. The objective is to do everything practicable to limit or stop any potential damage to the environment. The operation to remove the fuel would be done as quickly and safely as possible, but this would be dependent on several factors, such as weather and sea conditions. The equipment needed for the fuel extraction is expected to leave New Zealand in the next week and should take about 10 days to arrive.
SUROIT
On Nov 11, 2024, one of the large windows in the wheelhouse of the 'Suroît ', serving the Saint-Pierre, Miquelon and Fortune route, suddenly cracked. The window, which is nearly four meters long and weighs more than 500 kilos, will have to be replaced custom-made by the Dutch manufacturer Damen. As a consequence, the ferry will have to remain docked in Saint-Pierre for several weeks. The SPM Ferries company was waiting for an expert, equiopped with a 3D scanner allowing him to check structural deformations, to arrive on Nov 18 to get a clearer picture. The only explanation for the moment is the accumulation of salt that is forcing on the edge of the tile, by pressure, movement or deformation. The 'Suroît' will therefore not set sail before the start of Jan 2026 at the earliest. Report with photo: https://la1ere.francetvinfo.fr/saintpierremiquelon/le-ferry-le-suroit-immobilise-pour-plusieurs-semaines-a-cause-d-une-vitre-endommagee-a-la-timonerie-1537252.html
MFV LEPANTO
The Department of Transport (DoT) will set up a marine court of enquiry to establish the cause of the sinking of the 'Lepanto', after the South African Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) earlier submitted a draft report to Transport Minister, Barbara Creecy, and Deputy Minister of Transport, Mkhuleko Hlengwa, calling for a court of enquiry to be established. The Samsa draft report was scheduled to be finalised and released before the end of the year with its legal team. The department was instructed to begin a process of establishing a marine court of enquiry to further pursue an investigation and bring the report to finality. When the ship sank on May 17, 11 crew members were believed to have remained trapped onboard. The vessel sank rapidly, within about five minutes after a sudden heavy listing. Nine crew members were rescued.