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The 'Ben-my-Chree' has returned to Douglas early on Nov 1, 2024, after unsuccessful trials at Scottish ports. The vessel, primarily used as a backup to the 'Manxman', had been undergoing berthing trials with the ferry operator CalMac to assess its suitability for service on the Arran route. CalMac confirmed that the trials at the ports of Troon and Brodick proved unsatisfactory. The Ben-my-Chree had carried out berthing trials at the new ferry terminal in Liverpool before heading to Scotland. During trials in Troon and Brodick on Oct 31, while the vessel managed to berth at Brodick, it was reportedly at the edge of its operational safety limits. It would require ‘completely benign conditions’ for the ferry to berth reliably, leading to the decision not to proceed with chartering the ferry for the Arran route. The 'Ben-My-Chree'’s trials came amid challenges for CalMac, whose fleet has been under strain since the 'Caledonian Isles', the main ferry for Arran, went out of service in February. It is not expected back until mid-November. CalMac has also chartered the catamaran 'Alfred' to maintain services on the Arran route at a significant monthly cost, estimated by BBC Scotland to be £1 million. Meanwhile, the long-awaited 'Glen Sannox', under construction at the Ferguson shipyard on the Clyde, was initially scheduled for handover two weeks ago but is now not expected to enter service until January.

The shipping company AB Veritas Tankerns, based in Donsö, has to pay SEK 50,000 in corporate fines for crimes, after on Aug 16, 2024, the 'Astrea' cleaned its tanks and subsequently released product residues in the form of mixed fatty acids into the sea. According to the penalty order, the crime took place within the Swedish economic zone, approximately five nautical miles west of Kopparstenarna, which in turn is located approximately 20 kilometers north of Gotska Sandön. The crime was committed through the negligence of the ship's chief mate. The discharge violated the discharge standards in the regulation on measures against pollution from ships.

German lawyers have filed a lawsuit in Berlin seeking to block the 'Kathrin'’s cargo of 150 tons of military-grade explosives, which they say is destined for the world’s largest defense contractor from Israel. The European Legal Support Center announced on Oct 30 that it had filed a lawsuit on behalf of three Palestinians from Gaza, claiming that the RDX explosives could be used to make munitions for Israel’s war against the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip, and contribute to war crimes, which Israel categorically denies. According to the German-based Lubeca Marine, the owner of the 'Kathrin', there was never any question of [the ship] calling at Israel, and it reportedly unloaded its cargo in Bar, Montenegro. The company declined to provide further details about the cargo for contractual reasons, but said it complied with all applicable international and European regulations, including ensuring that the required licenses were issued before any operation. The European Legal Support Center said the RDX shipment was destined for Israeli Military Industries, a division of Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest defense contractor. “We never claimed that the Kathrin was destined for Israel (itself), it’s the shipment that is destined for Elbit Systems,” Ahmed Abed, a lawyer with the European Legal Support Center, told Reuters about the complaint filed with the Berlin Administrative Court. The 'Kathrin' docked in the port of Alexandria on Oct 28 and, unloaded military equipment. It was expected to leave on Nov 5, according to the Alexandria port website. The ship has been denied entry to several African and Mediterranean ports, including Angola, Slovenia, Montenegro and Malta. Portuguese authorities have reportedly recently demanded that the ship change its flag from Portuguese to German in order to continue its journey. In August, Namibian authorities prevented the ship, which was sailing from the port of Haiphong, from entering its main port. The German Ministry of Economic Affairs, which is involved in the complaint because the ship flies the German flag, has confirmed to have received letters from lawyers on the matter, stating the cargo did not constitute a German export, as the explosives were neither loaded nor shipped from German territory. It added that there was no legal basis for requiring an export license under German law.

The German Military Technical Center for Ships and Naval Weapons, Maritime Technology and Research (WTD 71) has completed the explosive tests with the decommissioned "Karlsruhe" in the restricted area of ​​Schönhagen in the Baltic Sea. In total, the explosive tests were carried out in two rounds with with 50 kilograms of explosives and with 175 kilograms. Overall, the tests went according to plan and the measures taken to protect the marine environment also had an effect. The optical monitoring as well as the deterrent measures and the double bubble curtain ensured that the impact on the marine environment could be reduced to a minimum. The former figate was towed back to Kiel, and the evaluation phase is now beginning, in which the large number of measurement data generated by the installed sensors and recording devices will be processed. In addition, the ship was measured using special methods in order to detect possible deformations in the ship's structure. It is hoped that this will provide extensive information on the effects of explosive devices and sea mines, which could be of great relevance for the construction of future naval ships. At the same time, preparations are already underway for further tests in the coming year. Further blasting with the ex "Karlsruhe" on a comparable scale is expected to take place in mid-October 2025. Report with photo: https://www.leinetal24.de/na-pressemitteilungen/ansprengungen-in-der-ostsee-abgeschlossen-wtd-71-zieht-positive-bilanz-zr-93382367.html

A crew member of the 'Champion Tern' was medevaced by a joint team led by KSOP Malahayati on the evening of Oct 23, 2024,. The Singaporean technician was in critical condition. The rescue operation involved KSOP Malahayati, Basarnas Banda Aceh, the Port Health Office (KKP), the vessel’s agent, the Indonesian Navy (Posal Lampulo), and the Water Police (Polair), using the KN 'SAR Kresna' from Basarnas, which departed from Ulee Lheue Port at 10.10 a.m. The tanker was located in the northern Banda Aceh waters. At 11:00p.m. the SAR vessel docked on the port side of the ship. The medical team boarded the tanker to assess the patient’s condition. He was suffering from critical hypertension and diabetes and required urgent care. The patient was evacuated using the ship’s crane on a basket stretcher. The 'SAR Kresna' departed at 12:25 a.m. and arrived back at Ulee Lheue Port at 1:00 a.m. The patient was transported to Zainal Abidin General Hospital in Banda Aceh for further medical treatment. Report with photo: https://hubla.dephub.go.id/Indonesianmaritimesafetyinformation/page/news/read/23592/tim-gabungan-berhasil-evakuasi-medis-warga-singapura-dari-kapal-mt-champion-tern-di-perairan-banda-aceh-joint-team-successfully-conducts-medical-evacuation-of-singaporean-national-from-mt-champion-tern-in-banda-aceh-waters