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A cargo of contraband cigarettes was seized bythe French customs authorities aboard the'Kokoo' by the Nouméa Customs Authority with assistance from the Australian Border Force (ABF) on Feb 5, 2025, after the ship had berthed in the port of Nouméa. The search by customs agents yielded around 76 tonnes of contraband cigarettes, which were found in five containers. The Australian Border Force (ABF) has stated that the investigation and surveillance of the vessel had been ongoing for a while and that they were monitoring the suspicious route of the vessel near the Australian coast. Along with the contraband, two speedboats were also found to be stowed aboard the vessel, fitted with four 300-hp-outboard motors., an arrangement typical for boats used in smuggling operations. Around 10 tons of gasoline were also found,, presumably to fuel the speedboats. The 'Kokoo' probably served as a mother ship to smuggle cigarettes, with the final leg of the delivery being made using the speedboats. On Feb 7, the master appeared at a criminal court in Noumea and was sentenced to 10 months in prison and a fine of $350,000 and confiscation of the entire cigarette cargo, along with the speedboats. The value of the seized tobacco is estimated to be about $35 million on the legal market. Report with photos: https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/new-caledonia-busts-a-mother-ship-used-for-cigarette-smuggling

A convoy of the two Russian cargo ships 'Sparta' and 'Sparta II' and the Class A oil tanker 'General Skobelev', part of the Kremlin’s so-called ‘ghost fleet, will pass the port of Dover within a few miles sometime in the coming week, raising serious security concerns. Ammunition and weapons on board the three vessels are being repatriated to Russia from Syria. The dictator lost his Navy base in the Mediterranean coastal city of Tartus after the collapse of the Assad regime, which Russia backed throughout the Syrian civil war. Since then, Russia has stepped up its military withdrawal from the country, removing vehicles and containers with a lighting speed. The large landing ships 'Ivan Gren' and 'Alexander Otrakovsky' were also seen as part of the convoy. The convoy is currently positioned a few miles from Lisbon and is sailing towards Spain. The vessels will go through the English Channel and then the North Sea. The 'Sparta I' and 'General Skobelev' are expected to arrive at Saint Petersburg between Feb 21 and 23. The 'Sparta II' will call at the Russian naval port of Baltiysk and then proceed to the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. The Russian fleet has no friendly port on the way to Saint Petersburg and is forced to repair whatever breakdowns at sea and without assistance. There have already been reports that the 'Sparta' has suffered technical problems both en route to Tartus and on its return journey. Report with photos: https://metro.co.uk/2025/02/10/putin-sending-ships-packed-full-weapons-just-a-miles-dover-22528742/

On Feb 7, 2025, the 'Fuji Lava' was detained in Dublin with 11 deficiencies, two of which being regarded as seriously and grounds for a detentio: 1) Fire safety - Evaluation of crew performance (Fire drills) Lack of familiarity 2) ISM - Ism certificate Not as required The vessel was released again on Feb 10 and left the port en route to Port Jerome with an ETA as of Feb 12. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063576908591

The 'Viking Star' skipped its scheduled call at Santorini on Feb 10, 2025, with around 900 cruise passengers on board instead the ship headed to the port of the city of Chania because of the ongoing earthquakes that continued to shake Santorini. Normally the "Viking Star" would have been the ship that opened this year's cruise season for the island, where a record was set in Aug 2024 with more than 15,500 people during one day. Due to the high number, the island community planned to enforce a limit of 8,000 cruise tourists per day. But now it could be that no cruise ships will be arriving for the time being, because the earth is still shaking several times an hour and with peaks of magnitude 5. Seismologists and geologists cannot predict when and how the phenomenon will end. This week, schools on Santorini and the neighboring islands of Ios, Anafi and Amorgos will remain closed following a government decision. Most of the population - especially women, children and the elderly - have left the island and sought safety on the mainland.

A convoy of the two Russian cargo ships 'Sparta' and 'Sparta II' and the Class A oil tanker 'General Skobelev', part of the Kremlin’s so-called ‘ghost fleet, will pass the port of Dover within a few miles sometime in the coming week, raising serious security concerns. Ammunition and weapons on board the three vessels are being repatriated to Russia from Syria. The dictator lost his Navy base in the Mediterranean coastal city of Tartus after the collapse of the Assad regime, which Russia backed throughout the Syrian civil war. Since then, Russia has stepped up its military withdrawal from the country, removing vehicles and containers with a lighting speed. The large landing ships 'Ivan Gren' and 'Alexander Otrakovsky' were also seen as part of the convoy. The convoy is currently positioned a few miles from Lisbon and is sailing towards Spain. The vessels will go through the English Channel and then the North Sea. The 'Sparta I' and 'General Skobelev' are expected to arrive at Saint Petersburg between Feb 21 and 23. The 'Sparta II' will call at the Russian naval port of Baltiysk and then proceed to the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. The Russian fleet has no friendly port on the way to Saint Petersburg and is forced to repair whatever breakdowns at sea and without assistance. There have already been reports that the 'Sparta' has suffered technical problems both en route to Tartus and on its return journey. Report with photos: https://metro.co.uk/2025/02/10/putin-sending-ships-packed-full-weapons-just-a-miles-dover-22528742/