News

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) arrested the 31 year old crew member Akshay Somaroo aboard the 'World Explorer' for possession and importation of child pornography near Iqaluit, Nunavut. RCMP officers boarded the cruise ship in Frobisher Bay to assist Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and Fisheries and Oceans Canada officers with what were described as routine customs examinations. While conducting these examinations, the crew member, who was from Mauritius, was searched by CBSA officers and was subsequently arrested after he was found to be in possession of child pornography. Somaroo did not enter a plea and was scheduled to appear in the Nunavut Court of Justice on Sep 11, 2024. Report with photo: https://www.cruiselawnews.com/2024/09/articles/pornography/crew-member-arrested-for-child-pornography-17th-cruise-ship-employee-arrested-in-last-seven-months/

The 'Konkar Theodoros' has been stranded at Chattogram port for seven months due to complications with the letter of credit (LC). The ship, carrying 58,900 tonnes of raw sugar imported by Abdul Monem Group, still has 14,000 tonnes of cargo stuck on board. The Abdul Monem Group has faced significant financial losses as Islami Bank was unable to issue the LC needed to clear the goods. Over time, the company managed to open LCs with other banks, allowing them to unload 45,000 tonnes of raw sugar. However, there is no clear timeline for when the remaining 14,000 tonnes will be unloaded. The ship arrived at Chattogram port on Feb 7, 2024, en route from Rio de Janeiro Port with raw sugar. The Islami Bank was unable to issue the LC's due to the recent dollar shortage and other internal complications. The new management of Islami Bank has assured us that the remaining LC will be issued soon, allowing to unload the final 14,000 tonnes. Each metric tonne of sugar was valued at $632, meaning the remaining goods are worth approximately $8.84 million. The ship's daily charter fee amounts to around $20,000, leading to an additional cost of roughly $4.2 million over the past seven months.

A 59-year old Italian woman was medevaced by a French Navy H160 helicopter of the Hyères naval air base from the 'MSC Musica' on the evening of Sep 11, 2024, after a cardiac arrest while the ship was cruising in the Mediterranean Sea, enroute from Cannes to Barcelona. The 'MSC Musica' was off the French coast, about ten kilometers southeast of the island of Porquerolles, when the alert was given around 7:45 p.m. A doctor from the Maritime Medical Coordination Samu (SCMM) was dropped off on board and prepared the woman for the transfer. She was hoisted on board and transported to Hyères where an ambulance from the Smur took over to transport her to Sainte-Musse hospital in Toulon, where she was admitted at 10:45 p.m. The CROSS Méd in La Garde coordinated the operation. Report with photo: https://www.nicematin.com/faits-divers/une-femme-evacuee-par-les-airs-apres-un-malaise-cardiaque-a-bord-d-un-navire-de-croisiere-en-mediterranee-944225

The sinking of the 'Shingle' in Killala Bay to become an artificial reef, which was scheduled to take place on Sep 15, has been postponed until the following week as a result of unfavourable weather conditions..The fish carrier was seized by Customs officers at Drogheda Port as part of a €14m tobacco seizure in 2014 and was held by the Revenue Commission. It sat in the dry dock at New Ross in the years since. Earkier in 2024, a Maritime Area Consent licence was granted to the Killala Bay Ships 2 Reef project team, a group of diving enthusiasts, to allow them to tow the 'Shingle' to Killala Bay for sinking. Planning permission was then granted by Mayo County Council in July for the preparation, transportation, positioning and placement of the 'Shingle' on the seabed of Killala Bay. The towing operation to bring the ship from the port at New Ross up to Killala will take three days and upon arrival, a company has been employed to prepare the ship for sinking. It was now likely that it will be either Sep 18 or Sep 19 before the ship arrives in Killala Bay.As Ireland’s first artificial reef, it is hoped that the project can bring a boost in diving tourism to the west of Ireland as well as promoting local marine ecology.

The US Coast Guard and the Royal Canadian Navy offloaded $44.2 million worth of cocaine in San Diego, on the morning of Sep 12, 2024. The 'Yellowknife (HMCS-706)' and a U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment team had interdicted more than 3,100 lbs. of cocaine approximately 430 miles southwest of Acapulco on Sep 5 during a successful patrol in the Eastern Pacific. Multiple U.S. agencies, including the Departments of Defense, Justice, and Homeland Security, are collaborating in the effort to combat transnational organized crime. The Coast Guard, Navy, Customs and Border Protection, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, along with allied and international partner agencies, all play a role in counter-narcotic operations. Report with photo: https://www.news.uscg.mil/Press-Releases/Article/3904327/photo-release-coast-guard-royal-canadian-navy-offload-442-million-worth-of-drug/