On the evening of Feb 16, 2025, a medical emergency occurred on the 'Aida Cosma' off the Canary Islands. A passenger needed to be medevaced, while the ship was supposed to head for Funchal. Bad weather conditions made the call impossible. As a result, the vessel was south of Tenerife. A rescue helicopter was requested, which landed on the ship's deck at around 6 p.m. The patient was stabilized on a stretcher and then flown to the nearest hospital for medical treatment on a higher level.
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GENERAL SKOBELEV
On Feb 13 a number Russian ships carrying military equipment was entering the English Channel, among them the 'Sparta', 'Sparta 2' and 'General Skobelev' and the oiler 'Yelnya', the cargo ships carrying military equipment from Syria, where the country was forced to close its naval base following the recent fall of dictator Bashar al Assad. Both ships are owned by Oboronlogistika LLC, a company that operates on behalf of the Russian Ministry of Defence. In 2022, the US government sanctioned both vessels. While passing through the strait, they have been closely shadowed by the British naval vessel RFA 'Tideforce', which began tailing the ships on Feb 12. the Russian Naval ships RFS 'Aleksandr Otrakovskiy', and 'RFS Ivan Gren', both Ropucha class ship, which are armed and designed to facilitate beach landings, accompanied the 'Sparta' and 'Sparta 2'. Also the HMS 'Iron Duke', HMS 'Tyne', and a Wildcat helicopter from 815 Naval Air Squadron reported on every move of the ships, RFS Aleksandr Otrakovskiy and , and merchant vessels Sparta, Sparta II and Reports with photo and video: https://news.sky.com/story/russian-ships-filmed-carrying-military-hardware-through-the-english-channel-13309518 https://www.forcesnews.com/services/navy/watch-footage-hms-iron-duke-shadowing-russian-task-group-english-channel
LOS NIETOS
The US Coast Guard detained an crew member illegally present in the U.S. and the captain of the 'Los Nietos' near Port Isabel, on the afternoon of Feb 14, 2025. During the boarding, a Coast Guard Station South Padre Island boat crew identified a crew member as a Mexican national. The captain of the fishing vesse had an outstanding felony warrant for weapons charges. The Mexican was transferred to U.S. Border Patrol for processing, and the vessel’s captain was booked into the South Padre Island Jail. Members of the South Padre Island Police Department, Customs and Border Protection Air Marine Operations, and the U.S. Border Patrol assisted in the case. Report with photos: https://www.news.uscg.mil/Press-Releases/Article/4068827/coast-guard-detains-illegal-alien-crewmember-and-captain-of-fishing-vessel-with/
SPARTA II
On Feb 13 a number Russian ships carrying military equipment was entering the English Channel, among them the 'Sparta', 'Sparta 2' and 'General Skobelev' and the oiler 'Yelnya', the cargo ships carrying military equipment from Syria, where the country was forced to close its naval base following the recent fall of dictator Bashar al Assad. Both ships are owned by Oboronlogistika LLC, a company that operates on behalf of the Russian Ministry of Defence. In 2022, the US government sanctioned both vessels. While passing through the strait, they have been closely shadowed by the British naval vessel RFA 'Tideforce', which began tailing the ships on Feb 12. the Russian Naval ships RFS 'Aleksandr Otrakovskiy', and 'RFS Ivan Gren', both Ropucha class ship, which are armed and designed to facilitate beach landings, accompanied the 'Sparta' and 'Sparta 2'. Also the HMS 'Iron Duke', HMS 'Tyne', and a Wildcat helicopter from 815 Naval Air Squadron reported on every move of the ships, RFS Aleksandr Otrakovskiy and , and merchant vessels Sparta, Sparta II and Reports with photo and video: https://news.sky.com/story/russian-ships-filmed-carrying-military-hardware-through-the-english-channel-13309518 https://www.forcesnews.com/services/navy/watch-footage-hms-iron-duke-shadowing-russian-task-group-english-channel
CORDELIA MOON
The 'Cordelia Moon' was still anchored in the Gulf of Kutch in pos., 22° 33' N 069° 40' E as of Feb 17.The tanker, listed as owned by a company in the Seychelles and managed from India, has been known to be in the Russian oil trade, finding itself caught in the expanding reach of the U.S. sanctions imposed by the Biden administration against Russia. The vessel had arrived off Vadinar Port on Feb 9, but was denied docking rights to unload. The vessel is laden with approximately one million barrels Russian oil from Surgutneftegaz in Novorossiysk from Jan 10-12. India has decided not to receive cargoes or ships that have been sanctioned, if they were loaded after Jan 10. India had previously turned away Russian cargoes due to Western pressures and recently China’s Shandong Port Group also said it would not be accepting sanctioned tankers. It is unclear what is going to happen with the' Cordelia Moon'. The tanker was bound for Suez after having offloaded its cargo in India when the Houthis targeted the ship on Oct 1, 2024. The tanker’s captain told the authorities that in the first wave of attacks, they spotted several splashes. The Houthis claimed a launch of eight missiles and one drone against the tanker. During the second attack, the vessel’s port ballast tank was punctured. After completing repairs, the tanker was transiting the Bosphorus bound for Russia for its next cargo when it suffered engine trouble. The Bosporus was closed on Dec 26 by the ship. The Turkish authorities stepped in and towed it to an anchorage for repairs, which lasted until Jan 4.