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The "Niko Pirosmani" was detained in Gemlik on Feb 2, 2025, with 20 deficiencies, 12 of which being regarded as seriously and grounds for a detention: 1) Certificate & Doc - Manning specified by the minimum safe manning Doc Missing 2) Water/Weathertight - Ventilators, air pipes and casings Damaged 3) Life saving Appliances - Lifeboats Not properly maintained 4) Life saving Appliances - Lifeboats inventory Not as required 5) Life saving Appliances - Embarkation arrangement survival craft Not properly maintained 6) Life saving Appliances - Distress flares Expired 7) Structural conditions - Bulkhead - cracking Damaged 8)) Strucutural conditions - Other (Structural cond) Other 9) Safety of navigation - Charts Expired 10) Fire safety - Fire detection and alarm system Inoperative 11) Pollution Prevention - Ballast Water Management Plan Not properly maintained 12) ISM - Ism certificate Not as required. The vessel was released again on Feb 8 and proceeded to Istanbul Anchorage, where it moored in pos. 40° 58' N 028° 54' E the same evening and remained stationary as of Feb 11. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063576908591

Despite recurring breakdowns and high maintenance costs, Algérie Ferries does not seem ready to abandon the 'Tariq Ibn Ziyad'. The ferry, which had been immobilized for several months, is currently undergoing a major renovation in a shipyardin Eleusis to reduce its sulfur emissions to less than 0.5% by the end of 2025. After more than 25 years of service, the ship has accumulated technical problems. Several breakdowns and incidents have led to its prolonged immobilization, to the point that its future has been called into question. Repeated repairs and the cost of maintenance have raised doubts about the interest of keeping this ferry in the fleet. Despite these difficulties, Algérie Ferries has decided to invest in the refurbishment of the 'Tariq Ibn Ziyad' to extend its lifespan and to bring it up to international environmental standards. The project is part of the broader strategy of the Algerian Maritime Transport Group (Gatma) to make the fleet more environmentally friendly and competitive with European companies. In addition, the work also includes improvements to passenger comfort, including the modernization of cabins and the installation of an on-board Internet access system. Despite its age, the 'Tariq Ibn Ziyad' still meets market requirements, particularly for connections between Algiers, Oran and Marseille.

The 'Dorrat Jeddah' (IMO: 7203912), was detained in Aqaba on Jan 29, 2025, with 28 deficiencies, 13 of which being regarded as seriously and grounds for a detention: 1) Certificate & Doc - Declaration of Maritime Labour compliance (I and II) Missing 2) Certificate & Doc - Continuous synopsis record Missing 3) Certificate & Doc - Minimum safe manning Doc Not as required 4) Safety of navigation - Charts Missing 5) Safety of navigation - Lights, shapes and sound-signals Inoperative 6) Safety of navigation - BNWAS Inadequate 7) Safety of navigation - Cyro compass Inoperative 8)) Fire safety - Fire doors/openings in fire resisting division Not as required 9) Emergency systems - Publica adress system Inoperative 10) Labour conditions - Non-payment of wages Non-payment of wages 11) Propulsion and auxiliary machinery - Propulsion Main Engine Not as required 12) Life saving Appliances - Lifeboats Not properly maintained 13) Alarms - Machinery control alarms Inoperative The vessel was released again on Feb 6 and permitted a single voyage to Suez for permanent repairs. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063576908591

On Jan 29, 2025, the 'RMS Neudorf' was detained in Guiness at the Grove Wharf with 30 deficiencies, six of which being regarded as seriously and grounds for a detention: 1) Fire safety - Evaluation of crew performance Lack of familiarity 2) Fire safety - Fire dampers Not as requied 3) Life saving Appliances - Rescue boats Damaged 4) Life saving Appliances - Rescue boats inventory Not as required 5) Life saving Appliances - Embarkation arrangements survival craft Not properly maintained 6) ISM - Ism cerificiate Not as required The vessel was released again on Feb 8 and left the port on Feb 10 en route to Ghent with an ETA as of Feb 11. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063576908591

The 'Sparta IV' is heading to the port of Tartus to pick up military equipment left behind by the Russians after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime anid is actually destined to Port Said with an ETA as of Fe 12, 2025. The military equipment transported by Russian cargo vessels will significantly bolster the Kremlin's supplies, which the ongoing war in Ukraine has seriously depleted. On the morning of Feb 8, several Russian container ships carrying weapons taken from Syria departed the Mediterranean Sea and entered the Atlantic Ocean, traveling north along the western coast of Portugal. They were accompanied by the landing ships 'Ivan Grien' and 'Aleksandr Otrakovsky' and the tanker 'General Skobielev'. In the Atlantic, the fleet was joined by the British fast patrol boat HMS 'Cutlass', which was responsible for protecting the waters around Gibraltar. The two Russian frigates 'Admiral Grigorovich' and 'Admiral Golovko', which had been assisting Sparta and Sparta II since they left Syrian waters on Jan 27, were not seen in the Atlantic. Their absence may indicate that they have turned around and are now escorting the 'Sparta IV', and once loaded, they will probably accompany it westward to save it from the fate of the 'Ursa Major', which sank off the coast of Oran, Algeria, on Dec 23 following an explosion. For two months, the Russian Navy tanker 'Yelnya' had been stationed off the coast of Algeria, waiting for two ships, and likely refueled these on Feb 6, allowing them to reach Syria. The Russian convoy navigating the Mediterranean was under constant surveillance by NATO aircraft and drones. It was likely shadowed alternately by two nuclear-powered submarines: the American USS 'Indiana' and the British HMS 'Anson'. These submarines made several trips back and forth through the Strait of Gibraltar in Jan and Feb.