News

The French Navy was conducting an SAR operation for a crew member of the 'Forbin', an escort ship for the aircraft carrier ' Charles-de-Gaulle', who went missing at sea, as the carrier strike group was preparing to return to Toulon after a five-month mission, ion the night of April 23, 2025. After he was reported missing, searches were launched on board in vain. The carrier battle group, which was sailing 150 nautical miles south of the Toulon coast, immediately turned back to conduct a search at sea. An Atlantique-2 maritime surveillance aircraft joined the search late in the night. The strike group had left Toulon at the end of Nov 2024 for the "Clemenceau 25" mission, which took it as far east as the Philippines. In addition to the aircraft carrier, it is comprised of a replenishment ship, three frigates, and a nuclear-powered attack submarine.

The 'Victoria K' is among those vessels, the Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence Service has idientfied to be involved in Russia's export of coking coal from temporarily occupied territories through the port of Mariupol, as part of a deliberate strategy to exploit the occupied territories, violating international law and the rules of warfare. The 'Alfa M' exported about 40.000 tons, the 'Alfa 1' more than 20,000 tons of coking coal, the 'Alpha Hermes' more than 5,000 tons, the "Victoria K' more than 20,000 tons, and the 'Victoria V' more than 35,000 tons, totalling to 120,000 tons of coal. The value of this coal will be sufficient to produce thousands of tons of steel. Russia is using the occupied Ukrainian territories as a source of raw materials to secure its economy. which is a serious violation of international humanitarian law, including the 1907 Hague Convention, which prohibits the use of resources of occupied territories for the benefit of the occupier without the consent of the legitimate authority.

The 'Alfa M' is among those vessels, the Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence Service has idientfied to be involved in Russia's export of coking coal from temporarily occupied territories through the port of Mariupol, as part of a deliberate strategy to exploit the occupied territories, violating international law and the rules of warfare. The 'Alfa M' exported about 40.000 tons, the 'Alfa 1' more than 20,000 tons of coking coal, the 'Alpha Hermes' more than 5,000 tons, the "Victoria K' more than 20,000 tons, and the 'Victoria V' more than 35,000 tons, totalling to 120,000 tons of coal. The value of this coal will be sufficient to produce thousands of tons of steel. Russia is using the occupied Ukrainian territories as a source of raw materials to secure its economy. which is a serious violation of international humanitarian law, including the 1907 Hague Convention, which prohibits the use of resources of occupied territories for the benefit of the occupier without the consent of the legitimate authority.

Beached at Alang 24.04.25

The American Waterways Operators (AWO) has awarded crew members of the 'Potomac Express' and the 'El Coqu'i with the Honor & Excellence in Rescue Operations (HERO) Awards. They were recognized for their heroic efforts in ensuring the safety and security of others while at sea. The crew of the 'El Coqui', led by Capt. Kurt Breitfeller, played a pivotal role during the rescue operation of four people forced to abandon their sailboat after it was damaged in the Atlantic Ocean. Alongside the U.S. Coast Guard and the fishing vessel 'Bonanza', they worked to successfully locate, retrieve and transport the four to safety. In another case, while serving aboard the' Potomac Express', zjr Second Mate Kevin Zapolski displayed bravery when he swiftly responded to a distress call after a fellow crew member fell into the water between the dock and the vessel. Zapolski deployed a life ring, provided critical support and coordinated with the crew, terminal staff and emergency responders to rescue the crew member. The award recognizes those whose actions prevent harm and protect lives on the water each day. Report with photo: https://www.ajot.com/news/crowley-mariners-honored-for-heroic-rescues-by-american-waterways-operators

The National Prosecutor's Office has authorized the Prosecutor's Office to finance this service of taking the 'Cobra' to dry dock and, together with the Investigative Police and their experts, to conduct a series of studies of the vessel's operation and of evidence that may still be there, in order to advance investigative conclusions that are fundamental to this investigation. The hearing will take place on May 2 and will last 24 hours. For his part, the 'Blumar's lawyer, Alejandro Espinoza, stated that a request has been submitted to the Public Prosecutor's Office to have the 'Cobra' taken to a dry dock at the company's expense so that all necessary forensic examinations can be carried out and any doubts surrounding the incident can be cleared up. Initial accounts from the ship's crew indicated that they heard nothing on the day of the accident (March 30), and later, some crew members said they heard a noise attributed to an internal door.

English fisheries inspectors arrested and inspected five Belgian beam trawlers in the Bristol Channel. The trawlers had to stop fishing and procered to an English port. There, computers were confiscated. The crews were also arrested. A One of the trawlers inspected was the 'Z-26 Avanti' of Steve Depaepe from Damme. Skipper of the beam trawler is Clancy Snauwaert. The ship had to sail eight hours to Newlyn. The hard drives of the on-board computers were confiscated there. The fishermen were placed under arrest and considered suspicious, but they were not told what we were suspected of. Eventually, after a long wait, they were released again, but did not get the hard drives back. Without them, you cannot fish regularly. Because they did not have any spare drives on board, they had to return to Zeebrugge. All in all, there were three days of fishing loss which cost then at least 40,000 to 50,000 euros.’Minister Crevits took the matter very seriously and has visited the crew of the trawler in Zeebrugge.

On the morning of April 24, the servoce of the "Tranøy", serving between Bognes and Lødingen, had to cancelled by the operator Torghatten until further notice due to technical problems. All departures for the route, starting from 12:45 a.m. until the departure at 11:30 p.m. were cancelled. which also affected the bus from Bodø to Sortland on Line 100. The departure from the Lødingen ferry pier at 12:45 p.m, was delayed 1.5 hours due to the canceled ferry service. The ship remained sidelined in Lødingen for troubleshooting.

The 'Alpha Hermes' is among those vessels, the Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence Service has idientfied to be involved in Russia's export of coking coal from temporarily occupied territories through the port of Mariupol, as part of a deliberate strategy to exploit the occupied territories, violating international law and the rules of warfare. The 'Alfa M' exported about 40.000 tons, the 'Alfa 1' more than 20,000 tons of coking coal, the 'Alpha Hermes' more than 5,000 tons, the "Victoria K' more than 20,000 tons, and the 'Victoria V' more than 35,000 tons, totalling to 120,000 tons of coal. The value of this coal will be sufficient to produce thousands of tons of steel. Russia is using the occupied Ukrainian territories as a source of raw materials to secure its economy. which is a serious violation of international humanitarian law, including the 1907 Hague Convention, which prohibits the use of resources of occupied territories for the benefit of the occupier without the consent of the legitimate authority.

The 'Toi Challenger', loaded with around 18,000 tons of Ukrainian wheat, has been held in the port of Al-Mukalla, where it arrived on March 11, 2025, for more than a month, with the situation having signs of commercial manipulation and a gross violation of international maritime law, according to the vessel's owner, Integrated Transport Management Group. The wheat was bound for Al Rayyan Salalah Mills and Arabian Sea Fisheries. The cargo was transported on the basis of ‘clean’ bills of lading, which certified the proper condition of the goods at the time of loading at the port of departure. Upon arrival, the consignees rejected the cargo without providing any legal grounds. Lawyers and experts were speculating that there may have been collusion between local authorities and commercial entities, leading to the actual detention of the vessel and crew in a regional commercial conflict. The shipowner's losses have already topped six figures in euros due to downtime costs, lost time charter contracts and reputational damage. The situation was further complicated by the fact that Yemen remained an area of active military conflict, which poses risks to the lives of the crew. Some of the sailors were aboard beyond the contractual timeframe and are unable to leave the vessel.

a crew member of the USS 'Nimitz' has gone missing in Guam, and his ship has sailed without him. Sailor Gabriel D. Holt was off base when he was last seen late on April 18, 2025, after tje 'Nimitz's arrival in Guam. At around midnight, he was spotted in the Tumon district, in between Hotel Nikko and Gun Beach, about 10 miles northeast of the base at Apra. He was reported missing on April 19. The search for Holt is still active, and the local police are looking for public tips. All available agencies are actively engaged in efforts to locate the missing sailor. On April 21, USS 'Nimitz' sailed from Guam to resume her deployment in the Western Pacific, accompanied by the destroyers USS 'Gridley' and USS 'Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee'; the Zumwalt-class destroyer USS 'Michael Monsoor' also deployed as part of the carrier strike group, and called at Guam on April 17.

The China Maritime Safety Administration (CMSA) has released a report on its findings into the explosion and fire which occurred on the 'YM Mobility' at the Ningbo Port on Aug 9, 2024, starting in a container loaded with dangerous goods close to the ship’s bow. The CMSA revealed in the report that the cargo in the reefer container included tert-Butyl peroxybenzoate (TBPB), a compound that has thermal instability and can self-decompose at room temperature, and release large amounts of heat and produce gas or vapour. According to the shipper’s declaration, the container in question was a reefer unit used as a substitute for a dry container, without requiring power connection. The container was used to store TBPB despite having poor heat dissipation properties, with the heat generated by the TBPB self-decomposition reaction therefore accumulating in the container. The continuous increase in temperature accelerated the self-decomposition reaction, which resulted in thermal runaway and the subsequent explosion and fire. The incident occurred during a period when summer temperatures in Shanghai where the product was packed, were higher than usual. From July25 to Aug 9, Shanghai and Ningbo saw high temperatures, with daytime temperature reaching a maximum of 40 degrees Celsius. The investigation showed that the operator failed to exercise sufficient care when reviewing the cargo transportation plan. In particular, the operator failed to conduct a full safety assessment of the stability of the cargo and the risk of thermal runaway with respect to the conditions such as high outside temperatures, self-separation of the cargo, and thermal insulation of the unplugged reefer unit. The operator failed to conduct a full safety assessment of the stability of the cargo and the risk of thermal runaway with respect to the conditions such as high outside temperatures, self-separation of the cargo, and thermal insulation of the unplugged reefer unit. The operator agreed to use the unplugged reefer to transport the dangerous goods and did not consider the temperature changes in the container during transportation. The CMSA found no abnormalities in other steps throughout the cargo transportation process. The investigation found both the operator and the shipper to responsible for the incident.

The company RN Salvamento assisted the 'Papu Mar' and the barge '240-4' on a complex and challenging rescue operation, responding immediately after the tug sank on the night of April 17 near Banco Chico, at kilometer 77 of the Punta Indio Channel. The barge, carrying 140 containers, had remained conncected to the sunken tug, posing a significant risk to the stability of the vessel and its cargo. RN Salvamento deployed the tug 'Ona Don Lorenzo' (IMO: 9328388) with technical personnel to assess the situation and assist the barge. Despite strong winds that complicated the operation, the team managed to secure the 'Papu Mar's mooring lines. Subsequently, after the tug completely sank, the tug 'Ona Triunfo' (IMO: 9274604) was deployed with rescue personnel to rehabilitate the barge's anchoring system. The barge was uncoupled from the sunken tug and towed to the port of Buenos Aires, where it arrived undamaged and with all its cargo intact. The company is currently finalizing contractual details for the refloating of the 'Papu Mar'. Report with photos: https://comexonline.com.ar/noticias/val/62541/operacion-de-rescate-exitosa-rn-salvamento-asiste-al-remolcador-papu-mar-en-apuros.html

The Zr.Ms. 'Groningen' has intercepted three drug shipments in the Caribbean in one week. According to a report from Defense on April 23, 2025, hundreds of kilos of cocaine and marijuana were seized. The interceptions took place in the first week of April, but have only now been made public. A total of 1653 kilos of narcotics were seized, of which almost 600 kilos were hard drugs. Last week, the 'Groningen' left her temporary base in Curaçao. Although the Ministry of Defence no longer makes any statements about this ‘for security reasons’, the naval vessel has reportedly set course for its home port of Den Helder. It had served as a station ship in the Caribbean since Jan 23, 2025. Since then, it has intercepted almost 3,500 kilos of cocaine. The largest catch was made on Feb 2, when almost 2,820 kilos of cocaine were intercepted. The smugglers were forced to stop by targeted shots from an on-board helicopter that disabled the engine of their vessel. Five suspects were arrested and handed over to the American Coast Guard with the drugs. The Zr.Ms.' Friesland' will take the place of the Zr.Ms. 'Groningen'. Due to the same 'security considerations' it has not been announced when this sister ship will dock at the Parera naval base in the capital Willemstad.

The 'Victoria V' is among those vessels, the Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence Service has idientfied to be involved in Russia's export of coking coal from temporarily occupied territories through the port of Mariupol, as part of a deliberate strategy to exploit the occupied territories, violating international law and the rules of warfare. The 'Alfa M' exported about 40.000 tons, the 'Alfa 1' more than 20,000 tons of coking coal, the 'Alpha Hermes' more than 5,000 tons, the "Victoria K' more than 20,000 tons, and the 'Victoria V' more than 35,000 tons, totalling to 120,000 tons of coal. The value of this coal will be sufficient to produce thousands of tons of steel. Russia is using the occupied Ukrainian territories as a source of raw materials to secure its economy. which is a serious violation of international humanitarian law, including the 1907 Hague Convention, which prohibits the use of resources of occupied territories for the benefit of the occupier without the consent of the legitimate authority.

The 'Alfa 1' is among those vessels, the Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence Service has idientfied to be involved in Russia's export of coking coal from temporarily occupied territories through the port of Mariupol, as part of a deliberate strategy to exploit the occupied territories, violating international law and the rules of warfare. The 'Alfa M' exported about 40.000 tons, the 'Alfa 1' more than 20,000 tons of coking coal, the 'Alpha Hermes' more than 5,000 tons, the "Victoria K' more than 20,000 tons, and the 'Victoria V' more than 35,000 tons, totalling to 120,000 tons of coal. The value of this coal will be sufficient to produce thousands of tons of steel. Russia is using the occupied Ukrainian territories as a source of raw materials to secure its economy. which is a serious violation of international humanitarian law, including the 1907 Hague Convention, which prohibits the use of resources of occupied territories for the benefit of the occupier without the consent of the legitimate authority.

arrived Bhavnagar Anchorage 24.04.25

The American Waterways Operators (AWO) has awarded crew members of the 'Potomac Express' and the 'El Coqu'i with the Honor & Excellence in Rescue Operations (HERO) Awards. They were recognized for their heroic efforts in ensuring the safety and security of others while at sea. The crew of the 'El Coqui', led by Capt. Kurt Breitfeller, played a pivotal role during the rescue operation of four people forced to abandon their sailboat after it was damaged in the Atlantic Ocean. Alongside the U.S. Coast Guard and the fishing vessel 'Bonanza', they worked to successfully locate, retrieve and transport the four to safety. In another case, while serving aboard the' Potomac Express', zjr Second Mate Kevin Zapolski displayed bravery when he swiftly responded to a distress call after a fellow crew member fell into the water between the dock and the vessel. Zapolski deployed a life ring, provided critical support and coordinated with the crew, terminal staff and emergency responders to rescue the crew member. The award recognizes those whose actions prevent harm and protect lives on the water each day. Report with photo: https://www.ajot.com/news/crowley-mariners-honored-for-heroic-rescues-by-american-waterways-operators

Thousands of Moroccans took to the streets of Tangier and Casablanca on April 20, 2025, protesting the planned arrival of the 'Maersk Detroit', which was believed to be carrying US fighter jet parts to Israel. In Tangier, over 1,000 protesters gathered at various locations, starting their march around 4:30 p.m. LT from the Iberia Palace in the city center. Protesters held signs and chanted slogans like “The people want the ship banned” and “No genocidal weapons in Moroccan waters,” calling for the vessel to be denied entry. The activists said the boxship was carrying F-35 warplane parts from the USA to Israel. The cargo originated from the US Air Force Plant 4 in Fort Worth and was en route to the port of Haifa between April 5 and May 1. The shipment was expected to be transferred at Tangier Med port to another Maersk vessel, the 'Maersk Nexoe', before reaching its final destination. The 'Maersk Detroit' docked at the Tangier Med Port on April 21. Moroccan dockworkers and groups supporting the Palestinian cause released separate statements claiming the cargo included F-35 jet parts bound for Israel. A similar protest took place across the Strait of Gibraltar in Algeciras, Spain, organised by a group called Cádiz for Palestine. They condemned Maersk’s alleged involvement and called on Spanish authorities to block suspected weapons shipments to Israel at ports including Algeciras, Valencia, and Barcelona. Meanwhile, Maersk has denied transporting weapons or ammunition to Israel. The company acknowledged it holds a contract with the US government and sometimes ships military-related equipment under US-Israeli security cooperation but insisted this specific shipment was not headed to Israel. Instead, Maersk said the cargo was destined for other members of the international F-35 fighter jet program. A statement from Morocco’s CGT General Union of Dock Workers and Port Personnel of the Gulf of Fos confirmed that all containers aboard the Maersk Nexoe had been inspected and showed no signs of carrying weapons or jet parts.

On April 24, 2025, at atound 6 a.m. a fire broke out in the cargo of scrap fire on the 'Federal Tweed', which was berthed at the the Amerikahaven Way in the Western Port Area in Amsterdam. The fire was releasing a lot of smoke. The alerted fire department advised local residents to close their windows and doors. A burning smell has been reported in Amsterdam-Geuzenveld, Osdorp, Badhoevedorp and Lijnden in particular. The scrap was being removed from the cargo hold with a crane and deposited on the quay. The fire department extinguished the burning scrap on the quayside. It was expected that the extinguishing would take some time. The patrol vessel ''PA 1 Castor' (MMSI: 244650483) was on site. Reports with photos: https://www.nhnieuws.nl/nieuws/347935/veel-rook-bij-schrootbrand-op-schip-in-westelijk-havengebied https://112nieuws.net/2025/04/24/enorme-rookontwikkeling-door-brand-op-schip-omwonenden-moeten-ramen-en-deuren-sluiten/#google_vignette https://112inbeeld.nl/forse-rookontwikkeling-bij-brand-op-schip-met-schroot