News

The ferry company Gotlandsbolaget sent the Nordic Pearl' from Copenhagen to Oslo for the first time on Jan 28 with its new colours and its new name. The 36-year-old ferry, which is now painted aqua-green and white, has also undergone an extensive renovation inside during its almost month-long stay at the shipyard in Landskrona. This applies to both cabins and the ferry's common areas. The ferry was purchased by DFDS in 2001 and named 'Pearl of Scandinavia'' and in 2011 'Pearl Seaways'. Report with photo: https://www.maritimedanmark.dk/forste-tur-med-nyt-navn-og-ny-bemaling

Wing Commander Akshay Saxena of the Indian Air Force (IAF) has been awarded the Vayu Sena Medal for his exemplary bravery in a high-risk anti-piracy operation and rescuing the 'Ruen' from Somali pirates. On Dec 14, 2023, the pirates hijacked the vessel about 380 nautical miles east of Socotra Island, in the Arabian Sea. They took 17 crew members hostage and sailed the vessel towards the Somali coast, where they began negotiations with the shipowner. However, instead of anchoring off Somalia, the pirates decided to set sail again, likely intending to use the 'Ruen' as a mother ship for launching attacks on other vessels in the Indian Ocean. On March 15, 2024, an Indian Navy long-range maritime patrol intercepted the ship about 260 nautical miles east of Somalia. The Indian Warships INS 'Kolkata' and INS 'Subhadra' were positioned alongside the hijacked vessel. In response, the pirates opened fire on the warships and shot down one of 'Kolkata'’s surveillance drones. The Indian military then quickly deployed a team of 18 marine commandos (Marcos) and an IAF C-17 transport aircraft for a precision airdrop mission. Wing Commander Akshay Saxena, as the pilot of the C-17, led the operation that involved the insertion of the commandos into the sea near the 'Ruen'. This risky operation required Saxena to navigate through a third country’s airspace for nearly four hours without authorisation and in complete secrecy. Saxena flew the C-17 at a low level, turning off all the aircraft’s communication systems to avoid detection. As they approached the drop zone, the location was changed, requiring the crew to adapt quickly. Despite the change, Saxena executed the airdrop smoothly, dropping the 18 commandos and their inflatable boats into the water near the 'Ruen'. The commandos boarded the vessel, confronted 35 pirates aboard, and forced them to stand down and surrender. The Indian Ministry of Defense commended Saxena for his “flawless execution of an extremely gruelling mission” and for displaying “exceptional courage, dynamic leadership, outstanding professionalism, and steadfast determination.” He maintained situational awareness during the operation, which lasted for over 10 hours. The rescue of the 'Ruen' also marked the first-ever insertion of marine commandos via airdrop on the high seas, proving India’s readiness to handle piracy threats in distant waters. The Indian Navy has also recommended Lieutenant Commander Sourabh Malik for a gallantry award. Malik and his Commando squad carried out an opposed boarding of the fishing vessel 'Omari' on Feb 2, 2024. Despite the hijackers’ attempts to stop the boarding with heavy and constant small arms fire, they captured seven armed pirates and freed 19 fishermen. Report with photos: https://www.marineinsight.com/shipping-news/iaf-pilot-honoured-for-10-hour-mission-to-rescue-hijacked-ship-from-somali-pirates/

The United States Attorney Duane A. Evans has announced that Fei Wang, aged 38, on Jan 24, 2025, has pleaded guilty to violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS) and for obstructing proceedings, and was sentenced during the same proceeding to three months in prison, three years of supervised release, and payment of a US$200 mandatory special assessment fee. Wang, a Chinese national, was the chief engineer of the 'ASL Singapore', now sailing as 'Xin Hai Tong 805', which was engaged in trade in the USA. The 'ASL Singapore' has arrived in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Feb 26, 2024. The US Coast Guard conducted an inspection, which included review of the vessel’s oil record books. In his plea, Wang acknowledged presenting these books to the Coast Guard knowing they contained fraudulent entries and omitted information about discharging oily bilge water directly overboard before arriving in the USA. The falsified logs were intended to conceal the fact that since at least Oct 2023, when Wang boarded the vessel, the crew had dumped oily bilge water overboard directly from the bilge holding tank and was not complying with international treaties regulating oil pollution from ships. According to court documents and statements, the crew of the 'ASL Singapore' used a portable pump and flexible hose to dispose of oily bilge water in violation of MARPOL Convention,, and without the use of the appropriate pollution prevention equipment and monitoring. This was done prior to Wang boarding the vessel and continued while he was chief engineer, in charge of all engine room operations. The vessel's oily water separator was never properly used during Wang's time as chief engineer. The Coast Guard Investigative Service and the EPA Criminal Investigations Division investigated the case with assistance from US Coast Guard Sector New Orleans. Assistant US Attorneys Christine M. Calogero of the General Crimes Unit, and G. Dall Kammer, Chief of the General Crimes Unit, are prosecuting the case.

The fisherman Are Strand died when he fell overboard from the "Øyværing", which then ran aground at Kabelvåg on March 1, 2024. Now the accident report from the Accident Investigation Board Norway is ready. The accident most likely occurred when the lone fisherman on board the"Øyværing" was setting the third net link and fell overboard. The vessel continued on autopilot and grounded north on the island of Kreta at Kabelvåg. People on land observed the vessel and reported it to the emergency services, and a search was launched. The fisherman was later found in the area where the fisherman's third net link was set, and died as a result of the accident, writes the Accident Investigation Board. No recommendations have been made after the investigation, but the Accident Investigation Board wrote that they emphasized the importance of following up on the action plan with the vision zero for the number of fatalities and serious injuries at sea, which was adopted by the Storting in 2022. A large proportion of the accidents in solo fishing that the board investigated have shown that fishermen have fallen overboard in connection with the operation of the vessel. It is the actual conditions that mean that a lone fisherman must be physically located close to the rig in an exposed position during some parts of the setting and hauling process, which is the main challenge. For smaller fishing vessels with one person on board, it is therefore challenging to identify good measures that can eliminate this danger completely. When the fisherman fell overboard, no one immediately noticed that he was in distress. He had no opportunity to warn, and the fisherman did not use a flotation device, wrote the Accident Investigation Board Norway. A review of previous accidents involving lone fishermen that SHK has investigated has shown that very few lone fishermen used flotation devices. The Accident Investigation Board believes that the consequence-reducing measures such as personal alert devices, flotation devices, electronic emergency stops and ladders, individually or in combination, would increase the likelihood of saving lives in accidents where a lone fisherman falls overboard. In the action plan prepared by the Norwegian Maritime Directorate in connection with the work on the zero vision, several measures have been proposed for, among other things, smaller fishing vessels. Some of these measures are particularly relevant in view of the accident with the ««Øyværing»». Reports with photos: https://www.vaganavisa.no/nyheter/i/zEdax4/undersoeker-doedsulykken https://www.kystmagasinet.no/sikkerhet-statens-havarikommisjon-ulykke/alenefiskere-er-ekstra-utsatt-for-a-do-pa-jobb/1885601

The work on the Müden lock to put it back into operation has almost been completed. The two new gate wings are currently being connected to the control and drive technology. The first tests with the new lock gate were scheduled for Jan 30. The first test locks will then take place onJan 31. Among other things, the entire process of automatic lock control with upper and lower gate movements will be tested. If large ships are already waiting to be locked at this time, this would be an advantage for the test locks and the ships could be locked as part of the test locks. The 'Regina K' remained stationary in Haren/Ems as of Jan 29. Report with photo: https://www.blick-aktuell.de/Berichte/Probeschleusungen-beginnen-am-Freitag-617017.html

The "Calimero Sampa" ran aground on Jan 28, 2025, shortly before 6 a.m. on the reef protecting the beach to the west of the port of Cesenatico, about 250 meters from the coast, for reasons currently being investigated. After the Rimini Harbour Master's Office Operations Room received a radio distress call from the crew, the Coast Guard of Rimini and Cesenatico sent the patrol boat 'CP 842' to provide assistance, along with the RHIB 'GC B142', given the shallow waters in that stretch of sea. The four crew members, one Italian national and three Tunisians, had in the meantime taken refuge on the deckhouse of the vessel, now lying on its starboard side. The rescue operations, complicated by the shallow water, the increasing swell, the proximity of the embankment and the drifting debris from the fishing vessel itself, lasted for about 45 minutes. All fishermen were embarked on the Cesenatico Coast Guard dinghy. Medical personnel who intervened in the meantime found them to be in good health, but were transferred as a precaution to the Cesena Hospital for more in-depth checks. Reports with photos: https://risveglioduemila.it/2025/01/un-peschereccio-resta-incagliato-a-cesenatico-equipaggio-salvato-dalla-guardia-costiera/ https://www.cesenatoday.it/cronaca/incidente-mare-peschereccio-ricostruzione-guardia-costiera.html https://www.corrierecesenate.it/cesenatico-un-peschereccio-ribaltato-in-acqua-a-ponente/

The Italian Coast Guard has ordered the detention of two ships in the port of Genova, among the ten inspected since the beginning of the year, as part of the environmental and safety control activities conducted by the Port State Control personnel on foreign vessels transiting Italian ports. The detention orders were issued against the 'Commander' and 'Salammbo', which had serious shortcomings in terms of navigation safety and environmental protection. The 'Commander', which had arrived in port on Jan 21, 2025, was selected thanks to the targeting system developed by the General Command of the Coast Guard. The system, in line with the objectives of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, analyses a series of data relating to ships, considering elements such as the company's performance, the flag and the results of previous inspections (https://www.parismou.org/detentions-banning/white-grey-and-black-list). The analysis of the data, in particular the low performance of the company and the shortcomings already reported in a previous inspection, allowed the ship to be identified as a priority for control. After three days of detention, the ship was authorised to leave again following a re-inspection which verified that the technical, operational and documentary shortcomings had been resolved, in collaboration with the flag State and the monitoring Classification Society, and left the port on Jan 24 en route to Samsun with an ETA as of Feb 3. The 'Salammbo', which had arrived in Genova on Jan 19, was inspected for its high risk profile. Serious deficiencies were also found on this ship, which remained moored at the Genova Port Terminal, including problems with the collective lifesaving equipment and the waste water treatment plant, in violation of current environmental regulations. At the moment, the ship remains detained, awaiting resolution of the reported critical issues.

The cleanup of the oil lost from the 'Volgoneft-239' has been largely completed, the Russian state marine rescue service Morspas announced on Jan 27. After the tanker broke up, the stern section drifted aground on a rocky shore off Taman. The battered hull began leaking large quantities of fuel oil. The tanker was more than 50 years old, and not designed for winter storm conditions in the Baltic Sea. It was carrying about 4,000 of tonnes of mazut. An estimated 3,700 tonnes of the cargo spilled into the marine environment, fouling beaches from Taman to Anapa. Morspas responded to the 'Volgoneft-239' with a mission to reduce the risk of further oil leaks. Using earthmoving equipment, the salvors built a berm around the entire stern section, enclosing any further petroleum releases. The berm was reinforced with jacks to protect the wreck from wintertime wave action. Before pumping off the tank contents, the salvors had to restore the tanker's cargo heating systems, which are necessary to move the sludge-like material, asmazut only begins to liquefy at about 43 degrees C. From Jany 19-25, 1,500 tons of fuel oil were pumped out of the tanker into bitumen carriers and then transferred onto 20 railway tank car. A truck platform reinforced with concrete slabs was installed on the berm next to the tanker. This supported the trucks receiving fuel oil from the vessel. Eight vehicles were involved in the round-the-clock pumping operations, and over the entire period, 87 truckloads were removed from the tanker. The remaining fuel oil that could not be unloaded by the ship's equipment was pumped out using hand pumps. Meanwhile, cleanup teams boomed off the surrounding area and used mechanical and hand removal to abate the oil. Morspas' Azov-Black Sea branch has deployed small boat teams daily to rocky, inaccessible shorelines, and reports that it has manually collected nearly two tonnes of oil-contaminated soil from hard-to-reach places. No new sources of pollution were identified. They were collecting small local areas and also finishing work in the area of Cape Panagia on cleaning the coastal strip, collecting and delivering the spent soil for disposal. Now that the fuel oil has been removed from the wreck, the salvage operation turns to wreck removal. The plan is to cut up the 'Volgoneft-239' in place and haul it away in sections. Taman's port captain has requested that the wreckage be removed by the end of March. The 'Volgoneft-212' and the remains of her cargo are still on the bottom, though vents have been plugged to prevent leakages. The fuel oil that was released into the marine environment could take up to 10 years to degrade. Report with photos: https://maritime-executive.com/article/cleanup-of-wrecked-russian-tanker-completed

The 'CG 'Active' and CG 'Terrell Horne' have intercepted a boat that was carrying 21 migrants on Jan 27, 2025, at around 10.45 p.m., 20 nautical miles off the coast of Point Loma. U.S. Customs and Border Patrol notified them about a 40-foot panga-style vessel headed north to the maritime boundary line and U.S. waters. The Coast Guard Cutters were diverted to the scene. Both cutters launched boarding teams and, with CBP’s assistance, successfully interdicted the vessel. All 21 people on board claimed Mexican nationality, but two were identified as Guatemalan and Salvadoran nationals. All boat people were transferred to Border Patrol custody.

The "Kjerringa", which sank at the quay of the Hammerfest Industri sometime between Christmas Eve and Dec 27, 2024, was raised again on Jan 6, 2025. The weather was very bad in the area when the accident occurred. On Christmas Day the wind was blowing at a speed of 25 m/s. The exact time of the accident is not certain. On Christmas Eve afternoon, the m/v "Seiland" had docked behind the "Kjerringa" without discovering any damage, an accident report stated. The vessel was moored there since Dec 11. The news of the accident reached the shipping company shortly before 1:00 p.m. The Hammerfest Fire and Rescue was contacted and came to put bilges in connection with the accident to prevent the spread of the oil and/or diesel spill, without any spill being reported. An attempt was also made to raise the "Kjerringa" as quickly as possible, but there was no equipment or crew available for such an operation.When the ship was raised, a hole in the hull could be seen. According to the report, this was due to repeated hits to the stern.

The Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich is said to have evaded millions in taxes in Germany and other EU countries, according to leaked documents that are available to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and have now been analyzed by the "Standard" together with media such as "Spiegel", ZDF, "Guardian" and BBC. The focus is on the "Eclipse" owned by Abramovich and allegedly part of a complex tax avoidance model. The ship is said to have been officially handled through various letterbox companies. Offshore companies were used to conceal the real owner and avoid paying taxes. Abramovich's advisors designed a network of companies that was supposed to simulate the commercial use of Abramovich's yacht fleet. The "Eclipse" was probably part of the structure until at least 2012. According to this, the yacht was officially rented to a company in the British Virgin Islands in order to avoid VAT obligations - although Abramovich demonstrably used the "Eclipse" privately, for example for an exclusive New Year's Eve party in the Caribbean in 2012. There is also said to have been a trick when refueling the yacht. Commercially used ships are exempt from fuel tax in the EU. Internal emails show that those responsible were trying to obtain the necessary evidence. When a rental agreement was not submitted on time, an employee warned that this would jeopardize a tax saving of 44,000 US dollars for filling up the tank once. A particularly lucrative tax loophole arose during the construction of the "Eclipse" in Hamburg. Since the ship was built in what was then the free port, the location was not considered to be German territory for tax purposes. Therefore, no VAT was apparently due on the purchase. The costs are estimated at around 300 to 800 million euros. For a long time, Abramovich and his advisors managed to fend off official inquiries. In Italy, tax proceedings threatened in 2014 after the yacht had been refueled in Trieste, but the investigation was discontinued. There were also disagreements in Cyprus: in 2012, the authorities there demanded around 14 million euros in taxes on chartering. Abramovich's lawyer later withdrew his appeals, but it remains unclear whether the sum was paid. Since the imposition of Western sanctions against Russian oligarchs, Abramovich has avoided the EU in order to protect his assets from being accessed. The "Eclipse" is now off the Turkish coast, beyond the reach of European authorities. In Germany, the alleged tax offenses may now be time-barred. The statute of limitations in Germany is usually only five years, but in particularly serious cases it can be 15 years.

After a submarine cable used by the Latvian State Radio and Television Center (LVRTC) was damaged in the Baltic Sea, Latvia has reported initial progress in the investigation. The Latvian Navy, in cooperation with Swedish partners, has received initial video footage from the seabed, said Prime Minister Evika Siliņa, on Jan 28. According to this, it is very likely that the damaged part of the cable has been located. According to Navy Chief Maris Polencs, a torpedo-like device with acoustic sensors is being used for the investigation, which is lowered to the seabed to determine the location of the cable and also film it. However, visibility is very low at a depth of around 100 meters. Specialists and investigators will therefore continue to analyze the information received. Latvian naval divers and experts from the LVRTC have made their way to the site of the damage, which is located around 130 kilometers off the Latvian coast. The authorities in Stockholm are investigating possible "serious sabotage" and have detained the suspicious 'Vezhen'.

The'Amelie', with three crew members on board, was left without electricity or wind three nautical miles southeast of Fuengirola on Jan 28, 2025, and requested assistance. The CCS Tarifa of Salvamento Marítimo mobilized the SAR boat 'Salvamar Alnitak', which took the boat in tow and safely pulled it to the port of Malaga. Report with photo: https://x.com/salvamentogob/status/1884310589230780569

The Italian Coast Guard has ordered the detention of two ships in the port of Genova, among the ten inspected since the beginning of the year, as part of the environmental and safety control activities conducted by the Port State Control personnel on foreign vessels transiting Italian ports. The detention orders were issued against the 'Commander' and 'Salammbo', which had serious shortcomings in terms of navigation safety and environmental protection. The 'Commander', which had arrived in port on Jan 21, 2025, was selected thanks to the targeting system developed by the General Command of the Coast Guard. The system, in line with the objectives of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, analyses a series of data relating to ships, considering elements such as the company's performance, the flag and the results of previous inspections (https://www.parismou.org/detentions-banning/white-grey-and-black-list). The analysis of the data, in particular the low performance of the company and the shortcomings already reported in a previous inspection, allowed the ship to be identified as a priority for control. After three days of detention, the ship was authorised to leave again following a re-inspection which verified that the technical, operational and documentary shortcomings had been resolved, in collaboration with the flag State and the monitoring Classification Society, and left the port on Jan 24 en route to Samsun with an ETA as of Feb 3. The 'Salammbo' was inspected for its high risk profile. Serious deficiencies were also found on this ship, which remained moored at the Genova Port Terminal, including problems with the collective lifesaving equipment and the waste water treatment plant, in violation of current environmental regulations. At the moment, the ship remains detained, awaiting resolution of the reported critical issues.

The cleanup of the oil lost from the 'Volgoneft-239' has been largely completed, the Russian state marine rescue service Morspas announced on Jan 27. After the tanker broke up, the stern section drifted aground on a rocky shore off Taman. The battered hull began leaking large quantities of fuel oil. The tanker was more than 50 years old, and not designed for winter storm conditions in the Baltic Sea. It was carrying about 4,000 of tonnes of mazut. An estimated 3,700 tonnes of the cargo spilled into the marine environment, fouling beaches from Taman to Anapa. Morspas responded to the 'Volgoneft-239' with a mission to reduce the risk of further oil leaks. Using earthmoving equipment, the salvors built a berm around the entire stern section, enclosing any further petroleum releases. The berm was reinforced with jacks to protect the wreck from wintertime wave action. Before pumping off the tank contents, the salvors had to restore the tanker's cargo heating systems, which are necessary to move the sludge-like material, asmazut only begins to liquefy at about 43 degrees C. From Jany 19-25, 1,500 tons of fuel oil were pumped out of the tanker into bitumen carriers and then transferred onto 20 railway tank car. A truck platform reinforced with concrete slabs was installed on the berm next to the tanker. This supported the trucks receiving fuel oil from the vessel. Eight vehicles were involved in the round-the-clock pumping operations, and over the entire period, 87 truckloads were removed from the tanker. The remaining fuel oil that could not be unloaded by the ship's equipment was pumped out using hand pumps. Meanwhile, cleanup teams boomed off the surrounding area and used mechanical and hand removal to abate the oil. Morspas' Azov-Black Sea branch has deployed small boat teams daily to rocky, inaccessible shorelines, and reports that it has manually collected nearly two tonnes of oil-contaminated soil from hard-to-reach places. No new sources of pollution were identified. They were collecting small local areas and also finishing work in the area of Cape Panagia on cleaning the coastal strip, collecting and delivering the spent soil for disposal. Now that the fuel oil has been removed from the wreck, the salvage operation turns to wreck removal. The plan is to cut up the 'Volgoneft-239' in place and haul it away in sections. Taman's port captain has requested that the wreckage be removed by the end of March. The 'Volgoneft-212' and the remains of her cargo are still on the bottom, though vents have been plugged to prevent leakages. The fuel oil that was released into the marine environment could take up to 10 years to degrade. Report with photos: https://maritime-executive.com/article/cleanup-of-wrecked-russian-tanker-completed

The 'CG 'Active' and CG 'Terrell Horne' have intercepted a boat that was carrying 21 migrants on Jan 27, 2025, at around 10.45 p.m., 20 nautical miles off the coast of Point Loma. U.S. Customs and Border Patrol notified them about a 40-foot panga-style vessel headed north to the maritime boundary line and U.S. waters. The Coast Guard Cutters were diverted to the scene. Both cutters launched boarding teams and, with CBP’s assistance, successfully interdicted the vessel. All 21 people on board claimed Mexican nationality, but two were identified as Guatemalan and Salvadoran nationals. All boat people were transferred to Border Patrol custody.

The 'Kriti Captain', which suffered a fire on the night of Jan 25, while it was right next to the port at the underwater pipeline for the unloading of its cargo of 33,000 tonnes of diesel, was taken in tow on Jan 28 at 3 p.m. by the tug 'Abeille Méditerranée' after meeting all the safety conditions necessary for the transit, and was now heading at low speed towards the Gulf of Fos-sur-Mer and the Grand Port Maritime de Marseille. The towing operation was being closely monitored by the CROSS Mediterranée and the semaphores of the French Navy. The convoy should arrive at its destination on Jan 29. During the afternoon, the casino car park on the seafront was closed to parking, and several cars were removed with the help of the municipal police and the gendarmerie. A helicopter was used to transport firefighters from Marseille to check the condition of the ship, restart the last of the three generators to ensure a power supply and raise the anchors. Subsequently, a pilot boat took on board three firefighters from the center of Port-La Nouvelle to come to the aid of the firefighters on the tanker. Report with photos: https://www.herault-tribune.com/articles/port-la-nouvelle-le-kriti-captain-remorque-vers-le-port-de-marseille/

The '50 Let Pobedy', en route to the Ob Bay, suffered significant damage to its port side foreship in a collision with the bulkcarrier 'Yamal Krechet' (IMO: 9202041), en route from Arkhangelsk to Sabetta, the port where Novatek's Yamal LNG production facilitates are located, while operating on the Northern Sea Route., opening a deep gash near its bow on the night of Jan 26, 2025, in the Kara Sea. The accident happened while maintaining winter shipping lanes and escorting a cargo vessel. The condition of the bulkcarrier, which was hit at port side ahead of the accommodation block, was unknown. According to Russia’s operator of nuclear icebreakers, Atomflot, the '50 Let Pobedy' remained seaworthy and continued operating in the Ob Bay. The damaged section was not proximate to the vessel’s nuclear reactor and the power plant continued operating normally. It was, however, unclear if the vessel will complete its regular stint of winter icebreaking services or will return to Murmansk early to undergo repairs. Reports with photo and video: https://gcaptain.com/russian-nuclear-icebreaker-sustains-damage-in-arctic-collision-with-cargo-ship/ https://maritime-executive.com/article/video-russian-nuclear-icebreaker-damaged-in-collision

The 'Alfred', sailing on the route Troon-Brodick, suffered a technical issue affecting the sewage system on Jan 28, 2025. The issue has impacted the crew's compensatory rest. As a consequence, the scheduled departures from Brodick at 3:45 p.m. and from Troon at 6:00 p.m. had to be cancelled.

The catamaran yacht 'Amelie' (MMSI: 249407000), with three crew members on board, was left without electricity or wind three nautical miles southeast of Fuengirola on Jan 28, 2025, and requeste assistance. The CCS Tarifa of Salvamento Marítimo mobilized the 'Salvamar Alnitak', which took the boat in tow and safely pulled it to the port of Malaga. Report with photo: https://x.com/salvamentogob/status/1884310589230780569