The 'Hong Tai 58 (宏泰58號) ', which allegedly severed the Taipei-Penghu No. 3 submarine cable. is suspected of being owned by a Chinese state-run company and had docked at the ports of Kaohsiung and Keelung for three months using different names. On the night of Feb 26, the ship along with its Chinese crew was detained. When the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) first attempted to detain the ship on grounds of possible sabotage, its crew said the ship’s name was 'Hong Tai 168', although the AIS) displayed it as 'Hong Tai 58'. The Coast Guard personnel inspected the ship at Anping Harbor in Tainan. A review of AIS records showed that the freighter in Sep 2024 had called at the ports of Kaohsiung, Anping, Keelung and Busan.The freighter apparently turned off its AIS some time after that until Jan 2025, when it appeared in waters near the port of Kaohsiung. The device stayed on until Feb 27 at 11 a.m. The records showed that the vessel had two IMO numbers, which breached the agency’s rules. Also, the MMSI had been used by the Tanzania-flagged 'Hong Da 8 (宏大8號)' and the China-flagged 'Jin Long 389 (金龍389號)', the transponder of which had remained silent for years. The 'Hong Da 8', which is active, has operated with three MMSI numbers. The records suggested that the 'Hong Tai 58', 'Hong Da 8' and Jin Long 389' were the same freighter. The Chinese state-run China COSCO Shipping Corporation and the Guangdong-based Jin Long Maritime Transport owned and operated the 'Jin Long 389'. The 'Hong Tai 58' was linked through its MMSI numbers to six vessels. Five of the ships sailed between Taiwan, China and South Korea in the past three months, each using their AIS, but intermittently.The 'Hong Da 8' had entered the Port of Anping as recently as Feb 2.
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KALLISTE
On Feb 28, 2025, the 'Kalliste', sailing between Tanger-Med and Marseille, requested the medical evacuation of a passenger, while the ferry was sailing 33 nautical miles east of Alicante. The CCS of Salvamento MArítimo in Valencia mobilized the SAR helicopter Helimer 223 to assist, which hoisted the patient and transferred him to the helipad of the Hospital de la Fe. Report with photo: https://x.com/salvamentogob/status/1895534966588805529
HADAROEY
On the afternoon of Feb 28, 2025, smoke development was noticed aboard the "Hadarøy", which runs on the Hareid-Sulesund route, during loading and unloading operations in the port of Hareid. The ferry was evacuated, but neither the crew nor the passengers were injured. After the announcement came over the loudspeaker that the ferry had to be evacuated due to an incident in the engine room, first the people ran ashore, but we were able to retrieve their cars. The fire department went on board and was able to determine that there had been a fire in a high-voltage room below deck with open flames. The fire fighters got the fire under control. There had been no fire in the battery packs on the ferry. Report with photos: https://www.smp.no/nyheter/i/o3mvOm/innstiller-a-ruta-paa-hareid-sulesund
CROWN PRINCESS
On Feb 24, 2025, the 'Crown Princess', en route from Sydney to Port Chalmers, experienced a brief listing beyond its usual movement before stabilizing again, while transiting the Milford Sound. The tilt was caused by strong winds, which had been encountered during a course change. 13 passengers and three crew members suffered minor injuries. Water from the Lido Deck pool flooded a dining area but was quickly cleaned up, and some of the shops and galleys had items coming off the shelves. The ship, however, sustained no structural damages and continued on its voyage as scheduled. The crew promptly addressed the situation, ensuring passenger safety and restoring normal operations. The 'Crown Princess' was on a 14-day New Zealand voyage roundtrip, which had started in from Sydney. Report with video: https://nypost.com/2025/03/02/world-news/australia-cruise-crown-princess-rough-waters-injure-16-passengers-and-crew-in-new-zealand/
HONGTAI58
The captain of the 'Hongtai 58' denied on Feb 27 that his vessel had damaged the Taiwan-Penghu No. 3 submarine cable between Taiwan proper and Penghu. The Tainan District Prosecutors Office has requested the detention of the the man, surnamed Wang (王). The Tainan District Court said on Feb 27 that following confessions, witness testimonies, and supporting evidence, Wang was suspected of breaching the Telecommunications Management Act. The court suspected his involvement in the crime was significant.Wang is a Chinese national with no fixed residence in Taiwan, and if released on bail, there was a risk of him fleeing. The investigation has yet to clarify Wang’s role and the extent of his involvement alongside other accomplices. If released on bail, the court said Wang might contact his accomplices, posing a risk of collusion with co-conspirators and witnesses. The court determined that Wang’s actions led to the disruption of inter-island communications. Given the severity of the crime, the court ruled to remand him in custody and hold him incommunicado. The 'Hong Tai 58' was anchored six nautical miles northwest of Tainan's Jiangjun Fishing Harbor, about half a mile north of the Taiwan-Penghu No. 3 submarine cable. On Feb 25 at around 3 a.m., the Chunghwa Telecom reported the cable had broken 11 kilometres northwest of Jiangjun Fishing Harbor. After receiving the report of the cable break, a Coast Guard vessel intercepted the 'Hong Tai 58' and escorted it to Anping Port. The Coast Guard then handed over the eight Chinese crew members to Tainan prosecutors for investigations.Following questioning on Feb 26, the Tainan District Prosecutors Office requested the detention of Wang. The other seven crew members were placed under residential restrictions, barred from leaving the country, and subjected to electronic monitoring. Report with photo: https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/news/6047423
SALVAMAR ADHARA
On March 2 at 2:14 a.m. LT, the Guardia Civil reported radar echo eight nautucal miles from La Restinga. The RCC of Salvamento Marítimo in Tenerife mobilized the 'Salvamar Acrux', which located a precarious boat with 70 people on board. It was safely escorted to the port of La Restinga, where the migrants disembarked. At 6:24 a.m., the Civil Guard reported a second cayuco. The 'Salvamar Adhara' was tasked to assist and escorted it to the port too. There were 50 people on board. Report with photo: https://x.com/salvamentogob/status/1896120208055828539
AIDACOSMA
On March 2 at 8 a.m., a passenger needed to be medevaced from the 'AIDACosma', en route from Las Palmas to Funchal, while the ship was sailing 45 nautical miles from the Spanish coast. The RCC of Salvamento Marítimo in Tenerife mobilized the SAR helicopter Helimer 204 to take the paitient off. After the sick person was hoisted, he was transferred to shore, where an ambulance was waiting for the further transport to a hospital for medical care on a higher level.
GJEMNES
The "Gjemnes", sailing between Holmestrand and Langøya, ran aground on the rock fill of the breakwater at the far end of Hakan on the Feb 28, 2025., at around 2.40 p.m.. About 15 minutes later, the ferry managed to free itself again, assisted by the crew boat "Hørtte" (MMSI: 257054700). At around 3 p.m., the ferry docked at its berth and all passengers and cars disembarked. There was dense fog at the scene when the incident occurred. On the night of March 1, the lifeboat 'Ivar Formo' (MMSI: 257089480) attended, and its crrew conducted a dive inspection dive of the hull, and on March 1 the ferry was sailing again on the route. Reports with photos: https://www.jarlsbergavis.no/langoya-ferga-kjorte-seg-fast-i-steinfyllinga/s/5-26-553502 https://x.com/NSSR/status/1895793027337371983
CLIFFORD MAERSK
On Feb 28, 2025, the container ship 'ONE Columbia' (IMO: 9806055), en route from Chiwan, allided with the 'Clifford Maersk', which was berthed at the at Kwai Chung No. 9 Terminal in Hong Kong for unloading operations. The 'ONE Columbia' lost power prior to the incident. The ship may have conducted an emergency maneuver by dropping its anchor, but struck the starboard side of the 'Clifford Maersk', while maneuvering to its berth. The impact caused three containers to fall overboard from the 'Clifford M;aersk'. The 'ONE Columbia' suffered a hull breach of two meters length. The Hong Kong Marine Department responded and managed to recover all lost containers from the water. No injuries or oil spills were reported. The authorities launched an investigation into the incident. The 'Clifford Maersk' left the port again on March 2 at 5 a.m. UTC, en route to Shanghai with an ETA as of March 4. The 'ONE Columbia' also sailed on March 2, next headed to Ningbo. Report with video: https://www.seatrade-maritime.com/accidents/one-and-maersk-container-ships-collide-in-hong-kong-port
HONGTAI58
On Feb 25, 2025, the Taiwan Coastguard has detained the 'Hongtai 58' with eight Chinese crew members on board, for suspected sabotage. The National Communications and Cyber Security Center received a report at 3:03 a.m. from the Chunghwa Telecom that the No. 3 cable from Taiwan to Penghu was severed 14.7 kilometres off the coast of Tainan. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) upon receiving the report from Chunghwa Telecom began to monitor the 'Hong Tai (宏泰)', which was anchored near the cable, The ship was in the area from Feb 22 at about 7:10 p.m. until around the time when Chunghwa Telecom reported that the cable had been severed, When the CGA received another report at 3 a.m. that the cable had been severed and that external force could have been responsible, it stopped the vessel and called for reinforcements. Although the Coastguard personnel could not board and inspect the ship due to a difference in height, it was escorted back to port in Tainan, where prosecutors have started their investigation after detaining the crew. Furthermore, the AIS not match what it identified itself as over the radio or what is written on the hull. The case was being “handled in accordance with national security-level principles. Whether the cause of the undersea cable breakage was intentional sabotage or a simple accident remains to be clarified by further investigation.” After the cable was severed, the digital ministry ordered the company to redirect traffic to other cables connecting Taiwan’s main island to its offshore islands. The company was also instructed to add the cable to its repair schedule, coordinating with a repair vessel currently in Kaohsiung working to fix the previously damaged Taiwan-Matsu No. 2 and No. 3 cables. Those two cables are expected to be fully completed by the end of this month and next month, respectively, with the cable connecting Penghu to be fixed afterward. The ministry has submitted a report to the Executive Yuan labeling Taiwan’s undersea cables as critical infrastructure Reports with photo and video: https://hongkongfp.com/2025/02/25/taiwans-coast-guard-detains-chinese-crewed-ship-after-subsea-cable-cut/ https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/25/world/video/taiwan-detain-chinese-crewed-ship-undersea-cable-digvid https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-25/taiwan-detains-china-linked-ship-after-undersea-cable-incident/104981932 https://www.etvbharat.com/en/!international/taiwan-detains-chinese-crewed-ship-after-subsea-cable-cut-enn25022504184
SALVAMAR ADHARA
On March 2 at 2:14 a.m. LT, the Guardia Civil reported radar echo eight nautucal miles from La Restinga. The RCC of Salvamento Marítimo in Tenerife mobilized the 'Salvamar Acrux', which located a precarious boat with 70 people on board. It was safely escorted to the port of La Restinga, where the migrants disembarked. At 6:24 a.m., the Civil Guard reported a second cayuco. The 'Salvamar Adhara' was tasked to assist and escorted it to the port too. There were 50 people on board. Report with photo: https://x.com/salvamentogob/status/1896120208055828539
ARDENTIA LAGOA
On March 2 at 4.25 a.m. LT, the 'Ardentia Lagoa' suffered a power loss in the waters of the Canary Islands and requested assistance. The RCC of Salvamento Marítimo in Las Palmas mobilized the SAR vessel 'Salvamar Nunki' (MMSI: 224049950) to assist. It took the casualty in tow and safely pulled it into the port of Las Palmas. Report with photos: https://x.com/salvamentogob/status/1896150672636256634
SPIRIT OF TASMANIA 4
The Tasmanian Government has instructed the state-owned ferry operator TT-Line to cease lease negotiations for the 'Spirit of Tasmania IV' and instead begin the process of bringing it to Tasmania on March 2, 2025. There was no timeline of when the ferry would sail to Tasmania. The ship is still berthed in the Port of Leith in Edinburgh, while a suitable berth is built to house it in Devonport, Tasmania. It was originally meant to be transporting passengers and freight across Bass Strait by 2024. But delays to infrastructure at the port of Devonport mean neither of the two new ferries are expected to operate between Tasmania and Victoria until 2027. The Scottish government confirmed it had no plans to lease the 'Spirit of Tasmania IVÄ to house Ukrainian refugees. Pulse Tasmania had said the Scottish government was in "advanced negotiations" to lease the first ferry for this purpose. The Tasmanian government said a further update regarding timelines would be provided in due course.
ONE COLUMBA
On Feb 28, 2025, the 'ONE Columbia', en route from Chiwan, allided with the container ship 'Clifford Maersk' (IMO: 9198575), which was berthed at the at Kwai Chung No. 9 Terminal in Hong Kong for unloading operations. The 'ONE Columbia' lost power prior to the incident. The ship may have conducted an emergency maneuver by dropping its anchor, but struck the starboard side of the 'Clifford Maersk', while maneuvering to its berth. The impact caused three containers to fall overboard from the 'Clifford M;aersk'. The 'ONE Columbia' suffered a hull breach of two meters length. The Hong Kong Marine Department responded and managed to recover all lost containers from the water. No injuries or oil spills were reported. The authorities launched an investigation into the incident. The 'Clifford Maersk' left the port again on March 2 at 5 a.m. UTC, en route to Shanghai with an ETA as of March 4. The 'ONE Columbia' also sailed on March 2, next headed to Ningbo. Report with video: https://www.seatrade-maritime.com/accidents/one-and-maersk-container-ships-collide-in-hong-kong-port
