The Department of Transport (DoT) will set up a marine court of enquiry to establish the cause of the sinking of the 'Lepanto', after the South African Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) earlier submitted a draft report to Transport Minister, Barbara Creecy, and Deputy Minister of Transport, Mkhuleko Hlengwa, calling for a court of enquiry to be established. The Samsa draft report was scheduled to be finalised and released before the end of the year with its legal team. The department was instructed to begin a process of establishing a marine court of enquiry to further pursue an investigation and bring the report to finality. When the ship sank on May 17, 11 crew members were believed to have remained trapped onboard. The vessel sank rapidly, within about five minutes after a sudden heavy listing. Nine crew members were rescued.
News
ANDREAS KALVOS
The 'Andreas Kalvos', serving the route Patras, Sami, Ithaca, Sami, with 157 passengers and 33 crew members. and loaded with 32 cars, three trucks and three buses, allided with the quay, en route from Patras, in the port of Sami in Kefalonia during the mooring process on Nov 17, 2024. The ship was damaged at the starboard side stern. The passengers disembarked safely. No injuries were reported, and no marine pollution was observed. The Sami Port Department of the Kefallinian Port Authority banned the ship from sailing until the damage was repaired and a certificate of seaworthiness was presented by the monitoring classification society. The 36 passengers destined for Ithaca wee forwarded to their destination by the care of the owner company.
Paramaribo
The Maritime Authority of Suriname has issued the following 2 Notices to Mariners: 1. "From September 5, 2020 to January 6, 2021, the Noble Sam Croft drillship will conduct exploration drillings off the coast of Suriname at the drilling location 07 ° 23 "401 N - 55 ° 55" 264 W (WGS 84). For safety reasons the shipping should keep a safe distance of 1000 (one thousand) metres from thenNoble Sam Croft. The Offshore Support Vessels (OSV) that will assist during the operations are: Southern Tide, States Tide and Polaris. Please note: • Communication is through VHF, all international channels 13, 16, 69, 72. • There is a SAFETY ZONE of 1000 (one thousand) metres from the drilling site. • The Noble Sam Croft is not maneuverable and will display the relevant characters. All ships should take notice of the above mentioned." 2. "The drillship Maersk Developer will conduct exploration drilling of the Coast of Suriname from September 19th till December 3rd, 2020 at the drilling location 07° 21’.270 N – 055° 33’.247 W (WGS 84). For safety reasons vessels should keep a safe distance of 1000 (one thousand) meters from the drillship. The Offshore Support Vessels (OSV) that will assist during the operations are MV Bourbon Topaz, MV Gerard Tide, MV Felton Tide and MV National Energy Explorer. Please note: • Communication is through the VHF channels 16 and 77. • There is a SAFETY ZONE of 1000 (one thousand) meters from the drilling site. • Maersk Developer is not maneuverable and will display the relevant characters. All ships should take notice of the above mentioned."
GALAXY LEADER
This week, the crew of the hijacked 'Galaxy Leader' mark one full year in Houthi captivity near the port of Hodeidah. The ship has been held in Houthi custody since the group's commando forces boarded and seized it on Nov 19, 2023. As motivation for the hijacking, the Houthis cited the Israeli-linked ownership interests of the ship's commercial operator, UK-based Ray Car Carriers. The militants diverted the vessel to Hodeidah and opened it to the public, making it a popular tourist attraction and dance-hall destination. The crew have been living aboard the 'Galaxy Leader' throughout their ordeal. 17 of them are from the Philippines, and Manila has repeatedly called for their release. The remainder of the crew includes three Ukrainians, two Bulgarians, two Mexicans and one Romanian. In August, the Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs reported that several of the Filipino crew members were experiencing significant health issues, including symptoms of malaria. "It seems incredible that a year has passed, and the crew of the Galaxy Leader are still being held hostage. Innocent seafarers and families who have had their lives irrevocably changed by geopolitical forces wholly out of their control. "The seafarers, some of whom have been at sea for nearly two years, have been held against their will only limited contact with their families, friends, and loved ones. This is unconscionable and must not be allowed to endure. We are thinking of the seafarers and all of those affected at this time, and we continue to call for humanity to prevail and their immediate release," said the International Chamber of Shipping Secretary General Guy Platten.
SUROIT
On Nov 11, 2024, one of the large windows in the wheelhouse of the 'Suroît ', serving the Saint-Pierre, Miquelon and Fortune route, suddenly cracked. The window, which is nearly four meters long and weighs more than 500 kilos, will have to be replaced custom-made by the Dutch manufacturer Damen. As a consequence, the ferry will have to remain docked in Saint-Pierre for several weeks. The SPM Ferries company was waiting for an expert, equiopped with a 3D scanner allowing him to check structural deformations, to arrive on Nov 18 to get a clearer picture. The only explanation for the moment is the accumulation of salt that is forcing on the edge of the tile, by pressure, movement or deformation. The 'Suroît' will therefore not set sail before the start of Jan 2026 at the earliest. Report with photo: https://la1ere.francetvinfo.fr/saintpierremiquelon/le-ferry-le-suroit-immobilise-pour-plusieurs-semaines-a-cause-d-une-vitre-endommagee-a-la-timonerie-1537252.html
Beirut
The Lebanese army on Sep 3 found a further 4.35 tonnes of the explosive ammonium nitrate a month after 2,750 tonnes of the substance exploded in the harbour and destroyed large parts of the city. The explosive substance was found in a warehouse immediately outside one of the entrances to the port, and engineers from the army took care of it. Simultaneously with the new discovery, it emerged that the outgoing Prime Minister Hassan Diab told the head of the investigation of the catastrophic explosion that he knew of the existence of the large amount of ammonium nitrate at the port before the explosion. 25 suspects have been arrested so far, including the port's chief of staff Hassan Koraytem and customs chief Badri Daher. Among the others arrested were also three Syrian workers who carried out welding work at the warehouse, where the huge amount of ammonium nitrate was stored, on the day the explosion took place. Up to 200 were killed and about 6,500 injured in the blast, causing damage to a double-digit billion.
HEBRIDEAN ISLES
With two blasts of its horn, the 'Hebridean Isles' left the quay at Stornoway for a final time on Nov 17, bound for Glasgow before it goes to the breakers. The decision was a tough one for the operator CalMac as the company is struggling to maintain services with an ageing fleet while awaiting the delivery of new vessels. But with its five-year survey due and certificates expiring, the cost and time required to keep the ship sailing was not considered feasible. The ship is one of many vessels in the CalMac fleet being so old it is impossible to source spare parts, which would have to be manufactured specially. Any useful parts from the 'Hebridean Isles' will end up in a large CalMac warehouse in Gourock that is used to keep the fleet going. Report with photos: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c98ejdjpq96o
GREEN COOLER
The 'Green Cooler', en route from Harlingen to Mostaganem, requested the medical evacuation of immobilized crew member to the CCS of Salvamento MArítimo in Vigo on Nov 17, 2024. The 'Salvamar Mirach' was mobilized and disembarked the seafarer, who was then taken to the port, where medical personnel and an ambulance were already waiting. Report with photos: https://www.msn.com/es-es/noticias/internacional/evac%C3%BAan-al-puerto-de-vigo-a-un-tripulante-del-buque-green-cooler/ar-AA1ufqx3
Vladivostok
The typhoon Maysak crushed onto the port of Vladivostok on Sep 3, 2020, wreaking havoc at the Navy base and in the commercial port. A floating dock in the base broke off her moorings, drifted along the piers and hit berthed submarines and other ships. The amount of damage was yet unknown. The container terminal at the ommercial port was flooded. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=50&v=Yr8JHgunKNY&feature=emb_title
Kiel
An investigation was launched into the allision of the Panama flagged cargo m/v cargo m/v 'Else', 2449 gt ( IMO: 9006320 ), enroute from Klaipeda to Les Sables with a cargo of ammonnium nitrate, with the northern lock of the Kiel Canal in Kiel-Holtenau upon entering the lock on Aug 29 at 5 a.m. at the pier of the Lindenau Yard in Kiel-Friedrcrichsort. Usually ships stop about 800 meters off the locks on the Kiel Fjord to take a pilot on board, and may only proceed once he has embarked. The 'Else' had ordered a pilot but continued its voyage without reducing speed and crashed into the closed gate with about six knots. The gate was severely damaged, and inspections by divers were to start on Aug 31 to find out if the submerged tanks of it were damaged too. The lock was closed for shipping for the time being, leaving only one of four locks in Holtenau in operating condition. One gate is still under repair after having been hit by the container m/v 'Akacia' 2,5 years ago, another gate is under repair too. It was investigated if this could be used once the now damaged gate has been removed.
