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The New Zealand Defence Force has yet to finalise the contract for the removal of fuel from the HMNZS 'Manawanui', five weeks after its sinking after striking a reef off the Samoan island of Uplou. In an update issued on Nov 12, the NZDF said an updated methodology for the removal of fuel from the hydrographic vessel is being shared with Samoan authorities for their endorsement, following a familiarisation and site visit to Samoa by the salvors, as well as detailed discussions with authorities in Samoa and NZ. On return to New Zealand the [unnamed] salvors worked alongside local agencies, including Maritime New Zealand and NZDF to assess the information gathered and feed this into the updated fuel removal methodology. NZDF’s senior national representative Commodore Andrew Brown has now returned to Samoa after a short visit to New Zealand to progress strategic issues and challenges related to Operation Resolution. It is expected the recovery of 950 tonnes of fuel will be undertaken by a team utilising the Heron Constructions’ tug 'Kurutai' and the barge 'Cronus', which were undertaking preparatory work in the port of Whangarei and were expected in Apia, Samoa towards the end of November. There is urgency attached to the task given the approaching South Pacific cyclone season. A salvage plan was presented on Oct 31 and is awaiting approval by Samoa’s Marine Pollution Advisory Committee. The NZDF’s absolute priority remained the monitoring and surveillance of the vessel and surrounding coastlines, minimising any potential environmental impacts. Any decision about removing the wreck itself was a very complex decision process, given the potential cost, difficulties in removal considering proximity to the reef in a relatively exposed location; and the wishes of local people and the Samoan Government. Removing the wreck entirely would be extremely challenging given the lack of infrastructure to deal with the salvaged wreck in Samoa or anywhere nearby, and there was potential for the vessel to be left there as a dive site.

On Nov 12, 2024, at 10.47 p.m. a fire broke out in the cargo of scrap aboard the 'Omega', 3014 ts (EU-No.: 02322711), which was berthed in the port of Goor in the province of Overijssel, en route from Hengelo. The fire brigade attended at the berth with three four engines and an aerial platform.. The fire was scaled up to a 'medium fire' within 10 minutes. Reinforcements were called in from Diepenheim and Hengelo, among others. The fire brigade has been busy extinguishing the fire for several hours, while a lot of smoke was released and people advised to stay away from it.

Kalmar, part of Cargotec, has signed a contract to supply Infraestructura Portuaria Mexicana (IPM) with two ship-to-shore (STS) and three rubber-tyred gantry (RTG) cranes for the IPM Altamira terminal. The order, which also includes Kalmar SmartPort process automation solutions for the RTGs, was booked in Cargotec’s 2019 Q3 order intake with handover scheduled to be completed during Q1 of 2021. The IPM Altamira terminal is located on the Gulf of Mexico, in the state of Tamaulipas. The terminal’s current equipment fleet already includes one Kalmar STS crane, eight Kalmar RTGs and a variety of Kalmar mobile equipment such as terminal tractors and forklifts. The Kalmar STS cranes will be Super Post-Panamax size with an outreach of 21 container rows and have twin-lift capability with a capacity of 65 tonnes under the spreader.

ECOsubsea, the Norwegian cleantech firm with a unique hull cleaning technology has won contracts to clean in North European ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge thanks to the technology’s ability to remove all hull fouling from the water, the company said in its release. The technologically-advanced system has now been approved for use in the two North European ports following around 500 vessel cleanings in Southampton and Norway and its proven ability to meet strict environmental requirements. While hull cleaning is an important part of vessel efficiency it has become mired in controversy due to the high risk of invasive species being easily transferred across the oceans and becoming an environmental and economic hazard.

The South African Transport Minister Barbara Creecy intends to release a report into the loss of the MFV 'Lepanto' on May 17, 2024, 34 nautical miles off the coast of Hout Bay, by the end of the year, which killed 11 men. Creecy sreceived a draft report into the accident from the South African Maritime Authority (Samsa) on Nov 10. The minister has requested the Samsa board to urgently finalise the report with its legal team. She has also instructed the Transport Department to begin a process of establishing a Marine Court of Enquiry to further pursue an investigation and bring the report to finality. The minister feels a deeper investigation is needed, in the interest of the public. The 11 missing crew members have since been declared dead by the Western Cape High Court. At the time of their disappearance, the missing crew members were employed by Viking Fishing, a division of Sea Harvest Corporation. The search for the fishermen was called off due to the time that had elapsed since the boat sank. The ship sank a depth of 350 meters, and the bodies of the fishermen were never recovered. A comprehensive investigation had been launched by the SAMSA after the sinking, and a preliminary inquiry into the incident could take between six and eight months to complete. Due to the nature of the incident and the loss of life, one recommendation would be to request the ransport minister to constitute a court of marine enquiry under Section 266 of the Merchant Shipping Act of 1951.

A US Coast Guard MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter aircrew conducted a medical evacuation of a passenger from the 'Carnival Vista' on Nov 7, approximately 45 miles southwest of Mona Island, Puerto Rico. The patient was a 69-year-old female U.S. citizen, who experienced health complications and required a higher level of medical care ashore. Coast Guard watchstanders in Sector San Juan received a communication from the cruise ship on the afternoon, requesting a medical evacuation to transport the patient to a hospital in Puerto Rico, coordinated arrangements and directed the launch of a Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter to rendezvous with the cruise ship. Once on scene, the Coast Guard aircrew deployed their rescue swimmer aboard the cruise ship, who prepared a rescue basket to hoist the patient’s spouse and cruise ship nurse, followed by a litter hoist of the patient aboard the aircraft. The Coast Guard aircrew transported the patient to the Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where awaiting local Emergency Medical Service personnel received and transported her to the Centro Medico’ Hospital. Report with video: https://www.news.uscg.mil/Press-Releases/Article/3962928/coast-guard-medically-evacuates-us-passenger-from-carnival-vista-cruise-ship-ne/

Container lines Hapag Lloyd, ONE, YML, COSCO and OOCL will jointly run a new direct service from Visakha Container Terminal (VCT), the privately-run facility at State-owned Visakhapatnam Port Trust, to the Mediterranean and Europe, which will also bring connectivity with Africa and the America. The announcement strengthens Visakha Container Terminal’s rising stature as a regional container transshipment hub on the east coast, said shipping industry sources. “The commercial benefits offered by Visakhapatanam Port Trust makes the terminal even more attractive in the long run by being the gateway to the East for both northern and southern regions extending right up to Bangladesh and even Myanmar,” the terminal operator said. The terminal, majority owned by International Cargo Terminals & Infrastructure Pvt Ltd, is located centrally and strategically on the East Coast of India between Kolkata and Chennai. The facility handled over 0.45 million TEUs during FY19 and is on the verge of crossing the 0.5-million TEUs in FY20, aided by a 16 pre cent growth in traffic, complemented rail movement and also transshipment.

By the Southern Canal Dock in the inner port of Zeebrugge, a ceremony was held yesterday for the start of the construction of a new 1,071 meter quay wall, an extension of the existing Bastenaken quay. This quay wall is the final missing piece that will connect the Bastenaken quay with the reverse quay at the dock's end, where International Car Operators Zeebrugge is located. When this project is finished, the largest dock in het port of Zeebrugge will be completed.

After three cruises of the 'Regal Princess', due to depart on Oct 27, Nov 3 and Nov 10, had been canceled due to a technical issue with the power generators on the ship, Princess Cruises has now confirmed that all repairs have been completed, and it will depart on the Nov 17 sailing as scheduled from Galveston. Princess Cruises gave all guests who were booked on one of the three canceled cruises a full refund and a 50% credit to use for a future cruise. The Nov 17 sailing is a seven-night cruise to the Western Caribbean from Galveston. The ship will visit Costa Maya, Roatan and Cozumel.

The 'Maria Oliva' ran aground in the waters off Romblon, Romblon, on the morning of Nov 11, 2024. All passengers were safely transferred to Romblon Port, except for a dialysis patient and his companion since he needed access to his dialysis equipment, which was in his vehicle on the vessel. The 156 passengers of the ship were turned over to the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) in Romblon town for further assistance. The 'Maria Oliva' had departed from San Agustin Port with 38 crew members and 26 wheeled cargoes on board, and sailed toward Romblon port. The PCG immediately dispatched a Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB) to assist the provincial government’s speedboat and the rescue boat to assist in the rescue of passengers. The PCG-Romblon continued to monitor the grounded vessel’s position. Report with photos: https://maritime-executive.com/article/ferry-evacuated-after-running-aground-in-the-central-philippines

Carnival Cruise Line is to fully renovate and significantly expand Cruise Terminal F at Florida’s PortMiami to accommodate its Excel-class cruise ships, which will be the largest in its fleet and will be powered by LNG. Following approval from the Miami-Dade County Commission, Carnival has shared its plans to work with Miami-based design firm Berenblum Busch Architects to create a terminal with a simple and open layout. The terminal will be equipped with various technologies, such as facial recognition systems, to make the embarkation process quicker and safer. Terminal F is set to open in October 2022 to coincide with the arrival of Carnival’s second Excel-class ship (yet to be named) and is one of three dedicated to the line’s operations in Miami.

A traditional maritime coin ceremony took place at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy, when the keel was laid for MSC Seashore. At the milestone event, MSC Cruises revealed details of the significantly transformed overall design and new features of the ship, the company said in its release. MSC Seashore will be the Company’s longest ship – 339 metres – when she enters service in June 2021, the first of two enriched “Seaside Evo” Class ships with the latest available environmental technology, extended public spaces, more cabins and the highest ratio of outdoor space per guest of any ship in the company’s fleet.