On the early morning of April 9, 2025, the 'CSL Niagara', en route from Montreal, had an allision with the lower end of the approach wall below the Beauharnois Lock of the St. Lawrence Seaway. The bulk carrier sufffered a crack to the port side bow. It was sailing in ballast for Superior, WIsconsin, when the incident happened. The 'CSL Niagara' was de-ballasted to get the damaged area out of the water, and shifted back to the end of the wall to enable vessels to go around her. Divers were sent to the scene. There were no reported injuries and no reason has been given for the allison. By evening the ship was underway again, sailing eastbound back to Montreal, where it arrived at the Vickers Quay on April 10 at 5 a.m,. UTC.
News
Mumbai
The body of a 43-year-old man who was among the two missing passengers after a Navy craft rammed into the 'Neel Kamal' off the Mumbai coast, was found on Dec 19 near the ferry. The incident happened near Butcher Island, about eight kilometres from the Gateway of India. The Navy craft undergoing engine trials lost control and collided with the ferry. The death toll in the tragedy has now gone up to 14. Search operation continued to locate a seven-year-old boy who was still missing a day after the accident. A naval helicopter and boats of the Navy and Coast Guard were deployed on Dec 19 . Eight boats, including those from the Navy and Coast Guard, were involved in the SAR operation. Of the 113 persons on board both vessels, 14 died and 98, including two injured, were rescued. There were six persons on board the Navy craft, of which two survived. The 14 who died included eight men, four women and two children. A Navy personnel and two contractual naval employees were among the deceased. Late in the night, police released the names of ten of the deceased. They are Mahendra Singh Shekhawat (Navy); Praveen Sharma (worker on NAD boat); Mangesh (worker on NAD boat); Mohammad Rehan Qureshi (passenger boat); Rakesh Nanaji Ahire (passenger Boat); Safiana Pathan; Mahi Pawara (aged 3); Akshata Rakesh Ahire; Mithu Rakesh Ahire (aged 8) and Deepak V. Two women and a male victim were yet to be identified.
Holyhead
Damage to Holyhead Port during storm Darragh is feared to be worse than originally thought, and could see ferry services cancelled until after Christmas, resulting in Christmas parcels travelling to and from Ireland being delayed until after the festive season, with people travelling for the festive period also affected. Initally all services were cancelled until Dec 20, but the damage was becoming more apparent as the days went by. Port bosses revealed on Dec 16, that the reported two separate incidents on December 6 and 7 had led to part of the berth structure collapsing and becoming unusable, with underwater inspections of the structural integrity of other berths taking place from Dec 10, after the passing of Darragh. This process was still ongoing. Ferry services will only be permitted to resume once it was sure it would be safe. On Dec 15 the junior minister at the Department of Transport, James Lawless, met his Welsh counterpart Ken Skates. Both met with Stena Line on Dec 16 at 1 p.m. Both ministers were asking for Stena Line to give more accurate and timely updates on the scale of the damage and repairs needed at Holyhead.
FIREFIGHTER II
The 'Fire Fighter II' was mobilized by the US Coast Guard on April 10, 2025, which was coordinating with local, state and federal agencies the response to a helicopter crash in the Hudson River that occurred on the afternoon in New York City near the Holland Tunnel. The Coast Guard Sector New York command center watchstanders received a report at approximately 3:15 p.m. reporting the downed Bell 206L4 with the registration number N216MH, into the Hudson River in New York City. Response boat crews from Coast Guard stations New York, Sandy Hook and Kings Point, and the CG 'Bonito' were deployed to the incident. An Urgent Marine Information Broadcast was issued regarding the incident and a safety zone was established, securing all vessel traffic 1 mile north and one mile south of the Holland Tunnel across the entire Hudson River. At 6 p.m., the safety zone was reduced to 1,000 feet surrounding the Holland Tunnel ventilator and vessels may resume transiting the Hudson River slowly along the New York side with permission from on-scene assets. The Coast Guard was working with the Army Corps of Engineers and the National Transportation Safety Board to salvage the helicopter. The cause of the incident is under investigation. Six people were reported dead after the small helicopter crashed into the Hudson River near Pier 40 . The victims included the three children of Agustin Escobar, a Spanish Siemens manager, and his wife. The aircraft was plummeting upside-down towards the water, its tail was missing and its rotor visibly separated and trailed behind. Six bodies were recovered from the wreckage, including the remains of the pilot. The aircraft had departed the downtown Manhattan heliport and was in the air for about 15 minutes before the crash. The aircraft is registered to a private helicopter sales and leasing company headquartered in Louisiana. The same helicopter appears in promotional materials for a New York-based flightseeing company. Video: https://twitter.com/i/status/1910424640595312989
Mumbai
13 persons died and 101 others were rescued after a Navy speed boat crashed into the ferry 'Neelkamal' off the Mumbai coast on Dec 17, 2024. The dead included 10 civilians and three Navy personnel. The ferry was on way to Elephanta Islands, a popular tourist destination near Mumbai, when the speed boat crashed into it around 4 p.m, The Navy and Coast Guard launched a massive SAR operation, with 11 Navy boats and three boats of Marine Police and a boat of Coast Guard being deployed in the area. Four helicopters were also involved as well as personnel from police, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority and fishermen in the area. Report with photos and video: https://www.telegraphindia.com/gallery/several-passengers-dead-many-rescued-after-speed-boat-rams-ferry-off-mumbai-coast-photogallery/cid/2071682?slide=1 https://www.republicworld.com/videos/india/boat-colliding-into-passenger-ferry-video
Flensburg
The shipbuilder Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft (FSG) and the superyacht shipyard Nobiskrug Rendsburg have officially filed for insolvency on Dec 12, 2024, deepening the ongoing crisis for their parent company, Tennor Group, and its owner, Lars Windhorst. District courts in Flensburg and Neumünster have appointed the lawyers Christoph Morgen, Partner, Brinkmann & Partner and Hendrik Gittermann, Partner, REIMER as provisional insolvency administrators. The insolvency filings, submitted to the district courts in Flensburg and Neumünster, follow months of financial instability and reported mismanagement. The bleak reality of the situation became evident on Dec 9, when the SH public utility company threatened to cut off the power supply at the Rendsburg facility due to a lack of payments since Dec 1. No immediate action was taken because the federal police ship 'Neustadt' was still in the drydock for repairs. Workers at both firms are bearing the brunt of the crisis. The shipyards’ financial woes have left around 500 employees in limbo before Christmas, many of whom have already been laid off. At a recent rally in Flensberg, workers' union representatives alleged repeated delays in salary payments, including November wages and Christmas bonuses. Local sources report that Flensburg Works Council chairman Jan Brandt accused Windhorst of lying repeatedly and breaking promises of timely payments. Windhorst has become a target of criticism. He has been accused of mismanagement, poor communication and unfulfilled promises. In recent months, workers, unions and politicians have all demanded his resignation. Schleswig-Holstein’s Economics Minister, Claus Ruhe Madsen, called for Windhorst to face up to his responsibility and sell the shipyards or insolvency would clear the way for new investors. The Tennor Group took over the FSG in 2019, relaunching it as “FSG 2.0” without old debts or new orders. Despite repeated announcements of future projects, they failed to materialise, leaving the shipyard vulnerable. In 2021, FSG acquired the Rendsburg-based yard Nobiskrug as it filed for insolvency, but the acquisition has done little to alleviate the financial strain. In the summer 2024, the situation worsened as the German federal government withdrew a €62 million grant intended for the construction of liquefied gas bunker ships at FSG, citing Tennor’s inability to demonstrate sufficient equity capital. Now, the provisional insolvency administrators are working with the project managers of the RoRo ferry at FSG and the yacht Nobiskrug to resolve both projects. If necessary, the administrators plan to consult with federal and state governments about potential interim financing to bridge construction costs until client acceptance and payment. Meanwhile, they will explore further restructuring strategies for both shipyards. Insolvency pre-financing has also been arranged to secure financial recompense for the 340 workers at the Flensburg site and the 140 employees from the Rendsburg facility. This measure will cover payments through the end of Jan 2025, including the overdue November salaries.
NATO WARSHIP F313
Seven years after the 'Helge Ingstad' sank in the Hjelte Fjord, the Norwegian state has sued the Spanish shipbuilder Navantia for 13.3 billion Norwegian Crowns. The Ministry of Defense's amount is based on the price of the new frigate, the lifting of the ship, and a number of deductions.The claim of the Norwegian government attorney is that a safety-critical design defect contributed to the sinking off Øygarden in 2018. The lawsuit points out that the propeller shafts in the ship were hollow, which allowed water to flow between watertight sections of the ship. Similar Spanish frigates built by Navantia have a different, watertight construction. The question is whether the frigate would have been salvaged with the damage it sustained in the collision if the listed construction defects were disregarded, the court ruling stated. The Spanish shipyard has objected that the design error was discovered before the accident, and that the Armed Forces allowed sailing with several known deviations on the frigate, which were not corrected. The shipyard pointed to systematic failure in routines and systems in the Armed Forces and Defense Material. Attorney Ole Kristian Rigland at the Government Attorney's Office stated that the goal was to reach an agreement through mediation. Alternatively, the solution will only come when the case is heard by the district court in the fall.
VICTORIA L
On April 11 at around 9 a.m. the 'Victoria L' was being towed into the port of Amsterdam by the tugs 'Multratug 36' (IMO: 9985289 ) and 'Svitzer Taurus' (IMO: 9960409) as stering tug with the ship's status as 'Restricted Movement'. It had reached the locks of IJmiden at around 4 a.m. , one and a half days after the engine room fire, which had started on April 9 at 1:11 p.m. approximately 56 kilometres from the coast, which had initially seemed to have been extinguished by the crew on board, but then flared up again. The KNRM Scheveningen, at the request of the Coastguard, had been mainly on standby for the safety of the MIRG team. After the situation was under control they sailed back to the rescue station with the MIRG team on board, where they arrived at around 7:45 p.m. The ship was berthed at the Damen Shiprepair Yard for inspections and repairs. Reports with photos: https://www.knrm.nl/nieuws/knrm-reddingstation-hoek-van-holland/prio-1-vaartuig-brand-explosie https://www.tugspotters.com/app/content/2025/04/multratug-26-met-victria-l-aangekomen-te-amsterdam/
Holyhead
Holyhead Port is to remain closed until Jan 15, 2025, at the earliest. All ferry services between Dublin and Holyhead are cancelled until this time. The closure follows the damage to the Terminal 3 berth on Dec 6 by the 'Ulsysses' during Storm Darragh. The damage was still being assessed and the port took the decision to keep the ferry berths closed to provide certainty for passengers, freight customers and ferry operators and allow them make alternative arrangements. Stena Line said it was contacting all affected passengers. People who are booked to travel on the Dublin-Holyhead route from Dec 20 onwards can transfer the booking free of charge to alternative routes, including Dublin-Liverpool, Dublin-Fishguard as well as Belfast-Cairnryan. The company was doing everything in its power to mitigate the effects of the closure on passenger and freight traffic. 10,000 freight vehicles were moving in and out of Holyhead per week before its closure. 60% of the goods coming into Ireland normally move through the damaged port.
Rendsburg
The shipbuilder Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft (FSG) and the superyacht shipyard Nobiskrug Rendsburg have officially filed for insolvency on Dec 12, 2024, deepening the ongoing crisis for their parent company, Tennor Group, and its owner, Lars Windhorst. District courts in Flensburg and Neumünster have appointed the lawyers Christoph Morgen, Partner, Brinkmann & Partner and Hendrik Gittermann, Partner, REIMER as provisional insolvency administrators. The insolvency filings, submitted to the district courts in Flensburg and Neumünster, follow months of financial instability and reported mismanagement. The bleak reality of the situation became evident on Dec 9, when the SH public utility company threatened to cut off the power supply at the Rendsburg facility due to a lack of payments since Dec 1. No immediate action was taken because the federal police ship 'Neustadt' was still in the drydock for repairs. Workers at both firms are bearing the brunt of the crisis. The shipyards’ financial woes have left around 500 employees in limbo before Christmas, many of whom have already been laid off. At a recent rally in Flensberg, workers' union representatives alleged repeated delays in salary payments, including November wages and Christmas bonuses. Local sources report that Flensburg Works Council chairman Jan Brandt accused Windhorst of lying repeatedly and breaking promises of timely payments. Windhorst has become a target of criticism. He has been accused of mismanagement, poor communication and unfulfilled promises. In recent months, workers, unions and politicians have all demanded his resignation. Schleswig-Holstein’s Economics Minister, Claus Ruhe Madsen, called for Windhorst to face up to his responsibility and sell the shipyards or insolvency would clear the way for new investors. The Tennor Group took over the FSG in 2019, relaunching it as “FSG 2.0” without old debts or new orders. Despite repeated announcements of future projects, they failed to materialise, leaving the shipyard vulnerable. In 2021, FSG acquired the Rendsburg-based yard Nobiskrug as it filed for insolvency, but the acquisition has done little to alleviate the financial strain. In the summer 2024, the situation worsened as the German federal government withdrew a €62 million grant intended for the construction of liquefied gas bunker ships at FSG, citing Tennor’s inability to demonstrate sufficient equity capital. Now, the provisional insolvency administrators are working with the project managers of the RoRo ferry at FSG and the yacht Nobiskrug to resolve both projects. If necessary, the administrators plan to consult with federal and state governments about potential interim financing to bridge construction costs until client acceptance and payment. Meanwhile, they will explore further restructuring strategies for both shipyards. Insolvency pre-financing has also been arranged to secure financial recompense for the 340 workers at the Flensburg site and the 140 employees from the Rendsburg facility. This measure will cover payments through the end of Jan 2025, including the overdue November salaries.