News

The Maritime Interests, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Committee will request that funds be secured to extend the search for the crew of the 'Bruma'. Additionally, at the beginning ofthe regular session on April 9, the Senate Chamber observed a moment of silence in memory of the seven fishermen missing since March 30. "The collision was not the result of navigation between the two vessels, since the "Bruma" was anchored. The "Cobra" was sailing under its own propulsion, and this proves that the impact was from the side. Furthermore, the position of both vessels coincides," said Claudia Urrutia, president of the Maule Cod Fishermen's Association and spokesperson for the families of the missing fishermen from the 'Bruma'. The spokesperson gave a detailed presentation before the Maritime Interests, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Committee—chaired by Senator Fidel Espinoza—and called for "justice" for the families, along with a series of proposals for improvements "to eradicate bad, reckless, and inappropriate practices. Urrutia stated that the fleet is equipped in general, not only in compliance with regulations, but also with modern technological systems that support the vessel from the moment it leaves port in fishing areas and when it lands (POSAT equipment, emergency radio beacons, radar, GPS, Starlink satellite antenna, among others). Along with the account of the events, he recorded a series of short- and medium-term proposals, which were evaluated by the senators present at the session. Among others, the Navy proposed adequate navigation controls to prevent accidents and reckless and dangerous behaviour; the National Institute of Traffic (INDESPA) proposed a program to acquire safety equipment; and adequate training for SENCE (National Service for the Protection of Mariners). Furthermore, he proposed that, through the Regional Government, SAR equipment be acquired along the entire coastline. He urged the allocation of resources for due compliance with the international standards of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea and the provision of the Navy, in its oversight role, with modern equipment and technology for effective control of maritime operations involving all types of vessels; "that is, a Maritime Traffic System, which I would love to see called the 'Buma Law.'" After the presentation, the senators assessed the proposals and agreed to send all the information to the Minister of the Interior and request grace pensions for the families. In addition, the minister will be asked to secure resources to extend the search, which is currently scheduled to last until April 13. The Undersecretary of Fisheries, Julio Salas, present at the session, reiterated his solidarity with the families of the crew members of the "Bruma" and the search efforts. The situation became even more complex with the mysterious disappearance of Juan Sanhueza Henríquez, a 58-year-old crew member of the 'Cobra', who was working as a lookout the morning of the accident. According to his family, Sanhueza left his home in Coronel for Talcahuano on April 4 to attend a meeting with his colleagues and an appointment with the company psychologist. However, he never arrived. His last appearance was captured by security cameras in Vega Monumental in Concepción, after he got off a bus. Since then, there has been no trace of him. His family suspects that Juan may have received sensitive information related to the case, which would explain his strange disappearance. The Blumar company noted that the crew of the "Cobra" was facing high pressure following the incident, which prompted the company to provide psychological support. Blumar's general manager, Gerardo Balbontín, confirmed that Sanhueza was working two-hour shifts as a lookout on the ship's bridge at the time of the accident. Sanhueza's lookout work consisted of observing potential vessels while sailing. He was on one of the night shifts between 3 and 6 a.m. on the bridge. The manager also made a public appeal to the man: "Your colleagues and your family need you here. I'm calling on you to hopefully return as soon as possible."

The 'Dessi II', used by the Swedish Armed Forces or passenger traffic between the naval port and Kungsholmsfort, allided with a swing bridge between Trossö and Lindholmen, which is remotely controlled from the high guard, in summer 2023 due to a lack of communication between this and the ferry crew. It hit the bridge at a speed of approximately five knots, while there were two crew members, but otherwise no passengers on board The ship was taken out of service and had to be repaired. The Swedish Armed Forces' lawyer has determined that the lack of communication between the ferry personnel and the high guard was the direct cause of the accident. The shipping company that owns the ship must therefore be compensated with 236,780 Swedish Crowns, according to a recent decision.

At the Alang ship recycling yard on the Bhavnagar coast, Gujarat, the Shree Ram Vessel Scrap Pvt Ltd. (SRVSPL), filed a police complaint alleging a loss of Rs 45 lakh worth of equipment stolen from the 'DV Erica', which had been brought in from Abu Dhabi for dismantling. According to the complaint filed with Alang Marine police station, the theft was believed to have occurred on March 23, 2024, at around 5 a.m. The ship was anchored in the designated waiting area at the outer anchorage after having been towed from Abu Dhabi. When workers boarded the ship for inspection on the morning, they discovered signs of a break-in. Two ropes were found dangling from the stern of the ship, suggesting the thieves used them to climb aboard.

A fire destroyed the opening motors of the BIZERTE port bridge on July 26, 2023. The port remained closed to navigation from that date untill November 19. 2023, date of the re-opening of the Port to navigation.

On the morning of April 9, 2025, the 'CTMA Voyager 2' stopped off the Gaspé coast near Anse-à-Fugère to conduct a medevac. The Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre received a call regarding a crew member with a knee injury on the ship. The CCGS Cap-aux-Meules subsequently responded to the scene to evacuate the person and transferred him to ambulance services around 8:45 a.m. The vessel, which had departed Cap-aux-Meules on April 8, then resumed its voyage to Montreal. There were no concerns for the crew member's health. Report with photo: https://www.radiogaspesie.ca/nouvelles/actualite/un-cargo-immobilise-au-large-de-riviere-au-renard-ce-matin/

On April 9, 2025, at 3:56 p.m. a car broke down on the deck of the "Ole Bull", serving on the route Valestrand-Breistein, while the ferry was berthed at the quay at Valestrand. As the vehicle first had to be removed, the ferry service was delayed.

We have in the port of Montevideo stock of Pilot ladders & Embarkation ladders brand PTR HOLLAND NV, PRODUCTION 2024 READY FOR DELIVERY. INFO@MARESSUPPLY.COM SALES@MARESSUPPLY.COM

The Port of Kiel concluded this year’s cruise season with the call of AIDA Cruises’ AIDAnova on Nov 4. The port welcomed a total of 215 ship calls from 26 companies and a total of 1,174,000 cruise passengers, marking the port’s busiest season ever. “We are closing the 2023 season with a good result. The development in the tourism industry shows a clear trend towards the cruise sector, which was also evident in Kiel this season. “For us, the main issue is to make maritime tourism more environmentally friendly on the port side. Shore power was the dominant topic for us and will continue to be so in the coming season,” said Dirk Claus, managing director of SEEHAFEN KIEL GmbH & Co. Among the ships that visited the port during 2023 was ​​the 'Disney Dream', the first ship from Disney Cruise Line to be welcomed in Kiel, as well as MSC Cruises’ 'MSC Euribia'. Earlier this year, the port of Kiel achieved a milestone by becoming the first German port to supply a ship with liquidified natural gas. Since then, the' AIDAnova' and 'MSC Euribia' have regularly bunkered LNG in the port of Kiel.

A fire broke out on the early afternoon of April 8, 2025, aboard the 'Artemis', while the vessel was moored in the port of Brest to load champagne and cognac. The fire was of electronic origin and started in the engine room. Nearly 50 firefighters were mobilized to tackle the blaze, which lasted just over an hour. Three sailors were treated by emergency services after suffering smoke inhalation. The 'Artemis', originally scheduled to leave the port of Brest on April 9, should be able to keep to its schedule and head for Le Havre before departing on April 15 for New York, where it is expected to deliver French goods.

Regarding the fate of the "Eventin", which has been anchored in the Baltic Sea off Sassnitz for three months now, Stefan Kerth, non-partisan district administrator of the Vorpommern-Rügen district, is calling for a quick solution for the confiscated tanker. "Many citizens are worried. The 'Eventin' shouldn't remain anchored off Rügen for another few weeks or months." The environmental organization Greenpeace also considers the berth off Rügen to be insufficiently safe,– because it could all too easily become a target there: "In times when commercially available drones can be converted into weapons for a few hundred euros, a fully loaded tanker has enormous potential for damage. A ship of that age and with that history shouldn't be left unprotected off the German coast for weeks," Greenpeace expert Thilo Maack said. The "Eventin," a double-hulled tanker built by Samsung in South Korea in 2005, is officially classified by the EU as part of the so-called Russian "shadow fleet," which Putin is using to circumvent Western sanctions following Russia's attack on Ukraine.

Brazil: Agriculture Officers Strike Federal agriculture officers decided to start the strike next Monday (22), which will directly affect trading involving perishable products and may cause delays in berthing and unberthing ships. Federal Revenue tax auditors also announced that they will intensify the general strike that has been ongoing since November last year, as reported in our previous newsletters. Next week, from the 22nd to the 26th of January, there will be no cargo clearance at the ports and airports of São Paulo and Bahia. This means that goods release services will be affected at Viracopos airport, the Port of Santos, Salvador customs (from the 23rd) and Guarulhos Airport. During the period, only perishable, live and dangerous cargo will be released at the sites, in addition to medicines and food, as they are considered essential. It is important to highlight that the import and export of goods of animal and plant origin require the consent and inspection of agricultural officers. The category's national union (Anffa Sindical) informed that the release of certificates and goods at ports, in this case, will respect the last day of the deadline set out in the rules of the Ministry of Agriculture. It is worth remembering that in the last meeting held on December 27th with Sindifisco Nacional, minister Fernando Haddad and the special secretary of Revenue, Robinson Barreirinhas, stated that they did not plan to make changes to the proposal presented for the payment of the efficiency bonus in 2024 , which motivated the continuation of the strike. The Superior Courts have already pacified the understanding that the strike movement cannot interrupt essential public services. Therefore, the functioning of the productive activity of shipowners/importers/exporters cannot be delayed by the Customs Inspectors' strike. Customs clearance must continue, regardless of the tax auditors' strike. The Judiciary has been intervening effectively on a case-by-case basis, in order to avoid the harmful effects of the Federal Revenue auditors' strike and maintain the regular activity of taxpayers at Brazilian customs. The strike could affect the port and customs sector. Our team is closely monitoring the situation in the North/Northeast ports and will inform you of any updates.

Ukraine has managed a serious blow against the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Crimea on Nov 4, 2023, severely damaging the corvette 'Askold', that was docked at the Zaliv shipyard during successful attacks on the shipping and port infrastructure of the Zaliv shipyard in the temporarily occupied city of Kerch. The “Askold”, which is able to carry up to eight Kalibr or Onyx guided missiles, has been hit by at least one Ukrainian cruise missile. The upper part of the ship was significantly damaged. The damage and destruction of warships of this type is important for the security of Ukraine. Reports with photos: https://www.merkur.de/politik/ukraine-krieg-krim-schwarzmeerflotte-russland-flotte-kiew-moskau-zr-92657747.html https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/ukrainian-forces-hit-russian-ship-in-kerch-aftermath-photo/ar-AA1julmU?ocid=weather-verthp-feeds