The "Rhoon C", en route from Stavanger, got in trouble on Oct 25, 2024, at around 3.40 a.m. UTC (Lat. 66.0063 Lng. 9.8380), west of Ytterholmen. The ship requested assistance and was taken in tow to Sandnessjøen by the tug ''Boa Balder' (IMO: 9462342), whch was deployed from Mo I Ranna. The 'Rhoon C' was safely berthed on Oct 26 at 10.40 a.m.
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OCEAN VIKING
The 'Ocean Viking', chartered by SOS Méditerranée, rescued 178 migrants on Nov 6 during two rescue operations. During the first mission, 140 people, who were crammed onto an verloaded wooden boat, which was listing dangerously and threatening to capsize, were rescued. Among the survivors were five women and four children. Many of those rescued suffered from skin burns from fuel and seasickness. During the second operation, 38 people were rescued from a fragile inflatable boat, in the Maltese SAR region. They were taken care of by teams from the Marseille-based NGO and the IFRC (International Federation of the Red Cross and RedCrescent).
GRANDE NAPOLI
The 'Grande Napoli' suffered an engine failure on Oct 29, 2024, about 28 nautical miles west of Viana do Castelo, en route from Portbury (Bristol) to Setúbal. The tug "Ría de Vigo" (IMO: 8311417) was deployed to the ship in the night- On the morning of Oct 30, the ships were in pos. 41° 36' N 009° 12' W with status restricted movement. The ship was finally towed into the port of Vigo at 7 p.m.
TROTAMAR III
The NGO ship 'Sea Eye 5' has rescued 110 people from distress in a series of missions between Nov 5 and 6t off the island of Lampedusa. The missions were characterized by challenges and a long struggle to coordinate the rescue measures with the Maltese and Italian authorities. The organization Alarmphone reported an emergency in the Maltese rescue zone on the morning of Nov 5. A boat with 54 people was discovered t at 10:56 a.m. The 'Sea Eye 5' was in close contact with the Maltese authorities. Despite difficult negotiations and a steady deterioration of the situation, the ship had to intervene after around five hours and evacuated the people because the boat was no longer seaworthy and water was entering. During the course of the day, further reports of maritime emergencies were received, prompting the'Sea Eye 5' to continue its search operations. The 'Trotamar III' discovered another boat with 93 people on board, and stabilized the situation for the time being. The Italian Coast Guard then requested the 'Sea Eye 5Ä to provide assistance. On the way to the scene, the crew found another unseaworthy boat and rescued the 25 people on board. On the early morning of Nov 6, the 'Sea Eye 5' reached the 'Trotamar III' and embarked 31 more survivors ,after the 'Trotamar III' had reached its capacity limit. The Italian Coast Guard finally instructed the 'sea Eye 5' to hand over the 31 survivors from the last rescue to a Coastguard ship off Lampedusa and to take the remaining rescued people to the port of Ortona. However, the 'Sea Eye 5' could not reach this port for technical reasons. Operations manager Gorden Isler of Sea-Eye e.V. appealed to the authorities to assign a closer port, as the ship is not suitable for sea voyages lasting several days. Both ships were still heading for Lampedusa in order to enable the survivors to receive care as soon as possible. They urgently needed medical examinations.
NOORDAM
A 71 year old, Australian passenger of the 'Noordam' has drowned while swimming near Boracay Island on Nov 6, 2024, at 10.30 a.m. He was pulled from the water unresponsive after calling for help as he struggled to stay afloat in the water. The man had been swimming with several people near the Cagban Jetty Port, about 10 meters from the shore. Emergency services rushed the man to Ciriaco S. Tirol Hospital where he was pronounced dead.