The 'Mechanic Stepanov', enroute from the Russian port of St. Petersburg to Malokurilskoye with an ETA as of Oct 13, suffered a power failure and drifted in a short distance away from the Lilligrund Wind Farm in the direction of Drogden Lighthouse, before it.was anchored in Danish waters south of Amager on the evening of Sep 13, 2025. A NATO warship sailing under the British flag, a Danish military vessel and a Swedish police vessel were deployed to the area on the afternoon of Sep 14. The Swedish Coast Guard was supposed to handle the situation as the power failure had occurred in the Kattegat in Swedish waters, before the vessel ended up in Danish waters. In the meantime, the 'Mechanic Stepanov' drifted across three undersea data and communication cables running between Denmark and Sweden. The ship reported the problems just before it reached the area where the cables lie on the seabed, and control was regained shortly after it had passed over them. The passage took 20-30 minutes. When the ship finally stopped drifting, it was anchored in the Øresund for 20 hours, a short distance from an underwater gas pipeline from Swedegas that runs between Amager and Skåne. At the same time, it was near Copenhagen Airport and the Danish Armed Forces Intelligence Service (FE) premises at Sandagergård on the southern tip of Amager. The Danish Defence was monitoring the movements of the Russian ship, which heaved anchor again on the afternoon. The 'Mechanic Stepanov' was just completed at the Otradnoye Shipyard on the Neva River, and it received its RS class certification on Sep 4. No problems were identified in inspections and sea trials, and the vessel was cleared to depart for the voyage to its home port in the Kuril Islands. The crab vessel transited westbound through the Baltic Sea and then suffered a blackout due to a mechanical casualty. The ship was adrift in a busy shipping lane at the entrance to the Øresund for an extended period before going to anchor. Reports with photos: https://www.soefart.dk/article/view/1183352/russisk_skib_sejler_igen_efter_problemer_i_dansk_farvand https://danwatch.dk/russisk-skib-fik-maskinstop-over-undersoeiske-kabler-i-danmark/
News
ALASUINU
Due to a mechanical issue, the scheduled departure of the 'Ala'suinu' from Argentia to North Sydney was at risk to be delayed on the night of Sep 15, 2025. The ship finally left the port short before 10 p.m. UTC.
EVENTIN
A decision in the legal dispute surrounding the "Eventin," which remained anchored off Rügen island, is being delayed. A comprehensive written submission from the customs authorities was recently received as part of the ongoing proceedings at the Federal Fiscal Court in Munich. The review will take some time. The responsible senate aims to make a decision by the end of 2025. The Main Customs Office had filed an appeal with the Federal Fiscal Court against a decision by the Greifswald Fiscal Court. In May, the Finance Court in Greifswald initially suspended the ordered immediate confiscation of the ship and its cargo pending a decision in the main proceedings. The ship's owner had provisionally prevailed with a corresponding motion. The tanker, loaded with approximately 100,000 tons of oil, is one of the vessels of the so-called Russian shadow fleet, which is subject to sanctions. After departing from Ust-Luga, it drifted in the Baltic Sea for hours in January, being unable to maneuver, after all systems had failed. Before, it had repeatedly traveled between Russia and India in the past. The environmental organization WWF is calling for the ship to be unloaded. Since transferring oil at sea is not an option and German Baltic Sea ports are unsuitable, Danish ports must be asked for assistance. However, the legal situation makes this difficult.
GOLDEN MIND
On the morning of Sep 16, the 'MMA Vision' (IMO: 9548627) has established a towing connection and began towing the 'Golden Mind' off the coast of Stewart Island back to the mainland. The tanker had encountered steering difficulties west of Rakiura on Sep 10. The plan was l to tow the vessel to Timaru, which was expected to be completed on Sep 19.
LILLEOERE
Technical problems have been detected on board the 'Lilleøre', which sails between Sælvig and Aarhus. There were a.o. vibrations in the fast ferry's catering area, and therewere fears that the problems may develop further, if not addressed. The ferry has therefore been taken out of service on Sep 15, 2025, and sidelined in Sælvig, so that it can proceed to a shipyard for investigations. The plan wwas for the ferry to be back in service on Sep 22. The operator Samsø Rederi will operate a commuter bus Monday to Friday, departing from Hou at 6:45 a.m. and from DOKK1 at 4:00 p.m. Other passengers have been referred to the Hou-Sælvig route.