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During the recent days, the Russian trawlers 'Kapelan' and 'Saami' sought shelter in the fjords in North Troms and have been sailing back and forth on the Ullsfjord for at least over a day near Laukøya raising concerns. There are currently 10 Russian trawlers that have sought refuge in Troms. In addition, three are docked in Tromsø. The situation is the same further north. In the lee of Sørøya. The Russian trawler 'Yagry' was anchored at Laukøya east of Arnøya. This came after a yellow warning has been issued for wind, and storms, high waves. The Norwegian defense stated that the trawlers had been given permission to seek shelter from bad weather. The Norwegian authorities allow fishing vessels to seek shelter during storms, and the vessels are assigned safe harbors. The defense assured that they have a good overview of vessels along the coast.

On Feb 7, 2025, the 'Fuji Lava' was detained in Dublin with 11 deficiencies, two of which being regarded as seriously and grounds for a detentio: 1) Fire safety - Evaluation of crew performance (Fire drills) Lack of familiarity 2) ISM - Ism certificate Not as required The vessel was released again on Feb 10 and left the port en route to Port Jerome with an ETA as of Feb 12. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063576908591

White solidified lumps of cooking fat, animal fat and vegetable oil have washed ashore on several of the beaches of Hanko at the end of Jan 2,025, and probably came from the 'Sten Bergen', which was in Porvoo from Jan 24-26 and had washed its tanks at sea. The MARPOL Convention and its Annex II establish the international rules for the discharge of harmful liquid substances into the Baltic Sea and classify them into four different categories. The Coast Guard is investigating whether a crime may have been committed in connection with the discharge of the fat residues. The ship may have at least on paper remained within the framework of international law. It was believed to have pre-washed its tanks in the port of Sköldvik in Porvoo, after which it continued washing its tanks at sea. For the type of cargo the ship was transporting, under certain conditions, washing water can be discharged into the Baltic Sea, if it is a second rinse. Marine expert Vanessa Ryan from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) believes that there is reason to investigate whether the laws regarding the discharge of washing water should be stricter, as it is difficult to know how big an environmental impact the discharge of wash water into the Baltic Sea has. Liquid substances transported in bulk by tanker are divided into four categories depending on how harmful they are considered to be to people and the environment. According to international regulations established by the MARPOL Convention, a ship carrying truly dangerous substances, i.e. X-cargo, must always pre-wash its tanks in port after unloading the cargo. For the following class, i.e. category Y, the restrictions are somewhat lighter. Pre-washing in ports also applies to Y-cargo, but not for all types of chemicals. The wash water must then be disposed of in the port. After this, the ships can continue washing after they have left port. After a pre-wash of the tanks of a ship that has transported a Y-cargo, international regulations allow a second rinse at sea, but under certain conditions. Among other things, the wash water must be sufficiently diluted,. A tank in a ship built in 2007 or later may contain a maximum of 75 liters of liquid substances after emptying when it is an X-, Y- or Z-cargo. The rules for how concentrated a substance can then be and how much wash water can be released into the sea differ for different substances. In order to release wash water, the ship in question must also be at least 12 nautical miles from the nearest shore, the water depth is at least 25 meters and the ship is moving at a speed of at least seven knots. The Coast Guard is currently investigating whether a crime could be behind the fat lumps in Hanko. If they conclude that a crime can be suspected, it could be a matter of something called an environmental protection offence in shipping. The city of Hanko is not currently planning to file a police report regarding the fat accumulations. Neste has taken responsibility for them and promised to cover the costs of the cleanup Reports with photos: https://yle.fi/a/74-20140453 https://yle.fi/a/7-10072004

A convoy of the two Russian cargo ships 'Sparta' and 'Sparta II' and the Class A oil tanker 'General Skobelev', part of the Kremlin’s so-called ‘ghost fleet, will pass the port of Dover within a few miles sometime in the coming week, raising serious security concerns. Ammunition and weapons on board the three vessels are being repatriated to Russia from Syria. The dictator lost his Navy base in the Mediterranean coastal city of Tartus after the collapse of the Assad regime, which Russia backed throughout the Syrian civil war. Since then, Russia has stepped up its military withdrawal from the country, removing vehicles and containers with a lighting speed. The large landing ships 'Ivan Gren' and 'Alexander Otrakovsky' were also seen as part of the convoy. The convoy is currently positioned a few miles from Lisbon and is sailing towards Spain. The vessels will go through the English Channel and then the North Sea. The 'Sparta I' and 'General Skobelev' are expected to arrive at Saint Petersburg between Feb 21 and 23. The 'Sparta II' will call at the Russian naval port of Baltiysk and then proceed to the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. The Russian fleet has no friendly port on the way to Saint Petersburg and is forced to repair whatever breakdowns at sea and without assistance. There have already been reports that the 'Sparta' has suffered technical problems both en route to Tartus and on its return journey. Report with photos: https://metro.co.uk/2025/02/10/putin-sending-ships-packed-full-weapons-just-a-miles-dover-22528742/

A cargo of contraband cigarettes was seized bythe French customs authorities aboard the'Kokoo' by the Nouméa Customs Authority with assistance from the Australian Border Force (ABF) on Feb 5, 2025, after the ship had berthed in the port of Nouméa. The search by customs agents yielded around 76 tonnes of contraband cigarettes, which were found in five containers. The Australian Border Force (ABF) has stated that the investigation and surveillance of the vessel had been ongoing for a while and that they were monitoring the suspicious route of the vessel near the Australian coast. Along with the contraband, two speedboats were also found to be stowed aboard the vessel, fitted with four 300-hp-outboard motors., an arrangement typical for boats used in smuggling operations. Around 10 tons of gasoline were also found,, presumably to fuel the speedboats. The 'Kokoo' probably served as a mother ship to smuggle cigarettes, with the final leg of the delivery being made using the speedboats. On Feb 7, the master appeared at a criminal court in Noumea and was sentenced to 10 months in prison and a fine of $350,000 and confiscation of the entire cigarette cargo, along with the speedboats. The value of the seized tobacco is estimated to be about $35 million on the legal market. Report with photos: https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/new-caledonia-busts-a-mother-ship-used-for-cigarette-smuggling