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The World War II aerial bomb found during dredging work in the Rhine at the construction site of the news Pfaffendorf Bridge in Koblenz is to be defused aboard the 'Innovatie' on April 4. The area has been evacuated. According to the Rhineland-Palatinate Bomb Disposal Service, both detonators of the 500-kilogram bomb are still intact. The defusing will take place this morning in the area of ​​the Gülser Mosel bend. For this purpose, the area within a 1,000-meter radius of the ship had to be evacuated. The evacuation of the affected area has been in effect since 8:30 a.m. No one other than emergency personnel is allowed to remain there. Access to the area has been blocked. Emergency personnel are currently monitoring the evacuation area to ensure that no one is actually left there. At 10 a.m., the bomb disposal team received approval to defuse the bomb. The evacuation zone also affects part of Koblenz-Lay. Among other things, the elementary school and the daycare center are affected there. On the other side of the Moselle, the campsite and the Güls sports harbor had to be evacuated. According to the city, the children from the daycare center and the Lay elementary school who cannot be cared for privately were accommodated in the Lay Schützenhalle (shooting hall). There, they are cared for by staff from the school, daycare center, and youth welfare office. Those affected by the evacuation and who cannot find alternative accommodation can stay in the Legia hall since 8 a.m. The city pointed out that pets were not allowed. Furthermore, there is no food available there. 46 people gathered at the Legiahalle and accepted the offer. The federal highway B416 on the left bank of the Moselle and the railway line along the Moselle has been closed during the bomb disposal operation. The Federal highway B327 (Hunsrückhöhen St.) and the Layer Bergweg remained unaffected. Ship traffic on the Moselle must wait until the bomb disposal operation is complete. A citizens' hotline has been set up at the Koblenz Fire Department for questions from the public: +49 261 40404-8000. Approximately 180 personnel from the public order office, fire department, police, bomb disposal service, disaster control units of the Malteser and German Red Cross, as well as the emergency services and other agencies are involved in the bomb disposal operation. The bomb was successfully defused at 10:47 a.m. Report with photo: https://www.stern.de/gesellschaft/regional/rheinland-pfalz-saarland/notfaelle--bombe-auf-schiff-in-koblenz-erfolgreich-entschaerft-35611678.html

The insurance issued to tankers used by Russia to skirt international sanctions was bogus, according to Norwegian authorities, which are now investigating the Norway-registered Romarine AS, which is behind the forged documents and is fully owned by Andrey Mochalin, a Russian citizen and former employee of the Norwegian insurer Hydor AS. The company was not registered as an insurance provider by Norway’s Financial Supervisory Authority Finanstilsynet (FSA). The firm made an effort to show the tankers involved had Western insurance coverage in the event of pollution or sinking. The FSA sent a warning to Romarine in January of this year, but the company failed to respond, prompting the FSA to issue an order on March 4, 2025, instructing the firm to halt operations. Romarine stated it was aware of the FSA’s March 4 order and that it had replied “with some delay through our lawyers.” Romarine said it operated in line with applicable regulations, but that it had decided to stop taking new business until there is a positive feedback from the authority. The FSA, however, has in fact not received a reply from Romarine. Norway’s official company registry shows that Romarine’s website is located in Russia with an IP address in St Petersburg. Romarine’s website as of early March listed at least 30 tankers subject to U.S., EU or UK sanctions, including the 'Captain Kostichev' (IMO: 9301392), operated by United Arab Emirates-based Stream Ship Management', and the 'Ionia', owned and operated by Seychelles-based Narus Maritime Corporation and since renamed 'Oilstar', A certificate of insurance provided by the 'Ionia' to Russian port authorities in Primorsk on Feb 2 and dated Jan 9, listed Romarine as its insurance provider. Another presented to port authorities in De Kastri by the 'Captain Kostichev' was dated March 24 and also listed Romarine as its insurer. Although that certificate said it was valid until April 24, the vessel has since been deleted from Romarine’s website, while the 'Ionia' was remaining. REgarding vessels that are subject to Western sanctions, Romarine said on March 12 that they appeared on its website by mistake due to a technical glitch. These vessels cannot access Western insurance markets because of sanctions, and have turned to Russian and Indian insurers to plug the gap. The FSA became concerned about Romarine after it received an emailed inquiry last September from overseas asking about a document carrying FSA’s letterhead which certified Romarine as a vessel’s insurer and immediately saw that it was false, The letterhead had possibly been copied and pasted into the forged document. It cited non-existent Norwegian law. The person who signed it never worked at the FSA, and the stamp was false. The FSA on March 25 posted a warning on its website against using the services of Romarine. The Oslo police have also launched an investigation into Romarine’s business activities after receiving a complaint from the FSA. They were investigating four people, two Norwegian nationals, one Bulgarian and one Russian, on suspicion of creating and using falsified documents and performing insurance mediation activities without a license. They said a search of the residence of one of the suspects was conducted in late March. The two Norwegians denied knowledge of any wrongdoing; The Russian resident of St. Petersburg owns and manages the business. He was not in custody, and despite the instructions from Norwegian authorities, the company's website remained online. As of March 25, the FSA was unable to reach the brokerage and warned against entering into agreements with the Romarine AS and against using the services offered through the company's websites. The new insurance inspection regime in the Baltic Sea turned up seven tankers that claimed to be covered by Romarine. The false coverage documents passed muster at the time, given the Norwegian address and connections of Romarine, but had no actual insurance behind them. This left the tankers dangerously uncovered in the event of a casualty or a spill.

On March 31, 2025, the 'Isik 4' was detained in Haifa with nine deficiencies, three of which being regarded as seriously and grounds for a detention: 1) Living and working - Provisions quantity Insufficient 2) Emergency systems - Emergency source of power - emergency generator Inoperative 3) Emergency systems - Emergency fire pump and its pipes Inoperative The vessel was released again on April 1 and left the port on April 2 for orders. The last detentions were only on Feb 18 in Novorossiysk with 11 deficiencies for two days and on Oct 29, 2024, also in Novorossiysk with three deficiencies for two days. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063576908591

The insurance issued to dozens of aging oil tankers used by Russia to skirt international sanctions was bogus, according to Norwegian authorities, which are now investigating the Norway-registered Romarine AS, which is behind the forged documents and is fully owned by Andrey Mochalin, a Russian citizen and former employee of the Norwegian insurer Hydor AS. The company was not registered as an insurance provider by Norway’s Financial Supervisory Authority Finanstilsynet (FSA). The firm made an effort to show the tankers involved had Western insurance coverage in the event of pollution or sinking. The FSA sent a warning to Romarine in January of this year, but the company failed to respond, prompting the FSA to issue an order on March 4, 2025, instructing the firm to halt operations. Romarine stated it was aware of the FSA’s order and that it had replied “with some delay through our lawyers.” Romarine said it operated in line with applicable regulations, but that it had decided to stop taking new business until there is a positive feedback from the authority. The FSA, however, has in fact not received a reply from Romarine. Norway’s official company registry shows that Romarine’s website is located in Russia with an IP address in St Petersburg. Romarine’s website as of early March listed at least 30 tankers subject to U.S., EU or UK sanctions, including the 'Captain Kostichev', which is operated by United Arab Emirates-based Stream Ship Management, and the 'Ionia' (IMO: 9312505), owned and operated by Seychelles-based Narus Maritime Corporation and since renamed 'Oilstar', A certificate of insurance provided by the 'Ionia' to Russian port authorities in Primorsk on Feb 2 and dated Jan 9, listed Romarine as its insurance provider. Another presented to port authorities in De Kastri by the 'Captain Kostichev' was dated March 24 and also listed Romarine as its insurer. Although that certificate said it was valid until April 24, the vessel has since been deleted from Romarine’s website, while the 'Ionia' was remaining. Regarding vessels that are subject to Western sanctions, Romarine said on March 12 that they appeared on its website by mistake due to a technical glitch. These vessels cannot access Western insurance markets because of sanctions, and have turned to Russian and Indian insurers to plug the gap. The FSA became concerned about Romarine after it received an emailed inquiry last September from overseas asking about a document carrying FSA’s letterhead which certified Romarine as a vessel’s insurer and immediately saw that it was false, The letterhead had possibly been copied and pasted into the forged document. It cited non-existent Norwegian law. The person who signed it never worked at the FSA, and the stamp was false. The FSA on March 25 posted a warning on its website against using the services of Romarine. The Oslo police have also launched an investigation into Romarine’s business activities after receiving a complaint from the FSA. They were investigating four people, two Norwegian nationals, one Bulgarian and one Russian, on suspicion of creating and using falsified documents and performing insurance mediation activities without a license. They said a search of the residence of one of the suspects was conducted in late March. The two Norwegians denied knowledge of any wrongdoing; The Russian resident of St. Petersburg owns and manages the business. He was not in custody, and despite the instructions from Norwegian authorities, the company's website remained online. As of March 25, the FSA was unable to reach the brokerage and warned against entering into agreements with the Romarine AS and against using the services offered through the company's websites. The new insurance inspection regime in the Baltic Sea turned up seven tankers that claimed to be covered by Romarine. The false coverage documents passed muster at the time, given the Norwegian address and connections of Romarine, but had no actual insurance behind them. This left the tankers dangerously uncovered in the event of a casualty or a spill.

The National Port System Administration (Asipona) is investigating the arrival of the' Torm Agnes' at Guaymas, loaded with millions of dollars in illegal fuel, on March 20, 2025, with documentation containing lubricants. The tanker docked in the ports of Guaymas and Ensenada to unload some of the illegal diesel it was transporting onto several tankers. Some of the tankers were seized while docked on property in Ensenada, Baja California.