On March 29,, 2025, at 2.50 a.m. LT, the ' Jianghai Zhida 66' (MMSI: 413530020), en route from Ningbo to Jiang Yin with 13 crew members on board, was in collision with the 'Ning Yuan Bei Lun', en route from Ningbo to Zhapu with 934 TEUs of containerized cargo on board, near Yangxiaomao Island, Ningbo, in pos. 29-54. 18 N 122-10. 99 E. The 'Jinaghai Zhida 66', which was scheduled to load cargo at Ningbo Port before heading to Jiangyin Port. suffered such severe damage that it sank within five minutes. At 6:50 a.m. all crew members were recovered. However, one of them was found deceased, while three others were injured and taken to hospital for treatment. The remaining nine crew members were safe and sound. The 'Ningyuan Beilun' suffered only slight damage and moored at Zhoushan Anchorage for investigations. The cause of the collision was investigated by the authorities. The 'Ningyuan Beilun', an open-top container vessel operated by the Ningbo Ocean Shipping, was delivered only on Feb 27 from the Taizhou Jianxing Heavy Industry. It had departed from the Ningbo Meishan Island Container Terminal at 00:56 a.m. and was scheduled to arrive at Zhapu Port on March 29 at 5:30 p.m.
News
GNV SEALAND
On March 31, 2025, the 'GNV SEALAND', en route from Palma to Valencia, requested the medical evacuation of a passenger 45 nautical miles west of Mallorca. The CCS Palma of Salvamento Marítimo mobilized the SAR helicopter Helimer 222, which hoisted the patient and transferred him to the helipad of the Son Espases Hospital.
SERVIA
The river cruise ship 'De Zonnebloem' (MMSI: 244650986), designed to transport people with disabilities, was in a head-on-collision with the 'Servia' (MMSI:24418518), which was en route from Rotterdam to Ghent, on March 29, 2025, at 3.15 a.m. near Voerde-Spellen close to Wesel on the Rhine at river kilometre 809. None of the 69 passengers - people with a disability -, 65 volunteers and 15 crew members were injured, The foreship was torn open at port side. The water police in Emmerich directed the passenger ship into the port of Wesel. The passengers had to leave the ship. De Zonnebloem was trying to get everyone home as quickly as possible. Employees in both Germany and the Netherlands were working on arranging this. The transport company Valys, specialized in transporting people with disabilities, has offered to bring everyone back to the Netherlands in adapted vans. The 'De Zonnebloem'' sails on the Rhine to and from Germany for about 40 weeks a year and also makes cruises on Belgian and Dutch waters. Every year, almost 3,000 people with physical disabilities go on holiday with it. The 'Servia' was damaged at the port side bow above the waterline too. It was ordered to berth in Duisburg for investigations, after Duisburg Water Police officers boarded the vessel, that was presumably responsible for the accident, and banned it from sailing. Because the vessel's captain was suspected of having consumed alcohol, officers took him to the Duisburg station, where a doctor took a blood sample. The Emmerich Water Police officers have begun an investigation, which is currently ongoing. The captain of the vessel now faces criminal proceedings. On MArch 31 the ship berthed in Ludwigshafen. Reports iwth photos: https://www.transport-online.nl/79894/schip-van-de-zonnebloem-aangevaren-door-vrachtschip-en-maanden-uit-de-vaart/?fbclid=IwY2xjawJWRSNleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHVFhFcTI5jk11nTtFmVzm0fsmURb_xNiBBAGh7yIKF7k_IyBaS70MXS8lQ_aem_7k2zktHyStaWKe9ngiyOgQ https://nos.nl/artikel/2561546-vakantieschip-de-zonnebloem-loopt-averij-op-in-duitsland https://www.presseportal.de/blaulicht/pm/50510/6002565 https://www.schuttevaer.nl/nieuws/actueel/2025/03/29/enige-schip-zonnebloem-aangevaren-mogelijk-maanden-uit-de-vaart/
MOBY ZAZA
Following the recent scrapping of the ferry "Moby Dada," the "Moby Zaza" has also been decommissioned from the Moby Lines fleet. It has been sold to Atlantis Maritime, a company based in the Marshall Islands. Its fate is currently unknown. The ferry had served for the Italian company Moby since Dec 2015, and was chartered by Balearia during the 2022 tender.
MSC BALTIC III
On March 26, Bruce English, the senior response officer of the Marine Environmental and Hazards Response section of the Canadian Coast Guard, led a media ride-along to the'MSC Baltic 'III' near Lark Harbour on the calmest day since the Feb. 15 storm. Coming ashore just about anywhere else in the area, where most cliffs plunge deep into the sea, would likely have sunk the ship in short order. The accessibility of Cedar Cove by land is also a stroke of good fortune for the salvage effort. The restriction zone for two nautical miles around the ship, the Canadian Coast Guard had established after the grounding, has since been reduced to one nautical mile, but it still restricts hikers from walking out to the Cedar Cove beach via a trailhead located a short distance away in Little Port. Little Port is being used by the Coast Guard and salvage team crews, although the Coast Guard has installed a temporary floating dock for its small vessels in Lark Harbour. The plan is for the contractors hired by the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), to fix up an all-terrain vehicle trail that leads from Lark Harbour to Cedar Cove. That project will include extending the road out into the water to the bow of the ship so heavy trucks can help offload the roughly 1,600 metric tonnes of hydrocarbons, such as heavy fuels, oils, lubricants and other materials, safely and more consistently from the ship. The main priority at the moment is still the removal of the potential pollutants from the ship. Mobile generators and boilers began the process of heating the heaviest oils on March 25. It could take up to two days before the first batch of oil has been warmed enough to begin flowing into frac tanks that have also been loaded onto the deck of the ship. Following the removal of all potential pollutants, the salvage crew will focus on removing all of the freight aboard the 'MSC Baltic III'. There had been around 470 containers aboard the ship, but half of them were empty. Three containers, all of which were empty at the time, were ripped open by the brute force of the waves generated by the Feb. 15 tempest. Eight containers of polymer beads have already been removed by the salvage company. Once all the cargo has been removed, the crews will determine how best to remove the ship itself from its precarious position. Report with photos and video: https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/world/view-from-the-sea-closer-look-at-cargo-ship-that-ran-aground-in-a-lucky-spot-in-nl/ar-AA1BLwkU?ocid=BingNewsVerp&apiversion=v2&noservercache=1&domshim=1&renderwebcomponents=1&wcseo=1&batchservertelemetry=1&noservertelemetry=1
MENGXIN 1
Three Chinese crew members of the 'Megxin 1' were initally missing in Ghanaian waters and believed to have been kidnapped after a suspected pirate attack” on March 27, 2025, at 5.53 p.m. the West African nation’s military said in a statement on March 29. Seven armed people had boarded the ship and fired warning shots shortly before 6 p.m.LT. They stayed on board for about three hours while some crew members hid. The pirates gathered the crew on deck and confiscated their mobile phones. Initially it was believed that the ship’s captain, chief mate and chief engineer were missing. The fishing vessel later docked in the Tema Fishing Harbour. However, all crew members are now safe. The Chinese foreign ministry confirmed the safety and the embassy’s quick response to the incident. The Chinese Embassy in Ghana quickly initiated emergency protocols and engaged closely with local authorities to ensure the safety of all crew members. Ghana’s navy was investigating the pirate attack. The authorities have alerted neighbouring countries through the ECOWAS Multinational Maritime Coordination Centre (MMCC) as part of efforts to track the attackers.
BRP BORACAY
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported a fire aboard the cargo vessel 'Castphill XV' on the early morning of March 30. 2025,while the vessel was sailing in waters northwest of Limbones Island, Nasugbu, Batangas, Philippines. At approximately 4:27 a.m. LT, the BRP 'Boracay' rescued seven crew members, including the captain, who had suffered minor injuries. Later, five more crew members were rescued by the Coast Guard Sub-Station (CGSS) Maragondon. Upon the arrival at Pier 15 in the South Harbor, Manila, the 'Boracay 'handed over the rescued crew members to the Coast Guard Medical Dispensary for further evaluation. The PCG has launched an investigation to determine the cause of the fire. Report with photos: https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/twelve-rescued-from-burning-cargo-ship-in-manila-bay
STAR 1
Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy has confiscated two tankers in the Persian Gulf waters during an operation on March 31, 2025, the 'Star 1' and 'Vintage', which were carrying over three million liters of smuggled diesel fuel. All 25 crew members of the two tankers were also arrested. The tankers were transferred to Bushehr port, where the diesel will be offloaded under court orders. Iran, has long faced challenges with fuel smuggling, particularly in its southern maritime borders, as the significant price difference of fuel between Iran and the neighbouring countries has made fuel smuggling a lucrative illegal trade. The price of diesel fuel in Iran is only 3,000 rials ($0.003) per liter for limited monthly quotas while the fuel is available at 6,000 rials per liter for unlimited usage by truck drivers and farmers using heavy machinery. The two tankers were singled out via intelligence monitoring at the Bushehr port.
COSTA FASCINOSA
On March 31, 2025, the 'COSTA FASCINOSA', en route from St. Johns to Santa Cruz de Tenerife, requested the medical evacuation of a 79-year-old Swiss passenger 75 nautical miles southwest of El Hierro. The CCS Tenerife of Salvamento Marítimo mobilized the SAR helicopter Helimer 222, 201, which hoisted the patient and transferred him tothe Tenerife South Airport for further transfer to the hospital.
DE ZONNEBLOEM
The 'De Zonnebloem'', designed to transport people with disabilities, was in a head-on-collision with the inland vessel 'Servia' (MMSI:24418518), which was en route from Rotterdam to Ghent, on March 29, 2025, at 3.15 a.m. near Voerde-Spellen close to Wesel on the Rhine at river kilometre 809. None of the 69 passengers - people with a disability -, 65 volunteers and 15 crew members were injured, The foreship was torn open at port side on 20 square meters. The water police in Emmerich directed the passenger ship into the port of Wesel. The passengers had to leave the ship. De Zonnebloem was trying to get everyone home as quickly as possible. Employees in both Germany and the Netherlands were working on arranging this. The transport company Valys, specialized in transporting people with disabilities, has offered to bring everyone back to the Netherlands in adapted vans. The 'De Zonnebloem'' sails on the Rhine to and from Germany for about 40 weeks a year and also makes cruises on Belgian and Dutch waters. Every year, almost 3,000 people with physical disabilities go on holiday with it. The 'Servia' was damaged at the port side bow above the waterline too. It was ordered to berth in Duisburg for investigations, after Duisburg Water Police officers boarded the vessel, that was presumably responsible for the accident, and banned it from sailing. Because the vessel's captain was suspected of having consumed alcohol, officers took him to the Duisburg station, where a doctor took a blood sample. The Emmerich Water Police officers have begun an investigation, which is currently ongoing. The captain of the vessel now faces criminal proceedings. On March 31 it shifted to Ludwigshafen. Reports iwth photos: https://www.schuttevaer.nl/nieuws/actueel/2025/03/29/enige-schip-zonnebloem-aangevaren-mogelijk-maanden-uit-de-vaart/ https://www.transport-online.nl/79894/schip-van-de-zonnebloem-aangevaren-door-vrachtschip-en-maanden-uit-de-vaart/?fbclid=IwY2xjawJWRSNleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHVFhFcTI5jk11nTtFmVzm0fsmURb_xNiBBAGh7yIKF7k_IyBaS70MXS8lQ_aem_7k2zktHyStaWKe9ngiyOgQ https://nos.nl/artikel/2561546-vakantieschip-de-zonnebloem-loopt-averij-op-in-duitsland https://www.presseportal.de/blaulicht/pm/50510/6002565
ARNOLD EDWARD
On March 30, 2025, the 'Arnold Edward' was disabled off the port of Yarmouth, NS, and requested assistance. The Canadian Coast Guard vessel CCGS 'Sambro' (MMSI: 316001601)) was deployed to assist and pulled the fishing vessel back into port, where it was safely moored in alongside tow.
AN YANG2
Chinese and Russian authorities were actively advancing salvage efforts for the 'An Yang 2', which remained hard aground since Feb 9 near Nevelsk, on Russia's Sakhalin Island. A Chinese task force recently arrived in the Sakhalin Oblast to consult with local Russian government officials and rescue agencies to coordinate the ship's salvage operation. Both sides have signed a letter of intent regarding the oil removal, with further efforts underway to draft the next phase of the salvage plan. Staff from the Chinese consulate boarded the vessel after it ran aground to visit the crew. As of now, all 20 crew members remained in good health, maintaining smooth communication with the outside world and having sufficient supplies of food and drinking water. The vessel was carrying approximately 50 tons of diesel and 700 tons of heavy fuel oil. No pollution has been detected in the surrounding waters following the incident. Report with photos: http://en.people.cn/n3/2025/0331/c90000-20296198.html
VB ABEILLE BRETAGNE
After a four-week technical stop in Brest, the 'Abeille Bourbon' will have a new name. It is expected to be called 'VB Abeille BretagneÄ. On March 28 at noon, the tug left the Quay Malbert in Brest to enter dock No. 1. Under the care of Piriou Naval Services Brest, the vessel will undergo a four-week technical maintenance. The work program includes standard inspections of the propulsion engine couplings, inspections of two generator sets, and maintenance work on the two cranes. The tug will also undergo, for the first time since its commissioning, a complete repainting of the superstructures. Routine maintenance and inspections will be carried out as part of the Bureau Veritas classification. During its technical layup, the 'Abeille Bourbon' will be replaced by the 'Abeille Horizon', which has just undergone a maintenance period.
FUGRO MERCATOR
The 'Fugro Mercator' has been successful refloated at the north coast of island of Elba. On March 28 the company Fugro said that the vessel was safely towed back to the port of Portoferraio and was placed at the shiplift of the Esaom Cesa shipyard to be taken out of the water for repairs. The grounding on March 22 had caused no injuries and no damage to the environment. An investigation was ongoing to determine what caused the vessel to run aground. The 'Fugro Mercator' had been performing survey work for the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA) as part of the Italian government’s Marine Ecosystem Restoration (MER) Project under the Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan, which aims to restore marine habitats, update the national system for observing marine and coastal ecosystems, as well as map marine habitats across Italian waters. Furgo is working alongside Italian partners Poliservizi Srl and Prisma. In addition to the surveys, two seabed tsunami early-warning stations in the Sardinian Channel and the South Ionian Sea will be included. Fugro was working with the Italian government to ensure the survey work goes uninterrupted after the grounding incident. In this regard, Fugro has committed to dispatch another survey vessel, the 'Fugro Helmert', which will sail to the Mediterranean to pick up the project and will minimize the overall impact of the incident. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHKPPGcTkV8
TUNOFAERGEN
The fault, which has kept the 'Tunøfærgen ' in the port of Hov since March 27, has now been located in the port of Hov, being related to a gearbox. The ferry operator hopes that the ferry can be back in service from April 3. Technicians have been working to find the fault together with employees from Hundested Propeller, who at one time had supplied the ship's gears, among other things. The investigations have shown that the port side gear has broken. So now a major repair was started by the ferry operator. Until the Tunø ferry is back in operation, the 'Ternen' will be responsible for the ferry service to the island. However, the 'Ternen' only has room for 12 passengers, and also has other tasks to solve, such as maintaining the wind turbines on Tunø Rev and the turbines at Samsø in the coming days. Therefore, the exact times for the ferry sailings could not be given. If there is an acute space problem, it is possible to deploy an even smaller ship, the 'Ternen 2', which, however, only has room for six passengers, while the 'Tunøfærgen' has a capacity of more than 100 passengers, and also space for four cars.
TB TORANES
On March 29, 2025, the 'TB Toranes' , while towing a barge with a crane, belonging to Veidekke, that had been at the slipway in Dåfjorden at Stord, southwards along Sletta, had to stop at Årabrotholmane due to engine trouble. The lifeboat 'Horn Rescue' (MMSI: 257641000) towed the 'TB Toranes' into the port of Haugesund, while the towed barge was taken care of by patrol boat 'Tor' (IMO: 9353369) and the lifeboat 'RC Bergesen' (MMSI: 257965590). which pulled it to Haugesund too. Report with photo: https://x.com/NSSR/status/1906006820411371662
DE ZONNEBLOEM
The 'De Zonnebloem' remained stationary in Wesel as of March 31 after the collision with the 'Servia' on MArch 28 at 3 a.m., en route from Düsseldorf to Arnhem. None of the 69 disabled passengers, 65 volunteers and 15 crew members on board was injured, but the ship suffered considerable damage. In addition to the large hole in the foreship, cabinets come off the wall and there was a lot of rubbish on the floor. But the situation was under control quite quickly, and the crew acted well. Together with the volunteers, they cleaned up well and everyone was quickly back to normal. The ship, which has been fully adapted to offer people with a physical disability a pleasant holiday, was due to return to Arnhem on the morning of March 29. People who were coming to pick up a family member were asked to come to Wesel. The organisation Valys, which transports people with a disability, also picked up passengers in Wesel. The next departure was due to take place on March 31. Passengers will be rebooked by De Zonnebloem to another date. The ship will remain in Wesel until it is allowed to sail further by the authorities, so when it is safe enough to continue sailing. It is now up to the operator to find a shipyard for permanent repairs. Report with photo: https://www.gld.nl/nieuws/8290792/flinke-schade-aan-schip-na-aanvaring
URD
The Greek shipping company Creta Cargo Lines has purchased the 'Urd' for its connections between Piraeus and Crete, from the shipping company SeaLines, is expected in Greek waters. The ship will be delivered to the new owners on March 31, 2025, and will then be transferred to Greece, where it will undergo maintenance before entering service.
RAMONDA
The "Ramonde" in its current state represents an environmental hazard, as there are still around 8.000 liters of diesel fuel in the tanks of the destroyed yacht and a significant amount of oil in the ship's engines. The firefighting operation on the luxury yacht "Ramonda", which caught fire on March 27 at around 6 p.m. in the Portonovi marina in Kumbor, ended on the night of March 29, when the wreck towed from Kumbor to the Adriatic 42 shipyard in Bijela. The wreck has been secured along the operational shore and surrounded by a an oil boom to prevent the spread of any spills of oil, petroleum, and other harmful substances from what remained of the hull. On March 30 the navigation safety inspector Captain Grujica Dudić issued a decision prohibiting any attempt to remove the wrec to dry land or cut it up, until the Maritime Safety and Port Management Administration (UPSUL), the Kotor Harbour Master's Office and the Ministry of Maritime Affairs have issued a statement on the matter in accordance with the jurisdiction of these bodies. Given that the structural integrity of the rest of the hull of the "Ramonde" has been greatly damaged and weakened by the destruction by fire, any attempt to remove the ship to shore using the travel lift at the Adriatic 42 shipyard could literally disintegrate the wreck, leading to fuel and oil spills and an ecological disaster. Therefore, the Navigation Safety Inspectorate requests that all necessary measures be taken beforehand to pump out the fuel from the wreck, that is, that UPSUL, the Port Authority and the Ministry of Maritime Affairs adopt adequate solutions within their jurisdiction on how to further deal with the remains of the luxury yacht, which, until a few days ago, was worth around 10 million euros. The yacht is owned by the company "Millennium Team" doo from Belgrade. The police are investigating the causes of the fire on the yacht in the elite Portonovi marina, and the actions of its crew were also under scrutiny, because there were no crew members on board at the time the fire broke out. On the other hand, the action of extinguishing the fire and attempting to rescue the yacht itself showed a series of shortcomings and poor coordination between parts of the national chain for interventions in cases of emergencies at sea, starting from the untimely notification of UPSUL, through the failure to appear on site while the yacht was being rescued by the director of that Administration and the port captain in Kotor, the lack of a clear and unambiguous chain of command for the action of rescuing endangered property at sea by the commander on site, the lukewarm and inadequate reaction of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, the absence of any reaction and action by the National Committee for Search and Rescue at Sea, to the transfer of the greatest burden of the extinguishing action and responsibility for it to the Herceg Novi Municipal Protection and Rescue Service, which is neither adequately equipped nor trained for such complicated interventions of extinguishing fires on ships. Reports with photos: https://en.vijesti.me/news-b/society/752163/remains-of-a-destroyed-yacht-towed-to-white--dry-docking-or-cutting-prohibited-until-the-authorities-make-a-statement https://en.vijesti.me/news-b/society/752110/The-yacht-was-flown-under-the-flag-of-a-Caribbean-country--the-ship-that-burned-down-was-registered-to-a-company-linked-to-the-regime-in-Serbia.?utm_source=vijesti&utm_medium=article_related&utm_campaign=article_intext_related
ARMADA 78 06
11 years after the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, the latest underwater search campaign, launched at the end of March 2025 by the American company Ocean Infinity, has been suspended. The 'Armada 7806', tasked with exploring the seabed in the southern Indian Ocean, is now heading to the port of Singapore with an ETA as of April 4. This suspension does not signal the end of operations: a new phase could begin in October, after the southern hemisphere winter, with increased resources. The final green light from the Malaysian government was given on March 20, 2025. The contract with Ocean Infinity, which was already involved in the 2018 search, provides for a payment of $70 million solely in the event of the discovery of the wreck of the Boeing 777. The exploration area covers 15,000 km², more than 2,000 km from the Australian coast, in a particularly hostile region marked by powerful currents and unpredictable weather. The choice of this area was based on new analyses, notably those of Captain Patrick Blelly and aeronautics expert Jean-Luc Marchand. Their study, presented in 2023, suggested that the plane may have intentionally flown south until its last satellite signal. These conclusions have allowed the search to be refocused on a previously unexplored area. Flight MH370, which departed from Kuala Lumpur bound for Beijing, disappeared from civilian radar screens on March 8, 2014, with 239 people on board—including 153 Chinese, 43 Malaysians, four French, as well as Australian, Indian, American, and Dutch passengers. Only a few pieces of debris, washed up on the shores of the Indian Ocean, have been formally identified as belonging to the aircraft. The main wreckage and the black boxes remain missing. For experts, recovering the flight recorders would provide access to the final moments in the cabin as decisive elements in finally shedding light on the circumstances of the disappearance. While the mission has been suspended, it has not been abandoned. Ocean Infinity has not yet released the results obtained, but a resumption of the search is planned for the fall of 2025. This time, a larger vessel and more favourable weather could allow the exploration to continue under better conditions.