Cosco Container Lines today received the 13,386 teu neo-overpanamax vessel COSCO FRANCE. The 366m ship is the second unit in a series of eight identical sisters that Coscon is to receive from the Chinese Nantong Cosco KHI Ship Engineering Company (aka NACKS), a joint venture between Cosco and the Japanese Kawasaki Heavy Industries. The ship follows her earlier sister COSCO BELGIUM, delivered in March. Full story here: wp.me/p3nDLn-dJ

The Hamburg-based container line Hapag-Lloyd has taken delivery of the sixth unit in a series of ten identical neopanamax vessels, the 13,196 teu ESSEN EXPRESS. The 366-metre ship was built by Hyundai Heavy Industries at Ulsan, South Korea. It follows Hapag-Lloyd’s SHANGHAI EXPRESS delivered in March. full story here: linervision.wordp...

Collisions involving three vessels in the section of the Yangtze River in East China's Wuhu city, Anhui province, early Friday morning, May 17, 2013, left seven people missing. Twenty crew members on board the three vessels fell into the water after the collisions on Baimao Waterway. Thirteen of them have been rescued, according to the Yangtze River Maritime Department. The vessels included a tug boat carrying iron ore from Central China's Henan province, and cargo ships carrying steel products and limestone, respectively from Zhejiang province and Jiangsu province. The Ministry of Transport and the ministry's affiliated maritime affairs authorities have sent rescuers and experts for salvage and investigation.

Fire erupted on board of fishing vessel Taigan, docked in Wakkanai, Hokkaido, Japan, around 01:00 LT May 16 13. Land firefighting teams and firefighting boats were fighting fire for some 8 hours. 3 crew poisoned with fumes were hospitalized, 6 crew were found dead in superstructure. Crew was 23, Russians and Ukrainians. Vessel reportedly arrived to Wakkanai from Sakhalin Island with cargo of crab. No details found on the vessel except tonnage 497 tons, maybe vessel changed name and flag recently. Some news say vessel is reefer, but judging by photos, it’s definitely a fishing vessel. Also, 23 crew for a small reefer are too many. See photos at Fire on fishing vessel Taigan, 6 dead, Japan Fire erupted on board of fishing vessel Taigan, docked in Wakkanai, Hokkaido, Japan, around 01:00 LT May 16 13. Land firefighting teams and firefighting boats were fighting fire for some 8 hours. 3 crew poisoned with fumes were hospitalized, 6 crew were found dead in superstructure. Crew was 23, Russians and Ukrainians. Vessel reportedly arrived to Wakkanai from Sakhalin Island with cargo of crab. No details found on the vessel except tonnage 497 tons, maybe vessel changed name and flag recently. Some news say vessel is reefer, but judging by photos, it’s definitely a fishing vessel. Also, 23 crew for a small reefer are too many. See photos at world.huanqiu.com...