On MAy 30, U.S. and UK forces carried out strikes against more than a dozen Houthi rebel positions in Yemen, responding to a resurgence in the group's attacks on merchant shipping and coalition assets. The forces destroyed a wave of eight Houthi drones over the Red Sea and Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen on the afternoon. In response, The U.S. and its British allies struck 13 Houthi positions in terrorist-controlled areas of Yemen in self-defense. The targets included missile launchers, command posts, underground facilities and a Houthi vessel, among others. One day prior, Houthi forces downed another U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone with an antiaircraft missile, marking the sixth American aircraft shootdown the group has claimed. On May 28, they attacked the 'Laax' multiple times in two separate missile attacks, causing damage to the hull and shattering cargo hatch No. 6. The vessel was hit five times by antiship missiles. The crew was uninjured and the ship continued on to its next port of call. The 'Laax' was inspected by an explosives disposal team based in Djibouti - where France maintains an overseas base - and no further hazards were found aboard the vessel. Reports with photos: https://maritime-executive.com/article/u-s-and-uk-forces-hit-back-after-houthi-attacks https://lemarin.ouest-france.fr/defense/en-images-les-forces-francaises-en-mer-rouge-assistent-le-navire-touche-par-des-missiles-houthistes-762bcd1e-1e7c-11ef-9302-e3fef0044a0c
News
AVANGARD
The 'Avangard' was damaged in a Ukrainian missile strike on occupied Kerch, Crimea, early in the morning on May 30, 2024. The ship was run aground. Four crew members, including 19-year-old interns, were injured. Shrapnel from a downed missile damaged the pilot boat 'Mechta' at the Kerch ferry crossing, and it sank. The crew members managed to leave the boat and were unharmed. Also the 'Conro Trader' was damaged, one crew member was injured. Four KS-701 transport amphibious boats were damaged. In addition, Ukrainian uncrewed surface vessels Magura V5 attacked and hit two Russian boats near the village of Chornomorske, Yevpatoriia district, the KS-701 Tunets. Reports and photos: https://english.nv.ua/nation/ukraine-damages-russian-ferry-in-kerch-strait-photos-50423301.html https://ru.krymr.com/a/news-kerch-parom-udar-krym/32972707.html https://www.slobodenpecat.mk/de/video-pet-broda-i-dva-feribroda-se-oshteteni-vo-sinokjeshniot-napad-na-krim/ https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-war-latest-11/
Mumbai
Mumbai Port’s decision to raise the draft level to 10.3 metres and 11 metres to dock vessels at BPX and BPS respectively, subject to low tides being over 60 cm has been welcomed by maritime fraternity. This has avoided the waiting period for the vessels arriving with deep drafts till the tide is favorable for berthing. At times, such vessels had to arrange for discharging the import cargo for reducing the draft in stream and only subsequently berth at BPX/BPS.
Halifax
PSA International Pte Ltd (PSA) has completed the acquisition of Halterm Container Terminal (“Halterm”) in the Port of Halifax, Canada, from Macquarie Infrastructure Partners,a fund managed by Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets, following formal approval by the relevant regulatory authorities. Halterm is the only container terminal in Eastern Canada that can serve mega container vessels.
CORNELIA
The 'Cornelia', en route from Bari to Constanta, suffered an engine failure while transiting the Bosphorus on May 31, 2024. The vessel encountered a breakdown near Beşiktaş , leading to the immediate deployment of a pilot and the tugs "Kurtarma 9" and "Kurtarma 12' from the Directorate General of Coastal Safety to assist. Consequently, the ship traffic in the Bosphorus has been halted temporarily to facilitate the safe handling of the situation. Ship traffic was set to resume at 7 a.m. for southbound vessels after a brief suspension. The ship was taken to Türkeli and safely moored in pos. 41° 16.38'N 029° 01.98' E. Report with photos: https://x.com/kiyiemniyet/status/1796459078283411496
TORO ROSSO
Seven people died and several were injured on the morning May 30, 2024, in an explosion followed by a fire on the 'Toro Rosso', with 20 crew members on board, eight nautical miles from the port of Jorf Lasfar, when the ship was about to load a cargo of fertilizer. An ensuing fire engulfed the engine room. Once the alert was raised, Civil Protection and local authorities in El Jadida were mobilized to fight the fire, with the intervention including a gendarmerie helicopter. This allowed for the evacuation of the dead and injured. The bodies of several victims have been removed from the ship. Three people were transferred to Casablanca and later succumbed to their injuries. Report with photo: https://fr.le360.ma/societe/cargo-en-feu-au-large-de-jorf-lasfar-le-bilan-monte-a-4-morts-et-6-blesses_HN3YUKEZHFAMTKJULVM7TY462E/
Salalah
The Port of Salalah, Oman’s major regional gateway port and transshipment hub on the Arabian Sea, set another record in productivity with a delivering 412.97 Port Moves per Hour (PMPH) on vessel Cap San Tainaro handling 3,820 moves in a port stay of 9.25 hours. This is the highest productivity delivered by any port in the region till date.
Rijeka
The Croatian government said it would help a troubled shipyard owned by Uljanik, the country’s largest shipbuilder, resume production. The government, which owns a 25% stake in Uljanik, said in March that it would not back a proposed restructuring plan for the group due to the financial burden it would place on the state. However, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Thursday that the government was willing to support 3.Maj, which is located in the northern Adriatic port of Rijeka and is one of the group’s two shipyards, because it did not have as big a debt burden. “Unlike Uljanik, the 3.Maj is not an overly indebted company and there is an interest in the construction of new ships,” Plenkovic told a televised press conference after a government meeting. He said the government expected 3.Maj to draft a plan for its future operations.
CONRO TRADER
The 'Avangard' was damaged in a Ukrainian missile strike on occupied Kerch, Crimea, early in the morning on May 30, 2024. The ship was run aground. Four crew members, including 19-year-old interns, were injured. Shrapnel from a downed missile damaged the pilot boat 'Mechta' at the Kerch ferry crossing, and it sank. The crew members managed to leave the boat and were unharmed. Also the 'Conro Trader' was damaged, one crew member was injured. Four KS-701 transport amphibious boats were damaged. In addition, Ukrainian uncrewed surface vessels Magura V5 attacked and hit two Russian boats near the village of Chornomorske, Yevpatoriia district, the KS-701 Tunets. Reports and photos: https://english.nv.ua/nation/ukraine-damages-russian-ferry-in-kerch-strait-photos-50423301.html https://ru.krymr.com/a/news-kerch-parom-udar-krym/32972707.html https://www.slobodenpecat.mk/de/video-pet-broda-i-dva-feribroda-se-oshteteni-vo-sinokjeshniot-napad-na-krim/ https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-war-latest-11/
FR PEARL
On MAy 29, the work started to refloat the 'FR Pearl' in Artvin's Hopa district. It was planned to tow to the ship Hopa Port, and in preparation of this it was turned around. The works, however, could not be completed due to technical reasons, and will be restarted in the coming days. Report with photo: https://www.yildizhaber.com.tr/karaya-oturan-yuk-gemisini-limana-cekme-calismalari-tamamlanamadi-143133-haberi
Taranto
This is the 22nd marine port in Yilport Holding’s portfolio, and its first terminal in Italy. The company, ranked 12th among international container terminal operators by Drewry, targets to be ranked among the top 10 by 2025. Chairman Robert Yuksel Yildirim made the following remarks at the signing ceremony: “We have a strong presence in the Mediterranean. We are in Malta and operate seven ports between Spain and Portugal. Being able to enter Italy and work here in Taranto is like filling in the missing piece of a puzzle that we are building globally. The infrastructure was there but there was no one to take care of it. Our intention is to create another success story in Taranto. From today until the end of this year, we will be fixing cranes to ramp up business, visiting potential customers, and promote the container terminal. The project also aims to cooperate with local operators to improve cargo and ro-ro traffic.”
Venice
Palma de Mallorca, Marseille, Barcelona are a few of the European ports that the President of the North Adriatic Sea Port Authority, Pino Musolino, has sent a letter to in recent days, inviting his colleagues to meet in Venice to discuss the economic and environmental impact of the cruise industry and to draw up guidelines for a new sustainable approach to maritime tourism. The ports mentioned above have already accepted and other replies are expected in the coming days. A date will soon be set for a seminar on the issues, to be held in the Venice area.