A court in Trapani has decided not to initiate a main trial against the accused crew of the 'Iuventa'. The trial, which has been ongoing since 2017 and was based on investigations, was dismissed. The sea rescuers were accused of human trafficking, which could have ended in long prison sentences. The termination of the proceedings became apparent after a hearing in February, at which the main witnesses could not remember their original statements. The charges were based on their previous statements, which alleged that the 'Iuventa' crew had worked with Libyan smuggling networks. These allegations were always denied by the defendants. After the hearing, the public prosecutor came to the conclusion that no crime had taken place and that the main witnesses were not credible. The ship, which was seized, is to be released.
News
HAVTIND
On the afternoon of April 22, 2024, at aroudn 4 p.m. there was smoke development on board the "Havtind", north of Shetland, from the battery on a truck. No one was injured. The crew extinguished the battery fire amd established contact with the British Coastguard. The trawler then headed towards Ålesund for further investigations.
Richards Bay
Moves are afoot for a new multi-billion-rand liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage and regasification terminal to be established at the port of Richards Bay by 2024, but state-owned Transnet wants the private sector to be the main investor and operator of the facility. The plan was revealed on Tuesday as Transnet announced the signing of a cost-sharing agreement with the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) to jointly fund a feasibility study into the terminal project. The IFC has committed $2 million (around R28 million) as part of the cost-sharing agreement. The move comes as Transnet looks to bolster South Africa’s LNG infrastructure, both at the country’s ports and within its pipelines business.
Napier
Ships could continue to be turned away from Napier Port for the next few days as an "unprecendented" swell hammers Hawke's Bay. Clifton Beach was closed by Hastings District Council on Wednesday and Napier City Council closed the Marine Parade viewing platform after tourists were drenched by a heaving sea on Wednesday morning. MetService meteorologist Tui McInnes said a slow building pressure system out to the east of Hawke's Bay had ramped up the seas, causing swells of close to 4m. McInnes said the 4m swells had the potential to "cause a bit of havoc on the coast" as it could possibly continue until Saturday morning. "The main thing that is causing the big waves is the easterly winds that are occur. "With a large space and a slow build-up it leaves time for some quite nice swells to develop," McInnes said. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12252333
CP 311
The 'CP 311' rescued a single hand sailor of Spanish nationality who had set of with the 12-m-yacht 'Black Pit' on April 11, 2024, from Crete towards Sicily. After receiving an information on April 19 from the MRCC in Piraeus and acquiring a satellite signal indicating the possible presence of the yacht 110 miles from Cape Spartivento, about 200 km from the Calabrian coast, the Italian Coast Guard, coordinated by the Maritime Directorate of Reggio Calabria, started an SAR operation involving a plane taking off from Catania, the 'CP 311' from Roccella Jonica and two merchant ships, which diverted to the area to search the vessel. Amid very bad weather conditions, 40 knots of wind and worsening seas, the "Black Bit" was finally spotted disabled and adrift with a broken mast by the Coast Guard aircraft. The lone sailor managed to send out light signals to be identified. In the middle of the night, the 'CP 311' reached the yacht and took the man on board. After the initial treatment provided on board the patrol boat, the sailor was dropped off at the port of Roccella for further medical treatment. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XhKpXp-YDE
TOKUYO MARU NO.17
The 'Tokuyo Maru No. 17”. with seven crew members on board, allided with the pier of the Namikata National Oil Reserve Base in Imabari City, Ehime Prefecture, on April 22, 2024, at around 8:30 a.m. There were no injuriesand no oil spills reported. The tanker suffered damage to the bow and port side. There also appeared to be damage to the pier where the ship hit it. The tanker, which was destined to Hiroshima, was moored in pos. 34° 18.56'N 132° 28.85' E as of April 23.
Keelung
Hong Kong-based Dream Cruises’ World Dream cruise ship made its first port call to Keelung on July 8 and tourism operators have said that the port could receive a visit by Royal Caribbean International’s new Spectrum of the Seas in 2021. With gross tonnage (GT) of 151,300, the World Dream is the largest ship ever to visit Keelung Port, the Keelung Harbor Bureau said on Sunday, July 21. Tourism operators have said that the 169,379GT Spectrum of the Seas could set a new record if it makes an anticipated port call in 2021.
Chittagong Shipbreakers
Bangladesh has become the top dumping ground for discarded ships in the world with the country dismantling the highest number of vessels in the first half (January-June) of the current year, according to a report of the NGO Shipbreaking Platform, a leading NGO coalition campaigning for clean and safe ship recycling.
MISSUNDE III
Due to the ongoing problems with the 'Missunde III', the prececessor ferry “Missunde II” returned to operation on the Schlei. The State Office for Coastal Protection, National Park and Marine Protection (LKN) had already sold the old ferry for a scrap value of 17,000 Euros. During test operations, various problems arose when using the new, significantly larger ferry. The authority has now bought back the old diesel ferry for around 50,000 Euros. Since last week it has been operating again on its old route between Kosel and Brodersby. 3.3 million Euros were spent on the new ferry with electric propulsion and solar cells on the roof. The new ferry was originally scheduled to start operating in April 2023. But the transfer from the shipyard in Derben initially failed due to delivery difficulties, then due to low water on the Elbe and finally due to flooding on the Schlei. A January opening date was canceled due to additional work on the jetties. The new start date was March 2024. But further problems arose during test sailings which have shown that some modifications were necessary to the ferry's cable guide. The ferry can no longer be docked when the wind is three to four Beaufort. While the old ship, which is 21 meters long, has a load capacity of 22.5 tons, the new, 34 meter long ferry can transport 45 tons. so it is almost twice as big. The rope is obviously under heavy strain due to the greater weight. In order to be able to catch the much larger new ferry even in stronger winds and guide it safely to the ramps, additional thicker bollards are required. In order to be able to ram this, a soil report is first required. In addition, another rope will be laid through the Schlei. and the “Missunde III” will also receive bow and stern thrusters. Two rows of dolphins on the route across the Schlei are intended to make maneuvering the ferry easier. To do this, the fairway will have to be narrowed.
LAYAR ANGGUN 8
The 'Layar Anggun 8' which caught fire in the waters of Tanjung Berakit, Teluk Sebong District, on the afternoon of April 16, ran aground at 3.18 p.m. WIB after being abandoned by the crew. The Tanjung Uban Maritime and Coast Guard Base Office (PPLP) together with the KRI were mobilized to the ship, which was stuck in 617″ N 104 30′ 050 E at Tanjung Berakit Bintan. The 'KN.Rantos P210' and 'KN Sarotama P.112' provided assistance at 8 p.m. Also the 'KN.Rantos P210' attended as of April 17. Upon their arrival, the fire was still burning, and smoke could still be seen at the stern of the tanker. The 'KN.Rantos P210' tried to get closer to ship to extinguish the fire, but this attempt failed due to the shallow water. Instead, two rubber boats were deployed to extinguish the fire using an alcon pump. The fire was finally extinguished at 10 p.m., but reignited half an hour later. On April 17 at 1.20 a.m. the fire was still burning, so the KRI 'Lepu 861' also lowered a rubber boat to help extinguish the fire. At 4 a.m. the fire was finally put out. The 'KN Rantos P210', 'KN Sarotama P112' and 'KRI Lepu 861' returned to standby to monitor and secure the ship. From 08.00 a.m. to 11.00 a.m. the remaining embers were extinguished and cooled using an alcohol pump, until it was confirmed that the fire in the accomodation block of on the heavily damaged ship had really been extinguished. Reports with photos: https://pilarparlemen.id/tni-al-terus-upayakan-pemadaman-kapal-mv-layar-anggun-8-di-perairan-berakit https://kepripedia.com/kapal-mv-layar-anggun-8-terbakar-di-perairan-berakit/ https://presmedia.id/mv-layar-anggun-8-kandas-dan-terbakar-di-perairan-berakit-pplp-dan-kri-lakukan-pemadaman-hingga-pagi/
San Juan
Two more cruise ships bypassed scheduled stops in san Juan as demonstrators have been calling for the resignation of Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló. The loss of tourism is impacting the island's economy. Tourism officials said the two ships would have generated a $1.3 million economic impact. Officials estimated the island missed out on a combined $760,000 from the Seaside and Equinox on Monday
Sines
The Portuguese government announced an investment of 547 million euros in the expansion of the Port of Sines in the southwest of the country and an agreement to extend its concession from 2029 to 2049. The agreement was reached last week between Portugal and PSA Singapore for the completion of the 3rd phase of expansion of Terminal XXI, so as to greatly increase its capacity and give another 20 years of operations in Portugal to PSA Singapore. The Sines port, 58 nautical miles south of Lisbon, is one of the major European ports and the great hub port of the Iberian-Atlantic front.