On Sep 7, 2024, the CROSS Gris-Nez was informed that a migrant boat has set sail off Berck and deployed the 'Jacques Oudart Fourmentin' to relocate the boat and check the situation in the area. At the same time, a migrant on board the boat reported to the CROSS that a person had fallen into the water. The CROSS engaged the semi-rigid of the SNSM station of Berck, the 'SNS 709 Jean Baptiste Fournier' and the Dauphin helicopter of the French Navy based in Le Touquet. The 'SNS 709' located and recovered the conscious person on board who was immediately dropped off ashore and taken care of by the mobile emergency and resuscitation structure (SMUR). At the same time, 57 people on board the boat requested assistance from the patrol boat. About 15 people still on board refused the assistance offered by French resources and continued their journey under appropriate surveillance. Once the rescue was completed, the crew wasinformed that two people had fallen overboard, in order to come to the aid of the first person who fell into the water during the attempted crossing. The patrol boat and the hydrographic vessel 'Laplace', which was in the area then began searching. The CROSS Gris-Nez simultaneously engaged the Dauphin helicopter of the French Navy as well as the helicopter of the air gendarmerie section of Amiens to try to find other people at sea. At the same time, the land patrols of the firefighters and the SNSM carried out a coastline and did not detect any shipwrecked people. After the sector was ully investigated, the maritime prefect of the Channel and the North Sea decided to interrupt the search. An investigation was opened by the Boulogne-sur-Mer public prosecutor's office.
News
BLUE STAR CHIOS
On the evening of Sep 7, the Central Port Authority of Rhodes was informed by the Captain of the 'Blue Star Chios' that a crew member had suffered a fracture of the metacarpal bone on board the ship. The victim was taken to the Rhodes General Hospital for medical treatment. A preliminary investigation was carried out by the Port Authority of Rhodes.
Wismar
Genting Hong Kong (GHK) has officially secured funding for the construction and post-delivery financing of Dream Cruises’ two new Global Class ships. KfW IPEX-Bank will supply US$2.9 billion, with backing from the Federal Republic of Germany, Finnish export credit agency Finnvera, and the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. At an overall cost of €3.1 billion (US$3.4 billion), the two new vessels are currently being built at GHK-owned shipyard MV Werften in Germany for the fast-growing Asian cruise market. “We are very appreciative of KfW IPEX-Bank, the bank consortium, the Federal Republic of Germany, the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Finnvera for supporting GHK in the financing of the Global Class ships,” said Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay, chief executive of Genting Hong Kong.
Mogadishu
Qatar has established an investment partnership with Somalia to build a new port in the latter's country. The Ministry of Transport and Communications in Qatar said that the partnership between Qatar Ports Management Company (Mwani) and Somalia will see the construction of the Hobyo Port in the Mudug region of central Somalia. Hobyo Port is expected to bring multiple economic benefits for Somalia. The port could create new business opportunities for the country by bolstering the commercial relationship with new markets in Africa and providing access to global markets, in addition to providing maritime services to vast areas in Somalia. The Hobyo Port is in proximity to the Bab al-Mandab Strait, one of the world’s most important sea crossing points. Hobyo is also important due to its location in the Mudug region, which links the south and north of the country.
SUMMER SEA
On the evening of Sep 5, 2024, the Port Authority of Thira was requested by the Greek Coast Guard-Hellenic Coast Guard to provide assistance to a vessel that was in a difficult position 12 nautical miles south of Anafi. A patrol vessel rushed to the scene, as well as the passenger-boat 'Melina' and the 'Summer Sea', which was en route from Maentyluoto to Iskenderun. A Polish sailing ship was spotted, and the 'Melina' took on board the 4 people, among them 23 men, 03 women and 17 minors, and then transported them ato the port of Thira, where they disembarked safely. Two men, aged 25 and 22, were arrested by the Thiras Port Authority, which was conducting the preliminary investigation, as human traffickers, for violating article 83 of Law 3386/05 (Illegal entry into the country), article 25 of Law. 5038/23 (Facilitation) in conjunction with article 47 of the P.C. (Associate), as well as of article 306 of the Civil Code. (Report). The vessel was confiscated.
FD ATHINA
On the afternoon of Sep 8, the Port Authority of Argosaronicos was informed by the Master of the 'Flying Dolphin Athina' about a failure of the starboard side main engine in the port of Piraeus. The ship had a scheduled itinerary for the ports of Aegina and Agistrio with 44 passengers on board. The Port of Argosaronicos banned the ship from sailing until the repair of the damage and the presentation of a certificate of class maintenance by themonitoring classification society. The passengers were forwarded to their destination by the care of the owner company.
Rostock
Marine battery supplier Corvus Energy is to install its lithium-ion battery storage systems onboard AIDA Cruises’ ships to reduce fossil fuel use and emissions. In a project that will also involve ABB and Siemens, Corvus will install and commission the battery storage systems on the first AIDA ship in 2020. The companies then plan to then use their findings from the pilot project to successfully fit battery systems onboard other vessels in the AIDA fleet. “Our goal is the emissions-neutral ship operation,” said Michael Thamm, group CEO of Costa Group and Carnival Asia.
Oslo
Port of Oslo in Norway has signed a cooperation agreement with an environmental non-profit organisation to help it become emission-free. The Port of Oslo, which first talked about its zero-emission ambition in June, will partner with the Oslo-headquartered Bellona Foundation to achieve its zero-emission goal. Emissions in the port are anticipated to be reduced by 85% by 2030 and gradually reduce until they are eliminated. “The Port of Oslo is in full swing with the green transition, and has begun the phasing in of emissions-free solutions,” said Port of Oslo chairman, Roger Schjerva. “It is enthusiastic about working alongside the Bellona Foundation and exchanging ideas and solutions with Bellona’s network of environmental experts and organizations. Maritime transport and urban ports are crucial in reducing the world’s greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector.”
KEFALONIA
On Sep 7 at noon, the Port Authority of Kyllini was informed by the Master of the 'Kefalonia' that while the ship was executing a scheduled route from the port of Zakynthos, a malfunction of a vehicle ramp occurred. The Kyllini Port Authority initially banned the ship from sailing, but after an inspection by the local inspection team and the presentation of a certificate of class maintenance by the monitoring classification society, it was allowed to continuef the sailing with 63 passengers on board.
TOG MOR
The "Tog Mor" ran aground on the beach of Villa Allende, in the port of Coatzacoalcos,, south of the state of Veracruz, due to the inclement weather caused by the passage of tropical wave 21 and cold front number 1 in the Gulf of Mexico on Sep 7, 2024. The vessel was destined for the docks of the Permaducto company, on the Coatzacoalcos River. The tugs 'Veracruz, Cordobés' and 'Corsario' left from the port of Coatzacoalcos, to try to correct the course of the "Tog Mor", but they did not succeed ahead of the grounding. Only crew members necessary for the maneuvers to refloat the barge were tol remain on board. Report with video: https://www.nmas.com.mx/veracruz/buzos-trabajan-en-el-rescate-de-la-embarcacion-tog-mor-encallada-en-la-costa-de-coatzacoalcos-veracruz/?fbclid=iwy2xjawflmkdlehrua2flbqixmqabhrmeucu2htj-1segusxvzonswci6voux0k_r9afxfw9uou-22rzin5ggaw_aem_dm3o8imkphzu3k0eizl5fq
Tangier
Kalmar, part of Cargotec, has concluded an agreement with long-term customer EUROGATE Tanger (EGT) in Morocco to upgrade four ZPMC ship-to-shore (STS) cranes, as part of the terminal’s expansion plans. With a quay length of 821 meters, a terminal area of 400,000 m2 and a water depth of up to 18 meters, the facility is well-equipped to handle the new generation of containerships. The terminal’s equipment fleet already includes several Kalmar machines, including rubber-tired gantry cranes (RTGs). Furthermore, Kalar will be responsible for the planning, engineering and execution of the entire project, which involves heightening the four STS cranes by 11 meters and extending the booms by six meters. The project with Kalmar will help the terminal serve mega-sized container vessels.
Batumi
The Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company (ASCO) will launch a test voyage of a feeder vessel along the Black Sea container route Batumi-Constanta by September 20. The vessel will sail every 10 days (3 times a month). If cargo volumes increase, the growth in the number of vessels and the regularity of sailings on the line is also expected.