On April 27 the CROSS Gris-Nez was informed that some migrant boats were in difficulty off the coast of Pas-de-Calais. At around 3:00 a.m., the CROSS deployed the 'Abeille Normandie' to check the situation on board a migrant boat, detected by the semaphore, which had stopped off the coast of Boulogne with 10 people on board. The tug launched the semi-rigid, which recovered the castaways who were dropped off on a pontoon at the marina of Boulogne-sur-Mer, where they were taken care of at the end of the night by the land rescue services and the border police. Shortly after, the 'Abeille Normandie' was again engaged by the CROSS Gris-Nez to assist another migrant boat reported in difficulty off the coast of Cap-Blanc-Nez and rescued 33 people. Several people still on board the boat refused the assistance offered by French means and continued their journey under appropriate surveillance. The people picked up by the 'Abeille Normandie' were dropped off at the dock in Boulogne-sur-Mer and taken care of by the shore based rescue services and the border police. In the middle of the day, a third migrant boat was reported in difficulty in the Canche Bay. The CROSS Gris-Nez deployed the 'Minck' to assist. Once on scene, the crew informed the CROSS that there were around 50 people on board and that three people were already in the water and that one of the tubes of the boat was punctured. The 'Minck' launched its semi-rigid boat to rescue the people. The CROSS also tasked the Coastguard launch 'DF37-Nordet', the BSAM 'Rhône' and the VCSM 'Maroni' to support the 'Minck' in the rescue operation. The 'Nordet' was the closest and arrived quickly. The 'Minck' indicates to the CROSS that the boat remained afloat despite the puncture and continued the recoveries with the support of the 'Nordet'. The recoveries took place quite quickly, and the CROSS disengaged the other ships to keep them at sea in other maritime sectors. 45 minutes after the start of recovery operations, 56 people were treated on board the 'Minck', including one person with a slight knee injury. All migrants were disembarked at Boulogne-sur-mer and taken care of at the dock.
News
MOSTRILLO
On the morning of April 22, the 'Mostrillo' began to take on water as it was approaching the port of San Benedetto in very rough seas. The captain and owner managed to get the ship to the quay, where it tilted on its side and settled on a water depth of about three metres. The three crew members could be brought to safety. Recovery operations began on April 26 at 10.30 a.m. with two large mobile cranes from the Pepa transport company of Porto Recanati which operated simultaneously to hoist the vessel onto the quay, supported by divers from the Teramo firefighters. The work was coordinated by the San Benedetto harbour master's office. Reports with photos and video: https://www.ilrestodelcarlino.it/ascoli/cronaca/affondato-peschereccio-comandante-mette-salvo-equipaggio-74b23e7f https://www.veratv.it/articoli/id-3065/recuperato-il-mostrillo-si-indaga-sulle-cause-dell-affondamento
Novorossiysk
During a Ukrainian attack in the morning of Aug 4, 2023, in Novorossyisk, the Russian landing craft ÄOlenegorski Gornjak-SDK 91' of the Ropucha class was severly damaged by a maritime drone carrying a 450 kg warhead. The explosion of the drone caused a significant water leak, as well as a strong list to port side, which could lead to the total loss of the ship. The military port of Novorossiysk (Krasnodar Krai) was attacked by several Ukrainian maritime drones. It should be noted that the port in question is very far from the Ukrainian front lines with maritime access, and even more from Ukrainian ports. For example, a drone that left Odessa must have traveled at least 700 kilometres, unless a ship of camouflaged commerce in the Eastern Black Sea deployed the drones used in this attack. The LST was towed by a tug towards the port, the latest videos show it on the side of the entrance to the military port. With 3,450 tons, it is the third largest Ukrainian attack against the Russian Navy in the Black Sea, after the loss of the cruiser 'Moskva' and the loss of a Alligator-class tank landing ship and damage to two Ropucha-class tank landing ships after a Ukrainian Tochka missile attack on the port of Berdyansk. The LST had previously made headlines by being used as ferries between Crimea and mainland Russia to help civilian ferries provide the only direct connection after the Crimean road bridge explosion. While this is indeed the first attack by maritime drones in this Russian region, the neighboring port of Tuapse had also been attacked by aerial drones, once again demonstrating the capacity of the Armed Forces Ukrainians to project means, albeit light, at very long distances. Reports with photos and video: https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/security/2023/08/northern-fleet-ship-seriously-damaged-drone-attack https://air-cosmos.com/article/attaque-a-novorossiisk-un-navire-de-debarquement-russe-tres-serieusement-endommage-par-un-drone-ukrainien-65581
Ashkelon
One person is was and two others were missing after a crane collapsed into the water on an Ashkelon pier latein the night of March 14, 2023. The collapse of the crane was caused by unusual weather and strong winds. The injured person was in moderate condition and is receiving treatment at Barzilai Medical Center. Attempts to contact two people who had been working on the site of the crane have been unsuccessful, leading police to believe that they were missing after falling into the sea. Extensive search and rescue efforts were commenced with the help of police diving units, the elite 669 Search and Rescue unit, the Israeli Navy and others. The body of a man of about 60 years of age was found on Beersheba Beach in Ashdod on March 15. The gas pier at the Rotenberg power plant in Ashkelon was damaged. The Electric Company formed a team to investigate the incident. Reports with photos: https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-734237 https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-734373
ABEILLE NORMANDIE
On April 27 the CROSS Gris-Nez was informed that some migrant boats were in difficulty off the coast of Pas-de-Calais. At around 3:00 a.m., the CROSS deployed the 'Abeille Normandie' to check the situation on board a migrant boat, detected by the semaphore, which had stopped off the coast of Boulogne with 10 people on board. The tug launched the semi-rigid, which recovered the castaways who were dropped off on a pontoon at the marina of Boulogne-sur-Mer, where they were taken care of at the end of the night by the land rescue services and the border police. Shortly after, the 'Abeille Normandie' was again engaged by the CROSS Gris-Nez to assist another migrant boat reported in difficulty off the coast of Cap-Blanc-Nez and rescued 33 people. Several people still on board the boat refused the assistance offered by French means and continued their journey under appropriate surveillance. The people picked up by the 'Abeille Normandie' were dropped off at the dock in Boulogne-sur-Mer and taken care of by the shore based rescue services and the border police. In the middle of the day, a third migrant boat was reported in difficulty in the Canche Bay. The CROSS Gris-Nez deployed the 'Minck' to assist. Once on scene, the crew informed the CROSS that there were around 50 people on board and that three people were already in the water and that one of the tubes of the boat was punctured. The 'Minck' launched its semi-rigid boat to rescue the people. The CROSS also tasked the Coastguard launch 'DF37-Nordet', the BSAM 'Rhône' and the VCSM 'Maroni' to support the 'Minck' in the rescue operation. The 'Nordet' was the closest and arrived quickly. The 'Minck' indicates to the CROSS that the boat remained afloat despite the puncture and continued the recoveries with the support of the 'Nordet'. The recoveries took place quite quickly, and the CROSS disengaged the other ships to keep them at sea in other maritime sectors. 45 minutes after the start of recovery operations, 56 people were treated on board the 'Minck', including one person with a slight knee injury. All migrants were disembarked at Boulogne-sur-mer and taken care of at the dock.
SEHIT TEMEL SIMSIR
On April 27, 2024, a fire broke out aboard the Turkish flagged passenger m/v 'Sehit Temel Simsir' (IMO: 7638064), which was undergoing maintenance at the Ordu Shipyard in Unye. To tackle the fire, originating in the engine room, emergency services, including the Metropolitan Municipality Fire Department, Ünye Fire Department Group Chief, and 112 Emergency Health teams, were deployed. After approximately three hours of firefighting efforts, the flames were successfully extinguished. However, the ship suffered significant damage. An investigation into the incident has been initiated to determine the cause of the fire.
Kiel
Having seen its first ever LNG fuelling in May, the Port of Kiel has announced that, for the first time, two cruise vessels have bunkered LNG on the same day. The bunker operations took place on June 10, 2023, and involved the 'AIDAnova' – which became the first vessel to bunker LNG at the port in May – and MSC Cruises’ latest ship, the 'MSC Euribia'. The bunkering of the AIDA Cruises vessel by Titan capped its third fuelling at the Port of Kiel while LNG for the 'MSC Euribia' was supplied by Nordic energy company Gasum. MSC Cruises and Gasum have inked a long-term agreement for LNG supply to the 'MSC Euribia'. The companies have also signed a letter of intent (LOI) which aims to secure liquefied synthetic gas (e-LNG).
Iskenderun
The fire at the Port of Iskenderun has finally been extinguished, Turkey's ministry of defense announced on Feb 7. It was the second time that the ministry has reported that the fire has been put out; after the previous announcement, the blaze resumed at scale, and firefighters managed to contain it later that night. Iskenderun's container terminal is still closed due to the severe structural damage, which forced the facility to halt all operations. The magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck southern Turkey on Feb 6 had a significant impact on the port, toppling stacks of containers and cracking pavement. The physical damage is severe enough that container lines were diverting vessels to other ports, like nearby Mersin. The quake also sparked a fire in the center of the terminal's container storage area. Turkey's coast guard deployed a vessel to apply water from the quayside, and the Turkish air force and army sent aircraft to drop fire retardant on the blaze. The fire spread despite these efforts, but was finally contained in the night of Feb 7. Report with video: https://maritime-executive.com/article/fire-at-port-of-iskenderun-extinguished-after-two-days
ARTEMIS
On April 27, 2024, at noon, the Port Authority of Syros was informed by the Master of the 'Artemnis' about a malfunction of the stern ramp during the departure from the port of Parikia, Paros, en route to the port of Syros. The ship sailed safely to the port of Syros, where the 80 passengers disembarked, along with 16 vehicles, three trucks and six two-wheelers. The Port Authority of Syros banned the ferry from sailing until the damage was repaired and a certificate of class maintenance was presented by the monitoring classification society.
KIM THU
Rescue crews responded to fire on the ''Kim Thu', which docked at Pier 36 in Honolulu on April 26, 2024. Five people were injured. At about 3:34 p.m. the Honolulu Fire Department responded to the incident. Two people needed to be treated for fire-related injures.
Greenock
One of Scotland’s main cruise ports is set to experience its busiest year since records began. Greenock Ocean Terminal has 91 cruise liners booked into the Inverclyde town’s new dedicated pontoon across 2023 – a rise of over 25 per cent on last year. As many as 150,000 passengers and 38,000 crew members are expected to pass through the port over the course of this year. It’s more good news for the terminal in its second full season since Covid effectively closed down the cruise industry. Jim McSporran, Clydeport Port Director at Peel Ports said: “We’re extremely proud to be announcing a record cruise year for Greenock Ocean Terminal. “Welcoming cruise liners to Greenock is a hugely important aspect of our port offering and we’re delighted that we continue to attract and grow cruise numbers to the region. “This increase in tourism will benefit visitor attractions and businesses across Inverclyde and central Scotland, and we look forward to welcoming these visitors across the season.” “In an effort to showcase the port as the cruise gateway to the West Coast of Scotland, this year we are also investing in a promotional campaign to feature at the global cruise industry’s key annual gathering in the U.S.” Councillor Stephen McCabe, leader of Inverclyde Council, said: “The cruise sector here in Inverclyde continues to go from strength to strength and I’m delighted that this year is set to be the busiest yet with record numbers of ships and passengers, as well as a substantial number of crew visiting these shores. “It’s timely that with 2023 shaping up to be a bumper year for cruise calls that the finishing touches are being put on our new state-of-the-art Greenock cruise ship visitor centre which will provide our guests from around the world with a first class welcome to Inverclyde and the west coast of Scotland.
Iskenderun
Thick black smoke was rising from burning containers at Iskenderun Port on Feb 6, 2023. The fire was caused by containers that toppled over during the powerful earthquake that struck southeast Turkey. ATurkish Coast Guard vessel was assisting efforts to extinguish the blaze.