In the night of May 26, 2024, the “Isla Santa Cruz” had to be abandoned by its crew when it began to sink for unknown reasons near Salinas, while the ship was towing a semi-submersible that had been seized with 169 packages of drugs 150 miles from the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). A rapid reaction team was immediately deployed to find the 12 crew members as well as the three people who had been captured in the semi-submersible, who were all rescued. During the SAR operation, the coordinating centers of Ecuador, the United States and Peru participated. In addition, two ships of the Ecuadorian Navy, an aircraft of the Colombian Armed Forces, a merchant ship and a fishing vessel were involved.
News
AYDOGAN
On May 27, 2024, at around 2 p.m. the 'Aydogan', en route from Gebze (Kocaeli) to Suez, suffered a rudder failure in front of Gallipoli during the transit of the Dardanelles Strait. Under the coordination of the Çanakkale VTS Center, the ship was moored at the Karanlık Liman Anchorage, assisted by a pilot and the tug 'Kurtarma 4' (IMO: 9335941). The ship resumed its voyage at 5.45 p.m. with an ETA as of May 30. Report with photo: https://x.com/kiyiemniyet/status/1795096592468374002
Beirut
The Lebanese army on Sep 3 found a further 4.35 tonnes of the explosive ammonium nitrate a month after 2,750 tonnes of the substance exploded in the harbour and destroyed large parts of the city. The explosive substance was found in a warehouse immediately outside one of the entrances to the port, and engineers from the army took care of it. Simultaneously with the new discovery, it emerged that the outgoing Prime Minister Hassan Diab told the head of the investigation of the catastrophic explosion that he knew of the existence of the large amount of ammonium nitrate at the port before the explosion. 25 suspects have been arrested so far, including the port's chief of staff Hassan Koraytem and customs chief Badri Daher. Among the others arrested were also three Syrian workers who carried out welding work at the warehouse, where the huge amount of ammonium nitrate was stored, on the day the explosion took place. Up to 200 were killed and about 6,500 injured in the blast, causing damage to a double-digit billion.
Kiel
https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/schleswig-holstein/NOK-Havarie-Frachter-fuhr-ohne-Lotsen,schleuse886.html
CG MUNRO
The crew of the 'Munro (WMSL 755)' offloaded approximately 33,768 pounds of cocaine, with an estimated value of $468 million, on May 21, 2024, in San Diego. The offload was a result of eight separate suspected drug smuggling vessel interdictions or events off the coasts of Mexico and Central and South America by the Coast Guard Cutter in February and March. Reports with photos: https://www.news.uscg.mil/Press-Releases/Article/3788220/media-advisory-coast-guard-to-offload-approximately-33768-pounds-of-cocaine-in/ https://www.news.uscg.mil/Press-Releases/Article/3789060/multimedia-release-coast-guard-crew-offloads-468-million-worth-of-cocaine-in-sa/
DALI
Crews working to restore the federal channel of debris from the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge need more time before shipping traffic can be fully restored. The end of May had been the goal of state and federal officials, but on May 24 it was announced that work will conclude by June 10. The Army Corps of Engineers was pushing forward as quickly and safely as possible to reach 700 feet and ensuring we remove all wreckage to prevent any impact to future navigation, and continued to clear wreckage from the riverbed to restore the federal channel to its original 700-foot width and 50-foot depth. The remaining work involves digging out the bottom cord of the remaining truss of the collapsed structure and cutting it into three sections to lift and remove the wreckage. Only about one-third of this truss is visible above the water as it stretches down to the riverbed and sits buried in Patapsco River mud. Based on the latest dive surveys and engineer analyses conducted after the refloating the 'Dali', work to restore the federal channel is projected to conclude between June 8-10. The adjusted timing accounts for the complexity of the cutting and rigging required to lift portions of the large span, which is more complex than initially estimated. The salvage crews must dig out the bottom cord of this truss to access the areas needing to be cut. The revised timeline also accounts for safety measures and possible inclement weather. Thunderstorms were in the forecast through May 27. After the 'Dali' was towed away, a 400-foot-wide, 50-foot-deep channel into the Baltimore harbour opened on May 21 as the largest, and deepest, marine route into the Port of Baltimore to open since the Key Bridge collapsed. 24-hour commercial vessel traffic through the Fort McHenry Limited Access Channel had commenced on May 21. Deep-draft vessels, which must be accompanied by a Maryland pilot and two escort tugs, have priority in the 50- foot-deep channel, though shallower commercial ships can use the three existing alternate channels. As of May 27, about 500 commercial vessels have passed through temporary channels opened by Key Bridge Response Unified Command in the eight weeks since the collapse.
Vladivostok
The typhoon Maysak crushed onto the port of Vladivostok on Sep 3, 2020, wreaking havoc at the Navy base and in the commercial port. A floating dock in the base broke off her moorings, drifted along the piers and hit berthed submarines and other ships. The amount of damage was yet unknown. The container terminal at the ommercial port was flooded. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=50&v=Yr8JHgunKNY&feature=emb_title
Kiel
An investigation was launched into the allision of the Panama flagged cargo m/v cargo m/v 'Else', 2449 gt ( IMO: 9006320 ), enroute from Klaipeda to Les Sables with a cargo of ammonnium nitrate, with the northern lock of the Kiel Canal in Kiel-Holtenau upon entering the lock on Aug 29 at 5 a.m. at the pier of the Lindenau Yard in Kiel-Friedrcrichsort. Usually ships stop about 800 meters off the locks on the Kiel Fjord to take a pilot on board, and may only proceed once he has embarked. The 'Else' had ordered a pilot but continued its voyage without reducing speed and crashed into the closed gate with about six knots. The gate was severely damaged, and inspections by divers were to start on Aug 31 to find out if the submerged tanks of it were damaged too. The lock was closed for shipping for the time being, leaving only one of four locks in Holtenau in operating condition. One gate is still under repair after having been hit by the container m/v 'Akacia' 2,5 years ago, another gate is under repair too. It was investigated if this could be used once the now damaged gate has been removed.
SALVAMAR CAPELLA
On May 27, the fishing vessel 'Nuevo Avril', based in San Juan de La Arena, suffered water ingress and sank 14 nautical miles westnorthwest of Cabo Peñas. The SAR helicopter Helimer 222 was mobilized by the CCS Gijón of Salvamento Marítimo and has rescued the two crew members, who had abandoned ship onto the life raft, and has taken them to El Musel, where an ambulance was waiting. The 'Salvamar Capella' was also deployed to the area to rule out a contamination due to the sinking. No signs of contamination were detected. The raft, the radio beacon, lifebuoys and some boxes were recovered by the SAR boat.
Andernach
Vorbeifahrt Rheinufer 56567 Neuwied-Feldkirchen (Fahr am Rhein) Gegenüber dem Industriehafen Andernach 26.08.2020 - Imperial Gas 79 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuTSSugJmIk&feature=youtu.be 26.08.2020 - MISSOURI Cargo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgkscB-aLoY 26.08.2020 - WSP14 Wasserschutzpolizei https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjHD9XwE9X8 26.08.2020 - VOYAGE Tankschiff https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-m7xqvoroX8