The City of Baltimore on April 22 opposed capping the 'Dali's shipowner’s liability in the Key Bridge collapse. The companies’ actions leading up to the disastrous crash were “grossly and potentially criminally negligent,” the city’s lawyers wrote in a new filing. The 'Dali' was “clearly unseaworthy,” a claim that will have major implications for the companies’ efforts to limit their liability. “For more than four decades, cargo ships made thousands of trips every year under the Key Bridge without incident. There was nothing about March 26, 2024, that should have changed that. But Petitioners, Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Pte Ltd, saw fit to put a clearly unseaworthy vessel into the water. Petitioners’ actions were grossly and potentially criminally negligent. In no way should their liability be limited.” The filing claims that the companies provided the vessel with an “incompetent crew that was inattentive to its duties” and “failed to comply with local navigation customs and/or usage,” failed to properly maintain the vessel and failed to comply with industry standards, among a long list of allegations. Baltimore hired a heavy-hitting lawyer with experience handling maritime disasters and structural collapses to handle its claims related to the Key Bridge collapse. The Maryland Attorney General’s Office also issued a request for proposals for assistant counsel to participate in Key Bridge litigation. The ship is owned by the Grace Ocean Private Limited and managed by Synergy Marine Pte Ltd., which both filed a “limitation of liability” action just days after the crash. The action was aimed at capping the amount of damages the companies could be forced to pay at about $43 million — the value of the 'Dali' and its cargo. The city’s filing ass the first among what were expected to be many objections to the limitation of liability action. The FBI was also conducting a criminal investigation into the accident. The ship reportedly experienced electrical issues before it left port but took off despite of that. Parties with claims against the 'Dali' will have until Sep 24 to file notice in federal court, though there was expected to be a lengthy court fight over whether the owner can successfully cap liability. If the owner had “privity or knowledge” of the issue that caused the crash, or if the ship wasn’t seaworthy before it left port, the limitation of liability action could fail, allowing claimants to pursue bigger monetary awards.
News
SALVAMAR ALPHERATZ
A boat arrived with 59 sub-Saharan migrants, among them 57 men, one woman and one minor, was in need of assistance in the night of April 21, three nautical miles south of Las Galletas. The 'Salvamar Alpheratz' was mobilized by the CCS of Salvamento Marítimo in Tenerife. The boat was escorted to the Port of Los Cristianos. Video: https://twitter.com/i/status/1782328647761723581
Port au Prince
On April 4, 2024, the containerm/v 'Magalie' ((IMO: 7413892)) was hijacked by members of the 5 Seconds gang in the Varreux terminal neighborhood at Port-au-Prince. The gang members took all crew members hostage and stole one-sixth of the cargo, which included rice, Haiti's main staple food. On April 8, Haiti's National Police stormed the ship and engaged in a five-hour gunfight. The operation resulted in the injury of two officers and an unspecified number of gang members being killed. The vessel was retrieved safely, and Haiti's Port Authority assisted in transporting the onboard personnel. The status of the crew members was unknown. The ship was pulled away from the shore by a tug. Gangs have frequently attacked Port-au-Prince's waterfront operations, causing disruptions to the supply and relief flow. Last month, vandals destroyed the Varreux Power Plant and briefly took over and looted the Caribbean Port Services (CPS), the biggest container terminal in the country. The UN's Famine Early Warning System Network states that the terminal's waterside activities may remain closed for several weeks.
Montevideo
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EF OLIVIA
The 'Hayriye Ana' (IMO: 9557953), en route from Istanbul to A Coruna, was in collision with the 'EF Olivia', en route from Hamburg to Augusta, 14 nautical miles from Capo Passero on the southeastern tip of Sicily south of the ports of Syracuse and Catania, on the morning of April 22, 2024. Both vessels suffered some minor damage. The hull of the container ship was holed midships at the waterline. Both ships diverted to the Sicilian coast, displaying messages of “restricted maneuverability.” The 'Hayriye Ana' has been cited for several deficiencies on recent inspections. In November 2023, the Chinese authorities listed a dozen deficiencies including issues with the vessel’s VDR, an issue also cited by Greek inspectors in January 2024. The Italian Coastguard mobilized an AW139 helicopter and an Atr42 aircraft as well as a patrol vessel to the scene to monitor the vessel’s progress. So far, no pollution has been reported. The 'EF Olivia' reached Augusta Anchorage at 8.50 p.m. UTC and moored in pos. 37° 12.32' N 015° 12.63' E. The 'Hayriye Ana' was underway to A Coruna with a speed of 5,8 knots at that time and an ETA as of April 29. Reports with photos and video: https://maritime-executive.com/article/video-italian-coast-guard-monitoring-after-vessels-collide-off-sicily https://www.fanpage.it/attualita/schianto-tra-nave-cargo-e-portacontainer-al-largo-della-sicilia-guardia-costiera-con-navi-e-aerei/
SALVAMAR ALGENIB
The pleasure boat 'Rosendo' was disabled and adrift 20 nautical miles northeast of Garrucha on April 22 and requested assistance. The 'Salvamar Algenib' was mobilized by the CCS Almería of Salvamento Marítimo. It took the boat in tow and safely pulled it to the port of Garrucha.
Kaliningrad
Ukraine's military intelligence directorate, the GUR, has claimed responsibility for a serious fire aboard the Russian corvette 'Serpukhov' at the port of Kaliningrad, a Buyan-M class vessel. GUR provided what appeared to be a schematic of the vessel's internal spaces, and a brief video of an incendiary device going off. The agency said that the 'Serpukhov' sustained substantial damage from the fire, with its means of communication and automation were completely destroyed. The Buyan class is designed for coastal operations and are heavily armed for their size, carrying up to eight Kalibr or Oniks antiship missiles and up to eight surface-to-air missiles. This was a deep strike behind the Russian lines. The agency's drones have hit Russian oil refineries up to 750 miles away from Ukraine's borders, and have taken approximately 14 percent of Russia's refining capacity offline. The latest strike - a claimed attack on a product pipeline - allegedly disabled all product tanker loadings at the occupied port of Azov. The GUR has also mounted a successful campaign against the Russian Black Sea Fleet, damaging or destroying a claimed one-third of its force and confining the rest to the relative safety of Novorossiysk. The sister ship 'Velykyi' Ustyug was likely damaged by a Ukrainian drone early in the Russian invasion. In June 2022 the 'Ustyug' was photographed in tow to a shipyard, showing signs of fragmentation damage along her port side. Report with video: https://maritime-executive.com/article/ukrainian-spy-agency-claims-it-lit-a-fire-on-a-russian-corvette
Itaqui
Brazil: Agriculture Officers Strike Federal agriculture officers decided to start the strike next Monday (22), which will directly affect trading involving perishable products and may cause delays in berthing and unberthing ships. Federal Revenue tax auditors also announced that they will intensify the general strike that has been ongoing since November last year, as reported in our previous newsletters. Next week, from the 22nd to the 26th of January, there will be no cargo clearance at the ports and airports of São Paulo and Bahia. This means that goods release services will be affected at Viracopos airport, the Port of Santos, Salvador customs (from the 23rd) and Guarulhos Airport. During the period, only perishable, live and dangerous cargo will be released at the sites, in addition to medicines and food, as they are considered essential. It is important to highlight that the import and export of goods of animal and plant origin require the consent and inspection of agricultural officers. The category's national union (Anffa Sindical) informed that the release of certificates and goods at ports, in this case, will respect the last day of the deadline set out in the rules of the Ministry of Agriculture. It is worth remembering that in the last meeting held on December 27th with Sindifisco Nacional, minister Fernando Haddad and the special secretary of Revenue, Robinson Barreirinhas, stated that they did not plan to make changes to the proposal presented for the payment of the efficiency bonus in 2024 , which motivated the continuation of the strike. The Superior Courts have already pacified the understanding that the strike movement cannot interrupt essential public services. Therefore, the functioning of the productive activity of shipowners/importers/exporters cannot be delayed by the Customs Inspectors' strike. Customs clearance must continue, regardless of the tax auditors' strike. The Judiciary has been intervening effectively on a case-by-case basis, in order to avoid the harmful effects of the Federal Revenue auditors' strike and maintain the regular activity of taxpayers at Brazilian customs. The strike could affect the port and customs sector. Our team is closely monitoring the situation in the North/Northeast ports and will inform you of any updates.
HAYRIYE ANA
The 'Hayriye Ana', en route from Istanbul to A Coruna, was in collision with the 'EF Olivia' ( IMO: 9252735), en route from Hamburg to Augusta, 14 nautical miles from Capo Passero on the southeastern tip of Sicily south of the ports of Syracuse and Catania, on the morning of April 22, 2024. Both vessels suffered some minor damage. The hull of the container ship was holed midships at the waterline. Both ships diverted to the Sicilian coast, displaying messages of “restricted maneuverability.” The 'Hayriye Ana' has been cited for several deficiencies on recent inspections. In November 2023, the Chinese authorities listed a dozen deficiencies including issues with the vessel’s VDR, an issue also cited by Greek inspectors in January 2024. The Italian Coastguard mobilized an AW139 helicopter and an Atr42 aircraft as well as a patrol vessel to the scene to monitor the vessel’s progress. So far, no pollution has been reported. The 'EF Olivia' reached Augusta Anchorage at 8.50 p.m. UTC and moored in pos. 37° 12.32' N 015° 12.63' E. The 'Hayriye Ana' was underway to A Coruna with a speed of 5,8 knots at that time and an ETA as of April 29. Reports with photos and video: https://maritime-executive.com/article/video-italian-coast-guard-monitoring-after-vessels-collide-off-sicily https://www.fanpage.it/attualita/schianto-tra-nave-cargo-e-portacontainer-al-largo-della-sicilia-guardia-costiera-con-navi-e-aerei/
SALVAMAR BETELGEUSE
The Spanish flagged fishing vessel 'Piringuela', with two crew members on board, suffered a mechanical breakdown near Pta. San Mamede (Ares and Betanzos estuary) on April 22, 204. The ship was adrift close to shore, and the fishermen dropped anchor. The CCS A Coruña of Salvamento Marítimo mobilized the 'Salvamar Betelgeuse', which took the vessel in tow and safely pulled it to Sada.
Alang
At the Alang ship recycling yard on the Bhavnagar coast, Gujarat, the Shree Ram Vessel Scrap Pvt Ltd. (SRVSPL), filed a police complaint alleging a loss of Rs 45 lakh worth of equipment stolen from the 'DV Erica', which had been brought in from Abu Dhabi for dismantling. According to the complaint filed with Alang Marine police station, the theft was believed to have occurred on March 23, 2024, at around 5 a.m. The ship was anchored in the designated waiting area at the outer anchorage after having been towed from Abu Dhabi. When workers boarded the ship for inspection on the morning, they discovered signs of a break-in. Two ropes were found dangling from the stern of the ship, suggesting the thieves used them to climb aboard.
Bizerte
A fire destroyed the opening motors of the BIZERTE port bridge on July 26, 2023. The port remained closed to navigation from that date untill November 19. 2023, date of the re-opening of the Port to navigation.