On May 1, 2024, at 03.50 a.m. the 'Hafnia Pacific' was boarded by three perpetrators, who were armed with knives and machetes, at Belawan Anchorage in pos. 3° 55.10' N 98° 44.81' E. The crew was threatened by the intruders, who stole torch, walkie talkie and two fire hose nozzles and then fled the vessel. On May 5 the ship berthed in Port Klang.
News
SALVAMAR LYRA
The CROSS La Garde reported the French yacht 'Arvi' with rudder problems in the Gulf of Roses. The CCS Barcelona mobilized the 'Salvamar Lyra', which took the ship in tow and safely pulled it to Roses at low speed due to the weather conditions and the rudder problem.
Beirut
The Port of Beirut (PoB) resumed partial operations on Aug 10 with the first two container ships berthing in the container terminal after the explosion which killed at least 160 persons, injured thousands and made hundred thousands homeless. Out of 16 cranes at the container terminal, 12 were currently operational. The port was gradually resuming operations to ensure the supply of all kinds of goods to citizens. Bassem Al Kaissi, the new Director of the PoB, said that the container terminal will be fully operational by Aug 14. Al Kaissi said that 420 containers were unloaded on Aug 10. The container terminal storage area has been cleaned up and restored to its state before the blast. The container terminal represents 80 percent of the overall cargo movement at the PoB. It is located one kilometer away from the blast epicenter. Container vessels can dock at quay number 16. Shipping movement at the PoB had already plunged by 75 percent due to the economic crisis and has reached 15 percent following the blast. Customs have opened offices in the PoB’s warehouse number 14 which was partially damaged. The customs have become able to carry out the inspection of merchandise- Customs duties are being temporarily paid at the Rafic Hariri International Airport. Tthe PoB is now handling only full containers as groupage consignment requires warehouses which don’t exist now. Amer Al Kaissi said groupage, which represents 15 percent of shipments at the PoB, will be diverted to the Port of Tripoli until the rebuilding of warehouses at the PoB is completed. The first two containerships to berth at the PoB after the blast were the 'Electra' (Gezairi Transport) and the 'Nicolas Delmas' (CMA CGM). The 'Electra', which was carrying 400 containers, was diverted to Tripoli where there was a license to operate but the company insisted to unload it in Beirut when it was told that the PoB has resumed operation. The CMA CGM Group and CEVA Logistics said they are fully operational and ensuring business continuity to serve their customers. The Group has redeployed its employees in its two back-up sites in Beirut Digital District and reinforced its presence in Tripoli. Part of CMA CGM’s vessels has been temporarily directed to Tripoli. Few shipping companies are authorized to operate in other ports such as Tripoli or Saida. BCTC, the Customs and the PoB’s authorities did their best to handle the clearing formalities despite the difficult working conditions. The general cargo area was fully operational on Aug 12 both for imports and exports. This includes wheat and other grains as well as construction steel bars. The cost of rebuilding the port is estimated at around $1 billion.
DALI
The 'Dali' had electrical problems the day before it left the Port of Baltimore when it was docked, according to a preliminary report released on May 14 by investigators at the National Transportation Safety Board. The 'Dali' experienced a blackout during in-port maintenance on March 25, the NTSB wrote in its report, when a crew member mistakenly closed an inline engine exhaust damper. The NTSB says it's still not clear how that incident relates to what happened early the following morning, when the 'Dali' lost power twice in the minutes before it crashed into one of the bridge's supports. The NTSB is still investigating the electrical configuration following the first in-port blackout and potential impacts on the events during the accident voyage. Investigators at the NTSB have analyzed samples of the fuel that was being burned at the time of the accident, as well as other fuel tanks on the vessel. But those results did not identify any concerns relating to the quality of the fuel. The NTSB is working with the Maryland Transportation Authority to assess its other bridges and to determine whether pier protection measures need to be improved. The MDTA is studying options for upgrades to the existing protection system around both spans of the Bay Bridge that connect Annapolis to the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The NTSB investigation of all aspects of the accident is ongoing. Link to the report: https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/Documents/DCA24MM031_PreliminaryReport%203.pdf
SKY PRINCESS
On May 14, 2024, a passenger of the 'Sky Princess', en route from Marseille to Gibraltar, needed to be medevaced 44 kilometers southeast of Alicante. The man had to be disembarked due to a heart attack. The CCS Valencia of Salvamento Marítimo mobilized the SAR helicopter Helimer 203, which hoisted the patient and took him and his wife to the Alicante airport.
COMMANDANT CHARCOT
the helicopter team of the Icelandic Coast Guard received a call of the ''Commandant Charcot' on the early morning of May 14, 2024, due to the acute illness of a passenger of the cruise ship, which was located on the east coast of Greenland. The crew of the TF-EIR helicopter flew a long distance from Reykjavík and about 130 nautical miles north of Horn. The man was hoisted on board in good condition and flown to Ísafjörður to refuel. From there, the helicopter flew straight to Reykjavik, and the patient was transported to the National Hospital. Report with video: https://icelandmonitor.mbl.is/news/news/2024/05/14/video_picked_up_a_sick_passenger_from_a_cruise_ship/
ABDULLAH
After the 'Abdullah has finally arrived in Kutubdia on May 13 at 6.40 p.m., the 23 sailors on board have returned to their relatives. On May 14, a lighter ship was brought to the KSRM Lighter Jetty Sadarghat. From here they returned to their respective homes. They have already spoken to their relatives who came to the jetty with flowers to welcome the sailors. Report with photo: https://www.rtvonline.com/english/bangladesh/14396
Kiel
The PORT OF KIEL has redesigned the port apron in Ostuferhafen, which is the freight and logistics centre on the fjord. Where once stood a grain silo, there is now an expanded pre-stacking and stand-by area of three hectares for trucks, trailers and pas-senger cars.The State Premier of Schleswig- Holstein, Daniel Günther, visited the Ostufer-hafen on 12th August to hand over the grant notice coming from the State Programme Economy for 5.44 million Euros: The project to redesign the port apron included dismantling three hall areas of the former grain silo, excavation and road works as well as drainage, lighting and security measures and the connection of the area to the infrastructure. Through the new and generous port apron it has been possible to merge formerly separated pre-stacking areas, shorten distances and gain more space for trucks, busses, trailers and passenger cars. Furthermore, IT solutions have been developed to accelerate the handling processes at the gate, which also allow truck drivers to reduce personal contact.Dr Dirk Claus, Managing Director at the PORT OF KIEL: “Even under the current circumstances the Ostuferhafen operates in a reliable and safe way. The port of Kiel has proven its systemic importance regarding the transshipment of cross-border freight transport.”In the first seven months of the year 2.1 million tons of cargo have been tran-shipped via the Ostuferhafen (+ 1 %). Additional volumes have been transported by the ferries of the DFDS shipping company to the Baltic States or they have been delivered by the SCA-RoRo-freighters from Scandinavia. Not only general cargo and forest products are unloaded resp. transhipped in Ostuferhafen but also project and heavy cargo, scrap metal and agricul-tural products. The integrated passenger terminal to handle cruise vessels emphasizes the universal character of this port part.