On May 26, 2024, the USAV 'Matamoros' assisted in refloating a landing craft 'LCM 8558' that had grounded on the Ashdod shore on March 25. The landing craft had been working with the US-built floating pier off the coast. It was beached while assisting a US army tug that was helping move the floating pier from an area off the Gaza coast to near Ashdod due to adverse weather conditions with high swells of about 1.5 meters that emerged on May 23 and May 24, while winds gusted to some 20 knots, which necessitated moving the pier. The floating pier has been helping deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. It was constructed after a decision in early March to deploy the unique US Army capability. The Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore capability was deployed beginning in mid-March with several vessels sailing from Fort Eustis across the Atlantic via Crete to the coast of Gaza. It began operations in mid-May. On the evening of Maya 23, several vessels involved with moving the pier broke free from their moorings. The tug was beached on Ashdod Beach, a hundred meters north of a lifeguard stand near an area called Beersheba Beach. The 'LCM 8558' tried to help the tug, but became stranded on the beach near the tug with the low tide. It had to be dug out with a front-loader. The US had been trying to free the LCM and the tug since May 25. The USAV 'Matamoros' arrived on the afternoon. It connected a rope to the LCM. On May 26 by midday the LCM was ready to be pulled off. The tide remained an issue because the low tide was around 6 p.m. Around 9 p.m. the LCM was pulled off the beach, with the hope that it would remain free of the sand. The goal was then to pull the tug off the beach. Then, the vessels will all be united with the floating pier and likely return to the coast of Gaza so humanitarian aid can be delivered again. The Israel Navy assisted in the efforts to free the ships. Report with photos: https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-803750
News
MEIN SCHIFF 1
On May 26, 2024, there was a minor incident on an excursion in Helsinki, which could be booked by passengers of the 'Mein Schiff 1'. On the way back from a boat trip that was part of the excursion, the captain of the boat made an announcement that the engines had broken down. All participants were stuck on the ship until another boat arrived, and the technicians were supposed to repair the damage immediately so that the tourists could continue their journey. Despite the exchange of a part, the problem was not solved, and the other ship sailed away again. This was followed by another announcement from the captain that another boat would arrive shortly. to take them back ashore, where a hop on hop off bus was already waiting to transfer the guests of the 'Mein Schiff 1' back to the cruise terminal. The passengers of the cruise ship were able to reach the 'Mein Schiff 1' on time again despite the delaying incident.
Grenaa
The chairman of the board of Grenaa Shipyard, Esben Møller, was deeply affected by the violent gas explosion on the dredger 'Grete Fighter', which injured three employees on April 23, 2020. The cause is still unknown. Shipyard chairman deeply affected by accide. "We have never experienced anything like it here, ”says Esben Møller. The accident happened shortly after lunch break when the employees were on their way back to the ship, which was in the shipyard in connection with a 5 year revision. On the way to the ship's tank system there was a huge explosion. Two men have reached the bottom of the ship, while the one closest to the exit was being helped out. Police and fire departments were alerted at 9.35 a.m., and shipyard and ship crews quickly reached the two at the bottom of the ship, which were most severely affected by the explosion, but were unable to rescue them. But they stayed with them until the fire department and the ambulance arrived. According to police, the three severely injured people who were flown to Rigshospitalet are a 31-year-old man from Norddjurs, a 53-year-old man from Syddjurs and a 50-year-old man from West Funen. "I don't know about their situation anymore, other than it's very serious," Esben Møller said. The accident is now being investigated by the police and the Labor Inspectorate. The 'Grete Fighter', which is owned by Peter Madsen Rederi, was in the yard for a five-year inspection. According to Grenaa Shipyard, on the ship various steel works were to be carried out, measurements of screw shaft and rudder, full service of auxiliary and main engine, dismantling of bottom and bilge valves and a full coating of bottom and bulwark. In addition, the old excavator had to be dismantled in favour of a new one.
Guam
One crew member of the USS 'Theodore Roosevelt' which was being anchored off Guam has died of a corona virus infection on April 14, 2020. The woman had been in intensive care but died of health complications. More than 550 crew members of the 5.000 crew members were tested positive. The ship has been largely evacuated during the recent days. Commander Brett Crozier had been fired as he wrote a letter expressing his concern about the crew situation and asked for help by the Navy.
VENTURA
The 'Ventura' was met at the port of Southampton after its return on May 25 at 6 a.m. for a deep cleaning after an unconfirmed number of passengers fell ill with sickness and diarrhoea onboard during the 14-night voyage around the Canary Islands which had included stops in Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote. 0.64 per cent of passengers were symptomatic on May 22, and those who were still symptomatic on arrival, disembarked later than other passengers. An enhanced sanitation of the ship was carried out on May 17 in Tenerife, however Southampton Port Health Authority assisted the vessel once it was back at port, undertaking a cleaning programme of all spaces onboard. The P&O Cruises vessel was scheduled to set sail for a seven-night cruise around Spain and Portugal later in the day, which was delayed to 11 p.m. Passengers booked on the week-long voyage have been asked to arrive four hours later than planned to make time for sanitation.
KERMORVAN
On the night of May 23, 2024, during an operation ordered by the Maritime Prefect of the Atlantic, in conjunction with the Brest public prosecutor, and guided by customs from the operational center of the national directorate customs Coastguard in Nantes, the 'Kermorvan' seized 406 kg of cocaine on board the Polish sailboat 'Le Dahu' in the Bay of Biscay. The National Directorate of Customs Intelligence and Investigations (DNRED) had detected the yacht in the Caribbean and tracked its route into the the Bay of Biscay, in liaison with OFAST, MAOC and DEA. On the evening of May 23, with the agreement of the Polish authorities, and following the relocation of the ship by a Beechcraft Customs aircraft, the crew of the 'Kermorvan' carried out an inspection of the sailboat on the basis of Article 17 of the United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances. The two crew members, after setting fire to the ship in an attempt to sink it and its cargo, were taken in custody by the crew of the 'Kermorvan', and the cargo was seized. The narcotics were packed in 19 bales. The drug was handed over to OFAST under the authority of the Public Prosecutor at the Brest Judicial Court, who relinquished the case in favour of the public prosecutor's office of the Specialized Interregional Jurisdiction (JIRS) of Rennes, now in charge of conducting the judicial investigation. Report with photo: https://www.premar-atlantique.gouv.fr/communiques-presse/saisie-de-stupefiants-sur-un-voilier-dans-le-golfe-de-gascogne
Toulon
More than 1,000 sailors aboard the aircraft carrier 'Charles de Gaulle' have tested positive for COVID-19, a number that could continue to surge as the crew awaits approximately 930 more test results. The outbreak onboard the French navy’s flagship forced leadership to call off the remaining two weeks of the carrier’s scheduled deployment to the North Atlantic. The ship, which carries a crew of nearly 1,800, pulled into port last week at Toulon Naval Base in southern France. In all, 1,081 crew members from the Charles de Gaulle naval group have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. That total comes almost entirely from the carrier, and includes at least two U.S. sailors who were assigned to the ship as part of the U.S. Navy’s Personnel Exchange Program. The American sailors have since been removed from the ship and were receiving excellent host nation medical care at French facilities. The declining health of one French sailor, meanwhile, necessitated a transfer to the intensive care unit. Partially complicating the early detection process onboard the 'Charles de Gaulle' was the rate of asymptomatic carriers. Of the confirmed cases, nearly half showed no symptoms. Additionally, masks were not made available until late in the ship’s deployment. T The debilitating spread of the virus onboard France’s lone carrier, has sparked concern about the nation’s ability to remain ready to fight. Unlike the U.S. Navy, which touts 10 other active carriers in addition to the coronavirus-stricken USS 'Theodore Roosevelt', losing the 'Charles de Gaulle' for an extended period could cripple France’s nuclear deterrence capabilities.
Turku
On March 31, 2020, around 9 a.m. a fire broke out aboard the new built Panama flagged cruise ship 'Mardi Gras', 183200 gt (9837444), which is currently built at the Meyer yard in Turku. The fire occurred in a cabin on the upper deck, and fire crews managed to limit the fire to one cabin. In total, 18 fire brigade units were sent from the rescue service to the shipyard, but the fire could quickly be extinguished by the shipyard's own fire department. However, the ship must be checked to make sure there were no remaining hot spots. All workers were evacuated from the ship, but no one was injured in the fire. The cause of the fire was still unclear.
DOGGERBANK
On May 6, 2024, the 'Doggerbank' recovered a double decker which had emergency landed off Büsum following a motor damage. At 10.20 a.m. the pilot had reported technical trouble between Heligoland and Büsum before going down on the water. The crew of the cutter saved the pilot and pulled the downed aircraft out of the water with its fishing gear. It was transported to Büsum then. Also the lifeboat "Theodor Storm“ attended, but the rescue operation had already been completed successfully. Reports with photo and video: https://www.berliner-zeitung.de/news/nach-notlandung-fischer-retten-flugzeugbesatzung-aus-der-nordsee-li.2218762 https://segelreporter.com/panorama/big-picture-tiefflieger-auf-der-nordsee-fischer-finden-flugzeug/
ZELENGA
On May 26, 2024, the 'Zelenga' suffered an engine malfunction in Rostov-on-Don, lost control and crashed into a pillar of the drawbridge across the Don River. The impact destroyed the wheelhouse of the ship when it got stuck under the construction. The bridge is actively involved in logistics to the Russian occupied Ukrainian Crimea which means that the accident could cause significant difficulties with rail transportation. Reports and photos and video: https://meta.ua/news/kurezi/165608-v-rostove-suhogruznoe-sudno-zelenga-poteryav-upravlenie-vrezalos-v-zheleznodorozhnii-most/ https://www.imago-images.de/st/0481334549 https://sputnikmediabank.com/story/list_336061662/ https://rumble.com/v4xi8rx-bulk-carries-crashes-into-bridge-in-rostov-on-don.html
Galveston
The US Coast Guard medevaced a crewmember from a 600-foot tanker at anchorage approximately 15 miles southeast of Galveston, Texas, on April 19, 2020. Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston watchstanders received a report of a 58-year-old man reportedly experiencing symptoms of an upper respiratory illness. Watchstanders consulted with the duty flight surgeon as well as local CDC and county health partners who recommended the medevac. Watchstanders launched a Coast Guard Station Galveston 45-foot Response Boat-Medium boat crew. The RB-M boat crew transferred the patient to awaiting emergency medical services personnel at Station Galveston who transported him to the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.
Turku
On March 31, 2020, around 9 a.m. a fire broke out aboard the new built Panama flagged cruise ship 'Mardi Gras', 183200 gt (9837444), which is currently built at the Åbovarvet Meyer Turku. The fire occurred in a cabin on the upper deck, and fire crews managed to limit the fire to one cabin. In total, 18 fire brigade units were sent from the rescue service to the shipyard, but the fire could quickly be extinguished by the shipyard's own fire department. However, the ship must be checked to make sure there were no remaining hot spots. All workers were evacuated from the ship, but no one was injured in the fire. The cause of the fire was still unclear.