39 migrants were rescued off the coast of Berck (Pas-de-Calais) on May 21. On the early morning the CROSS Etel was alerted to the difficulties encountered by the boat and deployed the 'Flamant ' to assist. The castaways were taken into care and dropped off at the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer, where they were awaited by the rescue services and the border police.
News
ALFRED
The master of the 'Alfred', that grounded off Swona island on July 5, 2022, almost certainly fell asleep and allowed the ferry to swing towards land, and he regularly sailed very close to the coast, an official investigation by the UK Department for Transport’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) concluded on MAy 22, 2024. A total of 41 passengers and crew were injured and almost all the vehicles aboard, and the ferry’s port bulbous bow were damaged. The MAIB report highlighted “key safety issues” as the ferry routinely passing too close to land, fatigue leading to loss of awareness at a critical point in the vessel’s passage and lack of assurance that procedures were being followed. It recommended to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency that passage plans were available during inspections and surveys, and guidance was issued to ferry operators over the need to secure heavy objects. The MAIB said UK domestic ferries’ exemption from carrying voyage data recorders should be reviewed. The branch also called on Pentland Ferries to ensure it recorded passenger details and injuries after such incidents. Report with photo: https://www.scotsman.com/news/transport/pentland-ferries-captain-almost-certainly-fell-asleep-before-vessel-grounded-off-orkney-injuring-41-4638072
Rostock
On May 2, a HLC 295000 heavy load crane of Liebherr mounted on the deck of the 'Orion I' crashed in the Seaport of Rostock during a test when lifting a pontoon which was filled with 5.550 tons of water. The crane boom broke off, and parts fell onto the 'Orion I', which started to list to port side, and onto the quay edge. Heavy metal pieces flew around. Five people inside the crane's cabin were injured by the heave jerk. The fire brigade, ambulances and police attended with a large contingent. They tried to free the victims from the steel mesh. There were two serious and three minor injuries. A total of 120 people were on board the 'Orion I' who were now being evacuated and looked after. A rescue helicopter has landed. In addition, large amounts of oil leaked out, which the fire brigade has to collect before it got into the water. It is the second accident on the Liebherr site within a few months. In January, two loading cranes fell into the water during tests. The salvage then took several months. Reports with photos and video: https://www.nonstopnews.de/meldung/32916 https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/mecklenburg-vorpommern/Rostock-Erneutes-Unglueck-mit-Hafenkran,hafenkran156.html https://www.t-online.de/nachrichten/panorama/id_87809036/rostock-krank-knickt-im-hafen-ab-fuenf-verletzte.html
Everett WA
The American destroyer USS 'Kidd' returned to Everett after nearly 50 crew members aboard were tested positive for coronavirus as of April 27, 2020. This was the second reported outbreak of COVID-19 aboard a US Navy vessel at sea. After concerns were raised about cases aboard the USS 'Theodore Roosevelt', one sailor assigned to that ship died from coronavirus complications. Roughly half the crew members on the USS 'Kidd' have been tested for the virus, and some have been evacuated. 45% of the ship have been tested for COVID-19, with 47 total positive results. Two Sailors have been medically evacuated. 15 sailors have been transferred to USS 'Makin Island (LHD 8)' for monitoring due to persistent symptoms. None were in the ICU or on ventilators. Sailors aboard the USS 'Kidd' were wearing PPE and N95 masks. Initial COVID-19 testing of sailors from the USS 'Theodore Roosevelt' were now complete, there are 955 active cases, along with 14 recovered cases. The USS 'Kidd' was on a counter narcotics mission' when ait was reported at least 18 crew had fallen ill with the virus.
FIDAN
On May 17, 2024, at 04.10 UTC the 'Fidan', en route from Ust-Luga to Santos, was boarded by ten pirates armed with AK-47 guns in 09:11.2 N 027:03.9 W, around 363 nautical miles southsouthwest of Nova Sintra, Cabo Verde. They took control of the bridge. All crew members were mustered on the bridge where the pirates tied up their hands and legs. The pirates ordered the 2nd and 4th engineer to stop the engines, and the ship went adrift with the intention of stealing the cargo and bunkers. While waiting for the offtake vessel, the pirates stole crew and ship properties. They then moved all crew members into the steering gear room and informed them that there were explosive devices fixed on all doors, and the crew could only exit after two hours. Once the crew emerged from the steering gear room, no pirates or explosives were found. The pirates had damaged communication, internet, navigation equipment and the air control pipes for the main engine and cylinder oil flow valves before escaping. The crew managed to sail the vessel to the next port. No cargo or bunkers was stolen.
HATTERAS
At a dual ceremony held at the Hatteras Village ferry docks on May 20, 2024, the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s (NCDOT) Ferry Division and the U.S. Coast Guard honoured the crew of the 'Hatteras' for their rescue of two men and their dog on Jan 12, 2024. Captain Bill Davis, Chief Engineer Robbie Meekins, Oiler Amanda Przygodzinski, and the crew members Gerald Huneycutt, David Butler, and Calob Fulford were onboard the 'Hatteras', tying up the ferry at the Ocracoke-South Dock Terminal, when they noticed two men hanging onto an overturned boat, and swiftly floating out of Hatteras Inlet and toward the Atlantic Ocean. The weather conditions were worsening, the current was strong, and the two men were getting sucked out to sea, Captain Bill Davis sounded the general alarm, and the crew snapped into action. The crew immediately launched a rescue boat and went to the scene, where they found the two men clinging to the side of the vessel, and a dog trapped underneath. The two men had waders on, and were having trouble staying afloat. The strong current combined with the frigid 52-degree water temperature made the situation critical. Due to the crew’s rapid response and training, it didn’t take long for the team to pull both victims and the dog out of the water, and shuttle them back to land, with no injuries reported. In addition to the NCDOT’s Extra Mile Award, Corrie Sergent, Deputy Commander for U.S. Coast Guard Sector North Carolina, also presented the crew with the Certificate of Merit and Recognition of Notable Services that have Assisted Greatly in Furthering the Aims and Functions of the Coast Guard. Multiple agencies and community members were in attendance at the ceremony, including the majority of Coast Guardsmen from Station Hatteras Inlet. Report with photos: https://islandfreepress.org/outer-banks-news/six-member-ferry-crew-honored-by-ncdot-u-s-coast-guard-for-heroic-january-rescue/
Marseille
The 'AIDAblu' made a brief stopover yesterday in Marseille on April 26, 2020, to embark several hundred crew members of one of his sisterships, the 'AIDAsol', which has been moored in the port for 1,5 months. The transfer took place to facilitate the repatriation of AIDA personnel via Germany. The 'AIDAblu' set sail again in the afternoon. At the same time, another cruise ship which had been berthed in Marseille since last month, the 'Europa 2' of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, set sail to also return to Germany, its arrival in Hamburg was scheduled for May 2. The Marseille areas now hosted six cruise ships, the 'Costa Smeralda', 'MSC Magnifica' and 'AIDAsol', 'Le Boréal', 'L’Austral' and 'Le Lyrial'. The repatriation operations of the international personnel of these ships was still in progress, in particular via flights chartered by the owners. This was particularly the case for the crew members of the 'MSC Magnifica', which arrived on April 20 and who also landed 4 tonnes of food surplus, donated to local associations to help the most disadvantaged.
SILVER WHISPER
A female Filipino crew member of the 'Silver Whisper' has been arrested by the Grosseto prosecutor's office on charges of murder after allegedly letting her newborn die on the cruise ship. The woman, who concealed her pregnancy from her colleagues, gave birth ~2 days before the incident. The alarm was raised by her colleagues on the evening of May 19, 2024, while the vessel was near Monte Argentario's coast (Grosseto Province). The police intervened and boarded theship. The newborn's body was discovered in the cabin shared by the mother and other crew members. Authorities conducted a thorough search of the cabin and other areas of the ship, collecting photographic evidence and initial testimonies. In a confused state, the woman was taken to the emergency room in Grosseto. On the morning of May 20, the prosecutor's office decided to arrest her. The baby's body was taken to the "Misericordia" morgue, and an autopsy may be scheduled. Preliminary examinations indicated that the baby's death was not due to suffocation. nstead, it appears the mother left the newborn unattended for hours in the cabin, without providing medical care or nourishment. The 'Silver Whisper's current cruise is a 9-day itinerary from Civitavecchia to Villefranche-sur-Mer/Nice. The voyage started on May 18 and ends on May 27.
ICGS ABHINAV
Despite challenging conditions, the ICGS 'Abhinav' successfully pumpe outd the engine compartment of the Indian fishing vessel 'Gurovayoorappan' with 13 crew members on board, responding to a distress call 30 nautical miles off Chavakkad, Kerala. Following the rectification of defects, the ship safely entered Munambam fishing harbour on May 21, 2024. Report with photo: https://news.abplive.com/kerala/kerala-indian-coast-guard-rescues-13-crew-members-from-sinking-fishing-boat-gurovayoorappan-1689383
San Diego
The number of coronavirus cases aboard the USS 'Kidd' rose to 64 as the Navy destroyer pulled into port at San Diego on April 28, 2020, to get medical care for the crew and to disinfect and decontaminate the ship. The 'Kidd' was the second Navy ship to have an outbreak of the disease while at sea, the other being the USS 'Theodore Roosevelt', an aircraft carrier that has been docked at Guam for a month and has more than 900 sailors with confirmed cases of COVID-19, but the entire crew has now been tested. The Navy has moved swiftly to get the 'Kidd''s crew ashore. That was a point of contention with the 'Roosevelt', whose skipper, Capt. Brett Crozier, felt compelled to write to several other commanders pleading for more urgent Navy action to protect his crew of nearly 5,000. Crozier was then relieved of command for what the Navy's top civilian official at the time, Thomas Modly, called poor judgment. Modly resigned several days later, and the Navy is now seeking higher-level approval to reverse his move and restore Crozier to command. The Navy said that 63% of the 'Kidd''s crew of more than 300 had been tested as of April 28. One sailor was medically evacuated to the United States on April 22 after experiencing shortness of breath. Fifteen were transferred to another ship with a medical facility for closer observation of symptoms. Sailors being removed from the 'Kidd' at San Diego will be isolated with twice-daily medical screenings. Crew members who have tested negative will enter quarantine for a period of observation, with military health professionals monitoring them for symptoms. Also, a small contingent of sailors who tested negative will remain on the ship for essential services and deep cleaning. The cleaning is expected to take two weeks. The destroyer had been off the Pacific coast of Central American doing counter-narcotics operations. The Navy said no deployed ships currently have known coronavirus cases aboard. 13 ships that previously had one or more active cases while in port have zero cases now.
Flensburg
The Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft shipyard a which had been operating at a loss for some time, filed for self-administered insolvency on April 24. The goal of the shipyard’s filing was to permit it to start afresh. The future of Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft in the medium term was in building Ro-Ro ferries, according to the message delivered by the management at a workers meeting on Sunday April 26. The move is specifically designed to allow the company to start from fresh without existing contractual obligations to customers and suppliers. Though an administrator will be brought in from outside the company, the company management will continue to control the business which is a different process to bankruptcy in German law. Investor Lars Windhorst is prepared to put money into the business through his Tennor Holding investment vehicle. Tennor Holding took 100% control of the yard in 2019. He has said, however, that the money should not be used on loss making contracts. The former majority owner Siem Industries is interested in contracting 4 further Ro-Ro ferries from the yard. Siem recently took delivery of LIEKUT, the eighth of a series of vessels built by FSG for the company to charter out. FSG had been making significant losses for a number of years. The Siem group acquired the company for a token €1 back in November 2014 after severe liquidity problems. Those losses massively increased in recent years, however, with the yard losing an eye watering €111m in 2018. The hugely increased losses were due in part to delivery delays with Irish Ferries 'W.B. Yeats' and the subsequent penalty payments made to Irish Continental Group (ICG). The agreed contract price to build the 'W.B. Yeats' is understood to have left little to no margin for the yard in the first place.