Seven weeks after the allision with the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltomore, the crew of the 'Dali' is still trapped on the ship. Since the accident, the crew, comprising of 20 Indians and one Sri Lankan national, has been unable to disembark due to visa restrictions, lack of land passes and investigations by the FBI and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The living conditions are harsh on board. While meals and packages are brought to them, but morale declines. During the first weeks of the investigation, the FBI confiscated their cell phones, leaving them virtually without communication with the outside world. They were then given SIM cards and temporary mobile phones without data. In a statement on May 11, two seafarers' unions called for their phones to be promptly returned, stressing that the loss of communication with family members causes considerable hardship for crew members. According to the Synergy Marine, the 'Dali's management company based in Singapore, the crew was resisting well. “All their needs were met to the best of their ability. For example, shipments of Indian meals were delivered on board to relieve the pressure on the cooks. Hindu priests also visited them. Once the ship has been docked, it was estimated that the sailors will only be able to set foot on land in small groups, with heavy restrictions on their movements. The 'Dali' experienced two blackouts while moored in the Port of Baltimore a day before its allision with the Francis Scott Key Bridge, and efforts to resolve those blackouts may have impacted the ship’s operations, the head of the National Transportation Safety Board said in a congressional hearing on May 15. After the two in-port blackouts on March 25, the ship’s crew switched to a different transformer and set of breakers from those that had been in use for several months, according to NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy. That may have impacted the ship’s operations when it left the port a day later. Switching breakers is not unusual but may have affected operations the very next day. The comments, which add further context to the focus of the NTSB investigation, came during a hearing for the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure reviewing and analyzing the federal response to the accident. On May 14, the NTSB had released a 24-page preliminary report detailing investigators’ early factual findings. The report found the 'Dali' was just three ships’ lengths from the bridge when it suffered a pair of electrical failures, which caused several pumps required for the ship’s propeller and rudder to stop working. The emergency generator activated but was not configured to power the ship. The NTSB report found that the Dali had experienced two blackouts a day earlier while still moored in the port. The NTSB is still investigating the electrical configuration following the first in-port blackout and potential impacts on the events during the accident voyage. The NTSB has been working closely with Hyundai, which manufactures the ship equipment, to try to replicate some of the electrical problems of that day and understand better what happened.
News
AR MILINO
on May 14 at 2:01 p.m., due to lack of new information, the SAR operation for the missing crew member of the 'Ar Milino' was suspended. At 1:01 a.m., the master of the ship had alerted the CROSS Corsen after the 40-year-old man was swept away during the casting of the fishing net. The CROSS Corsen immediately broadcasted a Mayday relay and deployed the H160 helicopter of the French Navy base in Lanvéoc, the lifeboats 'SNS 098' and 'SNS 088' of the SNSM station of Ploumanac’h and the island of Batz; the customs launch 'DF46' and a fishing boat, the “Kraken”, which immediately responded to the Mayday Relay. At 1:44 a.m., the “Ar Milino” reported having pulled up its net with no sign of the missing person. At 2:49 a.m., the Civil Security Dragon 29 helicopter took over from the H160 helicopter. At daybreak, numerous fishing boats joined the search. At 08:00 a.m., the SNSM boas 'SNS 218' from Trebeurden, 'SNS 295 from Roscoff and 'SNS 718 from Tregastel reached the search area. At the same time, the H160 and Dragon 29 helicopters took turns until mid-morning.
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.
ROYAL ROMANCE
The 'Royal Romance' belonging to the oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk, has been granted a certificate of the right to fly the state flag of Ukraine on May 15, 2024, and the corresponding changes have already been registered with the International Maritime Organization (IMO). This statement was made by the Ukrainian Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA). Through joint efforts of the Asset Recovery and Management Agency and the Shipping Administration, the seizedluxury yacht Royal has been granted the status of a Ukrainian vessel, which means that the vessel is under Ukrainian jurisdiction. According to Shipping Administration Head Yevhen Ihnatenko, the corresponding changes were registered with the IMO. This will facilitate the further sale of the seized yacht and the transfer of the proceeds to the state budget of Ukraine. The Dutch auction house, Troostwijk Auctions, won the ARMA’s tender to auction the seized yacht, but refused to sign a further agreement to organize the auction. The yacht, worth an estimated 200 million Euros, was seized by Croatian authorities in March 2022 in relation to EU sanctions imposed on Medvedchuk.
SAMARIA I
On MAy 15, 2024, at noon , the Port Authority of Paleochora was informed that during the mooring manoever of the 'Samaria I', there was an impact on the pier of Skala Paleochora, Chania, due to a sudden gust of wind and high waves. The ferry suffered a breach approximately ten centimeters in diameter and approximately fifty centimeters long in the bow bulkhead approximately half a meterabove the waterline. The ship safely disembarked the passengers and vehicles, and no injuries were reported and no marine pollution was observed. The Paleochora Port Station, which conducted the preliminary investigation, banned the ship from sailing until a certificate of seaworthiness has been presented by themonitoring classification society.
US GOV VESSEL 87
The USS 'Mason' intercepted an inbound Houthi anti-ship missile over the Red Sea on May 13, 2024, after Yemen's Houthis said on May 15 that they had targeted the warship. The US forces also destroyed two drones. The Houthis said they had also targeted a vessel called 'Destiny' in the Red Sea. There was, however, no evidence of an attack on the 'Destiny' in recent days. The vessel and crew were safe, with no issues. The Houthis said they targeted the 'Destiny' because it had been en route for the Israeli port of Eilat on April 20.
MISS SALLY DANE
On May 15, 2024, the 'Miss Sally Dane' was deployed to remove the oil barge 'MMLP 321', carrying 30,000 barrels of vacuum gas oil, which had broken lose from a tug and allided with the Pelican Island Causeway, causing it to partially collapse, at 9.48 a.m. The U.S. Coast Guard coordinated the response along with local, state, and federal agencies. Watchstanders issued an urgent marine information broadcast and coordinated the launch of a Coast Guard Station Galveston boat crew to respond. 3,000 feet of containment boom were deployed in the vicinity of the allision. The intercoastal waterway has been closed from Pelican Cut (mile marker 351.5) to the Galveston Causeway (mile marker 357.3) and a 5.8-mile safety zone has been issued for the surrounding waters. Mariners were urged to avoid the area. No injuries have been reported. The barge had slammed into a bridge pillar, spilling oil into surrounding waters and closing the only road to Pelican Island, that is home to a university. One person on the barge was knocked into the water and quickly rescued. The barge had gone adrift from a tug which was backing out of the Texas International Terminals, a fuel storage operator next to the bridge, after losing control of two barges it was pushing. The current was very bad, and the tide was high. Fire trucks drove over the bridge as workers and law enforcement officials looked at the remnants of the collapsed rail line. A large piece of broken concrete and debris from the railroad was hanging off the side of the bridge and laying on the barge. The rail line only serves as protection for the structure and has never been used. Engineers from the Texas Department of Transportation were en route to inspect the roadway and determine if there was damage. The bridge remained closed until it is deemed safe to use. Involved with the response were: - U.S. Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston; - U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Texas City; - U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Houston; - U.S. Coast Guard Station Galveston; - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; - Texas Department of Transportation; - Texas Commission on Environmental Quality; - Texas Parks and Wildlife; - Texas General Land Office; - Texas A&M; - Galveston County Office of Emergency Management; - Galveston County Police Department; - Galveston Fire Department. Reports with photos: https://www.news.uscg.mil/Press-Releases/Article/3776804/coast-guard-partner-agencies-responding-to-pelican-island-causeway-allision-in/ https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/barge-hit-bridge-galveston-texas-oil-spill/3541844/
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.