Problems with a stomach bug spreading on the 'Ventura' have been going on for weeks. The vessel left Southampton on May 11, 2024, for a two-week cruise around the Canary Islands. On May 18 the company confirmed that enhanced sanitation protocols had been put in place following reports of passengers with gastrointestinal symptoms. Passengers who travelled on the 'Ventura' in previous weeks said the illness had also been present during their cruises. P&O Cruises notified passengers of gastrointestinal" problems on the ship shortly before boarding on May 4. The embarkation was delayed by 90 minutes so the ship could be deep cleaned. Also on April 29 P&O Cruises informed passengers of gastrointestinal issues on board and advised that extra cleaning measures had been put in place. One passenger was medevaced and taken to a hospital in Lisbon with acute gastroenteritis. She spent six days in hospital on antibiotics before flying home on May 3. The company adopted an enhanced and proven approach working across the hotel, housekeeping and medical teams, including constant and enhanced sanitation by specialist teams and "isolating those affected.
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ESL DACHAN BAY
On May 10, 2024, at 3.32 a.m. the 'ESL Dachan Bay' was boarded by two men at the Manila International Container Terminal in pos. 14° 35.69' N 120° 50.67' E. The perpetrators stole ship's stores. No injuries were reported.
Whittier
U.S. Coast Guard crews have given up the search for a 49-year-old Cordova man who went missing after an explosion and subsequent fire on a fixed barge at Delong Dock in Whittier, Alaska, shortly after midnight on Monday. The fire spread to the pier and then to the Anagalik, a 99-foot commercial fishing vessel that was initially reported to have two people aboard at the time of the explosion. Whittier Police Department personnel have since confirmed one of those two is safely aboard a different vessel en route to Whittier. The fire has now been extinguished, but the fishing vessel and barge sank in 85 feet of water at the pier with a potential maximum of 5,500 gallons of fuel oil aboard. The fishing vessel owners have contracted Global Diving and Salvage for clean-up and salvage efforts. An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak has searched for the missing person by air, and crews aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Chandeleur and Coast Guard Auxiliary 336 searched nearby waters.
Halsa
With a NOK 1.23 billion offer, Fjord1 won the concession to run the E39 Halsa-Kanestraum route, the latest major ferry connection awarded by the Norwegian Road Authority.
MUROU
On May 15 at 4.15 a.m. the 'Murou' was boarded by three men at Dumai Anchorage in pos. 1° 42' N 101° 28' E. The perpetrators left the ship without anything being reported stolen. There were no injuries.
LADY NAOMI
The 'Lady Naomi' which used to sail to American Samoa and the Cook Islands from Samoa is likely to be sunk after continuous mechanical and structural problems have caused the vessel to be out of service with major damages to its rails, and bollards, as well as dents on its hull from alliding with the wharf due to strong ocean currents. The government will now dispose of the ferry in the deep further from Apia. The vessel’s condition has continued to deteriorate, which has resulted in costly repair and maintenance bills paid by the Corporation to comply with international maritime safety requirements.
Rizhao
Shandong Landbridge Group has entered into an agreement with Beijing Energy Group to jointly develop a LNG receiving terminal at Landbrige Port in Rizhao. Under the agreement, the two parties will invest RMB6.7bn ($973m) in total for the construction of the terminal, which will have a designed handling capacity of 5m tons of LNG annually. Additionally, the two companies plan to join their efforts to develop overseas energy projects.
Gothenburg
APM Terminals Gothenburg has managed to cut quay crane waiting times by as much as 90% by implementing new standard operational procedures for container lashing. This translates to a reduction from 38 minutes to just four. Using ‘Lean’ methodology, which is being adopted across all of the company’s terminals around the world, a Transformation Team at APM Terminals Gothenburg identified the root cause of the time delay – inaccurate information provided to the vessel crew.
LARGO EDEN
On May 13, 2024, at 03.45 a.m. the 'Largo Eden' was boarded by six men at Chattogram Anchorage in pos. 22° 17' N 120° 91.43' E. Shore watchmen were found tied and unable to move. NBo injuries were reported. The pirates stole unsecured items from the tanker.
OCEAN VIKING
The 'Ocean Viking' has rescued 35 Bangladeshis who were on a boat in distress off the coast of Malta on May 20 at 2 a.m. GMT. The migrants, all men who had set off from Benghazi to Sicily on a fiberglass boat in the joint search area between Malta and Italy. The castaways had spent at least two days and two nights at sea. Italian authorities have assigned the port of Ortona to disembark the migrants with an ETA as of May 22.
Sydney
DP World Australia has called for an end to the strikes at its ports this week, warning that the industrial action comes at a time when shipping lines are reviewing stevedore contracts. “The industrial action will cause significant disruption to DPWA customers and importantly the broader supply chain of shippers, exporters and importers. DPWA employees will also be unnecessarily and avoidably impacted by these lost earnings,” said Andrew Adam, chief operating officer at DPWA. DP World’s Brisbane, Sydney and Fremantle container terminals are on a rolling 48-hour strike, while workers at the company’s Melbourne operations have decided to down tools for 96 hours. The workers said in a release their actions this week are in order to fight against automation, outsourcing, cuts to income protection insurance, and “dishonest bargaining” by the company During the recent 12-week bargaining period, DP World said the local union did not make any material concessions to its initial 50 claims. These claims include a wage increase well above CPI, DP World said.
Rijeka
After many creditors withdrew distraint proceedings, the Commercial Court in Rijeka decided on Thursday to postpone the bankruptcy of Croatia’s debt-ridden shipyard “3. Maj” until Aug. 1. Seven days ago the shipyard’s account was blocked for 156 million kuna (23.8 million U.S. dollars). After some of the creditors pulled back, the blockade now amounts to 86 million kuna (13.1 million U.S. dollars). Judge of the Commercial Court in Rijeka Ljiljana Ugrin urged Croatian Electricity Industry and the Croatian government to engage in the process of revocation of the enforcement order, so that “3. Maj” could continue with unfinished shipbuilding contracts.