About 50 activists from Extinction Rebellion (XR) protested against cruise tourism in Rotterdam on the morning of April 21, 2024. They tried to prevent the docking of the 'Nieuw Statendam' in Rotterdam and delayed the docking for a few minutes. The ship was then able to reach its berth at Cruise Port Rotterdam at 5.50 a.m. UTC. It left the port at 7.30 p.m. en route to Funchal.
News
MT SAISNIL II
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, was investigating 11 suspected oil thieves along with the Saisnil II', which was arrested by the Nigerian Navy, on April 202, 2024. The suspects and vessel were handed over to the Commission by the Nigerian Navy, NNS Beecroft, Apapa, Lagos. The vessel and the crew were intercepted and arrested on Feb 7 by naval officers. The suspects were allegedly involved in illegal oil bunkering and AIS infractions at the Abo Oilfield, Ogogoro Community, Ondo State. The suspects were to be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded by Commission’s operatives in its Lagos Command.
SALVAMAR AL NAIR
A canoe was located on April 19 near Lanzarote. The 'Salvamar Al Nair' was mobilized to assist and has rescued 47 people of North African origin, including nine women and several minors. They were transferred to Arrecife and disembarked in Puerto de Naos.
ANADOLU
The Turkish NGO IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation has decided to acquire three ships and launch a relief convoy to Gaza. The IHH currently operates relief voyages from Turkey to Egypt for cross-border transport into Gaza, but this new mission is advertised as an all-water route. The IHH has acquired three vessels for its "Freedom Flotilla," reflagged them and changed their names. It is planning to depart for Gaza by the end of April with the freighter 'Anadolu' (ex 'Dalya H'), berthed in Iskenderun, the passenger vessel 'Vicdan' (ex 'The Majestic', 'Kloar Kimming) and the 'Akdeniz' (ex 'Prince'), actually berthed at the Desan Yardgem United Shipyards in Tuzla. The NGO has launched a fundraising appeal to help pay for the vessels and their cargo.
DALI
Salvage crews of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District prepared to remove another massive piece of steel from the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse site on April 18, getting ready to remove the furthest portion of steel that's across from the vessel. The Unified Command has its sights set on a specific portion of steel that, once removed, will enable the opening of a limited-access channel to resume commercial traffic back to the port by the end of April. Over the next few days, crews will continue to rig, cut and lift steel from the wreckage site. A couple dozen crew members remained on board the 'Dali'. They have provisions and cellphones, and all systems were running. As cranes lift more than 100 containers off of the ship, the crew is awaiting the end of May, when the entire channel should reopen. The vessel will be removed by then. This massive, 5,000-ton span will be gone, and then, the wreckage on the far side as well- The debris is being taken by barge to Sparrows Point for processing and recycling. More than 1,110 tons of steel has been removed from the site and taken to nearby Tradepoint Atlantic. US Navy divers have secured new sonar images of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Their sonar captured the deepest remains of the infamous bridge collapse from the lowest point of Baltimore's Patapsco River federal shipping channel, 50 feet below the water's surface. The new look of the wreckage below the depths showed the metal framework slumped below the mudline, which will be more difficult to salvage. The Navy has provided three barges, at a combined lifting capacity of 1,350 tons, with another 400-ton capacity barge on route, for the clean-up and salvage effort. Report with photos: https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/new-sonar-of-francis-scott-key-wreck-reveals-depth-of-bridge-collapse/ar-BB1lpsGW?ocid=1PRCMSRT
NISSOS SAMOS
On the evening of April 20, 2024, the Port Authority of Kavala was informed by the Master of the 'Nissos Samos', that shortly before berthing in port, a failure was detected in the port side main engine. The ship sailed under its own power to the port of Kavala and safely disembarking the 21 passengers. The Central Port Authority of Kavala banned the ferry from sailing until the repair of the damage and the presentation of a certificate of class maintenance by the classification society that monitors it.
DALI
On April 19, the Captain of the Port established the Fort Carroll Temporary Alternate Channel, which is on the northeast side of the main channel in the vicinity of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and will provide limited access for commercially essential vessels. The Fort Carroll Temporary Alternate Channel has a controlling depth of 20 feet, a 300-foot horizontal clearance, and a vertical clearance of 135 feet, and will facilitate additional commercially essential vessel traffic through the port of Baltimore. This action is part of a phased approach to opening the main channel. The third temporary channel is marked with government-lighted aids to navigation and will be limited to transit at the discretion of the COTP. It has a controlling depth of 20 feet, a 300-foot horizontal clearance, and a vertical clearance of 135 feet. The additional channel increases the types of vessels able to transit inbound and outbound the port of Baltimore and was estimated to facilitate approximately 15 % of pre-collapse commercial activity.
SUN PRINCESS
On April 19 the medical evacuation of a crew member of the 'Sun Princess', en route from Gibraltar to Cartagena, was carried out due to trauma off Vera. The CCS Cartagena of Salvamento Marítimo mobilized the SAR helicopter Helimer 215, which hoisted the victim and took him to the Cartagena cruise ship dock, where an ambulance was waiting for further transfer to the Santa Lucía Hospital.
ISOLA DI PROCIDA
The 'Isola di Procida', en route from the Marina Grande in Capri, with a quay in the center of Naples on April 19, 2024, at 10.10 a.m. UTC. The fast ferry slammed into the quay due to a technical fault or a gust of wind. Hundreds of people were waiting on board to dismebark. Many people fell as a result of the impact. 44 people were taken to a hospital for treatment. The ship suffered significant damage to the stern. Report with photo: https://www.agi.it/cronaca/news/2024-04-19/traghetto-contro-banchina-porto-napoli-feriti-26086865/
SALVAMAR MACONDO
On the morning of April 19, the 'Salvamar Macondo' accompanied a canoe with 85 occupants, which was located 9.7 nautical miles south of Arguineguín, to the port. They safely disembarked at Arguineguin at around 2:50 a.m. The CCS Las Palmas of Salvamento Marítimo coordinated the response. Video: https://twitter.com/i/status/1781229277876240710
CONSCIENCE
The Turkish NGO IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation has decided to acquire three ships and launch a relief convoy to Gaza. The IHH currently operates relief voyages from Turkey to Egypt for cross-border transport into Gaza, but this new mission is advertised as an all-water route. The IHH has acquired three vessels for its "Freedom Flotilla," reflagged them and changed their names. It is planning to depart for Gaza by the end of April with the freighter 'Anadolu' (ex 'Dalya H'), the 'Vicdan' (ex 'The Majestic', 'Kloar Kimming) and the 'Akdeniz' (ex 'Prince'), actually berthed at the Desan Yardgem United Shipyards in Tuzla. The NGO has launched a fundraising appeal to help pay for the vessels and their cargo.
BEHSHAD
The suspected Iranian spy ship'Behshad' appears to be sailing home after nearly three years at sea. The return of the vessel, which U.S. analysts and officials suspect may have provided information and targeting assistance to Houthi rebels in the Red Sea, would remove one possible high-profile target for any Israeli strikes. Iran has previously warned against targeting the ship, and in a sign of the heightened tensions over possible Israeli targets, a senior Iranian commander warned on April 18, that the country could review its nuclear doctrine. The 'Behshad' crossed from the Arabian Gulf into the Persian Gulf early that morning, and was due to arrive later in the evening at the port of Bandar Abbas. The ship had been at sea since June 18, 2021, lingering in almost the same spot in the Red Sea between Yemen and Eritrea since January 2023. By Jan. 11, it had moved to the Bab al-Mandeb strait near the entrance to the Red Sea. In February, the 'Behshad' sailed south into the Gulf of Aden and docked off the coast of a Chinese military base in Djibouti until the end of March, when it disappeared from view. It did not reappear until early April, this time sailing close to the coast of Iran in the Gulf of Oman, before passing through the Strait of Hormuz on April 17. The Iranian ship had provided electronic intelligence to the Yemen-based Houthis, enabling them to spot and target vessels in the Red Sea region. The 'Behshad' was some miles away as Houthi rebels carried out a number of attacks on commercial vessels that created ship diversions and delays in the global supply chain.
AK BRIGHT
In the port of Torre Annunziata, the 'AK Brigth' was inspected by the Carabinieri of the operational and radiomobile section of Castellammare di Stabia, who found 7,000 packs of contraband cigarettes. The ship was had a cargo of wheat and corn from Yuzhny on board and had docked in the port on April 18, 2024. The cigarettes wre of Serbian origin but probably destined for the Neapolitan black market. The captain of the ship, a 39-year-old Syrian from Tartus and three men aged 68, 57 and 58, were handcuffed. The latter had just taken 500 cartons of the load, 5000 packages, and stuffed them into a car. They were arrested for smuggling foreign tobacco. Reports with photos and video: https://www.fanpage.it/napoli/le-sigarette-dallucraina-a-napoli-nella-nave-cargo-insieme-al-grano-4-arresti-a-torre-annunziata/ https://www.ilmattino.it/napoli/area_metropolitana/torre_annunziata_nave_cargo_sigarette_arresto-8066959.html
GUARDAMAR URANIA
On April 20, 2024, a cayuco requested assitance and gave two positions, which were 15 miles apart. The RCC Tenerife of Salvemento Marítimo mobilized the SAR helicopter Helimer 206 and the 'Guardamar Urania' to assist. The SAR vessel rescued 45 people and disembarked 44 of them in La Restinga. The Helimer 206 medevaced one person who was in bad condition off El Hierro, who was transferred to hosptial. Photo: https://twitter.com/salvamentogob/status/1781657788822778289
SPARTA IV
The Russian army is building a new logistics chain for its own troops in Syria. The “Sparta IV” left Baltiysk on April 18, 2024, with high-quality military equipment on board. The ship was being escorted by the Russian Navy. The Russian army's supply service was launched when support for the regime in Damascus began in 2015. Until 2023, the supply ships with military equipment for Syria mostly sailed from the Black Sea to Tartus. Russia maintains the only naval base in the Mediterranean there. The Russian units stationed in Tartus are now being supplied with from the Baltic Sea. It is currently the safest route as there is no threat of attacks from Ukraine there. The route from the Baltic Sea to Tartus is, however, around 4,500 nautical miles long, which is is significantly longer than from the bases in the Black Sea. From Novorossiysk on the Black Sea to Tartus through the Bosphorus would be just 1,200 nautical miles. The “Sparta IV” has been sailing for the Russian military since 2021, transporting containers, general cargo and also heavy cargo. The Russian military supplies are then transported from Tartus. Two Russian naval ships have just brought military equipment from Tartus to Libya. The “Sparta IV” has already made trips with equipment for the Russian military from its home port of Novorossiysk to Tartus in 2022 and 2023. During this time, the vessel narrowly escaped an attack by Ukrainian drones in the Black Sea. This threat was probably also the reason why the ship is now being escorted by the Russian Navy on the Baltic Sea. On April 19 , the “Sparta IV” passed the Fehmarnbelt and the Great Belt. The frigate “Neustrashimiy” of the Baltic Fleet served as an escort, accompanying the freighter towards the Mediterranean. The federal police shadowed the Russian convoy with the “Neustadt”. Denmark pursued the course through the waters of the Great Belt and the Kattegat with a frigate and two patrol boats. The ship has been blocked from passing through the Kiel Canal since Feb 24, 2022, the start of the Russian war. The sanctions against Russian shipping companies on behalf of the state prohibit the passage through German waters. At the beginning of the war, Russia also had the landing ships “Minsk” and “Kaliningrad” from the Baltic Fleet in use on the route. They also commuted to Tartus from Kaliningrad and Sevastopol. The “Minsk” was severely damaged by Ukrainian cruise missiles at the Sevastopol naval base on Sep 13, 2023, during an overhaul in dock and is no longer operational. The “Kaliningrad” is currently still in operation in the Black Sea. However, she is not allowed to leave the Black Sea because Turkey has banned the passage of the Bosphorus under the rules of the Treaty of Montreaux.
AKDENIZ
The Turkish NGO IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation has decided to acquire three ships and launch a relief convoy to Gaza. The IHH currently operates relief voyages from Turkey to Egypt for cross-border transport into Gaza, but this new mission is advertised as an all-water route. The IHH has acquired three vessels for its "Freedom Flotilla," reflagged them and changed their names. It is planning to depart for Gaza by the end of April with the freighter 'Anadolu' (ex 'Dalya H'), the passenger vessel 'Vicdan' (ex 'The Majestic', 'Kloar Kimming) and the 'Akdeniz' (ex 'Prince'), actually berthed at the Desan Yardgem United Shipyards in Tuzla. The NGO has launched a fundraising appeal to help pay for the vessels and their cargo.