On the evening of April 22, 2024, the 'Xin Rong Hai 1' allided with a guard pier under the Jiujiang Bridge on the G240 National Highway in South China's Guangdong Province. The ship, carrying over 4,900 tonnes of rolled steel, was sailing from Fuzhou, Fujian Province, to the city of Heshan, Guangdong, when it hit the base of a pillar of the Jiujiang Bridge at 9:20 p.m. The cargo hold started taking on water. The ship later ran aground and finally sank at around 11:40 p.m. There were a total of 11 crew members on board, seven of whom were rescued and four missing. As of 9:00 a.m. on April 23, the local government had coordinated maritime, fishery and social rescue forces in dispatching 32 vessels and more than 400 personnel to participate in SAR efforts. Experts quickly conducted a preliminary assessment of the bridge and found no obvious damage to the main structure. However, there were abrasions on the pillar -- requiring further safety assessments. After preliminary investigations, the accident was determined to have been caused by operating error resulting from flood. Traffic police have implemented traffic control for both directions of the Jiujiang Bridge on the G240 National Highway from 6 a.m. on April 23 to 6 a.m. on April 24. The maritime department has implemented navigation control, with all vessels prohibited from entering the three-kilometer water area upstream and downstream of the bridge, except for emergency rescue boats. Passing vessels were advised to detour. Reports with photos: https://english.news.cn/20240423/dee1d7dccf6948ff9245836174c7ca46/c.html https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202404/23/WS6627586ba31082fc043c3822.html
News
SEAWAY VENTUS
The 'Seaway Ventus' has been blocked at the Australia Quay in Esbjerg by port workers on April 19, 2024, which puts large Ørsted projects on hold, due to a lack of a collective agreement for the sailors on board. 3F Transport supports the port workers, who have been in dialogue with Ørsted for over a month to get the seafarers at the shipping company Seaway 7 a collective agreement. The 'Seaway Ventus' will be employed on the upcoming German offshore wind farms Gode Wind 3 and Borkum Riffgrund 1.
GREEN LAND
The Green Land was arrested in Singapore waters on April 17, 2024, at 3.30 p.m.Tthe arresting solicitor listed was the law firm PDLegal LLC. The ship was held at the Global OM (Offshore & Marine) – Grid 3816C. No further details regarding the reason behind the arrest were provided. The tanker has been stationary at the Tuas Industrial Park Berth Area since Feb 21.
ISLAND
Beached at Chittagong 23.04.24 https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=2044613189253699&set=pcb.10162965541533943
COASTAL RENAISSANCE
The noon sailing of the 'Coastal Renaissance' on April 21, 2024, was delayed leaving Swartz Bay on Monday due to a medical emergency. Ambulance paramedics were called to assist the affected passenger. The delay lasted 54 minutes. No further details were available.
MV KARAR
After three days of preliminary questions, the trial regarding the drug seizure aboard the 'Karar' faced the beginning of a key phase on April 22: the interrogations of the accused. The 14 crew members from Nepal and Bangladesh of the ship, which was transporting the 3.8 tons of cocaine, who will be released this week after four years in prison at the end of the maximum period of preventive detention, will be the first to testify. In the session, six of them already did so, including the captain, who, like the rest, confessed his guilt. Alim Ullah, the 48-year-old Bangladeshi, acknowledged that, after leaving Panama, they loaded the drugs on the high seas off the coast of Colombia and that the instructions were to take them to Vigo, where they were to land it about 350 nautical miles from the Olívic city. Along with the crew, Bueu resident José Manuel Blanco Gestido was on the ship, the only Spaniard on board, whom the captain and the other defendants who testified have incriminated by indicating that he was in charge of supervising the illicit cargo. Given the exceptional situation that the entire foreign crew was experiencing due to their imminent release – the maximum period of deprivation of liberty expires on April 25 at dawn – the prosecutor accepted that the interrogations of the 28 accused would begin with these sailors. The intention of their defense lawyers – given that, lacking economic means and roots in Spain, they will be welcomed in shelters spread across several Galician provinces – is to be excused from attending the trial sessions until the final day. Alim Ullah, the captain, was the first to testify. With the help of an interpreter. He confessed his participation in the drug trafficking operation that failed when at 6:20 a.m. on April 25, 2020, the “Karar” was boarded with the cache inside. The rest of the interrogated crew members also admitted their guilt: Mohammed Iman Sharif, Mohammed Ataur Rahman, Altaf Hossain, Mahfuzul Hoque and Tamang Kiran, all from Bangladesh except the last one, a Nepalese, as well as the remaining eight sailors who was to testify on April 23. All initially face, according to the prosecutor's provisional qualification document, 13,5 years in prison. They related how on the bridge of the “Karar” there was a nautical chart with the coordinates in pencil about the unloading point. When they left their countries of origin, several of them stressed, they were unaware that the voyage was to transport drugs, but already in Panama, where they left, they knew the illicit purpose of the trip and knew that they were carrying bales of cocaine on the ship. Another crew member reported that, after several days of crossing, they loaded the drugs in front of Colombia, a task that took them one or two hours. Other defendants gave more details about this moment, such as the electrician, the only one who did not need an interpreter. To load the bales they used a crane. It was the middle of the night, they were on the high seas and several boats with the drugs approached them. The only Galician who was on board wrote down with a pen in a book and all the bundles were stored in a tank, which was closed with screws and nuts. that Blanco Gestido, he said, secured with a flange. The Nepalese Tamang Kiran was the one who had contact with the outside world through satellite phone. He was speaking with a compatriot named Lama: he is not prosecuted in the case, but, according to the statements, he was one of the leaders in the illicit operation. Settled between Panama and Colombia, he was at the meeting prior to the departure of the “Karar”. Report with photo: https://www.farodevigo.es/gran-vigo/2024/04/22/capitan-karar-confiesa-cargaron-cocaina-colombia-destino-vigo-101392831.html
NIEUW STATENDAM
The 'Nieuww Statendam', en route from Rotterdam to Funchal, requested the medical evacuation of a passenger with a possible stroke on April 23, 2024, about 91 nautical miles from A Coruña. The CCS Finisterre of Salvamento Marítimo mobilized the SAR helicopter Helimer 402. The patient was hoisted and taken Alvedro, where an ambulance was waiting for further transport to hospital.
STRANDE
The 'Strande' has been sold to the Sunlines and will be operated on the route Naissaar-Tallinn starting in May 2024. The ship remained stationary in Kiel as of April 23, 2024. https://www.sunlines.ee/en/liinid/tallinn-naissaar-strande/
MFV OLIVIA GRACE
The Moelfre ALB was mobilized on April 21, 2024, at 12:35 p.m. to the 'Olivia Grace', whic hwas drifting approximately 12 miles North of Puffin Island towards the shipping lanes and following a Pan Pan urgency call from the Holyhead Coastguard. The lifeboat launched and was on scene within 25 minutes. Once on scene, it was discovered that the vessel's derricks were stuck in the down position and scallop dredges hanging approximately five meters beneath the surface. The ALB and crew stood by while the crew made several attempts to recover the fishing gear manually. Due to the sheer weight of the equipment, attempts to recover the dredges and stow the beams were unsuccessful. With the vessel in its current state and with the risk of fouling its gear on the seabed, towing to its home port of Porth Penrhyn was not feasible. The coxswain transferred a crew member to improve communications and requested that the vessel jettison the fishing gear and manually stow the large derricks. This request was denied as they didn't have the equipment onboard to cut or remove the wires from the winches or suitable equipment to mark the dredges for future recovery. As there was no immediate risk to life, and the vessel had full electrical power and all navigational aids for safety, it was deemed by Coxswain and Coastguard to be a commercial tow with specialist equipment required to remove the fishing gear and derricks. Following lengthy discussions between the Coastguard, Coxswain, and owners, it was agreed that the lifeboat would stand by and provide safety cover while commercial recovery options were discussed. If required, it would connect a tow should the situation change and the vessel drift into danger. Although there was no response from the coastguard's Pan Pan call, it was later discovered that the scalloper's sister vessel 'BS 89' was also working in the area. The owner later instructed the sister vessel to provide support and assistance. Once it arrived, they transferred some lifting equipment over with ropes and buoys to jettison the dredge. Following several hours of work, the fishing gear was lowered to the seabed. And the sister vessel connected a tow, while the crew of the trawler began work to manually recover the beams and derricks on their way back to Porth Penrhyn. Once safely underway, the Coastguard released the lifeboat and crew after eight hours at sea. Report with photos: https://rnli.org/news-and-media/2024/april/23/rnli-moelfre-eight-hours-at-sea-to-assist-fishing-vessel
HUNTER
The police have identified the body, which was found in the trawl of the trawler 'Kongsfjord' on April 12, 2024. On April 22 the police stated that it was Latvian Romans Solovjovs (38), who was found south-east of Svalbard. The next of kin have been notified. There was no final autopsy report, but the cause of death was stated to be drowning. The Havøy Kystfiske was grateful for the discovery of Solojovs and expressed their thanks for the efforts of the crew of the trawler for finding and bringing the deceased ashore. They hoped that this finding would give the police the answers they need to close the investigation, and bring some form of closure to the Solovjovs' family. Solovjovs was reported missing to the police following a report of a man overboard on the snow crab vessel "Hunter" off Svalbard on Jan 30, 2023. According to the accident report from February 2023, Solovjovs fell overboard while preparing the rails. Following the accident, the Accident Investigation Board notified the Norwegian Maritime Directorate of what they believed to be safety-critical conditions on board. As a result, the ship was detained in Tromsø until orders from the Norwegian Maritime Directorate were rectified. In that connection, all certificates were confiscated and declared invalid due to serious security discrepancies. The background was precisely the fatal accident. Owner Jøran Helde in Havøy Kystfiske, who owns the vessel, complained about this decision from the directorate. He then stated that the shipping company disagreed with a large number of findings in the audit report, and that it was therefore appealed. The case has not been finally decided. The ship remained docked in Ålesund. The shipping company had to pay half a million Norwegian crowns after it was discovered that the ship had too many foreign employees in the crew.
COSTA DIADEMA
A passenger was medevaced from the 'Costa Diadema', en route from Malaga to Barcelona, on April 23, 2024, about 14.3 nautical miles from Peñon de Ifach. The ship had requested assistance after a passenger was suffering from respiratory problems. The CCS Valencia of Salvamento Marítimo mobilized the SAR helicopter Helimer 215, which hoisted the patient and took him to the Denia Firefighters heliport for further transfer to the hospital.
XIN XIN SHAN
The 'Xin Xin Shan' was arrested in Singapore on April 22, 2024, at 1.36 p.m. LT, on behalf of the law firms PDLegal LLC and DennisMathiew. The ship had arrived from St. Petersburg and was being held at the Eastern Anchorage. The arrest was likely to involve disputes over the payment of goods and services related to the vessel's operation. Its commercial controller is the Dalian Haida International Fleet in China.
ABDULLAH
After an awful 31-day journey at the hands of Somali pirates, the 'Abdullah' with 23 crew members on board, and loaded with 55,000 tons of coal, arrived safely at the Al Hamriya Port in Dubai on April 22 at 4.30 p.m. Bangladesh time, bringing an end to the voyage, during which, on March 12, it was hijacked in the Indian Ocean while en route from Maputo to the United Arab Emirates. The Kabir Group, the parent company of SR Shipping and the owner of the 'Abdullah', verified the vessel’s safe arrival. After the hijack, the pirates reportedly demanded a ransom of $5 millionduring the early stages of negotiations for the crew’s release. The process entailed several discussions, with the ship’s owners, SR Shipping Limited, working relentlessly to ensure the crew’s safe return. The crew was ultimately released on April 13, and the ship began its journey to Al Hamriya Port, arriving there after eight days of navigation. Captain Mohammad Abdur Rashid stated that all 23 crew members were safe and sound. To crew members will fly back to Bangladesh, while the others will remain on board to await the end of the unloading procedure.