The USS 'Hershel Williams' ran aground on soft bottom off the coast of Gabon on May 9, 2024. The vessel, assigned to the U.S. 6th Fleet and operating within the U.S. Naval Forces Africa area of operations, ran aground around 1 p.m. GMT shortly after departing from a routine port visit to Libreville. It managed to refloat again by approximately 5 p.m. GMT, taking advantage of the high tide. No injuries or major damage were reported, and the ship remained operational in the Gabon estuary just south of Libreville. The Navy started to conduct a comprehensive additional inspection of the ship to assess any potential damage that may have occurred during the grounding. Concurrently, an investigation into the causes of the incident was underway. The ship was in Gabon for the commencement of Obangame Express 2024, an annual multinational exercise aimed at enhancing maritime domain awareness and law enforcement capabilities, with a focus on exercises like visit, board, search, and seizure. The grounding could have raised questions about the ship’s ability to participate in planned activities, including the testing of a surface drone, though no immediate impact on the exercise schedule was indicated.
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CARNIVAL VENEZIA
On May 10, a crew member of the 'Carnival Venecia' went overboard during standard emergency drills which were being conducted on the ship in the port of St. Thomas, Virgin Island. The crew member was not involved in the drill, but was was engaged in maintenance at the hull when he slipped and fell into the water. The officers swiftly responded to the situation and launched a rescue operation. A rescue boat was deployed to reach the man in the water. The crew member was retrieved successfully from the water and boarded the cruise ship with no serious injuries. The cruise ship activities were not disrupted, and the ship continued its voyage to San Juan on May 11.
Istanbul
There is currently limited supply of marine gasoil at the Turkish port of Istanbul, sources said Friday, August 2, owing to limited cargo deliveries in the region.
Portsmouth
Portsmouth International Port is set to welcome 150,000 cruise passengers each year following the completion of its multimillion-pound berth extension project, which has just been started in collaboration with construction firm Knights Brown. The renovation will include levelling out the cruise berth and building an additional dolphin. As a result, ships up to 255 metres in length will be able to safely and conveniently berth at the port.
ABEILLE NORMANDIE
On the night of May 10, the CROSS Gris-Nez was informed that a migrant boat was in difficulty off the coast of Portel and depolyed the 'Abeille Normandie' to assist, which launches its rescue boat to reach the site, where it recovered 36 people. Several people still on board the boat refused the assistance offered by French means and continued their journey under appropriate surveillance. The shipwrecked people were dropped off at the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer, where they were taken care of by the shore based rescue services and the border police.
CHRYSTAL ARCTIC
After the approach of a skiff on the 'Chrystal Arctic', a frigate operating with EUNAVFOR, responded to the report issued by the tanker that it was under attack, and apprehended the six suspected pirates on board the skiff. The frigate secured the pirates physical integrity due to the unsafe condition of their skiff and treated some of them with injuries of varied severity. The ATALANTA forces are gathering evidence and conducting an investigation into the incident in order for a proper assessment of the situation. According to EUNAVFOR, there could be two or more pirate action groups (PAGs) operating off the wider Somalia coastline, which includes the semi-autonomous Puntland region. Photos: https://twitter.com/EUNAVFOR/status/1789642649714012315
Chittagong
It was very easy to see the expected all the vessel in old version. But in new vision, it's seemingly useless. We hope you'll advise us & take necessary steps so that we could take the previous taste in vessel tracker. Thank you.
Turku
Finnish shipbuilder Meyer Turku has cut the first piece of steel for Costa Cruises’ second LNG-powered ship, which will be named Costa Toscana and be delivered in October 2021. Using its new plasma cutter line, Meyer Turku marked the start of the ship production project during a traditional ceremony at its yard in Turku. Once complete, Costa Toscana will have dual-fuel hybrid engines and onboard LNG tanks to enable her to operate using LNG in port and at sea.
FD ATHINA
In the morningof May 11, 2024, the Port Authority of Argosaronic was informed by the Master of the 'Flying Dolphin Athina', that after the arrival in the port of Piraeus, en route from the ports of Aegina and Agistrio, there was a vibration on the port side side of the ship. The ship was to run a route from the port of Piraeus to the ports of Aegina and Agistrio, while the passengers were forwarded to their destinations by the company. The Argosaroniko Port Station of the 1st Port Department of the Central Port Authority of Piraeus prohibited the sailing of the ship until the repair of the damage and the presentation of a certificate of class maintenance of class by monitoring classification society.
MSC ARIES
After weeks of being held in Iran and promises that the crew of the seized 'MSC Aries' would be released, the governments of Portugal, India, and Pakistan confirmed that the first seven crewmembers have finally left the ship. Iran last week had said all crew members would be free to leave if the captain joined them. Next it was reported the crew would be released when their contractual obligations are completed. Portugal as the flag state of the containership confirmed that seven of the 24 crew members still aboard the vessel had departed. The first release consisted of five Indian nationals, one Filipino, and one Estonian, who was the sole European Union citizen on board. The Portuguese government welcomes this development, for which it had strongly advocated for. Nonetheless, it reiterated to the Iranian Government that international law required the immediate release of the remaining crew members and of the shipitself. 'Portugal will continue to make every effort to ensure that these international obligations are fully met,” the Portuguese Foreign Ministry said in a statement. India’s embassy in Iran confirmed that its five citizens have departed Iran and were making their way home to India. Previously, they had arranged for the sole cadet, a female, to travel home to India, where she arrived on April 19, six days after the vessel was seized. The consulate previously said that it had been able to arrange a visit to the crew and that they were in good health. They continued to call for the immediate release of the additional 11 Indian citizens aboard the vessel. The Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs said that its one crew member was expected to arrive back in the Philippines on May 10 and were working for the release of the three remaining Filipinos aboard the ship. The vessel also has crew members from Russia and Pakistan. Iran had promised the Pakistan Foreign Ministry that it would repatriate its crewmembers while it was planning for a state visit to the country. However, there was no word on when these crewmembers might be released.Iran reiterated its assertion that the ship broke international maritime law. They accused the vessel of turning off its AIS transmissions while in Iranian territorial waters and endangering the safety of navigation. The official position was that the vessel was detained under judicial review. The seizure is widely seen as a retaliatory move against Israel coming shortly before Iran unleashed missiles and drones targeting Israel. The 'MSC Aries' is operating under a long-term charter to MSC but is owned by affiliates of Zodiac Maritime in which Eyal Ofer is the lead investor.
Larnaca
The joint venture of Kition Ocean Holdings has submitted its proposal for the development of the existing Larnaca port and marina. After lengthy negotiations with the government, the Cypriot and Israeli joint venture of Kition Ocean Holdings submitted an updated proposal for the far-reaching utilisation and development of the Larnaca port and marina, it said. The company proposes the ultramodern upgrading and expansion of Larnaca port in order to become a pole of attraction for new companies operating in the fields of commercial cruises, transport and energy.
Manila
International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) recently took delivery of another new quay crane (QC) and eight new hybrid rubber-tired gantries (RTGs) for its flagship Manila International Container Terminal (MICT), establishing the terminal as having the largest fleet of modern container-handling equipment in the Philippines with 18 QCs and 58 RTGs. Manufactured by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industry Co. Ltd. (ZPMC), the QC is part of the five from ICTSI’s 2018 USD80-million capacity improvement program package. With a reach of up to 16 rows across twin, the new QC can service the largest feeder vessels calling the Philippines. It will be deployed at Berth 3.