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.
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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.
Marseille
On 27 June the Corsican Parliament officially approved the upcoming 15-month public ferry service between Marseille and the island, starting on 1 October 2019.
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.
Port Hedland
Thirty-eight vessels at anchor off Port Hedland, waiting to load iron ore.
Agaete
In a ruling last week, the Court of Justice of the EU rejected an appeal presented by Fred. Olsen S.A. over a sentence dictated by the General Courts of the EU in March 2018, whereby the continued exclusive use of the Port of Agaete on the Island of Gran Canary, by Fred. Olsen, constituted a subsidy by the Government of the Canary Islands to said shipping line.
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.
Cancun
Two identical 37-metre, 459-passenger catamarans have been completed by Wight Shipyard Co (WSC). The Incat Crowther-designed vessels will be transported to Cancun, Mexico, for Ultramar early next month.
Rotterdam
The first paperless, instantly financed and fully door-to-door tracked container made its way from Korea to the warehouse of Samsung SDS in Tilburg via Port of Rotterdam on blockchain-based platform DELIVER. ABN AMRO, Port of Rotterdam and Samsung SDS demonstrated that blockchain technology enables interoperability, and that integrated container tracking and tracing, required cargo documentation processing and financing can all be done in a trusted, secure and paperless way.