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.
News
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.
Papenburg
The Meyer shipyard located in Papenburg, Germany, announced, they secured an order for a new cruise ship. The new customer is NYK who placed an order for a medium size cruise ship for their brand Asuka Cruises. Full article + image: https://www.cruisedeck.de/meyer-werft-sichert-sich-neubau-auftrag/
Cochin
The Cochin Port Trust handled a record 3.20 million tonnes of cargo in December 2020, a monthly record volume for it. The volume is a 10.55 per cent growth over December 2019, said Cochin Port Trust chairperson M. Beena, in a message to the employees and officials of the port trust. Container movement too touched a consistent 60,000 TEUs consecutively in the four months leading to December. The surge in the movement of cargo is being looked upon as new shoots in the port business after the plans of 2020 were washed away in the COVID-19 pandemic. The growth in cargo movement is “charting a new growth trajectory. However, we need to find new vistas for revenue generation by optimum utilisation of resources available to us,” the chairperson told the port community. The port has been recovering from the losses, which had affected it for the past decade. But the pandemic and resultant loss in business had pushed the port into the red. But the port was expected to make a recovery by the end of 2021, the chairperson said. There was optimism stemming from the fact that though there was a substantial fall in cargo movement in the first half of the current financial year, there was some recovery in the second half. The port trust was also optimistic that the inauguration of the Kochi-Mangaluru LNG pipeline earlier this month would pave the way for more gas volumes and revenue for the port. Meanwhile, figures from the Indian Ports Association showed that ports across the country suffered owing to the pandemic and its impact on the global economy. The average fall across the major ports in the country is nearly nine per cent for the period. Mumbai suffered a fall of more than 17 per cent and the Momugao traffic fell more than 23 per cent and JNPT traffic was down by over 12 per cent. Haldia Dock Complex, Paradip, Visakhapatnam, and New Mangaluru suffered lesser falls in business.
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.
Cochin
The coast guard found signs of an accident on the British oil tanker Orange Victoria which was seized in COCHIN after the accident involving a fishing boat on the coast of Vizhinjam The Fort Kochi Coastal Police and the Marine Mercantile Division conducted an inspection of the ship anchored in the open sea on Saturday morning .The paint on this part has been collected by scientific experts for scientific examination . Captain Nikhil told the Coastal Police that they were not aware that the ship had collided with the boat . There are 23 sailors on board . The ship while en route from Singapore to Indian port, presumably struck fiberglass fishing boat 46 nm off COCHIN at night Mar 18. boat was damaged, all 6 crew safe. Hull paint samples are taken, to conduct lab analysis
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.
Chittagong
Crew change have resumed at the port of Chittagong, albeit to a limited extent. In case of joining, covid negative certificate is required. In case of sign off, the crew will have to undergo a covid test at a local government approved hospital. Which takes a total of 3 days to stay in a hotel. Then he has to show immigration and airlines authorities when he gets on the plane. We've learned from talking to a crew service provider that this process is safe for all parties. NC Shipping's operations manager said Chittagong port service is now much more efficient and less time consuming. All rules are governed by international standards. "Even in the covid pandemic lockdown, we get international quality service from Chittagong port which has played a positive role in the operation of our ships and maintaining the dynamism of the maritime trade," he added. He thinks crew change approval is part of a continuous process. This is a valiant decision of the government and port authorities