In the afternoon hours of May 2, 2024, the Port Authority of Syros was informed about the emergency approach of the 'Blue Star Patmos' in the port. The ferry had deviated from its scheduled route, in order to disembark a sick passenger.
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BLUE STAR 1
In the early morning of May 4, 2024, the Central Port Authority of Piraeus was informed about a cable jamming the propeller of the 'Blue Star 1' in the port of Piraeus. An inspection was carried out by a diving crew, and the obstruction was removed from the ship's propeller shaft. Upon presentation of a certificate of class maintenance by the monitoring classification society, the ship departed from the port of Piraeus with 1229 passengers on board for its scheduled route to the ports of Syros, Patmos, Leros, Kalymnos, Kos and Rhodes.
Novorossiysk
During a Ukrainian attack in the morning of Aug 4, 2023, in Novorossyisk, the Russian landing craft ÄOlenegorski Gornjak-SDK 91' of the Ropucha class was severly damaged by a maritime drone carrying a 450 kg warhead. The explosion of the drone caused a significant water leak, as well as a strong list to port side, which could lead to the total loss of the ship. The military port of Novorossiysk (Krasnodar Krai) was attacked by several Ukrainian maritime drones. It should be noted that the port in question is very far from the Ukrainian front lines with maritime access, and even more from Ukrainian ports. For example, a drone that left Odessa must have traveled at least 700 kilometres, unless a ship of camouflaged commerce in the Eastern Black Sea deployed the drones used in this attack. The LST was towed by a tug towards the port, the latest videos show it on the side of the entrance to the military port. With 3,450 tons, it is the third largest Ukrainian attack against the Russian Navy in the Black Sea, after the loss of the cruiser 'Moskva' and the loss of a Alligator-class tank landing ship and damage to two Ropucha-class tank landing ships after a Ukrainian Tochka missile attack on the port of Berdyansk. The LST had previously made headlines by being used as ferries between Crimea and mainland Russia to help civilian ferries provide the only direct connection after the Crimean road bridge explosion. While this is indeed the first attack by maritime drones in this Russian region, the neighboring port of Tuapse had also been attacked by aerial drones, once again demonstrating the capacity of the Armed Forces Ukrainians to project means, albeit light, at very long distances. Reports with photos and video: https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/security/2023/08/northern-fleet-ship-seriously-damaged-drone-attack https://air-cosmos.com/article/attaque-a-novorossiisk-un-navire-de-debarquement-russe-tres-serieusement-endommage-par-un-drone-ukrainien-65581
Ashkelon
One person is was and two others were missing after a crane collapsed into the water on an Ashkelon pier latein the night of March 14, 2023. The collapse of the crane was caused by unusual weather and strong winds. The injured person was in moderate condition and is receiving treatment at Barzilai Medical Center. Attempts to contact two people who had been working on the site of the crane have been unsuccessful, leading police to believe that they were missing after falling into the sea. Extensive search and rescue efforts were commenced with the help of police diving units, the elite 669 Search and Rescue unit, the Israeli Navy and others. The body of a man of about 60 years of age was found on Beersheba Beach in Ashdod on March 15. The gas pier at the Rotenberg power plant in Ashkelon was damaged. The Electric Company formed a team to investigate the incident. Reports with photos: https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-734237 https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-734373
POWER JET
On the afternoon of May 2, 2024,, the 'Power Jet' on its scheduled route from Piraeus to the ports of Syros, Mykonos, Paros, Naxos and Santorini with 1106 passengers and 31 crew members on board, experienced an increase of temperature in one of the four main engines five nauztical miles east of Aegina. The ship sailed under its own power to the port of Syros, and after presenting a certificate of seaworthiness from the monitoring classification society, it was permitted to continue its approved route to the next ports with 820 passengers on board.
KLM BERLIAN 01
On May 4, 2024, at 9 a.m. WIB the KLM 'Berlian 01' sank due to wind and high waves in the waters of Rangsang Island, Meranti Islands, en route from Pasir Gudang, Johor Malaysia to the Pulau Meranti Regency. Water entered the starboard side at around 08:00 a.m. WIB. All crew members were rescued and taken to the Selatpanjang Navy Post. Report with photo: https://www.goriau.com/berita/baca/kapal-klm-berlian-01-karam-dihantam-angin-dan-gelombang-tinggi.html
Kiel
Having seen its first ever LNG fuelling in May, the Port of Kiel has announced that, for the first time, two cruise vessels have bunkered LNG on the same day. The bunker operations took place on June 10, 2023, and involved the 'AIDAnova' – which became the first vessel to bunker LNG at the port in May – and MSC Cruises’ latest ship, the 'MSC Euribia'. The bunkering of the AIDA Cruises vessel by Titan capped its third fuelling at the Port of Kiel while LNG for the 'MSC Euribia' was supplied by Nordic energy company Gasum. MSC Cruises and Gasum have inked a long-term agreement for LNG supply to the 'MSC Euribia'. The companies have also signed a letter of intent (LOI) which aims to secure liquefied synthetic gas (e-LNG).
Iskenderun
The fire at the Port of Iskenderun has finally been extinguished, Turkey's ministry of defense announced on Feb 7. It was the second time that the ministry has reported that the fire has been put out; after the previous announcement, the blaze resumed at scale, and firefighters managed to contain it later that night. Iskenderun's container terminal is still closed due to the severe structural damage, which forced the facility to halt all operations. The magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck southern Turkey on Feb 6 had a significant impact on the port, toppling stacks of containers and cracking pavement. The physical damage is severe enough that container lines were diverting vessels to other ports, like nearby Mersin. The quake also sparked a fire in the center of the terminal's container storage area. Turkey's coast guard deployed a vessel to apply water from the quayside, and the Turkish air force and army sent aircraft to drop fire retardant on the blaze. The fire spread despite these efforts, but was finally contained in the night of Feb 7. Report with video: https://maritime-executive.com/article/fire-at-port-of-iskenderun-extinguished-after-two-days
KRITI II
On May 2, 2024, at noon the Central Port Authority of Piraeus was informed about the malfunction of a generator of the 'Kriti II' en route from the port of Heraklion to the port of Piraeus at 7.20 p.m. The ship was towed to port and safely disembarked the 131 passengers along with their vehicles. The Port Department of Tzelepi, which conducted the preliminary investigation, bannded the ferry from sailing until the presentation of a certificate of class maintenance by the monitoring classification society. The ship remained stationary as of May 5.
SALVAMAR DRACO
On the afternoon of May 3, 2024, a pPassing ship reported a boat sailing eight nautical miles from Cabode Palos. The RCC in Cartagena of Salvamento Marítimo mobilizd the 'Salvamar Draco', which located the boat and rescues the 18 people who were on board. Report with photo: https://twitter.com/salvamentogob/status/1787057860771258644
Greenock
One of Scotland’s main cruise ports is set to experience its busiest year since records began. Greenock Ocean Terminal has 91 cruise liners booked into the Inverclyde town’s new dedicated pontoon across 2023 – a rise of over 25 per cent on last year. As many as 150,000 passengers and 38,000 crew members are expected to pass through the port over the course of this year. It’s more good news for the terminal in its second full season since Covid effectively closed down the cruise industry. Jim McSporran, Clydeport Port Director at Peel Ports said: “We’re extremely proud to be announcing a record cruise year for Greenock Ocean Terminal. “Welcoming cruise liners to Greenock is a hugely important aspect of our port offering and we’re delighted that we continue to attract and grow cruise numbers to the region. “This increase in tourism will benefit visitor attractions and businesses across Inverclyde and central Scotland, and we look forward to welcoming these visitors across the season.” “In an effort to showcase the port as the cruise gateway to the West Coast of Scotland, this year we are also investing in a promotional campaign to feature at the global cruise industry’s key annual gathering in the U.S.” Councillor Stephen McCabe, leader of Inverclyde Council, said: “The cruise sector here in Inverclyde continues to go from strength to strength and I’m delighted that this year is set to be the busiest yet with record numbers of ships and passengers, as well as a substantial number of crew visiting these shores. “It’s timely that with 2023 shaping up to be a bumper year for cruise calls that the finishing touches are being put on our new state-of-the-art Greenock cruise ship visitor centre which will provide our guests from around the world with a first class welcome to Inverclyde and the west coast of Scotland.
Iskenderun
Thick black smoke was rising from burning containers at Iskenderun Port on Feb 6, 2023. The fire was caused by containers that toppled over during the powerful earthquake that struck southeast Turkey. ATurkish Coast Guard vessel was assisting efforts to extinguish the blaze.