vessel currently working in Loch Fyne, Scotland. If you have a workboat requirement in that area through August 2011 then please get in touch and we will try and accomodate your needs.

Taken: April 30, 2011 Gunmen holding the Singapore-flagged and -owned chemical oil product tanker are demanding $5 million to release the vessel and her 25 multi national crew. Under the leadership of Mohamud Gacayl, the pirates are holding the ship and her 25 crew members in a small coastal town. The pirates said negotiations are going on, but they are not happy with the offer of $3 million from the owners. A diplomatic official at the Indonesian Embassy in Nairobi told Somalia Report that the ship operators are working to secure the release of the crew and the vessel. He said that the pirates have allowed some of the crew members to call their friends, relatives and family members back home. However, some of the crew are believed to be suffering from malaria. In July, the gunmen asked to swap five Somali prisoners in Korea with four Korean crew members of the vessel, but the South Korean authorities declined to play ball. They also threatened to kill the Korean seamen if they did not receive compensation for eight Somali pirates killed in February when South Korean commandos stormed the MV Samho Dream and freed 21 hostages. The pirates, in a failed attempt to squeeze money out of the South Korean government, approached the media, delivering pictures and allowing journalists to speak to the crew. The 29,870-dwt Singapore-owned tanker was attacked 207 miles east of Malindi, Kenya laden with 21,000 tons of cooking oil on April 30. There are four Koreans, 13 Indonesians, five Chinese and three Myanmar citizens on the vessel. more & the Weekly Piracy Report: www.somaliareport...

The 183-metre-long chemical tanker Sinbad left the A & P Group’s Tyne yard bang on time in top-class order after undergoing a major refurbishment in only 14 days. The work involved steel repairs, pipe renewals, grit-blasting the hull, electrical repairs and installations, main engine repairs and refurbishing the ship’s anchors. The 45,000 deadweight vessel was at the Hebburn yard for just 14 days while undergoing the extensive project – which included a complete repaint. A team of 100 men worked around the clock to successfully complete the tight work schedule. www.shieldsgazett...

The Irish Coast Guard evacuated an injured crew member from the "Achieve" off the Irish coast in the afternoon of Aug 17, 2011. The 'Achieve' was located 110 miles south west of the Blasket Islands. The casualty from the vessel was seriously injured and was being transferred to Tralee General Hospital by the Coast Guard helicopter. The incident was co-ordinated by the Marine Rescue Co-ordination Centre of the Irish Coast Guard at Valentia which tasked the Shannon-based helicopter in the morning to travel with an A&E Registrar from Cork University Hospital to treat the injured crew member en-route. The helicopter arrived on scene at 237 p.m. and crew and medical personnel administered treatment to the casualty. The helicopter travelled onward to Tralee Regional Hospital where it arrived at approximately 4.30 p.m. The Air Corps Casa aircraft provided top-cover for the helicopter during this incident.

The "Rambler 100" has been anchored in Baltimore in west Cork on Aug 18. It was towed to Baltimore from Barley Cove early in the morning by the tug "Ocean Bank" owned by Bere islander Seán Harrington of Atlantic Towage and Marine. The hull was righted on Aug 16 off Barley Cove, after several attempts, and pumped out. The vessel’s 65-metre mast is lying on the seabed, marked with a buoy for retrieval later. The salvage was supported by the Baltimore-based Aquaventures diving company. The dive boat "Wave Chieftain" had rescued five of the 21 on board the yacht from the sea, including the owner George David and his partner Wendy Touton. Some of the "Rambler 100" crew are still in west Cork, while others who were booked to participate in further offshore races have already left. The Marine Casualty Investigation Board has spoken to crew members as part of its preliminary inquiry into why the canting keel snapped, resulting in a sudden loss of stability. The Royal Ocean Racing Clubwill conducts its own review of the capsize. Report with photo: www.irishtimes.co...

The remaining 67,000 sheep aboard the "Al Messilah" are now being offloaded. They appear to be in a satisfactory condition. The operation to offload the sheep to a feedlot at Dublin, north of Adelaide, started on Aug 19 and was expected to take about three days. RSPCA would monitor these sheep throughout the unloading process, their road trip and for the duration of their stay at the feedlot. The RSPCA boarded the ship at Outer Harbour after executing a warrant under the SA Animal Welfare Act. RSPCA inspectors were shown inventory records which indicated that as of Aug 18, 2011, 260 sheep had died since being loaded onto the ship. 185 of these sheep were removed from the vessel on the 15th of August, after it had returned to Port Adelaide. "A further 75 were removed from the ship last night, prior to the RSPCA gaining access. The RSPCA is still gathering information as to the cause of death of these animals. The federal Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Department is giving the welfare of the sheep the highest priority.

18.08.2011 arriving Alang for scrapping

The Darwin pilot boat crashed into the "Cypress Galaxy" in the afternoon of Aug 16, 2011, and suffered a large hole ripped in its hull. The boat of the Darwin Port Corporation got the large gash on its ports side repaired at Cullen Bay Slipway. The hole was above the water line so the boat managed to make it to port under its own power. The pilot boat was travelling beside the tanker at high-speed when it crashed into it's stern. Report with photo: www.ntnews.com.au...

The "King" on Aug 18, 2011, at 7.30 p.m. ran aground outside Lauttasaari in Helsinki. 54 people were on board the ship. Some passengers were bruised and tableware was broken in the incident. The passengers should be evacuated to a sister ship. The waterbus was making an archipelago cruise. It starts from the Market Square (Salutorget). The cause of the accident was that the captain was locked on the toilet and was unable to get the door open. He yielded for help, but when a crew member had the door open, it was too late. In spite of an attempt of another crew member to slow the ship down, it ran onto a rock. The coastguard started investigations whether the captain's actions amounted to criminal endangerment.

The "Reykjafoss" will sail again in a few weeks again after in the evening of April 29 having run aground following power loss off Argentia. Inspections by divers had revealed that the propeller and the rudder were badly damaged condition. She lost her charter and it was decided to wobble across the Atlantic back to Emden where she now is drydocked in her building yard. Photo: www.shipspotting....