The Turkish NGO IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation has decided to acquire three ships and launch a relief convoy to Gaza. The IHH currently operates relief voyages from Turkey to Egypt for cross-border transport into Gaza, but this new mission is advertised as an all-water route. The IHH has acquired three vessels for its "Freedom Flotilla," reflagged them and changed their names. It is planning to depart for Gaza by the end of April with the freighter 'Anadolu' (ex 'Dalya H'), berthed in Iskenderun, the passenger vessel 'Vicdan' (ex 'The Majestic', 'Kloar Kimming) and the 'Akdeniz' (ex 'Prince'), actually berthed at the Desan Yardgem United Shipyards in Tuzla. The NGO has launched a fundraising appeal to help pay for the vessels and their cargo.
News
DALI
Salvage crews of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District prepared to remove another massive piece of steel from the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse site on April 18, getting ready to remove the furthest portion of steel that's across from the vessel. The Unified Command has its sights set on a specific portion of steel that, once removed, will enable the opening of a limited-access channel to resume commercial traffic back to the port by the end of April. Over the next few days, crews will continue to rig, cut and lift steel from the wreckage site. A couple dozen crew members remained on board the 'Dali'. They have provisions and cellphones, and all systems were running. As cranes lift more than 100 containers off of the ship, the crew is awaiting the end of May, when the entire channel should reopen. The vessel will be removed by then. This massive, 5,000-ton span will be gone, and then, the wreckage on the far side as well- The debris is being taken by barge to Sparrows Point for processing and recycling. More than 1,110 tons of steel has been removed from the site and taken to nearby Tradepoint Atlantic. US Navy divers have secured new sonar images of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Their sonar captured the deepest remains of the infamous bridge collapse from the lowest point of Baltimore's Patapsco River federal shipping channel, 50 feet below the water's surface. The new look of the wreckage below the depths showed the metal framework slumped below the mudline, which will be more difficult to salvage. The Navy has provided three barges, at a combined lifting capacity of 1,350 tons, with another 400-ton capacity barge on route, for the clean-up and salvage effort. Report with photos: https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/new-sonar-of-francis-scott-key-wreck-reveals-depth-of-bridge-collapse/ar-BB1lpsGW?ocid=1PRCMSRT
ROTTERDAM
The 'Rotterdam', while bound for the Azores made a detour to Bermuda after a passenger encountered medical difficulties. The RCC Bermuda was contacted by the ship on April 14 at around noon, while it was sailing from Fort Lauderdale to Ponta Delgada. It had diverted to the island to disembark a 75-year-old passenger to receive medical care. In the late afternoon of April 15 the ship arrived offshore, and the patient was transferred to the pilot rescue boat 'St David' along with a member of the ships medical team. The patient was transferred to an ambulance at Ordnance Island along with the ships nurse allowing the cruise ship to continue her passage to the Azores with an ETA at Ponta Delgada as of April 20.
VOLGO-DON 5051
On April 17, 2024, the 'Volgo Don 5051' was in collision with the barge 'Plotovod 687' (MMSI: 273347460) on the Volga near Bereznyakovsky Island in the Saratov region, Voskresensky district. There were no injuries as a result of the collision, nor was there any fuel spillage. The 'Volgo Don 5051' suffered significant bow damage above the water line, when it hit the other ship at its side, which was breached on its whole height, causing water ingress in the cargo hold are. The Western Interregional Transport Administration launched an investigation. Report with photos: https://sarinform.ru/news/incident/na-volge-v-saratovskoy-oblasti-stolknulis-barzha-i-teplohod?amp
SALVAMAR ALPHERATZ
The charter boat 'Santa Rita' suffered engine problems near the port of Los Cristianos on April 18. The 'Salvamar Alpheratz' was mobilized by the CCS Tenerife of Salvamento Marítimo to assist. It took the boat in tow and safely pulled it to port.
RNLI LIFEBOAT 13-03
Three fishermen were rescued after their vessel sank off Devon's coast on April 16, 2024. RNLI teams from Exmouth and Torbay were requiested at 9.32 p.m. by the HM Coastguard after having received an urgent mayday call, stating: "fishing vessel sinking". This report was quickly followed by a 999 call confirming that all three crew had taken to the vessel's life raft. Within 12 minutes, both the 'R & J Welburn' from Exmouth and Torbay's Severn Class all-weather lifeboat were on their way to the scene. Additionally, an HM Coastguard's rescue helicopter was also tasked to join the effort. The HM Coastguard secured the location of the sunken vessel using its emergency positioning beacon, pinpointing it roughly 14 miles northeast from Berry Head. The Exmouth's crew were the first to arrive on the scene and recovered all three fishermen from their life raft. Despite being cold, none required further medical assistance. All three casualties were then safely transferred to the waiting Torbay lifeboat and brought back to Brixham, where they were met and collected by their waiting families. Report with photos: https://uk.news.yahoo.com/three-fishermen-forced-life-raft-140714624.html
CASANOVA
On April 14, 2024, tat 02.47 a.m. he 'Casanova', en route from Liuheng to Son Duong, was boarded by five perpetrators, armed with pistols, in pos. 1° 4.47' N 103° 40.72' E, at the Takong Kecil Light. Nothing was reported stolen. The ship arrived in the port of destination on April 18 at 2.10 a.m. uTC.
CONSCIENCE
The Turkish NGO IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation has decided to acquire three ships and launch a relief convoy to Gaza. The IHH currently operates relief voyages from Turkey to Egypt for cross-border transport into Gaza, but this new mission is advertised as an all-water route. The IHH has acquired three vessels for its "Freedom Flotilla," reflagged them and changed their names. It is planning to depart for Gaza by the end of April with the freighter 'Anadolu' (ex 'Dalya H'), the 'Vicdan' (ex 'The Majestic', 'Kloar Kimming) and the 'Akdeniz' (ex 'Prince'), actually berthed at the Desan Yardgem United Shipyards in Tuzla. The NGO has launched a fundraising appeal to help pay for the vessels and their cargo.
BEHSHAD
The suspected Iranian spy ship'Behshad' appears to be sailing home after nearly three years at sea. The return of the vessel, which U.S. analysts and officials suspect may have provided information and targeting assistance to Houthi rebels in the Red Sea, would remove one possible high-profile target for any Israeli strikes. Iran has previously warned against targeting the ship, and in a sign of the heightened tensions over possible Israeli targets, a senior Iranian commander warned on April 18, that the country could review its nuclear doctrine. The 'Behshad' crossed from the Arabian Gulf into the Persian Gulf early that morning, and was due to arrive later in the evening at the port of Bandar Abbas. The ship had been at sea since June 18, 2021, lingering in almost the same spot in the Red Sea between Yemen and Eritrea since January 2023. By Jan. 11, it had moved to the Bab al-Mandeb strait near the entrance to the Red Sea. In February, the 'Behshad' sailed south into the Gulf of Aden and docked off the coast of a Chinese military base in Djibouti until the end of March, when it disappeared from view. It did not reappear until early April, this time sailing close to the coast of Iran in the Gulf of Oman, before passing through the Strait of Hormuz on April 17. The Iranian ship had provided electronic intelligence to the Yemen-based Houthis, enabling them to spot and target vessels in the Red Sea region. The 'Behshad' was some miles away as Houthi rebels carried out a number of attacks on commercial vessels that created ship diversions and delays in the global supply chain.
MSC ARIES
The Cadet Ann Tessa Joseph, a resident of Thrissur, Kerala, who was a crew member of the 'MSC Aries', seized by Iran on April 13, has been released and landed at the Cochin Airport on April 18. The mssion of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs in Tehran was in contact with 16 other Indian crew members still on board the vessel, who were in good health and in contact with their families in India. The Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar recently spoke to his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amirabdollahian, to request the release of the Indian crew members.
SALVAMAR ADHARA
The 'Salvamar Adhara' was mobilized to assist a canoe that was sailing 3.5 nautical miles from the coast with 80 sub-Saharan people on board, among them four women and three minors. The response was coordinated by the CCS Tenerife of Salvamento Marítimo. The boat was escorted to the port of La Restinga (El Hierro), where the migrants safely disembarked. Report with photo: https://twitter.com/salvamentogob/status/1780901443584553138
SALVAMAR REGULUS
The boat 'Bismarck II' was adrift in Os Brullos due to an engine failure on April 18, 2024. The 'Salvamar Regulus' was mobilized by the CCS Fisterra of Salvamento Marítimo to assist. It took the boat in tow and sefely pulled it to Porto do Son.
SCOT PIONEER
A leaked radio exchange between an the captain of the 'Scot Pioneer' and the French Coastguard exposed France's infuriating response to the small boats crisis. The captain was outraged after he spotted French navy vessels, including a warship, guiding the traffickers' boats around his ship towards Britain and blocked the 'Scot Pioneer' from entering Dunkirk harbour. The captain begins his protest by radioing the French coastguard with the words: 'I would like to report what is an illegal operation in your waters. This morning we witnessed a French government vessel and a French navy warship escort a boat-load of illegal immigrants across the Channel to the midway point where they handed them over to another [Border Force] ship out of Dover. It has now arrived there. Now I have the French warship passing under my stern, passing another boat-load of immigrants across the Channel. There is also another [French] vessel to the west of us which is escorting a third boat of migrants." In response, the Coastguard informed him that there was an 'arrangement' between the London and Paris governments for the French navy to escort migrant boats towards Britain.
BONGAWAN 9
On April 14, 2024, at 10.20 a.m. four perpetrators boarded the 'Bongawan 9' along with the barge 'Hexagro 9' in pos. 1° 20.93' N 104° 21.08' E off Tanjung Penyusop. The pirates stole scrap metals from the barge.
AKDENIZ
The Turkish NGO IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation has decided to acquire three ships and launch a relief convoy to Gaza. The IHH currently operates relief voyages from Turkey to Egypt for cross-border transport into Gaza, but this new mission is advertised as an all-water route. The IHH has acquired three vessels for its "Freedom Flotilla," reflagged them and changed their names. It is planning to depart for Gaza by the end of April with the freighter 'Anadolu' (ex 'Dalya H'), the passenger vessel 'Vicdan' (ex 'The Majestic', 'Kloar Kimming) and the 'Akdeniz' (ex 'Prince'), actually berthed at the Desan Yardgem United Shipyards in Tuzla. The NGO has launched a fundraising appeal to help pay for the vessels and their cargo.
LAYAR ANGGUN 8
The Johor Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) has confirmed that the 'Layar Anggun 8', which had caught fire on April 16, was drifting in Malaysian waters. Tthe incident occurred at a position 5.6 nautical miles southeast of Pulau Lima, Johor. The Maritime Rescue Sub Centre (MRSC) had deployed their assets after receiving a report. However, upon their arrival, the ship was nowhere to be found, as the 12 castaways had already been rescued by the Singapore Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) 9.5 nautical miles east of Tanjung Punggai, Johor. Subsequently, the MMEA, through the Johor Baru MRSC, arranged for an MMEA ship and patrol boat to the location of the incident, but the reported ship was not there. At around 4.30 p.m., the MRSC Johor Baru received confirmation that the tanker had drifted into the waters of Bintan Island. Report with photo: https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2024/04/1039917/johor-mmea-confirms-tanzanian-ship-fire-malaysian-waters
PLOTOVOD-687
On April 17, 2024, the cargo m/v 'Volgo Don 5051' (IMO: 8943179) was in collision with the 'Plotovod 687' on the Volga near Bereznyakovsky Island in the Saratov region, Voskresensky district. There were no injuries as a result of the collision, nor was there any fuel spillage. The 'Volgo Don 5051' suffered significant bow damage above the water line, when it hit the other ship at its side, which was breached on its whole height, causing water ingress in the cargo hold are. The Western Interregional Transport Administration launched an investigation. Report with photos: https://sarinform.ru/news/incident/na-volge-v-saratovskoy-oblasti-stolknulis-barzha-i-teplohod?amp
SALVAMAR LIBERTAS
The Spanish flagged Fishing vessel 'Hermanos Gonzalez' requested assistance after it went adrift due to mechanical problems in El Arenal with two crew members on board on April 18, 2024. The CCS Palma of Salvamento Marítimo mobilized the 'Salvamar Libertas' to assist. It took the ship in tow and safely pulled it to Palma.
JOHN P BOBO
The USNS '2nd Lt. John P. Bobo (T-AK 3008)' which was deployed to support the mission of building a pier to deliver aid to starving residents in Gaza, was forced to turn back on April 11, 2024, after it suffered a fire in its engine room, while in transit to the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The crew evacuated the area and used portable extinguishers to put out the fire. The ship had to return to Jacksonville, Florida, using just one engine for further assessments. The incident came as the Pentagon's self-imposed deadline of having the pier operational and delivering the needed aid by May rapidly approached. When the Pentagon first announced the plan to use the Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore, or JLOTS, platform to construct the pier that would serve as a way to quickly deliver large amounts of aid to war-torn Gaza in early March, it was hoped the pier would be operational in the next 60 days. Shortly after that announcement, a group of five Army ships left for the Mediterranean, followed by the m/v 'Roy P. Benavidez', a military sealift command vessel that was carrying heavy equipment and material needed to construct a temporary pier. In late March, the Navy said that it would deploy Naval Beach Group 1 along with the Bobo and the USNS '1st Lt. Baldomero Lopez'. The unit and the ships would bring enough watercraft and equipment to operate a huge floating dock three miles off the coast of Gaza that would serve as the off-load point for aid. One of the Army Landing Craft Utility ships, the 'Wilson Wharf', seems to be stuck in Tenerife, the Army's Logistics Support Vessel 'General Frank S. Besson' spent a week in the Azores before finally making it to the Navy's base at Souda Bay, which may indicate the ship had an engineering issue.
ERA STAR
On March 3, 2024, at 03.45 a.m. the 'Era Staro was boarded by 8-10 perpetrators, armed iwht long knives, at the Hiron Pilot Station, Mongla, in pos. 21° 50.93' N 89° 31.82' E. They stole heave lines and messenger lines. The ship left Mongla again on April 1 and anchored off the port.