The US has sent the first ship carrying equipment to build the planned pier on the Gaza Strip coast. The 'General Frank S. Besson' from the 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary), 3rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command, XVIII Airborne Corps, departed the Joint Base Langley-Eustis on March 9, 2024l, less than 36 hours after US President Joe Biden's announcement for Gaza, that he would build a temporary dock for ships carrying aid supplies for the suffering population of the Gaza Strip. There are currently no ports there that could be used for aid deliveries by sea. Report with photo: https://www.upi.com/News_Photos/view/upi/630511a44735dc465863d3b7140de0ed/US-Army-Vessel-General-Frank-S-Besson-LSV-1-Departs-En-Route-to-the-Eastern-Mediterranean/
News
CG JOSEPH NAPIER
The 'Joseph Napier' offloaded 182 kilograms of cocaine and transferred custody of two male smugglers to federal law enforcement authorities in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, on March 8, 2024. The British Royal Navy HMS 'Trent (P224)', operating with a Coast Guard LEDET onboard, had seized the contraband and apprehended two smugglers, Dominican Republic nationals, following the interdiction of a go-fast vessel in Caribbean Sea waters southwest coast of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, on March 3 as a result of interagency efforts in support of the Coast Guard’s Western Hemisphere Strategy and Operation Unified Resolve. The Drug Enforcement Administration was leading the investigation in this case. Report with photo: https://www.news.uscg.mil/Press-Releases/Article/3701780/coast-guard-offloads-45-million-in-seized-cocaine-transfers-custody-of-2-smuggl/
FIOR DI LEVANTE
In the afternoon of March 7, 2024, the Port Authority of Zakynthos was informed that a 50-year-old patient, who had boarded the 'Fior di Levante' with an ambulance, needed immediate hospital care. The ship, which was sailing from Zakynthos to Kyllini, returned to the port of Zakynthos, where the ambulance disembarked safely and the woman was transferred to the Zakynthos General Hospital. The ship set sail again to carry out its scheduled route.
HDMS IVER HUITFELDT
The 'Iver Huitfeldt' shot down four drones in the Red Sea on the night of March 9, which had been launched from the Houthi-controlled part of Yemen. Other warships and aircraft of the international coalition shot down another 11 drones. The operating room Iver Huitfeldt. At a little after 04:00 local time the crew recognized a drone which was heading towards the 'Iver Huitfeldt' and the surrounding ships. After making sure it was an enemy, they engaged and defeated it. During the following hour, this happened three more times. Commander Sune Lund expressed relief that they were able to act professionally in the face of a serious threat like this, and he was very proud of their efforts, feeling confident about the future solutio. No people on board the frigate were injured in connection with the night's incident, nor was the ship damaged.
NORTH ENERGY
Picture from Chittagong 2021 https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10160116776295036&set=gm.10162881021978943&idorvanity=6884293942
KRITI II
The Port Authorities of Poros, Lavrio, Saronikos, Aegina and Piraeus were informed in the morning of March 10, 2024, that the 'Kriti II' suffered a damage to the starboard side main engine on the scheduled route from the port of Chania to the port of Piraeus with 277 passengers and 81 crew members on board. The ferry sailed under its own power at reduced speed to the port of Piraeus, where it safely disembarked its passengers and vehicles. The Central Port Authority of Piraeus banned the ship from sailing until the repair of the damage and the presentation of a certificate of class maintenance by the monitoring classification society. Then was allowed to continue its scheduled route to the port of Heraklion.
PROPEL FORTUNE
The 'Propel Fortune', en route from Dhamra and sailing 50 nautical miles southeast of Aden in Yemen, was attacked by the Houthis on March 8, 2024. Fortunately, the ship and crew were safe. The ship's captain reported two explosions in front of the ship. The captain also stated that the ship suffered no damage and would continue the voyage to the next port. The Houthis targeted the vessel and a number of U.S. war destroyers at the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden with 37 drones. The U.S. military and coalition forces downed at least 28 UAVs over the Red Sea in the early hours of March 9. No U.S. or Coalition Navy vessels were damaged in the attack and there were also no reports by commercial ships of damage.
FRIDTHJOF
The 'Fridthjof' sank in the early morning of MArch 9, 2024, on the lower Trave in Lübeck. 30 liters of oil leaked out. An acquaintance of the ship's owner noticed that the ship was full of water and alerted the fire department. The emergency services prepared devices for pumping the water out, but before the pumps could be started, the ship sank much faster than expected. While no people were missing, according to the owner of the ship, there may have been a dog on board. As it was already too late for a rescue operation, divers didn't go into the water. It was unclear whether the animal was actually on board when the wooden ship sank near the lift bridge. The 1881 built galleass was once a sealer and whaler and was considered dilapidated and no longer seaworthy. The fire brigade placed oil barriers around the wreckso that the water would not be further polluted. The lower water authority will order the ship owner to have the wreck properly secured and salvaged. Report with photo: https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/schleswig-holstein/Traditionssegler-im-Luebecker-Hafen-gesunken,segler310.html
OPEN ARMS
The Maritime aid organization Open Arms has shifted its mission from rescuing migrants in the Central Med to delivering aid to the beach in Gaza. The group has retasked the 'Open Arms' to the task of delivering a small barge laden with humanitarian supplies from World Central Kitchen and the government of the UAE. The vessel's back deck was also laden with supplies. The “Open Arms” was expected to deliver around 200 tons of drinking water, medicine and food to the Gaza Strip. The location of the planned landing site was not immediately clear; offloading a vessel of Open Arms' size would require a pier or a lightering operation. The last mile of the three-day voyage was expected to be the most complicated operation. World Central Kitchen is working on building its own jetty out of rubble in Gaza. Israeli officials inspected all of the cargo at the pier in Larnaca, Cyprus before the ship departed, ensuring that there were no concealed security-sensitive items on board. The ship was still in the port of Larnaca as of March 11, 2024. The holdup was primarily because the receiving platform in Gaza, designated to accommodate the ship’s cargo of roughly 150 tonnes of humanitarian aid, was not yet prepared. Report with photos: https://maritime-executive.com/article/food-aid-groups-plan-their-own-barge-delivery-to-gaza
APOLLON HELLAS
In the morning of March 9, 2024, the Central Port Authority of Piraeus was informed by the Master of the 'Apollon Hellas', that during the scheduled route of the ship from the port of Piraeus to the port of Aegina, there was a mechanical failure in the port side main engine. The ship returned to the port under its own power and safely disembarked the 453 passengers as well as the loaded vehicles. The Piraeus Port Authority banned the ship from sailing until the damage was repaired and a certificate of class preservation was presented by the monitoring classification society. The passengers and vehicles were forwarded to their destination by the care of the shipping company.
SALVAMAR POLARIS
On March 10, 2024, the motor yacht 'Scandal', with two people on board, stranded on rocks near Vlillanueva y Geltru and suffered a leak, being about to capsize when pounded by the surf,. listing heavily to port side. The JRCC of Salvamento Marítimo in Barcelona mobilized the 'Salvamar Polaris', the SAR helicopter Helimer 221 and the 'LS Neptuno' of the Red Cross as well as fire fighters which attended from the shore. The Helimer 221 hoisted the crew on board in good condition. They were safely dropped off at the pier of the port. Report with video: https://twitter.com/salvamentogob/status/1766834712029303250