The Russian army is building a new logistics chain for its own troops in Syria. The “Sparta IV” left Baltiysk on April 18, 2024, with high-quality military equipment on board. The ship was being escorted by the Russian Navy. The Russian army's supply service was launched when support for the regime in Damascus began in 2015. Until 2023, the supply ships with military equipment for Syria mostly sailed from the Black Sea to Tartus. Russia maintains the only naval base in the Mediterranean there. The Russian units stationed in Tartus are now being supplied with from the Baltic Sea. It is currently the safest route as there is no threat of attacks from Ukraine there. The route from the Baltic Sea to Tartus is, however, around 4,500 nautical miles long, which is is significantly longer than from the bases in the Black Sea. From Novorossiysk on the Black Sea to Tartus through the Bosphorus would be just 1,200 nautical miles. The “Sparta IV” has been sailing for the Russian military since 2021, transporting containers, general cargo and also heavy cargo. The Russian military supplies are then transported from Tartus. Two Russian naval ships have just brought military equipment from Tartus to Libya. The “Sparta IV” has already made trips with equipment for the Russian military from its home port of Novorossiysk to Tartus in 2022 and 2023. During this time, the vessel narrowly escaped an attack by Ukrainian drones in the Black Sea. This threat was probably also the reason why the ship is now being escorted by the Russian Navy on the Baltic Sea. On April 19 , the “Sparta IV” passed the Fehmarnbelt and the Great Belt. The frigate “Neustrashimiy” of the Baltic Fleet served as an escort, accompanying the freighter towards the Mediterranean. The federal police shadowed the Russian convoy with the “Neustadt”. Denmark pursued the course through the waters of the Great Belt and the Kattegat with a frigate and two patrol boats. The ship has been blocked from passing through the Kiel Canal since Feb 24, 2022, the start of the Russian war. The sanctions against Russian shipping companies on behalf of the state prohibit the passage through German waters. At the beginning of the war, Russia also had the landing ships “Minsk” and “Kaliningrad” from the Baltic Fleet in use on the route. They also commuted to Tartus from Kaliningrad and Sevastopol. The “Minsk” was severely damaged by Ukrainian cruise missiles at the Sevastopol naval base on Sep 13, 2023, during an overhaul in dock and is no longer operational. The “Kaliningrad” is currently still in operation in the Black Sea. However, she is not allowed to leave the Black Sea because Turkey has banned the passage of the Bosphorus under the rules of the Treaty of Montreaux.
News
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.
ANADOLU
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.
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.
ISOLA DI PROCIDA
The 'Isola di Procida', en route from the Marina Grande in Capri, with a quay in the center of Naples on April 19, 2024, at 10.10 a.m. UTC. The fast ferry slammed into the quay due to a technical fault or a gust of wind. Hundreds of people were waiting on board to dismebark. Many people fell as a result of the impact. 44 people were taken to a hospital for treatment. The ship suffered significant damage to the stern. Report with photo: https://www.agi.it/cronaca/news/2024-04-19/traghetto-contro-banchina-porto-napoli-feriti-26086865/
SALVAMAR MACONDO
On the morning of April 19, the 'Salvamar Macondo' accompanied a canoe with 85 occupants, which was located 9.7 nautical miles south of Arguineguín, to the port. They safely disembarked at Arguineguin at around 2:50 a.m. The CCS Las Palmas of Salvamento Marítimo coordinated the response. Video: https://twitter.com/i/status/1781229277876240710
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