Due to the current situation in the Red Sea, TUI Cruises has been forced to cancel the trip of the 'Mein Schiff 5' from Dubai through the Suez Canal. Instead, the ship will take a course around Africa, which means that the port of Heraklion will not be reached until June 21, 2024. Due to this background, the trips on May 23, 2024, June 7, 2024 and June 14, 2024 with the 'Mein Schiff 5' must also be canceled. Bookings will be canceled free of charge in the next few days and guests receive a travel credit with a 10% discount on the cruise share for a new booking. This credit does not have a redemption deadline and can be used flexibly. The following trips with Mein Schiff 5 are affected: 15 nights – Dubai to Heraklion / May 23 – June 7, 2024 7 nights – Eastern Mediterranean with Piraeus / June 7. – June 14, 2024 14 nights – Eastern Mediterranean with Cyprus / June 7 – June 21, 2024 7 nights – Eastern Mediterranean with Cyprus / June 14 – June 21, 2024 14 nights – Eastern Mediterranean with Cyprus & Crete / June 14 – June 28, 2024
News
EXPRESS JET
On April 17, 2024, at noon, the Port Authority of Milos was informed by the master of the'Express Jet', that due to adverse weather conditions, the ship would return to the port on a scheduled route from Milos to Folegandros, Thira, Naxos, Paros and Mykonos with 15 crew members and 73 passengers on board. When the ship docked in the port, it was found that a pane of glassof the wheelhouse was broken, and the Milos Port Authority banned the ferry from sailing, until the damage was repaired and a certificate of seaworthiness was presented by the attending classification society. The ship remained stationary as of April 18. The passengers were forwarded to the their destinations by the ship-owning company.
Timaru
A massive container ship will return to Timaru on Sunday after the world’s largest logistics company confirmed weekly visits to the port. This follows a trial late in May when the 286.5 metre long and 40m wide, Rio de Janeiro’s berthing acted as a test run for similar sized ships to dock in Timaru after a $2.5 million project to widen the port’s inner breakwater entrance from 90m to 140m. PrimePort chief executive Phil Melhopt confirmed the 6pm Sunday call of the giant vessel and said it was another demonstration of the forward steps the port was taking. “Maersk shipping line have been very consistent since the Timaru container terminal started their operations in 2014 and will be calling in at Timaru again,” he said. “They have recently announced their Southern Star Rio Class will form part of their service into Timaru. They’re going to call here going forward.
Tanger-Med
APM Terminals second terminal in Morocco, MedPort Tangier was inaugurated this week. Part of the Tanger Med Port complex, it has an annual capacity of 5 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalents). With this new capacity, Morocco is establishing itself as one of the most important transhipment locations in the world. Tanger Med Port is already ranked as the leading African port and is amongst the world’s top 50 container ports due to its prime location along key trade lanes and increasing cargo flows, to and from Africa. The construction of the state-of-the-art APM Terminals MedPort Tangier facility took two years and a total investment of USD 800m. This new transhipment terminal is designed, constructed and operated by APM Terminals, and will join existing hub facilities servicing Maersk and its partners. Built utilizing the latest technology, the terminal is set to be one of the most efficient and safest in the world.
MSC MUSICA
After the trips had no longer been bookable for a few weeks, MSC Cruises has now finally canceled the positioning trips from Kiel to Dubai with the 'MSC Euribia'. Due to the security situation on the Red Sea, where ships are being attacked by the Houthi rebels off the coast of Yemen, MSC Cruises has now reacted early to ensure security for booked guests. The 2024 summer season ends on October 19, 2024 in Kiel. The last guests of a one-week fjord cruise from/to Kiel and the guests of a six-day cruise from Copenhagen to Kiel will disembark there. MSC Cruises currently seems to be planning a trip around Africa for the 'MSC Euribia' without guests in order to safely move the ship from the summer sailing area in Northern Europe to the winter sailing area on the Persian Gulf. The first cruise in the Orient is scheduled to begin in Dubai on Nov 16, 2024. All sailings with the 'MSC Euribia' from Oct 19 to Nov 15 have therefore been cancelled. This applies to the Grand Voyage from Northern Europe to the Orient, which could also be booked in shorter sections. The period from Oct 19 to Nov 16 should be enough to take the 'MSC Euribia' from Kiel to Dubai without guests. New cruises to destinations in Africa are unlikely to be possible given the relatively short cancellation period. In addition to the 'MSC Euribia', according to the original schedule, the 'MSC Musica' is also scheduled to sail through the Red Sea in autumn 2024 to get to South Africa from the Mediterranean. Trips in the period from Oct 29, 2024 to Nov 22 cannot currently be booked. An alternative for the journey from Genoa to Durban is still unknown. Here, too, there could be travel cancellations or a new itinerary along the coast of West Africa.
KEOYOUNG PIONEER
The 'Keoyoung Pioneer' ran aground on a reef five kilometers north of Kuchinoshima Island in the Kagoshima Prefecture on April 16, at aroudn 4 p.m. with 14 people on board the ship, including 10 Indonesians, three Koreans, and one Myanmar nationals. Just after 7 p.m., they were all rescued by a small boat sailing nearby and taken to Kuchinoshima with no injuries reported. The ship was en route from Kenen to the port of Nagoya with a cargo of cyclohexan. The ship suffered damages to its hull, and fuel was leaking due to a hull breach. The maritime authorities were assessing the damage and extent of hazard posed by the grounded vessel. The potential environmental impact of the fuel leak was currently undetermined. The 10th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters dispatched patrol boats and helicopters to the area to respond. The weather on scene was calm.
Balboa
Balboa, Jul 4 -- Panama Canal Port Condition report for Jul 4. Projected backlog at 0001 hrs: Fifty-one vessels today, 47 tomorrow and 44 on Jul 6. There are 29 vessels arriving today, 30 tomorrow and 42 on Jul 6. There are 33 vessels scheduled for today and 33 for tomorrow. Estimated delays for vessels without reservation/non-booked: Northbound: All types of vessels, two days. Southbound: All types of vessels, one to two days
Point Samson
Nine vessels at anchor off Port Walcott, waiting to load iron ore
MSC EURIBIA
After the trips had no longer been bookable for a few weeks, MSC Cruises has now finally canceled the positioning trips from Kiel to Dubai with the 'MSC Euribia'. Due to the security situation on the Red Sea, where ships are being attacked by the Houthi rebels off the coast of Yemen, MSC Cruises has now reacted early to ensure security for booked guests. The 2024 summer season ends on October 19, 2024 in Kiel. The last guests of a one-week fjord cruise from/to Kiel and the guests of a six-day cruise from Copenhagen to Kiel will disembark there. MSC Cruises currently seems to be planning a trip around Africa for the 'MSC Euribia' without guests in order to safely move the ship from the summer sailing area in Northern Europe to the winter sailing area on the Persian Gulf. The first cruise in the Orient is scheduled to begin in Dubai on Nov 16, 2024. All sailings with the 'MSC Euribia' from Oct 19 to Nov 15 have therefore been cancelled. This applies to the Grand Voyage from Northern Europe to the Orient, which could also be booked in shorter sections. The period from Oct 19 to Nov 16 should be enough to take the 'MSC Euribia' from Kiel to Dubai without guests. New cruises to destinations in Africa are unlikely to be possible given the relatively short cancellation period. In addition to the 'MSC Euribia', according to the original schedule, the 'MSC Musica' is also scheduled to sail through the Red Sea in autumn 2024 to get to South Africa from the Mediterranean. Trips in the period from Oct 29, 2024 to Nov 22 cannot currently be booked. An alternative for the journey from Genoa to Durban is still unknown. Here, too, there could be travel cancellations or a new itinerary along the coast of West Africa.
SALVAMAR ADHARA
In the night from April 17 to 18, the 'Guardamar Calíope' assisted a boat 51 nautical miels east of Arrecife. The crew rescued 56 sub-Saharan migrants. The response was coordinated by the CCS Las Palmas of Salvamento Marítimo. The 'Salvamar Adhara' assisted a boat eightn nautical miles south of La Restinga. Its crew rescued 76 sub-Saharans. The resonse was coordinated by the CCS Tenerife of Salamento Marítimo. Photo: https://twitter.com/salvamentogob/status/1780859022985363715
Piraeus
A press report, dated Jul 3, states: The 24-hour strike by seamen on Jul 3, has left Greek ferries and other passenger boats tied up in port, stranding tourists and Greeks heading for vacation and leaving many islands cut off for the day. The PNO seamen?s union called Wednesday?s strike to demand salary increases as part of collective wage agreements. Dozens of inhabited Greek islands don?t have airports and are accessible only by sea. The passenger shipping business association SEEN, with which the seamen?s union had been negotiating, had expressed surprise when the strike was announced in late June, saying it offered a two percent wage increase for 2019 on top of a retroactive two percent increase for 2018. It said the offer, along with staff increases, was ?beyond our actual capabilities during a particularly difficult time? with 50% fuel cost increases.