The 'Solo Creed' has been arrested in Angola on Oct 20, 2024 through the Attorney General’s Office. The arrest of a ship meant its restriction by court order to secure a maritime legal claim and to prevent fleeing to avoid penalties. On Febr 7, the tug was towing the barge 'Gulfstream' when the latter reportedly overturned on a reef and then began to leak bunker oil in the waters off Cove, Tobago. The oil contaminated part of Tobago’s coast and also reached Grenada and Bonaire, spilling 51,000 barrels of oil, with the Government donating $50 million towards clean-up out of $134 million sought by the Tobago House of Assembly (THA). Trinidad & Tobago has filed a preliminary claim for $244 million to pay clean-up and damage costs, while the Finance Ministry has hinted that the amount could be higher. The tug’s value is estimated to be far less than the claim. Authorities are still working to find out the tug’s current ownership so that they can take legal action against those responsible for the environmental damage.
News
AMBIENCE
The 'Ambience' has once again been blocked from sailing into Amsterdam by climate change protestors, this time with 170 delegates attending the Advantage Latitude cruise conference amongst the 1,400 passengers onboard. 120 Advantage members and 50 of its suppliers, including UK cruise line representatives,were aboard the ship for the consortium’s annual three-day Latitude cruise conference. The captain made the announcement that the ship would be diverted as it set sail from London Tilbury for a three-night round-trip cruise. Instead of docking in the city centre, the ship docked at IJmuiden on Oct 25, 2024, which was a 45-minute drive away, and passengers could travel by shuttle bus to the city centre. The ship had received advanced information that Extinction Rebellion protestors planned to chain themselves to the locks on the approach to Amsterdam on Oct 25 and 26 , preventing ships from going in and out.
Koper
The Koper port placed 80th on this year’s list of 900 best connected container ports in the world, published by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad). The port has been listed the highest among all Adriatic Sea container ports since the first such ranking in 2006. The first place went to the Shanghai port, while the port of Antwerp was the best in Europe, having been placed 6th in the world.
Klaipeda
In July 2019 Konecranes received an order from Klaipeda Container Terminal (KCT) in Lithuania for two Ship-to-Shore (STS) cranes, which will be delivered in Q1 2021. The order follows an earlier agreement for a Konecranes Gottwald Model 5 Mobile Harbor Crane, which was delivered in June 2019.
KATHRIN
The 'Kathrin', which has been hounded by activists with accusations that it was carrying explosives to Israel since it left the Far East and was turned away from a port in Namibia and later in Malta and ports in the Adriatic with Amnesty International calling for the ship to be denied docking privileges as part of its campaign for an arms embargo to stop the war in Gaza, and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese also issueing a statement alleging that there were eight containers of RDX Hexogen explosives bound for Israel among the cargo aboard the 'Kathrin', has docked at Porto Romano, Durrës on the morning of Oct 24.
MATTHEW TT
The care and maintenance of the alleged drug trafficking 'Matthew' in Cork has cost the State €5.3 million over the past 12 months. The bulk carrier was seize following a dramatic inter-agency operation, involving members of the Army Ranger wing, off the south east coast. Gardaí and Revenue Customs officers found 2.2 tonnes of cocaine worth an estimated €157 million. Under the provisions of the Customs Act 2015, the ship was seized by an Officer of Customs on OIct 19 following the alleged seizure of drugs on board.Since its seizure, the ship has remained tied up at the Port of Cork's Marino Point berth, shifting occasionally to Passage West to facilitate other ship deliveries. In June, eight men charged in connection with the seizure were given a trial date of Jan 13, 2025 at the Special Criminal Court. The vessel is now forfeit to the Revenue Commissioners. It is the Revenue's intention to dispose of the vessel as soon as the legal position allows.
Gdansk
The world’s largest container ship MSC Gulsun arrived at container terminal DCT Gdańsk on Friday. During its stop, 11,000 containers will be reloaded, which means the largest regular container exchange in Europe. MSC Gulsun is the first ship in the world with a width of 24 rows of containers and a capacity of 23,756 TEU.
Puerto Cortes
Customers and port stakeholders of Operadora Portuaria Centroamericana (OPC), the Honduran subsidiary of International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) operating Puerto Cortes, Central America 4’s (CA-4) largest port, can expect faster cargo movement in and around the terminal with OPC beefing up its partnership with Honduran authorities for improved and more efficient port services. OPC is working with the Honduran government and Puerto Cortés authorities to enhance the port’s competitiveness and better serve its customers in the four-nation CA-4, comprising Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua. Enhancements include simplified and faster port transactions, and the construction of critical road infrastructure the will improve cargo movement in the region. As part of efforts to expedite intra-regional trade, the Honduran Customs Agency (Dirección Adjunta de Rentas Aduaneras – DARA) has streamlined its systems for early clearance and dispatch of cargo, matching OPC’s already-efficient operations. Operating hours of customs authorities were likewise extended until 7 p.m., thus giving agents and brokers more time to process shipment.
SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY
A passenger aboard the 'Spirit of Discovery' died of his injuries after the cruise ship was hit by force 11 winds on Nov 4, 2023, in the Bay of Biscay, an interim MAIB report of the incident has revealed. Eight passengers were taken to hospital when the ship arrived at Portsmouth in Hampshire. Prior to the incident, the ship had to cancel a visit to Las Palmas as the weather worsened and was instead heading towards La Corona when that port was closed because of the conditions. The captaintook the decision to return to the UK when the ship's propulsion safety system was activated in the poor weather causing it to veer suddenly to the left, bringing the vessel to a sudden halt. There were 943 passengers and 503 crew on board. At about 12.30 on Nov 4, 2023, the ship lost propulsion which led to the vessel moving violently while the crew restarted the vessel's engines. The propulsion issues, storm force conditions and vessel motions continued until the following morning when the 'Spirit of Discovery' was able to continue its passage. During this period over 100 passengers were injured. Eight of the seriously injured passengers were taken directly to hospital on arrival at Portsmouth, England, one of whom later died from their injuries. The MAIB's investigation has considered all aspects of the accident to determine the causes and circumstances of the propulsion loss in heavy weather and the on-board response, including analysis of the vessel's intended passage, preparations for operating in heavy weather, the on-board response to passenger injuries and damage, and the medical treatment of injured passengers. The interim report stated that the investigation was nearly complete and a full report will then be issued for consultation with the parties involved.
ATLANTIC POWER
The master was airlifted to a hospital on the morning of Oct 22, 2024, from the 'Atlantic Power' in Government Cut. Just after 10 a.m. The ship was anchored offshore when he was injured in a slip and fall on the exterior stairs. A fire rescue boat initially responded but the conditions in the water made it difficult to get the person safely off the ship, so a fire rescue helicopter also responded. At 10 a.m. the victim was hoisted from the ship onto a Miami-Dade Fire Rescue helicopter. He transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center. Report with video: https://www.local10.com/news/local/2024/10/22/person-airlifted-from-tugsupply-ship-in-government-cut/
Los Angeles - Long Beach_mini
The U.S.-China tariff Opens a New Window. spat has led to a reduction of ships coming in from China and a spike in other Asia countries, according to Mario Cordero, the executive director of the Port of Long Beach. “At least in the first six months of this year, there has been a change of 22% reduction from the China origin of the cargo,” he told FOX Business Cheryl Casone on “The Claman Countdown.” Officials at the port announced earlier this month that cargo volumes in July were down compared to the year before, seeing a 9.7% drop.
Istanbul
Istanbul’s Galataport, a megaproject expected to boost the city’s tourism with cruise ports and increase tourism revenues, is and slated to open in May 2020. Galataport is jointly being built by Turkey’s Doğuş Group and Bilgili Holding with an investment of $1.7 billion. It is dubbed one of the world’s largest coastal projects, aiming to become one of the top cruise destinations. In a press conference held yesterday in Istanbul, Doğuş Group Chairman Ferit Şahenk confirmed that the port has a capacity to welcome 25 million visitors per year, including 7 million foreigners. The estimated revenues from the increasing number of tourists will be around $1 billion. “The port also has two museums and a recreation area of 14,000 square meters to host culture and art events,” Şahenk added. The Doğuş Group chairman remarked that a “1.2-kilometer-long coast line, which has been closed to the public for 200 years, is now preparing to welcome its visitors.