In the case regarding Indian crew members aboard the 'MSC Aries', seized by Iran, the Ministry of External Affairs said on April 25 that one of the 17 Indian crew members has safely returned to India and the others were safe. They will be released once their contractual obligations have been accomplished. The Ministry asked for consular access for the 16 seafarers, and the officers met them. Their health was good, and there was no problem of any kind on the ship. Concerning their return, there were some technicalities and contractual obligations. Once they are done, their return will be decided. This came as the Iranian envoy to India, Iraj Elahi, has said that the Indian crew members of the 'MSC Aries' wre not detained and that they were free to go.
News
KM BUKIT RAYA
The KM 'Bukit Raya' caught fire at the mouth of the Kapuas River, Jungkat District, Mempawah Regency, West Kalimantan on April 25, 2024. Smoke could be seen billowing from one of the rooms on the top deck of the ferry. The plan was for the ship to enter the Kapuas River and dock at Pontianak's Dwikora Harbor. The fire has been successfully extinguished. There was no information on the cause of the fire. A joint team of firefighters and Basarnas Pontianak have headed to the ship. Reports with photos and video: https://regional.kompas.com/read/2024/04/25/ 154550978/km-bukit-raya-burn-when-entering-muara-jungkat-kalbar-pelni-already-started#. https://www.viva.co.id/berita/nasional/1708638-km-bukit-raya-terbakar-di-muara-sungai-kapuas-penumpang-panik-berjibaku-padamkan-api https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_r5evRUIwIU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikOKvmgrz20
Dhamra
French oil and gas giant Total SA has taken a 50 per cent stake in Dhamra LNG Terminal Pvt Ltd (DLTPL), a unit of Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ), which is constructing a 12 million tonne per annum (mtpa) LNG regasification terminal at its port located at Dhamra in Odisha’s Bhadrak district.
San Juan
Two more cruise ships bypassed scheduled stops in san Juan as demonstrators have been calling for the resignation of Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló. The loss of tourism is impacting the island's economy. Tourism officials said the two ships would have generated a $1.3 million economic impact. Officials estimated the island missed out on a combined $760,000 from the Seaside and Equinox on Monday
MSC DARWIN VI
Yemen's Houthi group on April 26, 2024, claimed responsibility for an attack on the 'MSC Darwin VI', en route from Aden, in the Gulf of Aden and the launch of missiles toward the Israeli city of Eilat with a number of naval missiles and drones. The group consistently describes MSC-operated ships as "Israeli" for uncertain reasons. The master of the attacked ship reported a loud bang heard and a splash and smoke seen coming from the sea. He reported the vessel and all crew are safe. Military authorities" were sent to the scene to provide support. The ship berthed at the Dorealeh Container Terminal in Djibouti at 4.20ß a.m.
RED JET 6
Red Funnel has been forced to cancel eight of its hi-speed Red Jet sailings on April 25, 2024, due to technical issues. In the early afternoon the coolant pump of the 'Red Jet 6' failed, which resulted in the cancellation of the 12:40 p.m. sailing from Southampton and the departure at 1:15 p.m. from West Cowes. Also the 3:35 p.m., 4:45 p.m. and 5:55 p.m. departures from Southampton and the 4:10 p.m., 5:20 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. sailings from West Cowes have all been pulled. The ship left Southampton again on April 26 at 8.20 a.m. and arrived in Coews at 8.40 a.m.
Richards Bay
Moves are afoot for a new multi-billion-rand liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage and regasification terminal to be established at the port of Richards Bay by 2024, but state-owned Transnet wants the private sector to be the main investor and operator of the facility. The plan was revealed on Tuesday as Transnet announced the signing of a cost-sharing agreement with the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) to jointly fund a feasibility study into the terminal project. The IFC has committed $2 million (around R28 million) as part of the cost-sharing agreement. The move comes as Transnet looks to bolster South Africa’s LNG infrastructure, both at the country’s ports and within its pipelines business.
Napier
Ships could continue to be turned away from Napier Port for the next few days as an "unprecendented" swell hammers Hawke's Bay. Clifton Beach was closed by Hastings District Council on Wednesday and Napier City Council closed the Marine Parade viewing platform after tourists were drenched by a heaving sea on Wednesday morning. MetService meteorologist Tui McInnes said a slow building pressure system out to the east of Hawke's Bay had ramped up the seas, causing swells of close to 4m. McInnes said the 4m swells had the potential to "cause a bit of havoc on the coast" as it could possibly continue until Saturday morning. "The main thing that is causing the big waves is the easterly winds that are occur. "With a large space and a slow build-up it leaves time for some quite nice swells to develop," McInnes said. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12252333
COLOR HYBRID
On April 25, 2024, at 11:45 a.m. the 'Color Hybrid' had to turn around on the first sailing of the day between Sandefjord and Strømstad. Two passengers needed medical assistance. 20 minutes after the ferry set off on the day's first trip to Strømstad, the ship was back in Sandefjord. Two ambulances attended at the port, once the ship had docked. The incident led to some delays, but the company Color Line hoped that the afternoon departures could go as scheduled. Report with photo: https://www.sb.no/hybriden-matte-avbryte-seilas-returnerte-til-sandefjord/s/5-73-1828718
X-PRESS PEARL
A judge has ruled that a claim against the London P&I Club over the sinking of the 'X Press Pearl' off the coast of Sri Lanka must be heard in the UK. The protection and indemnity club successfully argued that the case brought by cargo interests in Sri Lanka should be halted and arbitration brought to London. The judgment followed the trial of this action, which was held on April 12. Approved Judgement: https://jusmundi.com/en/document/pdf/decision/en-the-london-steam-ship-owners-mutual-insurance-association-ltd-v-trico-maritime-l-d-p-thisari-senanayake-s-d-k-prasanna-t-m-j-n-m-tennakoon-and-t-n-aluthwaththa-judgment-of-the-high-court-of-justice-of-england-and-wales-2024-ewhc-884-tuesday-23rd-april-2024
Keelung
Hong Kong-based Dream Cruises’ World Dream cruise ship made its first port call to Keelung on July 8 and tourism operators have said that the port could receive a visit by Royal Caribbean International’s new Spectrum of the Seas in 2021. With gross tonnage (GT) of 151,300, the World Dream is the largest ship ever to visit Keelung Port, the Keelung Harbor Bureau said on Sunday, July 21. Tourism operators have said that the 169,379GT Spectrum of the Seas could set a new record if it makes an anticipated port call in 2021.
Chittagong Shipbreakers
Bangladesh has become the top dumping ground for discarded ships in the world with the country dismantling the highest number of vessels in the first half (January-June) of the current year, according to a report of the NGO Shipbreaking Platform, a leading NGO coalition campaigning for clean and safe ship recycling.