The captain of the 'Conception' was sentenced to four years in prison and three years of supervised release by a federal judge on May 2, 2024. Jerry Boylan was convicted last year of a federal Civil War-era charge known as seaman’s manslaughter and prosecutors had been seeking 10 years in prison. Boylan is scheduled to surrender in July. U.S District Judge George H. Wu heard more than 17 victim impact statements for several hours in the crowded courtroom, including from the mother of the youngest victim, 16-year-old Berenice Felipe, and the Quitasol family, who lost five people in the fire.
News
KNOSSOS PALACE
In the evening of May 4, 2024, the Unified Center for Coordination of SAR in Heraklion was informed by the Master of the 'Knossps Palace' that while the ship was carrying out a scheduled route from Heraklion to the ports of Milos and Piraeus, a 9-year-old passenger required immediate hospital treatment. The ship returned to the port of Heraklion, where the patient disembarked safely and was transported by ambulance to the University General Hospital of Heraklion for the provision of first aid. Afterwards, the ferry set sail with 119 crew members and 951 passengers on board to the port of Milos.
Singapore
Construction work on the second phase of the Tuas mega port began yesterday with the installation of the first concrete structure for the wharf. A total of 227 concrete structures or caissons, each weighing 13,000 tonnes, will be installed over the next eight years to construct the wharf, the largest in the mega port. Almost 400ha of land will be reclaimed for the second phase, which will have 21 container berths and be able to handle 21 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of cargo annually. In April, the last of 221 caissons for the first phase of the mega-port project was installed. Last year, a consortium of three companies – Penta Ocean Construction, Hyundai Engineering & Construction and Boskalis International – won a $1.46 billion contract to develop the second phase of the Tuas port.
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.
PACIFIC ADVENTURE
A passenger on the 'PAcific Adventure' fell into the water on the night of May 6, 2024, at 4 a.m. LT almost 20 kilometers off Sydney at the headlands of Sydney Heads for reasons that were still unclear. Numerous emergency services searched for the missing man using boats and a helicopter for more than six hours. His body was finally discovered at 10.30 a.m. The ship was returning to Sydney after a three-day to Moreton on Queensland's southeast coast with 2,600 passengers on board. The relatives of the casualty were looked after by the staff on board. Many of the other passengers observed the large-scale nighttime search operation. Another cruise on the ship that was scheduled to depart in the afternoon has been postponed. The police launched an investigation.
KMP.SAMUDERA UTAMA
The KMP 'Samudera Utama' ran aground in the waters of the Bali Strait in pos. 08°09.4581' S 114°26.3417' E on 6 May 2024, at 3.55 a.m. WITA due to strong winds and currents. The ship was waiting for the high tide to get off the ground to immediately dock at Gilimanuk Harbor. The ferry was en route from Gilimanuk Port to Ketapang Port. After refloating, it returned to Gilimanuk Harbour with all passengers and crew members still on board. Report with photo: https://bali.tribunnews.com/2024/05/06/kmp-samudera-utama-kandas-di-selat-bali-diduga-karena-angin-dan-arus-laut-yang-kencang#google_vignette
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.
AMBIENCE
On May 3, 2024, the 'Ambience' reported a missing crew member during the final stage of its world cruise en route from Lisbon to Tilbury. Shortly after breakfast he failed to report for duty. Eventually, an extensive search was initiated by the cruise line to locate the missing crew member along with the Spanish Coast Guard. The cruise ship started retracing its previous route in the Atlantic Ocean west and South of A Coruna and West and North of Vigo, to locate the missing crew member. On May 5, the ship arrived in Tilbury.
OHSHU MARU
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) on May 3, 2024, issued a warrant of seizure and detention (WSD) of the 'Ohshu Maru' for drifting and loitering in the Bohol Sea since April 22, en route to the port of Kinuura, while there was no contraband found aboard the ship. The warrant was issued because the captain did not give a notice of arrival when the vessel started drifting to the Bohol Sea on April 22. The ship’s master only has 24 hours after its arrival to file a notice or protest explaining the circumstances of the change in its course. The vessel was advised by its charterer to drift to a safe place at Philippine Sea while en route to the port of Kinuura. Captain Agmata was also adamant that he and his crew did not allow any vessel to come close to their ship while it was ddrift. But while the letter expressed his apology for not reporting immediately, the vessel must still be subjected to seizure proceedings because it is the proper forum for Mr. Agmata to explain what happened. The explanation was still subject to approval under the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act and other applicable laws, rules, and regulations. The warrant also recommended the vessel be continuously under monitoring by the Philippine Navy and Philippine Coast Guard until a clearance from the proper authorities has been issued. The vessel’s intent to avoid detection of any irregular movements made it the subject of inspection proceedings because of the possibility of its involvement in smuggling activities. The 'Ohshu Maru' turned off its AIS transmission in Malaysia for a day and eight hours before entering Philippine waters. Even the Coast Guard Station in Siquijor was unable to establish a radio communication with the ship. The vessel, its master, and crew could face charges in violation of Sections 214, 218, 300, and 1212 of the CMTA, the Customs Memorandum Circular No. 08-2019, and Customs Administrative Order No. 15-2020.
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