The 'Ría de Aldán' was in collision with the trawler 'Canaima' (IMO: 7123485) about 240 miles from Punta Pitt, on the island of San Cristóbal, on May 15, 2024. The 'Caanaima' capsized and sank, and the biologist Faustino Riveiro Cabrera, a 53-year-old Venezuelan national with a family in Vigo, was missing. The Ecuadorian Navy investigates the accident. The crew of the 'Canaima' jumped into an auxiliary boat, but Faustino, at the last moment returned to the longliner when it finally sank in a matter of minutes. The 'Ría de Aldán' rescued the castaway and searched for the missing inspector along with the 'Tunapesca', which was also in the area. The Ecuadorian Navy deployed the coast guard vessel 'San Cristóbal' and has requested support from other vessels that were nearby. The 'Ría de Aldá' had suffered a small crack in the bow bulb. Report with video: https://www.lavozdegalicia.es/noticia/somosmar/2024/05/17/desapareceun-biologo-hijo-vigueses-naufragio-atunero-proximo-galapagos/00031715956306038255900.htm
News
MOHAMMED-Z
On May 18, 2024, at around 4:00 a.m. LT the 'Mohammed Z' with 11 crew members, including nine Syrian and two Egyptian nationals, on board sank en route from Istanbul Anchorage to Sulina about 26 nautical off the city of Sfântu Gheorghe in the Black Sea after a collision with the cargo m/v 'Michel' (IMO: 8900684), which was en route from Odessa to Varna with a cargo of steel pipes. The Romanian authorities launched an SAR operation and notified two merchant vessels sailing in the area to assist. The 'Michel' rescued eight castaways and took them to Constanta for medical treatment. One of them was suffering from two injuries and has been admitted to the hospital. The Romanian authorities have also deployed a helicopter from the Romania Air Force and two rescue vessels, the 'Artemis' and 'Apollo' from ARSVOM to search the three missing crewmembers. Two police boats have also joined the search. According to a port inspection conducted in Egypt, the vessel had deficiencies, including inoperative safety lamps and improperly maintained life buoys. An investigation into the accident was ongoing with the cooperation of the rescued crew members. The 'Michel' arrived in Varna with structural bow damages on May 19 at 7.20 a.m. UTC.
Beirut
The Port of Beirut (PoB) resumed partial operations on Aug 10 with the first two container ships berthing in the container terminal after the explosion which killed at least 160 persons, injured thousands and made hundred thousands homeless. Out of 16 cranes at the container terminal, 12 were currently operational. The port was gradually resuming operations to ensure the supply of all kinds of goods to citizens. Bassem Al Kaissi, the new Director of the PoB, said that the container terminal will be fully operational by Aug 14. Al Kaissi said that 420 containers were unloaded on Aug 10. The container terminal storage area has been cleaned up and restored to its state before the blast. The container terminal represents 80 percent of the overall cargo movement at the PoB. It is located one kilometer away from the blast epicenter. Container vessels can dock at quay number 16. Shipping movement at the PoB had already plunged by 75 percent due to the economic crisis and has reached 15 percent following the blast. Customs have opened offices in the PoB’s warehouse number 14 which was partially damaged. The customs have become able to carry out the inspection of merchandise- Customs duties are being temporarily paid at the Rafic Hariri International Airport. Tthe PoB is now handling only full containers as groupage consignment requires warehouses which don’t exist now. Amer Al Kaissi said groupage, which represents 15 percent of shipments at the PoB, will be diverted to the Port of Tripoli until the rebuilding of warehouses at the PoB is completed. The first two containerships to berth at the PoB after the blast were the 'Electra' (Gezairi Transport) and the 'Nicolas Delmas' (CMA CGM). The 'Electra', which was carrying 400 containers, was diverted to Tripoli where there was a license to operate but the company insisted to unload it in Beirut when it was told that the PoB has resumed operation. The CMA CGM Group and CEVA Logistics said they are fully operational and ensuring business continuity to serve their customers. The Group has redeployed its employees in its two back-up sites in Beirut Digital District and reinforced its presence in Tripoli. Part of CMA CGM’s vessels has been temporarily directed to Tripoli. Few shipping companies are authorized to operate in other ports such as Tripoli or Saida. BCTC, the Customs and the PoB’s authorities did their best to handle the clearing formalities despite the difficult working conditions. The general cargo area was fully operational on Aug 12 both for imports and exports. This includes wheat and other grains as well as construction steel bars. The cost of rebuilding the port is estimated at around $1 billion.
M.V. LOMONOSOV
on May 13, 2024, a fire broke out on the upper deck of the 'Lomonosov' in the Arkhangelsk region (Russian Federation). The upper deck of the ship, covering an area of 936 square meters, was on fire. The ship is currently under repair. Efforts were being made to extinguish the fire using 12 fire vehicles with 42 fire fighters working at the scene. There were no people inside the ship. The Northwestern Transport Prosecutor's Office announced to carry out an inspection. The ship had already caught fire in May 2023 in the engine compartment on the lower deck while the ship was in dry dock at the Arkhangelsk repair and maintenance base.
SALVAMAR ADHARA
On May 19, the 'Salvamar Adhara' assisted the occupants of two 2 cayucos, which had been located six and nine nautical miles south of La Restinga with 33 and 61 people on board, six of whom were minors. Both boats were escorted to La Restinga. The response was coordinated by the CCS Tenerife of Salvamento Marítimo. Report with photo: https://x.com/salvamentogob/status/1792436158602830183
WIND
On May 18, 2024, shortly after midnight, the 'Wind', en route with a cargo of oil from Novorossyisk to China, was attacked 98 miles south of Al Hudaydah. The Captain of the vessel confirmed that the vessel had been struck by an unknown object and suffered slight damage. However, the crew and vessel were safe and continued sailing for the next port call. On May 12-13, the tanker had passed through the Suez Canal, and the last AIS signal was received when it was in the middle of the Red Sea. The attack damaged the propulsion and steering. However, the crew managed to fix the propulsion and steering and continued sailing under its power. Ambrey stated that the steering gear was ablaze, but another steering unit of the vessel was functional. The 'Wind' is a Dark Fleet tanker, her alias in Venezuela was “King”. The vessel which is now registered in Panama, in 2022 was registered in Comoros. She returned to the Panama register in 2023 after having left the Panama flag in 2021.
HISTRIA ATLAS
On the early morning of May 20, 2024, the 'Histria Atlas' suffered an engine malfunction in the Dardanelles while enroute from Burgas to Alexandria, Egypt. Under the coordination of the Çanakkale VTS Center, the vessel was safely moored at the Bozcaada Anchorage, assisted by a pilot and under the tow of the tug 'Kurtarma 14'. The ship remained stationary in pos. 39° 54.22' N 026° 01.77' E. Report with photos: https://x.com/kiyiemniyet/status/1792408222449471757
Kiel
The PORT OF KIEL has redesigned the port apron in Ostuferhafen, which is the freight and logistics centre on the fjord. Where once stood a grain silo, there is now an expanded pre-stacking and stand-by area of three hectares for trucks, trailers and pas-senger cars.The State Premier of Schleswig- Holstein, Daniel Günther, visited the Ostufer-hafen on 12th August to hand over the grant notice coming from the State Programme Economy for 5.44 million Euros: The project to redesign the port apron included dismantling three hall areas of the former grain silo, excavation and road works as well as drainage, lighting and security measures and the connection of the area to the infrastructure. Through the new and generous port apron it has been possible to merge formerly separated pre-stacking areas, shorten distances and gain more space for trucks, busses, trailers and passenger cars. Furthermore, IT solutions have been developed to accelerate the handling processes at the gate, which also allow truck drivers to reduce personal contact.Dr Dirk Claus, Managing Director at the PORT OF KIEL: “Even under the current circumstances the Ostuferhafen operates in a reliable and safe way. The port of Kiel has proven its systemic importance regarding the transshipment of cross-border freight transport.”In the first seven months of the year 2.1 million tons of cargo have been tran-shipped via the Ostuferhafen (+ 1 %). Additional volumes have been transported by the ferries of the DFDS shipping company to the Baltic States or they have been delivered by the SCA-RoRo-freighters from Scandinavia. Not only general cargo and forest products are unloaded resp. transhipped in Ostuferhafen but also project and heavy cargo, scrap metal and agricul-tural products. The integrated passenger terminal to handle cruise vessels emphasizes the universal character of this port part.