The body of Dang Duy Kien, one of the three sailors who were killed in the Houthi missile attack on the 'True Confidence' off the coast of Yemen on March 6, 2024, was brought back to Vietnam on March 24. There were 20 crew members on board at the time of the attack, consisting of 15 Filipinos, four Vietnamese, and one Indian. The strike also resulted in the deaths of two Filipinos. The three Vietnamese sailors who had survived the attack returned home on March 14. Since the incident occurred, the Vietnamese Embassy in Egypt has kept a close watch on the situation, directly communicated with and given encouragement to the sailors. It also dispatched consular personnel to Djibouti to visit and support the sailors, while coordinating with relevant authorities there and the parties concerned to complete procedures for the repatriation of the deceased’s remains. Report with photo: https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/body-of-vietnamese-sailor-killed-in-red-sea-attack-repatriated-4726121.html
News
CG JOSEPH TEZANOS
A Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter crew rescued Keith Mcpartlan, a 42-year-old U.S. citizen from Florida, the skiupper of the '8-foot pleasure craft 'Solamar', transiting off Puerto Rico, from a life raft early on March 24, 2024, approximately 20 nautical miles south of Guanica, Puerto Rico. The man had abandoned the vessel onto a life raft out of concerns that the vessel was in danger of capsizing. Coast Guard watchstanders in Sector San Juan received am EPIRB alert via U.S. SAR Satellite-Aided Tracking on the morning of March 23 from the 'Solamar' approximately 20 nautical miles south of Guayama, Puerto Rico. Coast Guard watchstanders directed the launch of a Coast Guard MH-60T Jayhawk from the Air Station Borinquen and diverted the Coast Guard Cutter 'Joseph Tezanos' to search. They also issued an UMIB and notified Puerto Rico Police Joint Forces of Rapid Action and Customs and Border Protection of a potential distress situation. The watchstanders were able to establish radio communications with Mcpartlan, who relayed to be experiencing issues with his navigation equipment and that he was disoriented. The crew of the 'Joseph Tezanos' located the vessel early on March 24, going in circles, with no energized navigation lights and nobody onboard. As search efforts continued, the Coast Guard aircrew located a life raft at approximately 9:30 a.m. and lowered their rescue swimmer, who confirmed there was a person alive aboard the life raft. The Coast Guard aircrew safely hoisted the man aboard the aircraft, who was confirmed to be Mcpartlan. Following the rescue, the Coast Guard aircrew transported Mcpartlan to the Fernando Luis Ribas-Dominicci Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Report with photo: https://www.news.uscg.mil/Press-Releases/Article/3717665/coast-guard-rescues-us-citizen-from-life-raft-in-caribbean-sea-near-puerto-rico/
SAN ARAWA II
In the midst of the controversy over toothfish fishing in the Argentine Sea, the 'San Arawa 2' was being investigated for having captured more than 40 tons of this protected species off the coast of Tierra del Fuego, in Patagonia, greatly exceeding the allowed quota. The vessel, which is operated by the Estremar company, captured more than 40 tons of juvenile toothfish in a single haul on March 22, 2024, which poses a serious danger to marine fauna. The amount of juvenile toothfish captured greatly exceeds the limits of “bycatch” that can occur when using the trawling technique, which would demonstrate that there was a manifest intention to capture this protected species. The opeaators of the 'San Arawa 2', the Norwegians Ingvar Johannesson and Idar Rekkedal, are named as those most responsible within the framework of the investigation into this case of illegal fishing of juvenile hake. The quota of toothfish in Argentina is monopolized by three large companies: Argenova, Estremar and Pesantar, which got the Federal Fisheries Council (CFP) to issue an act in 2019 that left out the Prodesur company and officially enabled the cartelization of the activity, which yields annual profits of US$ 150 million. On March 5, 2021, the CFP automatically renewed the authorizations to catch toothfish for the same three companies until 2025 inclusive.
GERMAN WARSHIP M1067
The 'Bad Rappenau' discovered a large air mine directly on the bottom at the pier head of the Kiel naval arsenal in good condition during a maneuver along with the 'Rottweil' on March 14. It was an exercise as part of the “Baltic MCM Exercise I/24”. The boats of the 3rd Minesweeper Squadron were supposed to explore the arsenal in Kiel as a potential port of call. Units from Germany, Estonia and the Netherlands were scheduled to arrive there on March 15th. During this preliminary search of the harbour entrance, the crew of the “Bad Rappenau” came across a suspicious object with their sonar. A probe with divers brought certainty: it was an HC4000 air mine that was dropped over Kiel by the British armed forces during World War II. After viewing the images, the Navy alerted the explosive ordnance disposal service and made the data available. The discovery was confirmed by the explosive ordnance disposal service and preparations were made for defusing. Although the hull of the 1.8-ton monster has some vegetation, it is otherwise complete and undamaged. The three detonators on the head of the air mine, also known as the Blockbuster, are recognizable and well preserved. On March 26 the “HC4000”, which is the largest aerial bomb from the Second World War ever found in Schleswig-Holstein, will be defused from 10 a.m. Beforehand, the bomb should be lifted out of the water and brought to the roadstead in front of Holtenau on a pontoon. Only there do the defusers want to start work. The port and large surrounding areas will be barred for this. Report with photo: https://www.kn-online.de/lokales/kiel/bombe-im-hafen-kiel-entdeckt-erstes-bild-von-der-grossen-luftmine-7ZVFH3ZPJFHY5NTHI2VU54BMOI.html
MARE JONIO
A joint operation involving the Italian Coast Guard and the 'MAre Jonio' made it possible to rescue 59 people on a boat in distress about 43 miles south of Lampedusa on March 23, 2024. The 'Mare Jonio' stabilized the overcrowded boat, handed out life jackets and helped transfer migrants to an Italian Coast Guard patrol boat. The rescued people included two pregnant women.
MAERSK ESSEN
On March 24, 2024, the 'Maersk Essen', en route from San Vicente to Hongkong, stopped opposite the Papeete pass. The captain requested medical assistance. Once the aid had been obtained, the ship resumed the route without stopping in Tahiti. Report with photos: https://www.tntv.pf/tntvnews/polynesie/societe/un-navire-de-368m-demande-une-assistance-medicale-a-papeete/
MARE DI LEVANTE
On the morning of March 23, 2ß24, the Port Authority of Zakynthos was informed by the Master of the 'Mare di Levante', that during the departure manoever from the port of Zakynthos to the port of Kyllini and after the anchors had been lifted, the ferry lost the starboard anchor. The ship sailed safely to the port of Kyllini with 347 passengers on board. The Kyllini Port Authority initially prohibited the ship from sailing, while upon presentation of the certificate of class maintenance from the monitoring classification society, it was allowed to continue sailing and headed for the port of Poros in Kefallinia.
NRCS
On March 23, 2024, between 6:50 and 9:50 a.m. (Sanaa time), U.S. forces, including the USS 'Carney (DDG 64)', engaged six Houthi unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) over the southern Red Sea. Five crashed into the Red Sea, and one flew inland into Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
SALVAMAR LYRA
On March 26, 2024, at dawn the 9,5-m-s/y 'Sound of Silence' with two people on board ran out of engine and required assistance. The JRCC of Salvamento Marítimo in Barcelona mobilized the 'Salvamar Lyra' to assist which took the yacht in tow and safely pulled it to Roses, where it docked at 6.38 a.m. Photo: https://twitter.com/salvamentogob/status/1772533047134486717
CABRA
The BRP 'Cabra' assisted the supply boat 'Unaizah May 4', which was chartered by the Armed Forces of the Philippines and carrying fresh supplies for Filipino troops stationed at the BRP 'Sierra Madre'. The wooden boat was severely damaged, and three soldiers were hurt, after it was water cannoned by the China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels while approaching Ayungin Shoal on March 23, 2024. CCG vessels impeded the voyage of the supply boat and the Philippine Coast Guard’s escort vessels. At 6:08 a.m., the 'BN 21551' performed a dangerous maneuver of crossing the bow of the supply ship. Approaching Ayungin shoal about an hour later, the CCG then conducted a reverse blocking maneuver against it which caused a near collision between the two vessels. At 7:59 a.m., the CCG started blasting a water cannon as it deliberately targeted and hit the boat. At 8:38 a.m., the boat was eventually subjected to direct water cannoning by two CCG vessels. while two Chinese maritime militia (CMM) vessels were simultaneously blocking the Philippine Coast Guard’s BRP 'Cabra (MRRV 4409)', one of the designated escort vessels. The UM4 supply boat sustained heavy damages at around 8:52 a.m. due to the continued blasting of water cannons from the CCG vessels. The BRP 'Cabra' managed to maneuver and reach the 'Unaizah May 4' to assist. The BRP 'Cabra' was impeded and encircled by the CCG vessel 21551 and CMM vessels bearing bow numbers 00036 and 00314. The 'MRRV 4409' has been isolated from the supply boat due to the irresponsible and provocative behaviour of the Chinese maritime forces, who have shown a disregard for the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea. At 11:09 a.m., six navy crew and essential cargoes from the 'Unaizah May 4'and the BRP 'Cabra' were brought on their way, and by 11:59 a.m., the navy crew with supplies arrived at the starboard side of the BRP 'Sierra Madre'. The 'Unaizah May 4' could not continue its course as the CMM vessel, assisted by Chinese RHIBs, installed floating barriers to prevent further entry to the shoal. Despite China’s blocking maneuvers, the AFP announced the success of the RoRe mission. The AFP-chartered supply boat departed the Naval Detachment Oyster Bay in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan on March 22. It was escorted by two Philippine Navy ships and two more from the PCG. The 'Unaizah May 4' was the same chartered supply boat which was water cannoned by two CCG vessels on March 5 in the same area. Report with photo: https://tribune.net.ph/2024/03/23/phl-supply-ship-damaged-after-chinese-vessels-water-cannon-attack
GREENLAND
The 'Greenland', the third UAE aid ship carrying 4,630 tonnes of humanitarian supplies set sail on March 23, 2024, for the city of Al Arish, destined for the Gaza Strip, as part of Operation "Gallant Knight 3" to support the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip. The ship was carrying 4,218.3 tonnes of food, 370.2 tonnes of shelter materials, and 41.6 tonnes of medical aid, in addition to six water tanks, two septic tanks, and one diesel storage tank. The cargo of the ship was provided by the Emirates Red Crescent, the Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation, and the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation, and was transported by 267 trucks that unloaded their cargo onto the ship. Report with video: https://gulfnews.com/uae/government/video-third-uae-aid-ship-sets-sail-for-gaza-sets-sails-as-part-of-operation-gallant-knight-3-1.1711254164174
HUANG PU
On March 23, from 2:50 to 4:30 a.m. (Sanaa time) the Iranian-backed Houthis launched four anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBM) into the Red Sea in the vicinity of the 'Huang Pu'. At 4:25 p.m. (Sanaa time), a fifth ballistic missile was detected as fired toward the tanker. The ship issued a distress call but did not request assistance. It had suffered minimal damage, and a fire on board was extinguished within 30 minutes. No casualties were reported, and the vessel resumed its voyage. The Houthis attacked the ship despite previously stating they would not attack Chinese vessels. Between 6:50 and 9:50 a.m. (Sanaa time), U.S. forces, including the USS 'Carney (DDG 64)', engaged six Houthi unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) over the southern Red Sea. Five crashed into the Red Sea, and one flew inland into Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
DALI
On March 26, 2024, at around 1.30 a.m. LT, the 'Dali', which had left the port of Baltimore at 12.45 a.m. en route to Colombo, after which, according to Maersk's sailing plans, it should have continued on to Malaysia and then China, allided with a pillar of the Francis-Scott-Key-Bridge short time after leaving Baltimore, Maryland, in Chesapeake Bay in pos. 39° 13.00' N 076° 31.78' W. At 01:24:32 a.m. LT the ship initially lost power and adjusted its course for around 60 seconds. Just over a minute later the ship starts producing black smoke. The lights went out for a second time around two minutes before it hits the bridge at 01:28:44 a.m. Four seconds later the bridge collapsed into the Patacspo River. The ship reportedly had two pilots on board. Multiple vehicles were on the bridge at the time of the crash as well as 20 construction workers, who have fallen into the river. Many people were feared dead with over a dozen vehicles and many individuals said to be in the water. Large contingents of rescue forces rushed to the site and started searching for the victims. As cargo or retainers were hanging from the bridge, creating unsafe and unstable conditions, the emergency responders were operating cautiously as a result. All traffic was being detoured by the Maryland Transportation Authority (MTA). The 2.5km-four-lane bridge serves as the outermost crossing of the Baltimore harbour and an essential link of Interstate-695, or the Baltimore Beltway. Ships on scene were the 'Timothy McAllister' (IMO: 8997895), 'Bridgetr McAllister' (IMO: 9369215), 'Eric McAllister' (IMO: 9707493), 'Crystal Coast' (MMSI: 367097970), 'Marine 1' (MMSI: 338307745), 'Treasure Coast' (IMO: 9448267), 'Sun Coast' (IMO: 8994453), the 'Baltco County Fire 268' (MMSI: 338087452), CG 'Mako' (MMSI: 366999602)#, 'Bcofd Mu269' (MMSI: 338395157) a.o. Also divers were involved in the response. Coast Guard units on scene included small boats from the Stations Annapolis and Curtis Bay and a helicopter from the Air Station Atlantic City. Multiple state and local agencies were assisting too. The current water temperature in Baltimore Harbour was between 9-10C. The Maryland Governor Wes Moore has declared a state of emergency. Sonar has detected the presence of vehicles submerged in the water. Two people have been rescued from the river, one was uninjured, and another was hospitalized in a very serious condition. The shipping company Synergy Marine Group confirmed that nobody on board the 'Dali' was injured, and that all crew were present and accounted for. No company crew and personnel of Maersk were onboard the vessel, which is operated by the charter vessel company Synergy Group. Whilst the exact cause of the incident is yet to be determined, the 'Dali' has now mobilised its Qualified Individual Incident response service. The FBI launched an investigation. Reports with photos and video of collapse: https://splash247.com/mass-casualties-as-boxship-takes-out-bridge-in-baltimore/ https://7news.com.au/news/world/francis-scott-key-bridge-in-baltimore-collapses-after-being-struck-by-large-ship-c-14092939 https://www.soefart.dk/article/view/1089748/se_billederne_af_brokollaps_maerskchartret_containerskib_havde_to_lodser_om_bord https://news.sky.com/story/baltimore-bridge-latest-workers-possibly-in-the-water-as-video-shows-moment-of-collapse-13101977 https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/baltimore-bridge-collapse-rescue-teams-search-water-after-container-ship-strike/4udj7hqvu https://edition.cnn.com/us/live-news/baltimore-bridge-collapse-03-26-24-intl-hnk/index.html
RUEN
The 35 pirates are to be prosecuted for the hijacking of the 'Ruen' were were brought in for prosecution by the Indian Navy, at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai on March 23, days after its navy recaptured a hijacked bulk carrier and rescued several hostages. The destroyer INS 'Kolkata', which led the rescue operation, docked in the port early on March 23. The Somalis were expected to be transferred to police custody later that day. This marked the first time in more than a decade that pirates captured at sea would be brought to Indian shores to face trial. Under India’s anti-piracy laws, the men could face the death sentence if they were convicted of a killing or an attempted killing, and life imprisonment for piracy alone. Regarding the 'Ruen', the 17 crew members were duly shifted to Indian Naval ships. The Navy then sent in its specialists to sanitise the ship and ensure it had no arms, ammunition or contraband on board. It also had to assess the seaworthiness and carry out some essential repairs with the help of a naval technical team to ready the merchant ship for further voyage. The M/s Navibulgar, the shipping company that owned the vessel, requested that the captain and crew be reinstated on the 'Ruen'. The crew was again shifted mid-sea from the INS 'Kolkata' onto the bulk carrier, which then proceeded under own power to the next port of Salalah. The destination was decided by the company. The Indian Navy warship INS 'Subhadra' escorted the vessel to ensure its security against another possible pirate attack. Report with photos: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/23/captured-somali-pirates-arrive-in-india-to-face-trial-over-ship-hijacking
TAI AN
The Fisheries and Prefectural Authorities carried out an operation in the port of Ushuaia to confiscate the catch of toothfish from the 'Tai An' in a surprising operation carried out in the last few hours in the port of Ushuaia. The vessel, belonging to the Prodesur company, has been the center of a controversy after being surprised with a shipment of toothfish valued at 4 million dollars. Upon arrival at the port of Ushuaia by order of the Naval Prefecture, about 163 tons of toothfish were discovered. The situation was aggravated by juvenile specimens of the species which were found among the cargo, the capture of which is strictly prohibited globally in order to preserve its population. The cargo seizure operation was carried out under the supervision of the Undersecretariat of Fisheries and Agriculture of the Nation, which detected serious environmental faults. The vessel, owned by Chinese businessman Liu Zhijiang, lacked any extra quota authorized for the capture of these specimens. The legal implications of this incident have been immediate, with the resignation of several national government officials involved in the scandal, including Julián Suárez, Pablo Ferrara Raisberg and Guillermo Abdala Bertiche. These resignations underlined the seriousness of the matter and the authorities' commitment to legality and the environment. The National Institute of Fisheries Research and Development (INIDEP) has a report prepared, stating that between February 4 and March 11 the TAI-AN vessel “captured a total of 3,178 tons of fish, consisting of 1,975 tons of pollock, 892 tons of hoke and 175 tons of toothfish, which together represent 96% of the total. The report points out that between February 4 and March 11, the vessel captured 175 tons of toothfish, in seven fishing hauls out of a total of 72, carried out with a bottom trawl net in the grid. statistic 5462 that is part of the Juvenile Toothfish Protection Area (APJMN) at depths that averaged 450 meters From the analysis it appears that the catches of toothfish were obtained through a particular operation of the vessel during the trip, carried out repetitively despite having exceeded the catch limit of the species allowed per trip for said vessel (5 tons), which suggests a manifest intention regarding the fishing of the species: the vessel entered the APJMN every 5/6 days making a set with a bottom trawl in a geographical position almost identical to the previous occasions. On Feb 10, the vessel, after a haul in which it captured 12 tons of toothfish, was already in violation in accordance with CFP Resolution 9/23 (maximum catch of toothfish of 5 tons per fishing trip) , which is why it should not have returned to the APJMN to carry out fishing operations, much less repetitively in positions very close to the one where it had obtained excessive catches of the species. This behavior, in our opinion, demonstrates a clear intention aimed at capturing toothfish. The ship used bottom trawling at depths close to 450 meters in the APJMN, which is not allowed according to the details of CFP Resolution 12/21. As a consequence of the fishing activity with bottom trawl nets at depths prohibited for the use of fishing gear within the APJMN, a proportion of juvenile toothfish (55%) was captured higher than the limit established by current regulations (20 % CFP Resolution 12/19). -Taking into account that the 'Tai An' does not have CITC of toothfish since 2020, the vessel, in addition to failing to comply with the Federal Fisheries Law (24,922) by obtaining catches of the species in a directed manner without having an enabling quota, would have violated three additional regulations by fishing with a bottom trawl at less than 800 meters deep in the APJMN, fishing in a targeted manner for the species at depths lower than that permitted south of 54°S (800 meters) and capturing a proportion of juveniles (55%), much higher than that allowed in each trip. Report with photo: https://www.surenio.com.ar/decomisan-el-cargamento-del-buque-tai-an/
FV FRUITDELAPASSION
On March 23, 2024, at 1:00 p.m., the CROSS Etel was informed of the disappearance of a 44-year-old crew member of the 'Fruit de la Passion', who had fallen into the sea south of the island d'Yeu, in the Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-vie sector. A major SAR operation was launched, involving the Dauphin helicopter of the French Navy base in La Rochelle; the Civil Security Dragon 17 helicopter; two speedboats from the SNSM, the 'SNS 84' from Ile d’Yeu and the 'SNS 154' from Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, the Falcon 50 maritime patrol aircraft based in Lann-Bihoué and several fishing vessels including, besides the 'Fruit de la passion', the 'Diapason', 'Dimezelle' and 'Aurore Boréale'. At 1:20 p.m., the Dauphin helicopter was on scene. At 3:30 p.m., given the size of the search area, the French Navy maritime patrol aircraft Falcon 50, was in the area to reinforce the system. At the same time, the two SNSM boats and the fishing vessels in the area were mobilized. Throughout the afternoon, the Dragon 17 helicopter and the Dauphin helicopter took turns to continue the search. At 8:00 p.m., due to a lack of new information, the search was stopped.