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Following the closure of the ferry route between Frederikshavn and Oslo, the Stena Line saw a new possible assignment for the 'Stena Saga'. Within a couple of weeks the ferry which was llaid up in Uddevalla on April 3 could be converted into a hospital ship with 520 places. On March 19, Stena Line announced that as a direct consequence of the corona virus, the service between Oslo and Frederikshavn, which had been served since 1994 was operated by the 'Stena Saga' would be closed. The tough situation forced the company to make the decision as the route was largely dependent on passenger traffic and the important high season in the summer. The company could simply not afford to wait and hope for the next summer. The subsidiary Stena Roro took over the vessel and was commissioned to find a new use for it. . Stena Roro already has extensive experience in building hospital vessels through the ongoing construction of the 'Global Mercy' for the organization Mercy Ships. They have developed a design in which within 2-3 weeks the ventilation system can be rebuilt, alarm systems and communication systems installed and also the interior to suit it can be constructed. The crew can be separated from patients and take other necessary measures. It was not intended for patients to receive intensive care on board, but rather the ship could relieve the hospitals with patients who do not need intensive care with some form of aftercare. However, Stena Roro has not yet received an order for such a ship.

After a fishing trip off Ireland, the crew of the 'Isafold' has agreed to take an extra-long stay onboard to counter the corona virus. The ship was operating west of Hanstholm, where the fishing for eel was in full swing. The crew's expectations were that during the next few days, the "Isafold" will be filled with fish and proceed to Skagen or Hanstholm to deliver a full load of sizzle. The skipper and crew will take an extra thirst to avoid contamination on board, under the impression that the Covid-19 infection cannot hit fishermen at sea and not at all when not ogoing ashore and in contact with neither family nor friends. The ship was therefore quarantined by the shipping company, and the crew, chose to stay on board and make another trip, this time after the small protein fish sibling. Although some had been on board for more than two months, they had no objections against the trip. In the long run, however, the company will have to find another solution to the corona problem which may include the isolation of the crew on shore until it is their turn to return on board.

On March 31, 2020, around 9 a.m. a fire broke out aboard the new built Panama flagged cruise ship 'Mardi Gras', 183200 gt (9837444), which is currently built at the Meyer yard in Turku. The fire occurred in a cabin on the upper deck, and fire crews managed to limit the fire to one cabin. In total, 18 fire brigade units were sent from the rescue service to the shipyard, but the fire could quickly be extinguished by the shipyard's own fire department. However, the ship must be checked to make sure there were no remaining hot spots. All workers were evacuated from the ship, but no one was injured in the fire. The cause of the fire was still unclear.

The Port of Kiel commissioned Siemens to build Germany’s largest shore power system to date. With a power of 16 megavolt amperes (MVA), the Siharbor solution will supply two ships simultaneously with certified eco-power, for the first time. This will reduce annual CO2 emissions by more than 8,000 tons. The system is expected to go into test operation within the 2020 cruise ship season. Maritime shipping plays a special role in Kiel. The port is the point of departure for cruises and has ferry connections to the Baltic states and Scandinavia. 32 different cruise ships stopped in 174 times at the port facilities in 2018. The Siemens installation consists of one substation with four Geafol cast resin transformers, four airinsulated medium-voltage Nxair switchgears as well as one 16-MVA frequency converter. The cast resin transformers with a rated power of six and 16 MVA are especially suited for challenging environmental conditions, such as the salty air present at the port. The switchgear is robust and has a compact design, making it suitable for this application. For an uninterrupted and efficient power supply of the mooring ships the Siemens converter system “Siplink” is used. It features a frequency converter and a software for central controlling of the two berths. With the system, two medium-voltage networks with different frequencies can be connected. In this case the local distribution grid with 50 Hz and the ship’s onboard electrical system with 60 Hz. Siplink synchronizes both networks and takes over the power supply automatically within a few minutes. In addition, it coordinates the energy supply of the ships’ two networks so that power can be supplied to both simultaneously. “With this set up, we are able for the first time to supply two ships simultaneously with the necessary 60-Hz onboard frequency by means of one shore power system,” said Axel Mohr, head of sales for Distribution Systems, Region North, at Siemens Smart Infrastructure. “We’re excited to support the Port of Kiel with this sustainable solution, thereby taking on a leading role in Europe together. Such systems will become increasingly important in the future, also outside of Germany, as climate protection goals are implemented. With its “Master Plan for 100% Climate Protection”, the City of Kiel has an ambitious roadmap to be CO2-neutral by 2050. The new shore power system at the Port of Kiel aims to support this goal with the reduction in CO2 emissions it will bring. The shoreside power supply installed by Siemens in the spring of 2019 at the Norwegenkai has already started operations. To date, it has helped slash CO2 emissions by about 1,000 tons.

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A crew member aboard the USNS 'Comfort' which docked in New York City was tested positive for coronavirus on April 6, 2020. The person has been isolated from patients and other crew members. The incident will not affect the ship's ability to receive patients from the local community. The crew was following protocols and took every precaution to ensure the health and safety of all on board. The 1,000-bed ship arrived in New York last week to relieve pressure on local hospitals fighting the coronavirus by treating non-Covid patients. Defense Department officials stressed that the military's twin hospital ships — the USNS 'Comfort' and the USNS 'Mercy', now moored off of Los Angeles — were not configured to treat infectious diseases. But after receiving only a handful of non-Covid patients last week, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on April 7 that President Donald Trump had approved his request to allow the USNS 'Comfort' to treat people suffering from coronavirus. The ship will accept trauma, emergency and urgent care patients without regard to their COVID status. The ability to take COVID-19 patients on board USNS Comfort provides increased capability to care for high severity COVID-positive cases, allowing the Javits New York Medical Station to focus on lower severity COVID-positive patients.

On March 31, 2020, around 9 a.m. a fire broke out aboard the new built Panama flagged cruise ship 'Mardi Gras', 183200 gt (9837444), which is currently built at the Åbovarvet Meyer Turku. The fire occurred in a cabin on the upper deck, and fire crews managed to limit the fire to one cabin. In total, 18 fire brigade units were sent from the rescue service to the shipyard, but the fire could quickly be extinguished by the shipyard's own fire department. However, the ship must be checked to make sure there were no remaining hot spots. All workers were evacuated from the ship, but no one was injured in the fire. The cause of the fire was still unclear.

At the Yatomi Pier in the port of Nagoya an accident occurred aboard the Japanese cargo m/v 'Tensho Maru No. 1', 1600 dwt (IMO: 9105437), on Feb 3, 2020, at 8.30 a.m. while unloading 72 concrete slabs, in piles of 8 units each. Two workers were buried underneath one when the plate with a weight of 7 to 8 tons fell down after the ropes were untied. Firefighters were called, and cranes were used to rescue them. One of the workers, Keigo Niwa, 24, from Minato-ku, in Nagoya, was recovered dead after having been pressed in the abdominal region. The other, in his 30s, had suffered fractures in both legs. With the fall of the plate, the cargo ship was tilted about 30 degrees to starboard side. The Coast Guard was investigating the cause of the accident. Report with photo: https://www.portalmie.com/atualidade/noticias-do-japao/acidentes/2020/02/acidente-no-navio-cargueiro-em-aichi-mata-um-trabalhador/

On April 7, 2020, the 'Marella Dream' which was lingering off Algeciras without passenders on board, requested the medevac of a sick crew member from board. Salvamento Marítimo deployed the SAR boat 'Salvamar Denébola' from Algeciras to take the patient off. He was safely transferred aboard and taken to Algeciras, where he was transferred to the Quirón hospital. Photos: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EVAocaNUMAs1DRW?format=jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EVAo0pFUcAEIksO?format=jpg&name=small

The 'TSM Dora' has recovered the French fishing boat 'Izel Vor - B192042' on April 2, 2020, which initally had sunk on nine mehters water depth south-east of the Grand Léjon lighthouse. The salvage was carried out by the Thomas Maritime Services (TSM). The boat had sunk in the bay of Saint-Brieuc on March 9. The two fishermen were recovered unharmed. The wooden hull, built in 1969, had a large hole. The operation was a bit complicated as the wreckage had moved since the sinking and was found in a depth of 20 meters. In the three days following the sinking, there were significant tidal coefficients with strong currents. The salvors found the boat with an 80-meter-long shell dredge deployed outside. The 'TSM Dora' was back at the port of Brest in the morning of April 3 and unloaded the trawler, which will be deconstructed by Guyot Environnement. French reports with photos: https://www.letelegramme.fr/finistere/brest/le-tsm-dora-base-a-brest-effectue-un-renflouement-en-baie-de-saint-brieuc-06-04-2020-12536126.php https://www.meretmarine.com/fr/content/tsm-renfloue-le-bateau-de-peche-izel-vor https://pontivy.maville.com/actu/actudet_-brest-mer.-renfloue-en-baie-de-saint-brieuc-le-chalutier-izel-vor-va-etre-deconstruit-a-brest_region-4060606_actu.Htm https://lemarin.ouest-france.fr/secteurs-activites/peche/36381-baie-de-saint-brieuc-le-coquillier-izel-vor-renfloue https://lemarin.ouest-france.fr/secteurs-activites/peche/36381-baie-de-saint-brieuc-le-coquillier-izel-vor-renfloue

A 52-year old Cape Town truck driver was killed on March 20, 2020, when the spreader from a Transnet Port Terminal crane collapsed and crushed his truck cab inside the container terminal. The accident occurred around 11h00 on Friday morning when the truck arrived to collect a container at the TPT terminal. The reach stacker crane passed over the truck when the spreader bar was dislodged and fell onto the cab of the truck. The reason why the spreader fell was not clear but one witness claimed that the crane involved in the accident had been receiving attention from a technician shortly beforehand. Immediately following the accident the crane operator attempted to hoist the spreader off the truck but was unsuccessful. The driver of the truck was trapped in his cab and died at the scene despite the efforts of Transnet paramedics who were quickly on the scene. Following the accident the South African Police Services opened an inquest docket for further investigation. Operations remained suspended for some hours until all regulatory authorities currently onsite, concluded their assessments. The maintenance of the Kalmar equipment at the port was recently taken over by Transnet.

In the second ship-to-ship LNG bunkering operation to take place in Germany and the first ever in the Port of Rostock, on Jan 22, 2020 the world’s largest LNG bunker vessel 'Kairos' supplied fuel to the newly-built offshore installation vessel 'Orion' which was berthed at the Liebherr construction yard in the Port of Rostock, where she is being outfitted with a 5,000-tonne crane. DEME is a leading adopter of LNG as a marine fuel, and the 'Orion' is its fifth dual-fuel vessel. This operation strengthens the LNG cluster in Rostock significantly and is an essential extension of the services offered by the port. The continuous development from the LNG bunkering operations by truck during the last years towards the first ship-to-ship LNG bunkering operation shows the strong operational performance of the port team. Report with photo: https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/port-of-rostock-hosts-its-first-ship-to-ship-lng-bunkering