On June 19, 2025, at 5.10 p.m. the 'GH Pathfinder' was boarded by 12 perpetrators at the Kakinada Anchorage, where it was anchored in pos. 17° 0.3' N 082° 19.51' E. No one was injured, and nothing was reported stolen.
News
HIRMAN STAR
The Philippines authorities were working with local crewing agencies and others to resolve a pay dispute and release a crew that had been stranded on the 'Hirman Star', which has been anchored in the Iloilo Strait off off Iloilo City in pos. 10° 42' N 122° 36' E. The crew, which had been signed on on April 3, 2025, was in a standoff with the owners who were refusing their pay, and provisions, until the ship departed, while the crew contended the vessel was unseaworthy. A newly elected representative for Iloilo City, Julienne “Jam Jam” Baronda took an interest in the crew’s plight and intervened to negotiate the resolution. Six Filipino crew were removed from the vessel on June 30, and taken to a hotel. They were debriefed and received medical evaluation before their repatriation. Among the Filipino crew members, three were from the Iloilo towns of Tigbauan, San Joaquin and Estancia. The seven Indian crew members were due to leave the vessel on July 1. The crew was signed on at the start of April by apparently a new owner of the ship, which was operated by Chinese owners until possibly 2024. The owner is now in the UAE, and the vessel has been registered in the Comoros. The shipl had arrived in the Philippines in Aug 2024, carrying a cargo of bags with rice from Vietnam. The Philippines undertook a Port State Inspection and listed 27 deficiencies in a broad range of categories and issued a detention order. They even questioned the seaworthiness of the vessel and found expired certificates. The crew was changed twice, with the current crew coming aboard on April 3 and havomg beem told to prepare for a voyage to Singapore. The Philippines lifted the detention order in April, and the Port Authority granted port clearance on May 7. The vessel was preparing to depart when the gyro compass malfunctioned. The captain contended the owners told the vessel to sail using just a magnetic compass, but the master refused, citing concerns. The crew also reported the vessel was listing, and attempting to rectify the list, they found a crack in the bulbous bow causing a water ingress. The standoff began with the crew refusing to sail saying the ship was unseaworthy. The owners stopped the delivery of food and water on May 12. Further, they only paid partial wages in April and none in May, saying the crew would not be paid until the vessel departed. The crew sought assistance from the office of Iloilo City Lone District Rep. Julienne Baronda on June 28. Baronda convened a meeting with the Philippines’ Department of Migrant Workers, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, as well as the Philippine Coast Guard, the Bureaus of Immigration and Customs, and MARINA on June 30. She also spoke with the crewing agencies and the vessel's owner, who had a representative from the UAE in the Philippines. An agreement was reached to settle the pay issues and to immediately provide provisions to the vessel. Baronda and other officials went to the ship to meet with the crew. The Philippines was also providing financial assistance to the crew members and assisting with the repatriations for the Filipinos. The Indian Embassy was assisting the Indian crew members. Report with photos: https://www.manilatimes.net/2025/07/02/regions/13-stranded-seafarers-rescued-after-2-months/2141308
Papenburg
The Meyer shipyard located in Papenburg, Germany, announced, they secured an order for a new cruise ship. The new customer is NYK who placed an order for a medium size cruise ship for their brand Asuka Cruises. Full article + image: https://www.cruisedeck.de/meyer-werft-sichert-sich-neubau-auftrag/
Cochin
The Cochin Port Trust handled a record 3.20 million tonnes of cargo in December 2020, a monthly record volume for it. The volume is a 10.55 per cent growth over December 2019, said Cochin Port Trust chairperson M. Beena, in a message to the employees and officials of the port trust. Container movement too touched a consistent 60,000 TEUs consecutively in the four months leading to December. The surge in the movement of cargo is being looked upon as new shoots in the port business after the plans of 2020 were washed away in the COVID-19 pandemic. The growth in cargo movement is “charting a new growth trajectory. However, we need to find new vistas for revenue generation by optimum utilisation of resources available to us,” the chairperson told the port community. The port has been recovering from the losses, which had affected it for the past decade. But the pandemic and resultant loss in business had pushed the port into the red. But the port was expected to make a recovery by the end of 2021, the chairperson said. There was optimism stemming from the fact that though there was a substantial fall in cargo movement in the first half of the current financial year, there was some recovery in the second half. The port trust was also optimistic that the inauguration of the Kochi-Mangaluru LNG pipeline earlier this month would pave the way for more gas volumes and revenue for the port. Meanwhile, figures from the Indian Ports Association showed that ports across the country suffered owing to the pandemic and its impact on the global economy. The average fall across the major ports in the country is nearly nine per cent for the period. Mumbai suffered a fall of more than 17 per cent and the Momugao traffic fell more than 23 per cent and JNPT traffic was down by over 12 per cent. Haldia Dock Complex, Paradip, Visakhapatnam, and New Mangaluru suffered lesser falls in business.
JACKIE LEE ANDERSON
On July 1, 2025, sz 8.50 a.m. the 'Jackie Lee Anderson' and the towboat '775' capsized on the Ohio River near the Olmsted Locks and Dam in Illinois. The 'Jackie Lee Anderson' was listing on the Illinois bank of the river. the '775' has capsized below the dam.The Ohio River was closed to navigation at Olmsted Locks and Dam in Olmsted, Illinois, (Ohio River Mile 964.4). The authorities from multiple local agencies and the US Coast Guard responded to the incident. All crew members were rescued. The incident was under investigation. The name of the other towboat was suspected to be the workboat 775. The 'Jackie Lee Anderson' was assigned to the Olmsted Locks and Dam as a workboat. Report with photo and video: https://www.paducahsun.com/news/accident-prompts-multi-agency-response-at-olmsted-locks-and-dam-no-injuries-reported/article_be7bf1df-e900-5c4a-b8ce-95c86c75c375.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NR_t5QE0c7Q&t=33s https://www.kbsi23.com/news/crew-members-safe-after-boat-overturns-in-ohio-river/pic/5001556/
WAN HAI 503
On June 30, the 'Wan Hai 503' was in pos. 07°52.60' N, 074°50.09' E, maintaining a steady course of 290° with a speed of 0.8 knots, approximately 130 nautical miles off the Indian coastline, outside the EEZ boundary. The vessel's drift remained controlled through coordinated towing operations. Light smoke continued to emanate from the area forward of the accommodation block, indicating residual smouldering within cargo hold no. 4, though no visible flames have been reported. Structural evaluations indicate localized heat-induced buckling between Frames 103–113; however, independent assessments by T&T Salvage, DNV, and naval architects confirmed that the vessel retains structural strength and remained stable. Dewatering operations commenced at 0730 a.m. with four pumps (150–250 m³/hour each) deployed to remove water from the flooded engine room. Dewatering operations were ongoing with five pumps actively discharging water from the flooded engine room and interconnected compartments. The source of water ingress was suspected to be linked to interconnected compartments between the engine room and cargo hold no. 3. The water quality remains relatively stable, with minimal oil traces, suggesting no significant new ingress. The multi-agency response continues with effective resource deployment on-site. The 'Water Lily' has been engaged in personnel and material transfers, successfully receiving salvage equipment from ‘the 'Saroja Blessing' earlier the day. The '‘Saksham'’ remained prepared for further support, and ‘the 'Saroja Blessing was on standby for firefighting and material supply operations. Salvage teams on board the vessel has resumed equipment installation and pump operation, with five pumps now functioning continuously to extract water. ‘The 'Offshore Warrior' wais maintaining towage operations, keeping the vessel clear of the Indian EEZ, with current power utilisation at 75%. Preparations were in place to maintain uninterrupted dewatering overnight. The salvors aimed to stabilise internal flooding to facilitate safe boarding and enable further fire suppression measures, including enhanced boundary cooling and application of additional firefighting agents as weather permits. Additional assets, including ‘the 'Atlantis Virgo' and ‘SCI Panna’, were en route to the site with firefighting equipment and Pyrocool (7000 litres), expected to enhance fire suppression efforts within the next 24 hours. Preparations for continuous overnight pumping operations are were , with emergency evacuation plans in place to ensure personnel safety during night-time activities. The intention is to sustain 24/7 dewatering using both hydraulic and submersible pumps, supplemented by emergency power from the vessel's own systems and portable generators. The sustained operation of five pumps has shown positive results in managing engine room flooding, but full dewatering remains essential to assess damage to machinery spaces and restore emergency power systems. Over 5,000 cubic meters of water were successfully pumped out from the flooded engine room, reducing water levels by approximately 1.75 meters. Further attempts to access the forward sections of the vessel for additional firefighting and structural assessment will be undertaken once dewatering sufficiently reduces on board risks. The Port of Refuge discussions remained focused, where positive initial engagements have occurred. Formal submission of the required document package to authorities is in progress, though final approvals were contingent upon demonstrating thevessel'sstability, extinguishment of smouldering, and safe dewatering. Alternative ports options remained under evaluation. The vessel remained in a high-density shipping corridor, necessitating continuous traffic warnings to passing vessels. The Directorate has directed enhanced navigational warnings to prevent incidents in this critical route between Sri Lanka and the Gulf of Aden. Indian Coast Guard assets continued to provide aerial surveillance and maritime monitoring, with readiness to intervene if necessary. Continuous inter-agency coordination, including with MPA Singapore, ITOPF, and Indian authorities, is ongoing to manage the situation effectively and prevent environmental or navigational hazards. Offshore oil removal remains unsafe under current conditions, with preferred options being defueling alongside a wharf at a Port of Refuge. The salvage team continued the preparations to transition from soft to wire towlines, advance dewatering, and monitor the vessel's integrity.
Cochin
The coast guard found signs of an accident on the British oil tanker Orange Victoria which was seized in COCHIN after the accident involving a fishing boat on the coast of Vizhinjam The Fort Kochi Coastal Police and the Marine Mercantile Division conducted an inspection of the ship anchored in the open sea on Saturday morning .The paint on this part has been collected by scientific experts for scientific examination . Captain Nikhil told the Coastal Police that they were not aware that the ship had collided with the boat . There are 23 sailors on board . The ship while en route from Singapore to Indian port, presumably struck fiberglass fishing boat 46 nm off COCHIN at night Mar 18. boat was damaged, all 6 crew safe. Hull paint samples are taken, to conduct lab analysis
X-PRESS PEARL
A VDR transcript has emerged with a series of conversations between the master of the 'XPress Pearl' and shoreside managers. The document was filed by Sri Lanka's government in a case before Colombo's Supreme Court; the shipowner disputes the document's accuracy and completeness, and was contesting it in court proceedings. It appeared to confirm initial accounts of a slow-rolling catastrophe that began long before the 'XPress Pearl' reached Sri Lanka in May 2021. It providd new details of the crew's attempts to respond to a leaking container of nitric acid, and Vitaly Tyutkalo. the Russian master's growing frustration with the lack of a solution: "About one liter an hour [leak rate from the container]. Remain the same. We're washing deck continuously by fire pump, seawater, because main deck too much corrosion . . . very strong chemical, very strong chemical If you will read my email, I sent to everybody, right, already three days fire pump running. But leakage remain on deck and maybe more and more corrosion." After the call with the home office, he complained to a crew member on the bridge that "they don't take any action, don't give me any advice," and claimed that company officials wouldn't take responsibility. Port officials at Hamad, Qatar and Hazira, India refused to provide a port-of-refuge service to unload the leaking boxes from the 'Xpress Pearl', so the ship sailed onwards to Colombo, Sri Lanka, a voyage of some 1,000 nautical miles southeast from Hazira. After the arrival off Colombo, a container on deck caught fire, but local authorities refused to allow the 'XPress Pearl' to berth for firefighting operations. The master was facing criminal charges in connection with the disaster and remained in Sri Lanka at least as recently as last year, free to live on the island but unable to leave until court proceedings have finished.
GLEN SANNOX
The 'Glen Sannox', serving on the route Troon-Brodic, suffered an electrical issue impacting the ship's firefighting system on the morning of July 1. As a consqeuence, the scheduled departures frrom Troon at 06:30 a.m. and from Brodick at 08:40 a.m. were cancelled. While the issue could be resolved., in order to allow sufficient crew compensatory rest following overnight repairs, the ship returned to service with the 10:50 a.m. sailing from Troon.
Chittagong
Crew change have resumed at the port of Chittagong, albeit to a limited extent. In case of joining, covid negative certificate is required. In case of sign off, the crew will have to undergo a covid test at a local government approved hospital. Which takes a total of 3 days to stay in a hotel. Then he has to show immigration and airlines authorities when he gets on the plane. We've learned from talking to a crew service provider that this process is safe for all parties. NC Shipping's operations manager said Chittagong port service is now much more efficient and less time consuming. All rules are governed by international standards. "Even in the covid pandemic lockdown, we get international quality service from Chittagong port which has played a positive role in the operation of our ships and maintaining the dynamism of the maritime trade," he added. He thinks crew change approval is part of a continuous process. This is a valiant decision of the government and port authorities