On the afternoon of June 11, the bulk carrier 'Kaye E. Barker' (IMO: 5097450,) went alongside her fleetmate 'Hon. James L. Oberstar' to take on her cargo of limestone. Until the evening the offloading had not started. The crew of the 'Hon. James L. Oberstar' used their self-unloading boom to transfer the cargo of 29,000 tonnes of limestone onto the 'Kaye E, Barker'. A crane barge was also on scene to assist. The ship had suffered unspecified bottom damage after grounding near Johnson Point in the East Neebish Channel. It has a total maximum capacity 108,000 gallons of fuel and other products. There were no reports of pollution in the water or surrounding area of the Hay Lake Anchorage. The Coastguard cutter 'Spar' and other smaller USCG vessels, as well the tug 'Wm. Boyd' and a barge, wee also on scene as part of a Unified Command Coast Guard operation. Anti-pollution equipment has been deployed around the vessel’s stern. The operator Interlake Steamship was working with the Coast Guard, a third-party spill response company, and commercial salvors to resolve the situation. No injuries or pollution have been reported, and the vessel was a stable condition. It has an estimated 108,000 gallons of fuel and oil products on board, and the Coast Guard was conducting periodic overflights to monitor for any leaks.
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PETE
Beached at Gadani 06.06.25 https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=689995550336054&set=a.155050113830603
Galveston
The US Coast Guard medevaced a crewmember from a 600-foot tanker at anchorage approximately 15 miles southeast of Galveston, Texas, on April 19, 2020. Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston watchstanders received a report of a 58-year-old man reportedly experiencing symptoms of an upper respiratory illness. Watchstanders consulted with the duty flight surgeon as well as local CDC and county health partners who recommended the medevac. Watchstanders launched a Coast Guard Station Galveston 45-foot Response Boat-Medium boat crew. The RB-M boat crew transferred the patient to awaiting emergency medical services personnel at Station Galveston who transported him to the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.
Turku
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.
MOBY DADA
Beached at Aliaga 04.06.25 https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10161564782995036&set=gm.10164832686718943&idorvanity=6884293942
Guam
One crew member of the USS 'Theodore Roosevelt' which was being anchored off Guam has died of a corona virus infection on April 14, 2020. The woman had been in intensive care but died of health complications. More than 550 crew members of the 5.000 crew members were tested positive. The ship has been largely evacuated during the recent days. Commander Brett Crozier had been fired as he wrote a letter expressing his concern about the crew situation and asked for help by the Navy.
Cape Town
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.
MOBY DADA
On March 20, 2025, the 'Moby Dada', which was sold on March 13 for demolition in Aliaga, was registered under the Maltese flag. The ferry is currently in the port of Livorno preparing to make its last voyage. The 'Moby Dada' was chartered from Feb to Aug 2024 by Algerie Ferries, to operate between France, Spain and Algeria, On July 29 the ship was detained in the port of Alicante following a breakdown. It subsequently returned to Italy, remaining first in Genoa and then in Livorno, where the last port state control was carried out on May 20 without defiencies. On May 21 the ship left the port for the last time on its way to Aliaga. The latest previous inspections were on July 29, 2024, Alicante, where 16 deficiencies were found and the ship was detained for 53 days, and on April 15, 2024, in Alicante with ten deficiencies for 23 days.
Turku
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.
Kiel
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.