News

The 'Hebrides', sailing on the route Tarbert-Lochmaddy, suffered a technical issue with the’ mezzanine deck on Aug 21. As a consequence, there was a reduced vehicle capacity onboard. Customers with affected bookings were contacted directly by the ports.

After the oil leakage from the 'River Drone 4', ship traffic on the Albert Canal was resumed on Aug 21 at 2 p.m. between Kwaadmechelen and Olen. The oil was contained in five zones, where thsludge could be vacuumed. There was a film of oil spill on the water from the Olen lock to the Olen-Hoogbuul bridge, which was about two to three kilometers. The Brabo Maritime Services, were conducting the cleanup. The polluted water was filterred with machines and the oil extracted. The work has now been completed. The food company Mars Food has halted production as a precaution. The company is located at the site where the leaking ship is moored. The accident had immediately caused a strong odor. To protect the employees and products from the odor, all production was halted preemptively, The Olen factory primarily cleans, precooks, and packages unprocessed, dry rice for the Ben's Original brand. The rice comes primarily from Spain and Italy and is transported by barge. The 'River Drone 4' remained stationary in Olen as of Aug 22. Reports with photos: https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2025/08/20/10-000-liter-stookolie-gelekt-in-albertkanaal-in-olen/ https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2025/08/21/nederlands-schipperskoppel-ligt-al-vast-sinds-gisterenavond-aan/

On the afternoon of Aug 21, the Port Authority of Zakynthos was informed by the Captain of the 'Fior di Levante',that the ship had suffered a mechanical failure in the port side main engine, ahead of its arrival at the port of Zakynthos, en route from the port of Kyllini with 428 passengers on board. The ship sailed unassisted to the port of Kyllini and safely disembarked the passengers. The Zakynthos Port Authority banned the ferry from sailing until a certificate of seaworthiness was presented by the monitoring classification society. The passengers destined for Kyllini were forwarded to their destination on another ship of the company.

The "Ciudad de Sóller" will be out of service for seven to ten days following the fire in an auxiliary engine that occurred in the port of Valencia, according to Trasmed CEO Ettore Morace. Provisionally, the Valencia-Palma line will be served during this time by the ferry "Ciudad de Palma." Meanwhile, passengers and cargo on the Barcelona-Palma line will travel on Balearia, thanks to an agreement between the two companies. The "Ciudad de Sóller" remained stationary at the passenger terminal in Valencia for the time being.

On the morning of April 4, 2025, the Port Authority of Poros, Kefalonia was informed by the Captain of the'Fior di Levante', that during the arrival at the port, a problem occurred in the port side main engine. The passengers and vehicles were safely disembarked, while the Port Department of Poros prohibited the departure of the ferry until the damage was repaired and a certificate of class maintenance was presented.