The 'MSC Armonia' which had stuck in Barcelona with around 1,500 passengers because some passengers had fake visas was able to continue its journey on April 4 at 1.30 p.m. after a two-day compulsory break. An agreement had previously been reached with the Spanish authorities regarding passengers without visas. The ship will arrive in Messina on April 6, but without the 69 passengers from Bolivia, who did not have valid Schengen visas. They have to wait in the transit area of the port of Barcelona for their situation to be clarified, accommodated on a ship provided by MSC for this period. They will probably be flown back to Bolivia at MSC's expense. An agency in South America had offered the passage and visas online and charged up to 9,200 Euros per person. This agency also canceled promised return tickets after the cruise ship left Brazil for Europe. However, the police did not rule out that the Bolivians actually wanted to get to Spain illegally.
News
JENNIFER
The sea convoy, consisting of the 'Jennifer' and the 'Open Arms' with 240 tons undelivered food for Gaza returned to Larnaca on April 3 after the killing of aid workers of World Central Kitchen (WCK) in an Israeli airstrike on the evening of April 1. The 'Jennifer' dropped anchor just outside the port. The 'Open Arms' had already arrived earlier. The undelivered aid was part of a consignment of about 340 tonnes sent to Gaza from Cyprus on March 30. The aid workers killed in Gaza had just finished work unloading 100 tonnes from a barge, also sent from Cyprus. The WCK, active in Gaza since October, has paused operations in the territory after the killings, and turned around its flotilla of ships back to Cyprus. Report with photo: https://gcaptain.com/gaza-aid-ships-return-to-cyprus-after-ngo-worker-deaths/
MEIN SCHIFF 3
The 'Mein Schiff 3', on her last long-term voyage from/to Bremerhaven heading to the Canary Islands, Cape Verde and the Azores, arrived in the port of Las Palmas on Gran Canaria earlier than scheduled on April 4, 2024, at around 5:30 p.m. LT due to a medical emergency. The scheduled arrival was on April 5 at 8 a.m. The ship stayed in port overnight. The patient was disembarked at the cruise pier in Las Palmas. For better care, the he was taken to a hospital on the island of Gran Canaria. After leaving Funchal, the 'Mein Schiff 3' had been sailing at a speed of over 20 knots towards Las Palmas. After about 29 hours in port, the cruise ship will set off for Fuerteventura on April 5 at 11 p.m.
TRANSMERIDIAN
The Brazilian Federal Police (PF), in a joint action with the Brazilian Navy, seized 212 kilos of cocaine in an operation in the port of Santos aobard the 'Transmeridian', destined to Rotterdam. The ship was selected for inspection based on Federal Police risk and intelligence criteria. The eight packages of cocaine were hidden in the vessel's sea box, an opening located below the waterline, which serves to supply water to cool the engines and power the firefighting system. During the inspection, the action of Navy and federal police divers was necessary. After the drug were seized, an investigation into the case was launched by the Santos Federal Police Station. So far, no one has been arrested. Report with photo and video: https://www.cnnbrasil.com.br/nacional/pf-e-marinha-apreendem-200-kg-de-cocaina-em-navio-no-porto-de-santos/
OPEN ARMS
The sea convoy, consisting of the 'Jennifer' and the 'Open Arms' with 240 tons undelivered food for Gaza returned to Larnaca on April 3 after the killing of aid workers of World Central Kitchen (WCK) in an Israeli airstrike on the evening of April 1. The 'Jennifer' dropped anchor just outside the port. The 'Open Arms' had already arrived earlier. The undelivered aid was part of a consignment of about 340 tonnes sent to Gaza from Cyprus on March 30. The aid workers killed in Gaza had just finished work unloading 100 tonnes from a barge, also sent from Cyprus. The WCK, active in Gaza since October, has paused operations in the territory after the killings, and turned around its flotilla of ships back to Cyprus. Report with photo: https://gcaptain.com/gaza-aid-ships-return-to-cyprus-after-ngo-worker-deaths/