After a four-week technical stop in Brest, the 'Abeille Bourbon' will have a new name. It is expected to be called 'VB Abeille BretagneÄ. On March 28 at noon, the tug left the Quay Malbert in Brest to enter dock No. 1. Under the care of Piriou Naval Services Brest, the vessel will undergo a four-week technical maintenance. The work program includes standard inspections of the propulsion engine couplings, inspections of two generator sets, and maintenance work on the two cranes. The tug will also undergo, for the first time since its commissioning, a complete repainting of the superstructures. Routine maintenance and inspections will be carried out as part of the Bureau Veritas classification. During its technical layup, the 'Abeille Bourbon' will be replaced by the 'Abeille Horizon', which has just undergone a maintenance period.
News
KNOSSOS PALACE
On the early morning of March 30, 2ß25, the Tzelepi Port Authority was informed by a crew member of the 'Knossos Palace', that a 75-year-old Greek passenger was found unconscious in the cabin, while the ship was sailing towards the port of Piraeus. Upon the ship's arrival at the port, the passenger was transported by an ambulance to the Piraeus General Hospital Tzaneio, where she was pronounced dead. The 1st Tzelepi Port Department of the Piraeus Central Port Authority, which is conducting the preliminary investigation, ordered an autopsy to be performed at the Piraeus Forensic Service.
JAIRAN
Early on March 29, the 'Jairan', the second of two sanctioned Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) ships, carrying sodium perchlorate from China, was spotted at Bandar Abbas Anchorage in pos. 56.3515 N 26.9960 E, midway between the islands of Qeshm and Hormoz. The vessel appeared to still have containers on deck, and was likely to be awaiting a berth at which to unload within the Bandar Abbas commercial port. The ship is unlikely to move from the Bandar Abbas anchorage until after the Eid festival, which has just started and marks the end of the month of Ramadan in Iran. The Iranian authorities appeared to have taken no particular security measures to safeguard the 'Jairan', which had sailed from Shanghai without port calls and with its AIS identification system switched on, nor did the vessel appear to have an escort whilst awaiting a berth. Once ashore, the sodium perchlorate is likely to be shipped by rail to Tehran, and thence to a processing facility to be converted into ammonium perchlorate. The recent imported cargoes on both the 'Jairan' and the container m/v 'Golbon' (IMO: 9283033) would be sufficient to fuel approximately 250 medium range Khybar-Shikan and Fattah missiles, or shorter range Fateh-110 and Zolfaghar missiles, or their Houthi equivalents.
MAMMADAMINRESULZADEH
The "Mammad Amin Resulzadeh" was detained in Trieste on March 21, 2025, with 16 deficiencies, 6 being regarded as seriously amd grounds for a detention. 1) Certificate & Doc - Certificate for Master and Officers Invalid 2) Certificate & Doc - Manning specified by the minimum safe manning doc Not as required 3) Fire safety - Evaluation of crew performance Lack of training 4) Pollution Prevention - Sewage treatment Not as required 5) Water/Weathertight - Windows, sidescuttles and deadlights Damaged 6) ISM - Ism certificate Not as required The vessel was released again on March 28 and left the port en route to Temryuk with an ETA as of April 4. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063576908591
ANDAMAN SKIES
On March 27, 2025, the, Indian port authorities denied entry to the 'Andaman Skies', which had loaded 767,000 barrels at Murmansk on Feb. 24, and had been due to discharge at Vadinar on March 30. They were citing inadequate documentation and new scrutiny on Russian oil carriers. The tanker lacked certification from a recognized entity, highlighting India's tightened regulation amid U.S. sanctions on Russia. Indian refiners have thus been constrained in buying Russian oil. The ship was loaded with about 10000 tons of Varandey crude oil, to be received by the Indian Oil Corporation. The ship was carrying certification by Dakar Class, which is not recognized by the Indian shipping authorities. At present, the vessel remained in the Arabian Sea between Oman and India, still fully laden, and it appeared to have stopped sailing. The ship’s registered is the Durbeen Navigation Ltd.