On April 30, 2025, 469 kilos of cocaine were found aboard the 'Ceci' in San Lorenzo. The ship's cook was arrested on May 2 by the Federal Guarantee Judge Carlos Vera Barros, who also ordered the 20 Filipinmo crew members to remain on the vessel. They will not be allowed to leave the port of San Lorenzo while the investigation was continued. They were brought to an arraignment hearing in the Federal Courts of Rosario. Before Guarantee Judge Carlos Vera Barros, federal prosecutors primarily charged the vessel's cook, who was remanded in custody. The, federal prosecutors Claudio Kishimoto and Francisco Bernhardt, together with the Procunar (National Prosecutor's Office), ordered measures to further investigate a line of investigation publicly presented by the Minister of National Security, Patricia Bullrich: that the cocaine was transported on a boat that provides food to the ship. One of these measures was to request video surveillance cameras in the area and inspect warehouses for material of interest. There were no elements that implicated the port of Vicentin with the drugs. The vessel's captain was important in the procedure, as he was the one who reported the strange packages in the cold storage, with a market value of $6 million. The ship had been inspected that same morning, and after that inspection, the food supplier boarded the ship to the place where the drugs were ultimately found. Another point to be elucidated was the destination of the drugs. Although the ship's final destination was Amsterdam, it had previously stopped in Montevideo. However, it was assumed that during the voyage, it was to be thrown into the water to be collected. In this context, it became relevant that one of the 16 packages had GPS and nets, elements to lower the cocaine into the sea or river. Investigators would evaluate the possibility that the drugs had been loaded on Argentine territory. However, there was also the possibility that they had been collected in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. There were traces of salt water inside the packages which were protected by several materials that would guarantee the substance's impermeability. The drug packages were stored inside waterproof bags. The ship remained stationary in San Lorenzo as of May 15. Report with photos: https://www.infobae.com/sociedad/policiales/2025/05/03/casi-500-kilos-de-cocaina-en-un-barco-el-cocinero-del-buque-quedo-preso/
News
BLINT
There was a major incident off the coast of Estonia in the Gulf of Finland on May 14, 2025, as the Estonian Navy attempted to detain the'Jaguar', operated by the Russian shadow fleet and sailing under the flag of Gabon. With the Estonian Defense Force and Border Guard deploying an AgustaWestland AW139 Helicopter, M28 Skytruck Maritime Patrol Aircraft, and an EML Raju Patrol Boat to intercept and halt the ship, which refused to follow orders to halt or change course towards Estonia. The Russian Air Force eventually deployed a Su-35S to fly over the tanker in an attempt to scare away the Estonians, who in the process violated Estonia’s Airspace over the Gulf of Finland. The tanker appeared to be anchored near the Island of Gogland in the eastern Gulf of Finland and subsequently proceeded to Russian waters and anchored near Gogland Island before proceeding towards Primorsk with an ETA as of May 15. Report with video: https://gcaptain.com/russian-jet-buzzes-estonian-forces-in-gulf-of-finland-shadow-tanker-showdown/
MY AMADEA
Eduard Khudainatov, the former CEO of the Russian state-owned oil conglomerate Rosneft, has filed an appeal to the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit over his claim to the 'May Amadea', which US authorities seized in 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The development came after a US judge ruled in March that Khudainatov could not plausibly claim ownership of the luxury yacht, effectively granting the US Justice Department permission to sell the vessel at auction.
LUCKY BROTHER
On May 6, 2025, thd 'Lucky Brother' was detained in Gemlik with 25 deficiencies, 15 of which being regarded as seriously and grounds for a detention: 1) Certificate & Doc - Oil record book Not as required 2) Safety of navigation - Charts Expired 3) Structural conditions - Decks, cracking Damaged 4) Structural conditions - Bulkhead - corrosion Damaged 5) Fire safety - Fire doors /openings in fire resisting division Unsafe 6) Fire safety - Jacketed high pressure lines and oil leakage alarm Inoperative 7) Fire safety - Other (Fire safety) Other 8)) Life saving Appliances - Buoyant apparatus Not as required 9) Life saving Appliances - Lifeboats inventory Not as required 10) LIving and working - Cleanliness of engine room Insufficient 12) Water/Weathertight - Ventilators, airpipes and casings Cracked. 13) Propulsion and auxiliary machinery - Bilge pumping arrangements Not as required 14) Emergency systems - Emergency fire pumps and its pips Not properly maintained 15)ISM - Ism certificate Not as required The vessel was released again on May 12 and dropped anchor off Pendik in pos. 40° 52' N 029° 12' E. It showed the destination Kartal with an ETA as of May 13 and remained stationary as of May 14. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063576908591
PUSHPA
The sanctioned 'Kiwala', which was detained in Estonia for operating without a valid flag state registration, being suspected to be part of the Russan “shadow fleet” used to circumvent international sanctions, was released, after Djibouti agreed to register the vessel temporarily. The ship weighed anchor on April 26 and headed to the Russian port Ust-Luga, where it arrived on April 29.