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During dredging work by: the 'Innovatie' in the Rhine near the Pfaffendorf Bridge on April 1, 202a5, a 500-kilogram World War II bomb was discovered. The unexploded bomb, which had two intact detonators, was loaded onto the dredger. For safety reasons, the ship was moved to the Moselle Lock in Koblenz. Experts from the Rhineland-Palatinate Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service decided that the bomb could not be relocated. Therefore, the defusing must take place directly on the ship. After extensive investigation, the Gülser Mosel bend was determined to be the most suitable location for defusing. The necessary infrastructure is in place there, and the evacuation effort can be minimized. While approximately 16,000 people would have had to be evacuated from the site where the bomb was found in the Rhine, the number at the chosen defusing site is approximately 1,000. The defusing is planned for April 4. The evacuation area must be cleared by 8:30 a.m. Only after the evacuation is complete can the bomb disposal team begin defusing the bomb on the dredger. Residential accommodations will be provided in Lay for children from the elementary school and daycare center, as well as for other affected individuals. Report with photo: https://www.blick-aktuell.de/Nachrichten/Koblenz-Bombe-muss-auf-Baggerschiff-entschaerft-werden-623511.html

The 'Hanseatic Spirit' with approximately 200 passengers aboard got stuck in the ice on March 30, 2025, after leaving the port of Kemi afterup to 70 centimetres of ice accumulated in the Bothnian Bay. Seven icebreakers are currently in operation to support the merchant ships on their journeys to the Finnish and Swedish ports. Although the "Hanseatic Spirit" also has Polar Class 6 certification for ice navigation, it was unable to cope with the ice barriers off Kemi and Oulu. The Finnish Maritime Administration therefore sent the icebreakers "Kontio" and "Polaris" to the cruise ship, which opened up a channel in the ice and then escorted the "Hanseatic Spirit" southwards out of the ice zone at ten knots. After a transit of about 200 miles, the ice-free part of the Baltic Sea was reached near the port of Lulea. The ship is now on its way back to Hamburg. It is scheduled to pass through the Kiel Canal on April 4, which will also mark the end of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises' last winter cruise of the 2024/2025 season. Report with photos: https://www.cruisehive.com/cruise-ship-rescued-after-getting-stuck-in-the-ice/167582

The norovirus outbreak aboard the 'Queen Mary 2' has left over 224 passengers and 17 crew members ill, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The ship was en route from Southampton, England, through New York and the Caribbean before returning to the UK, having departed on March 8 and being set to return on April 6. The sweeping norovirus outbreak was reported to the CDC on March 18. In response to the outbreak, the ship and crew increased cleaning and disinfection procedures, collected stool specimens for testing and isolated people who had fallen ill.

On March 19, 2025, the 'Alina' was detained in Tulcea with 24 deficiencies, eleven of which being regarded as seriously annd grounds for a detention: 1) Safety of navigation - Charts Not updated 2) Safety of navigation' - Nautical publications Not updated 3) Safety of navigation - Lights, shapes and sound-signals Missing 4) Fire safety - Means of escape Blocked 5) Fire safety - Remote Means of control Inoperative 6) Fire safety - Fire detection and alarm system Inoperative 7) Fire safety - Ready availability of fire fighting equipment Inoperative 8)) Certificate & Doc - Fire safety operational booklet Missing 9) Emergency system - Emergency lighting, batteries and switches Inoperative 10) Emergency system - Fire drills Lack of training 11) ISM - Ism certificate Not as required The vessel was released again on April 1 and remained anchored in Tulcea. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063576908591

Seven castor containers filled with illed with highly radioactive nuclear waste were transferred from the 'Pacific Grebe' to train in Nordenham for transport to Bavaria, after the ship docked in the port on the morning of April 1, 2025, amid protests and a heightened police presence. The nuclear waste is being transported from Sellafieldto a temporary storage unit in Niederaichbach. The waste left the port of Barrow-in-Furness on March 26. The nuclear waste was what remained after the reprocessing of fuel elements from decommissioned German nuclear power plants. The first of the containers, which are four meters long and weigh over 100 tons, was lifted off the "Pacific Grebe" by a large crane and underwent inspection to measure radiation levels and ensure they matched those taken in Sellafield. The port in Nordenham remained sealed off and guarded by heavily armed police, who have thus far reported no incidents, despite a number of protests by anti-atomic energy groups. Further protests are planned along the presumed route of the train carrying the waste over the coming days, including in the cities of Bremen and Göttingen. Report with photo: https://www.dw.com/en/nuclear-waste-returns-to-germany-amid-protests/a-72108958