Beached at Alang 13.11.24 https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10160691417815036&set=gm.10163611029303943&idorvanity=6884293942
News
HMNZS MANAWANUI
The New Zealand Defence Force is closing in on an operation to remove the fuel from the 'Manawanui'. The service has revised its defueling plan and secured approval from the Samoan authorities to proceed, and was in final talks with a commercial salvor. Once the fuel removal contract has been finalized, the salvor will be mobilizing equipment and personnel to Samoa to remove the fuel and other pollutants from the ship. The Royal New Zealand Navy has rotated in a new group of personnel on the ground in Samoa to monitor the wreck and assist with the operation. The vessel's main fuel tanks have remained intact, and the service was keeping up daily drone surveillance of the site. After NZDF conducted a site visit on Nov 5 with the salvor and Samoan authorities, the plans for extracting the fuel from Manawanui's tanks were adjusted and finalized. The NZDF convened a formal Court of Inquiry on the sinking, and on Nov 13, the service announced that it had received the court's interim factfinding report. In a statement, Chief of Navy Rear Admiral Garin Golding said the court had made good progress and was on track with interviews and evidence gathering. The interim report will be analyzed by a government legal team, and some of its details will be released to the public later in November. The final report, which will include the court's conclusions, is expected by the end of Feb 2025.
BAROY
The 'Barøy' suffered a fire while she was docked at Bognes in Hamarøy municipality on the foremidday of Nov 14, 2024. The emergency services have rushed to the scene, and the fire service got it under control.There must have been an explosion in a charging unit in a board. There was no fire in the battery pack. The power has been cut, so there was no danger of deterioration, but there is a lot of smoke. The fire brigade has started ventilation. There qwre no passengers on board. One person may have inhaled some smoke, and was checked by health personnel. All the crew members who were on board have been accounted for. The police was investigating at the scene.
DING HENG 27
On Nov 7, 2024, the ‚Ding Heng 27’, with 18 crew members on board and carrying 800 tons of petrol, was in danger of running aground on the PNG side of the Great Berrier Reef off Kupiano, after it suffered an engine failure. The PNG authorities quickly responded, as darkness was falling and currents and winds were pushing the tanker towards the reef. The RMC’s marine team along with the crew made up 20 minor alterations to the ship’s trim and heading to ensure it kept off the reef. The deployment of a small improvised drogue with the ship’s crane altered the heading along with the bow thruster. This action brought the drift direction from 320 degrees down to the desired clearance bearing of 275 degrees over the ground. The ship was finally towed into Port Moresby by the tug ‘Svitzer Tusker’ on Nov 11. Report with photo: https://www.postcourier.com.pg/authorities-prevent-environmental-disaster/
SPAR INDUS
On the morning of Nov 13, 2024, at 1.09 a.m. the “Spar Indus”, with 21 crew members on board, ran aground in the Gulf of Arauco, in the Bio Bio region, about 3.5 nautical miles southeast of Punta Cochinos, Santa Maria Island, in pos. 37° 03' N 073° 10' W, when the vessel was entering the Gulf of Arauco through the Boca Chica sector, en route from the port of Santos to the Cabo Froward port in Coronel, for the unloading of bulk cargo. The Maritime Governorate of Talcahuano activated the respective protocols, which considered the deployment of the “Talcahuano”, the Patrol Boat 2504, together with a group of divers to inspect the hull, whjo found no structural damages. No oil spill and no injuries were reported. Reports with photos: https://www.biobiochile.cl/noticias/nacional/region-del-bio-bio/2024/11/13/buque-mercante-noruego-spar-indus-varo-en-el-golfo-de-arauco.shtml https://www.diarioconcepcion.cl/ciudad/2024/11/13/el-buque-mercante-spar-indus-varo-en-isla-santa-maria-mientras-ingresaba-al-golfo-de-arauco.html https://portalportuario.cl/investigan-motivos-por-los-que-varo-un-bulk-carrier-en-ingreso-al-golfo-de-arauco/
MV CONFEDERATION
After several weeks with no ferries crossing the Northumberland Strait between P.E.I. and Nova Scotia,, the 'Confederation'could return to service on Dec 6, the company said on Nov 13, provided that the repairs to the vesse after the allision with the wharf in Wood Islands, P.E.I., on Sep. 15, leaving a hole in one of its bow visors, are completed on schedule. The company had been exploring bringing back the ferry without its bow visor, but a risk assessment had determined that scenario created a safety risk of high consequence because this piece of equipment renders the vehicle decks watertight. The shipyard in Pictou expected to repair the bow visor by Dec. 3, Assuming this occurs, the 'Confederation' will return to service Dec. 6. If the remaining work is completed earlier than Dec. 3, the ship will return to service as soon as safely possible to do so and then operate four round trips daily until the end of the sailing season on Dec. 20.
YU ZHOU QI HANG
Taiwan has rejected allegations by China on Nov. 13, that it turned down requests by the “Yu Zhou Qi Hang” to seek shelter in Keelung Port before the typhoon hit. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) alleged the crew had asked to return to Keelung before Typhoon Kong-rey arrived, but Taiwan’s Maritime and Port Bureau replied they had made no such request, The crew wanted to leave Keelung before the typhoon and decided on their direction by themselves, the bureau said. Since the ship was carrying at least 290 tons of oil products, efforts were launched to prevent an oil spill from affecting the New Taipei coastline. However, since Nov. 2, several attempts at pumping out the oil were abandoned due to rough weather. The Ministry of Transportation wanted a new try to go ahead on Nov. 14, with the task to be completed within two weeks. The necessary equipment has been affixed to the “Yu Zhou Qi Hang,” but the approach of another typhoon, Usagi, might complicate the work. The Central Weather Administration was expected to issue sea warnings for the storm early on Nov 14, with land warnings likely to follow later in the day at the earliest.
LADY LUCIANA
A 34-year-old man serving a prison sentence for the hijacking of the 'FWN Rapide', and subsequent hostage-taking of the crew, was arrested again on Nov 12, 2024. He will stand trial again, this time for the hijacking of the German m/v 'BBC Caribbean', now sailing as 'Kimberly', in the Gulf of Guinea in 2017. The convicted man's DNA profile was found to match a DNA trace from Germany. This was a trace on a cigarette butt found on board the freighter. The BBC Caribbean was attacked in international waters on Feb 5, 2017, by pirates armed with AK47 Kalashnikovs. During the hijacking, eight crew members were overpowered and held for weeks in Nigeria under threat of violence. Three crew members had managed to hide on board and were not discovered by the pirates. With a new crew, they sailed the 'BBC Caribbean' to the port of Las Palmas. There, among other things, abandoned cartridge cases of 9mm bullets, 7 cigarette butts, fingerprints and DNA traces were secured. The hostage crew members were taken under threat of automatic firearms in a wooden skiff to the mainland of Nigeria. According to statements from the victims, the pirates celebrated their success on the way with alcohol, pills and marijuana, repeatedly shooting into the air. The pirates were met with jubilation and more shots in the air at a makeshift shelter further in the Niger Delta. The investigation into the hijacking of the 'FWN Rapide', which was attacked on the high seas en route to Nigeria, led to the arrest of the leader of the pirates in South Africa in 2018. In the criminal proceedings that followed his extradition to the Netherlands, the man was sentenced to a prison term of eight years and six months by the Rotterdam District Court in 2022. There was no appeal. In consultation with the German authorities, the Netherlands has made an additional request to South Africa to also prosecute the man for the hostage-taking of the crew of the' BBC Caribbean' and the hijacking of the ship. Based on the German, translated investigation file, the Dutch Public Prosecution Service (OM) has compiled a case file for the Rotterdam District Court. The suspect arrested this week by detectives from the National Expertise and Operations Unit (LX) was remanded in custody for two weeks by the examining magistrate in the new criminal case on Nov 14.
MV ONGIARA
The 'Ongiara' was pulled from service on Nov 11, 2024, due to a minor issue, which was not expected to take long to fix. While there was no timeline for how long the city expected the repairs wopuld take, the Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said it should be operational in a matter of days. On Nov 12, work vans sat on its deck as mechanics worked to fix the mechanical issue.
GIRAGLIA
On the afternoon of Nov 13, 2024, the 'Giraglia', which connects Santa Teresa Gallura with Bonifacio, suffered an engine failure at the berth in Santa Teresa di Gallura. The ferry will be out of service for several days. There was no replacement ship provided for by the territorial continuity agreement, because the 'Ichnusa' has not been operating since Oct 31 because the seasonal agreement expired, and entered a shipyard for maintenance work. During the entire tourist season, the 'Ichnusa' had made up for continuous breakdowns of the 'Giraglia' There have been numerous protests from those who were unable to return home and had to rent boats in Bonifacio to get to Santa Teresa, leaving their vehicle at the port of departure. Since the afternoon, Sardinia and Corsica are connected only once a week from Porto Torres.
CAROLE B
The Petersburg volunteer firefighters put out a blaze on the US flagged fishing vessel 'Carole B' in the community’s South Harbor on Nov 13, 2024, at around 7:00 p.m. Nobody was aboard the vessel when it caught fire, and no one was hurt in the response. At around 5:30 p.m., a local volunteer EMT who was passing through the area noticed smoke and flames erupting from the vessel’s galley. They called the police, who summoned two fire engines and 15 firefighters, as well as an ambulance and a PVFD work truck. Once on the scene, the crew moved an adjacent ship away. Altogether, it took them about an hour and a half to completely extinguish the fire. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation, while it was suspected that it was started by a miniature heater onboard. The extent of the damage inside the vessel was currently unknown, but there was extensive smoke damage.
HEBRIDEAN PRINCESS
The UK MAIB has issued an investigation report on the incident of the girting and capsize of the tug 'Biter', while assisting the 'Hebridean Princess' on Feb 24, 2023. At 3.27 p.m., the twin screw tug capsized off Greenock, while attached to the stern of the 'Hebridean Princess', which was making its approach to James Watt Dock. The two crew members of the tug were unable to escape from the vessel and lost their lives. The investigation found that the accident happened because the tug was unable to reverse direction to operate directly astern of the 'Hebridean Princess' before the tug’s weight came onto the towing bridle and, when this happened, the tug’s gob rope did not prevent it from being towed sideways. The investigation also found that the 'Hebridean Princess'’s speed meant the load on the 'Biter'’s towlines was between two and five times greater than at the port’s recommended speed range. Thereafter, given the tug’s rapid capsize, it was unlikely that the tug crew had sufficient time to operate the emergency tow release mechanism. Once the tug was inverted, the open accommodation hatch might have prevented air from being trapped inside the wheelhouse, potentially limiting the crew’s chance of survival. The investigation also found that the master/pilot and pilot/tug information exchanges were incomplete and that the opportunity to correct the pilot’s assumption about Biter’s intended manoeuvre was lost. Further analysis indicated that the training provided had not adequately prepared the pilot for their role and that it was likely the tug master did not fully appreciate the risks associated with the manoeuvre. Full report: https://safety4sea.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/UKMAIB-Biter-HebrideanPrincess-2024_11.pdf
KIMBERLY
A 34-year-old man serving a prison sentence for the hijacking of the Dutch 'FWN Rapide', and subsequent hostage-taking of the crew, was arrested again on Nov 12, 2024. He will stand trial again, this time for the hijacking of the 'BBC Caribbean', now sailing as 'Kimberly', in the Gulf of Guinea in 2017. The convicted man's DNA profile was found to match a DNA trace from Germany. This was a trace on a cigarette butt found on board the freighter. The BBC Caribbean was attacked in international waters on Feb 5, 2017, by pirates armed with AK47 Kalashnikovs. During the hijacking, eight crew members were overpowered and held for weeks in Nigeria under threat of violence. Three crew members had managed to hide on board and were not discovered by the pirates. With a new crew, they sailed the 'BBC Caribbean' to the port of Las Palmas. There, among other things, abandoned cartridge cases of 9mm bullets, 7 cigarette butts, fingerprints and DNA traces were secured. The hostage crew members were taken under threat of automatic firearms in a wooden skiff to the mainland of Nigeria. According to statements from the victims, the pirates celebrated their success on the way with alcohol, pills and marijuana, repeatedly shooting into the air. The pirates were met with jubilation and more shots in the air at a makeshift shelter further in the Niger Delta. The investigation into the hijacking of the 'FWN Rapide', which was attacked on the high seas en route to Nigeria, led to the arrest of the leader of the pirates in South Africa in 2018. In the criminal proceedings that followed his extradition to the Netherlands, the man was sentenced to a prison term of eight years and six months by the Rotterdam District Court in 2022. There was no appeal. In consultation with the German authorities, the Netherlands has made an additional request to South Africa to also prosecute the man for the hostage-taking of the crew of the' BBC Caribbean' and the hijacking of the ship. Based on the German, translated investigation file, the Dutch Public Prosecution Service (OM) has compiled a case file for the Rotterdam District Court. The suspect arrested this week by detectives from the National Expertise and Operations Unit (LX) was remanded in custody for two weeks by the examining magistrate in the new criminal case on Nov 14.
SAN PAWL
On the morning of Nov 13, 2024, at 7.30 a.m. the 'San Pawl' allided with a boat at the Mġarr harbour after the ferry started drifting towards a row of smaller, moored boats off Triq Ix-Xatt Ghajnsielem. A minor technical problem of the ferry was resolved by the crew on the spot. The high-speed vessel was not damaged and was inspected by Transport Malta officials. Report with photo and video: https://timesofmalta.com/article/fast-ferry-crashes-boat-moored-mgarr-harbour-no-one-injured.1100945