An drone of the Houthis was intercepted in the Red Sea by the helicopter on board a French frigate, the 'Languedoc' or 'Alsace', which was targeting a merchant ship on March 20, 2024. Both ships were deployed to the Middle East as part of the EU mission Aspides, launched on Feb 19 to protect ships threatened by Yemen's Houthi rebels. The French Army did not specify which frigate had intercepted the drone nor indicated the exact location of the incident. The French navy has already intercepted drones probably fired by the Houthis on several occasions. Report with photos: https://www.leparisien.fr/international/mer-rouge-la-marine-francaise-intercepte-un-nouveau-drone-tire-depuis-le-yemen-20-03-2024-GEW62ZZZCBD3HBGIQYZBJQ6HBI.php
News
VLAARDINGEN
The Zr.Ms. 'Vlaardingen' will be officially decommissionedon March 27, 2024, after 35 years of service with the Dutch Navy. The ship will be donated to Ukraine. The 'Vlaardingen' has been sailing longer than its planned lifespan. Last week, the ship cleared three more aircraft bombs from the bottom of the North Sea. From the summer until the end of 2023, the ship was also part of the permanent flotilla of mine countermeasures vessels SNMCMG1. The mine hunter was active in clearing mines, practicing mine countermeasures in a war situation and conducting patrols to protect the submarine infrastructure. Of the original fifteen mine hunters of the Alkmaar class, which were built in Alblasserdam, four are now still in Dutch service, the Zr.Ms. 'Makkum', 'Schiedam', 'Zierikzee' and 'Willemstad'. The navy will temporarily become a bit smaller, but in France, the Naval Group is building the new Dutch and Belgian mine countermeasures vessels. The 'Vlissingen', the first of the Dutch ships, was launched in 2023 and should enter Dutch service in 2025. In anticipation of this, the 'Vlaardingen' is being taken out of service, because personnel must be available for the new ships.
ABEILLE NORMANDIE
On March 20, 2024, the CROSS Gris-Nez was informed that several migrant boats were in difficulty in the Strait of Pas-de-Calais. In the middle of the night, the CROSS Gris-Nez deployed the 'Ridens' as a rescue ship chartered by the State, to assist a boat in difficulty off the coast of Gravelines. Once on scene, the 'Ridens' noticed that the boat had suffered an engine failure, but initially the castaways refused to be rescued. A few hours later, 23 people requested assistance. The 'Ridens' then took them on board. Several people still on board the boat continued to refuse the assistance offered by French ship and continued on their way after having managed to restart the engine. Given the risks in the event of restrictive actions to force them to board state rescue resources such as falling overboard, thermal shock, various trauma, the choice was made to let them continue their voyage. In connection with the CROSS Gris Nez, surveillance was maintained on this boat by on-site resources. The castaways rescued by the 'Ridens' were then dropped off at the dock at the port of Dunkirk in the middle of the day. Later in the night, the CROSS Gris-Nez engaged the emergency tug 'Abeille Normandie', chartered by the French Navy, to assist another migrant boat off the coast of Sangatte. The crew rescued 64 people before being tasked to assist a second boat in difficulty in the same sector. Once on scene in th earlye morning, several people, including women and young children, asked for assistance. The tug rescued 25 people, but other people still on board again refused to be rescued by French means. In connection with the CROSS Gris Nez, surveillance was maintained on the boat by on-site resources. At the start of the afternoon, the 89 people rescued by the the 'Abeille Normandie' were disembarked at the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer and taken care of by rescue services and the border police. A little earlier in the day, the patrol ship 'Jeanne Barret' was deployed by the CROSS to rescue a sick person on board a migrant boat. The latter, whose state of health was stable, was taken care of on board the 'Jeanne Barret' and then dropped off at the port of Calais.
GUARDAMAR CALIOPE
Two cayucos with on the whole 143 migrants on board received assistance in the waters of the Canary Islands on March 20. The CCS Las Palmas of Salvamento Marítimo deplöyed the 'Guardamar Calíope' to escort one boat with 53 sub-Saharan people on board to Puerto Arguineguín. The CCS Tenerife tasked the 'Salvamar Adhara' to assist another cayuco two nautical miles south of La Restinga. The boat had 90 people on board, among them three 3 minors. It was accompanied to the port of La Restinga. Report with photo: https://twitter.com/salvamentogob/status/1770718418913698202
TRUE CONFIDENCE
The 'True Confidence' is currently being towed in the Gulf of Aden by a UAE-owned tug, sanctioned by the US for supporting Iran, in an attempt to reach Oman. The vessel remains under tow, while the salvage operation has been hampered by several challenges. As of March 21, the ship remained underway with the intention to get the vessel to Duqm, Oman.
FRENCH WARSHIP
A drone of the Houthis was intercepted in the Red Sea by the helicopter on board a French frigate, the 'Languedoc' or 'Alsace', which was targeting a merchant ship on March 20, 2024. Both ships were deployed to the Middle East as part of the EU mission Aspides, launched on Feb 19 to protect ships threatened by Yemen's Houthi rebels. The French Army did not specify which frigate had intercepted the drone nor indicated the exact location of the incident. The French navy has already intercepted drones probably fired by the Houthis on several occasions. Report with photos: https://www.leparisien.fr/international/mer-rouge-la-marine-francaise-intercepte-un-nouveau-drone-tire-depuis-le-yemen-20-03-2024-GEW62ZZZCBD3HBGIQYZBJQ6HBI.php
ROYAL ROMANCE
The Ukraine is planning to auction the seized 'Royal Romance' of ex-MP Medvedchuk with a price tag estimated above 130 million Euros.The market value of the yacht will be determined by the organizer of the auction for its sale, who will be chosen by Ukraine's Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA) after a competition. The insured value of the yacht was €137 million as of 2020. In 2015, the yacht was purchased for approximately €200 million. During these years, the vessel has been used, there is depreciation, so it was unlikely that the same amount can be expected at the time of sale. However, according to the documents that were seized during the arrest in 2022 and are currently kept by the Croatian police, in 2020 the yacht was insured for €137 million. The future auction organizer will hire an appraiser and officially determine the starting price of the 'Royal Romance', at which the asset will be put up for sale. The money from the sale of the yacht will go to the budget for strengthening defense capabilities. An English auction will be held, which will be announced again in the event of absence of buyers. The yacht has been under the management of ARMA for sale since April 2022. It took 1,5 years to approve the mechanism for its sale abroad, because it is impossible to deliver the yacht to Ukraine due to the war. In December 2022, ARMA had confirmation from four international auction houses that they were interested in selling the 'Royal Romance'. Ukraine handed over Medvedchuk to Russia in September 2022 in exchange for 200 soldiers captured in Mariupol.
RIDENS
On March 20, 2024, the CROSS Gris-Nez was informed that several migrant boats were in difficulty in the Strait of Pas-de-Calais. In the middle of the night, the CROSS Gris-Nez deployed the 'Ridens' as a rescue ship chartered by the State, to assist a boat in difficulty off the coast of Gravelines. Once on scene, the 'Ridens' noticed that the boat had suffered an engine failure, but initially the castaways refused to be rescued. A few hours later, 23 people requested assistance. The 'Ridens' then took them on board. Several people still on board the boat continued to refuse the assistance offered by French ship and continued on their way after having managed to restart the engine. Given the risks in the event of restrictive actions to force them to board state rescue resources such as falling overboard, thermal shock, various trauma, the choice was made to let them continue their voyage. In connection with the CROSS Gris Nez, surveillance was maintained on this boat by on-site resources. The castaways rescued by the 'Ridens' were then dropped off at the dock at the port of Dunkirk in the middle of the day. Later in the night, the CROSS Gris-Nez engaged the emergency tug 'Abeille Normandie', chartered by the French Navy, to assist another migrant boat off the coast of Sangatte. The crew rescued 64 people before being tasked to assist a second boat in difficulty in the same sector. Once on scene in th earlye morning, several people, including women and young children, asked for assistance. The tug rescued 25 people, but other people still on board again refused to be rescued by French means. In connection with the CROSS Gris Nez, surveillance was maintained on the boat by on-site resources. At the start of the afternoon, the 89 people rescued by the the 'Abeille Normandie' were disembarked at the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer and taken care of by rescue services and the border police. A little earlier in the day, the patrol ship 'Jeanne Barret' was deployed by the CROSS to rescue a sick person on board a migrant boat. The latter, whose state of health was stable, was taken care of on board the 'Jeanne Barret' and then dropped off at the port of Calais.
CUYAHOGA
The fire on the 'Cuyahoga' in Ashtabula Harbor on the afternoon of March 15 caused severe damage, but large sections of the ship remained unscathed, as well as six other ships in port. The Ashtabula Fire Department was alerted at around 1:20 p.m. Black smoke was billowing from the cargo hold when firefighters arrived on the scene. A conveyer-belt system, which was used to unload the ship, caught fire as well. More than 20 firefighters from Ashtabula, Ashtabula Township, Saybrook Township and Geneva battled the blaze. There were 24 workers on board and 15 crew members were preparing the vessel to be moved to Erie for more repair work. The vessel was docked in the western portion of the property northeast of the Ashtabula Lift Bridge. Firefighters arriving on the scene made their way through the property to get close enough to the ship to fight the blaze. An Ashtabula ladder truck set up on the western side of the ship to fight the blaze and fire engines from numerous area companies responded to the fire. The conveyor belt continued to burn well into the evening. By 6 p.m., 350,000 gallons of water had been used to battle the blaze. 21 firefighters from the Ashtabula, Saybrook, Geneva and Ashtabula Township fire departments used 300,000 gallons of water and 75,000 gallons of environmentally-friendly foam. The fire was finally put out at 11.25 p.m. A salvage company was expected to help remove the water and figure out how to dispose of the material. The cause of the fire was under investigation. The U.S. Coast Guard and the Natioan Safety Department were also investigating the incident. Report with photos: https://www.firerescue1.com/fireground-operations/firefighters-from-4-ohio-fds-battle-cargo-ship-blaze
MADO
Yemen's Houthi Rebels claimed attacks targeting the 'Mado’ in the Gulf of Aden. The vessel was twice targeted by Houthi missiles on March 15 and March 17, 2024, with the attacks both times missing the vessel. The missile fired on March 17 missed the ship only by 200 meters. The LPG tanker was heading to Singapore from Yanbu in Saudi Arabia at the time of the attacks.
QUEENSCLIFF
The 'Queenscliff' assisted a snórkelling boat which had suffered a suspected engine bay fire on March 20, 2024, at about 8:30 a.m. 22 passengers, including school students, were on board at that time. The ferry and a Parks Victoria vessel quickly responded, when the engine stopped working and a small amount of smoke was detected, and all passengers were safely evacuated onto the ferry. Nobody was injured. Among them was a group of year eight and nine students who were attending a two-day outdoor education camp in Queenscliff on board the snorkelling boat The skipper was then able to get the engine started again and returned to the harbour. Police were investigating the exact circumstances surrounding the fire, but it was not being treated as suspicious.
JEANNE BARRET
On March 20, 2024, the CROSS Gris-Nez was informed that several migrant boats were in difficulty in the Strait of Pas-de-Calais. In the middle of the night, the CROSS Gris-Nez deployed the 'Ridens' as a rescue ship chartered by the State, to assist a boat in difficulty off the coast of Gravelines. Once on scene, the 'Ridens' noticed that the boat had suffered an engine failure, but initially the castaways refused to be rescued. A few hours later, 23 people requested assistance. The 'Ridens' then took them on board. Several people still on board the boat continued to refuse the assistance offered by French ship and continued on their way after having managed to restart the engine. Given the risks in the event of restrictive actions to force them to board state rescue resources such as falling overboard, thermal shock, various trauma, the choice was made to let them continue their voyage. In connection with the CROSS Gris Nez, surveillance was maintained on this boat by on-site resources. The castaways rescued by the 'Ridens' were then dropped off at the dock at the port of Dunkirk in the middle of the day. Later in the night, the CROSS Gris-Nez engaged the emergency tug 'Abeille Normandie', chartered by the French Navy, to assist another migrant boat off the coast of Sangatte. The crew rescued 64 people before being tasked to assist a second boat in difficulty in the same sector. Once on scene in th earlye morning, several people, including women and young children, asked for assistance. The tug rescued 25 people, but other people still on board again refused to be rescued by French means. In connection with the CROSS Gris Nez, surveillance was maintained on the boat by on-site resources. At the start of the afternoon, the 89 people rescued by the the 'Abeille Normandie' were disembarked at the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer and taken care of by rescue services and the border police. A little earlier in the day, the 'Jeanne Barret' was deployed by the CROSS to rescue a sick person on board a migrant boat. The latter, whose state of health was stable, was taken care of on board the 'Jeanne Barret' and then dropped off at the port of Calais.
SALVAMAR ADHARA
Two cayucos with on the whole 143 migrants on board received assistance in the waters of the Canary Islands on March 20. The CCS Las Palmas of Salvamento Marítimo deplöyed the 'Guardamar Calíope' to escort one boat with 53 sub-Saharan people on board to Puerto Arguineguín. The CCS Tenerife tasked the 'Salvamar Adhara' to assist another cayuco two nautical miles south of La Restinga. The boat had 90 people on board, among them three 3 minors. It was accompanied to the port of La Restinga. Report with photo: https://twitter.com/salvamentogob/status/1770718418913698202
KEOYOUNG SUN
Coast Guard officials said the 'Heoyoung Sun' was carrying 980 tons of acrylic acid, when it capsized off southwestern Japan’s Honshu main island, about 620 miles from Tokyo, but no leaks have yet been reported. However, officials were studying what environmental protection measures may be needed in case there was a leak. Meanwhile eight people became victims of the accident, as one rescued man died in hospital. Another person, an Indonesian crew member, was in non-life-threatening condition, while two others remained missing with the SAR operation ongoing. The tanker finally wnet down ni the run of the day. Report, video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0KhtvnoSFg https://std.stheadline.com/realtime/article/1988052/%E5%8D%B3%E6%99%82-%E5%9C%8B%E9%9A%9B-%E5%8D%97%E9%9F%93%E8%BC%89%E5%8C%96%E5%AD%B8%E5%93%81%E8%B2%A8%E8%88%B9%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E6%B5%B7%E5%9F%9F%E7%BF%BB%E8%A6%86-%E5%A2%9E%E8%87%B38%E4%BA%BA%E9%81%87%E9%9B%A3
LMS LAXAPANA
Beached at Chittagong 15.03.24 https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=901979365052943&set=a.518272956756921
VLADIMIR ZAKHARENKO
On March 19, 2024 one of the mobile cranes at the Seltaş Shipyard in Altınova toppled over the 'Vladimir Zakharenko' during a nighttime loading operation. The crane operator who was caught under the crane died in the accident. The ship had berthed at the shipyard on March 4 at 8 a.m. Report with photo: https://www.focuseatv.com/one-crane-overturned-at-seltas-shipyard-the-crane-operator-died