The 'Galaxy Leader' and its crew are in the hands of the brothers in the Hamas resistance movement and the Al-Qassam Brigades. We have no claims of our own regarding this vessel,” Houthi spokesman Nasr Al-Din Amer said on March 14, and hope was fading for the imminent return of the international crew of the ship. A senior Filipino diplomat saying he did not expect a release until the war in Gaza is over, while the Houthis said, the fate of the sailors was now in Hamas’ hands.On Board were 17 Filipinos, two Bulgarians, three Ukrainians, two Mexicans and a Romanian hostage. 116 days since the hijacking, there was no indication that the Houthis were open to releasing them until the hostilities have ended. The word from the Houthiswas that they will keep holding the ship, and all the crew, until we see an end to the hostilities in Gaza, said Eduardo de Vega, the Filipino foreign affairs official. “It will be difficult for any government to recognize a government which attacks ships on the sea,” said de Vega. So, he said, “there is no point to negotiate, except to ensure humane conditions for the hostages."
News
OPEN ARMS
The jamming of GPS signals could explain why the 'Open Arms' appeared near Beirut on monitoring platforms on March 14. But the reality seems quite different, and the 'Open Arms' did not take a detour in straight lines, taking it from the Mediterranean to Beirut and then back on its route south. GPS jamming could prevent the ship from picking up signals favouring its location. Open Arms dod not maintain contact with the vessel for security reasons. Jamming refers to the phenomenon of freezing of a GPS signal, which no longer responds and the location is lost. Spoofing (“usurpation”) refers to interference that causes the location to change. The NGOÜ ship has use a maritime corridor between Cyprus and the Gaza Strip, a distance of 370 km, to bring aid to the population of the enclave, against the backdrop of a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, and it should take several days to arrive at an unidentified unloading point on the coast of Gaza. There, the aid must be delivered to a pier built for this purpose by the World Central association. On March 15, the ship was observed one mile off the Gaza coast. Reports with photos: https://efe.com/mundo/2024-03-15/envio-mar-comida-gaza/ https://www.lorientlejour.com/article/1371445/lopen-arms-charge-de-200-tonnes-de-vivres-pour-gaza-a-t-il-fait-escale-a-beyrouth-.html
ENERGOS FORCE
The ''Energos Force' moored in the Stade industrial port, en route from Rotterdam, on the morning of March 15, 2024. A large contingent of police accompanied the ship on the Elbe. There was a protest with two inflatable boats. The four inmates expressed their protest” against the LNG terminal. The police picked up those involved a little later in the port of Kollmar. The "Energos Force" did not yet have any gas on board. According to the operator Deutsche Energie Terminal-Gesellschaft (DET), a test phase for the floating LNG terminal was initially underway. The terminal is then expected to supply gas to five million households per year. The "Energos Force" is the third of four ships chartered by the federal government to handle LNG tankers in the North Sea area in Stade, Wilhelmshaven and Brunsbüttel. The arrival was regarded as an important milestone in the district for security of supply and stabilization of gas prices in Germany and Europe. The district is also strengthening its position as an industrial and chemical location. The construction of the pier in Stade is considered the largest water-side construction project in Germany's ports. In addition to the floating terminal, the construction of an LNG terminal is planned in Stade and scheduled to be completed in 2027. Report with audio: https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/niedersachsen/lueneburg_heide_unterelbe/Protest-begleitet-Ankunft-von-neuem-LNG-Terminal-in-Stade,energosforce100.html
OCEAN VIKING
On March 13 the 'Ocean Viking' rescued 25 survivors from a rubber dinghy which had been drifting for days without food or water on the crossing from Libya after an engine failure. According to reports from survivors, at least 60 people on the boat died, including several women and at least one child. The inflatable boat set off from Sawija eight days ago. The “Ocean Viking” spotted it in the Libyan SAR zone. Tthe “Ocean Viking” then took 201 more people on board in two further rescue operations on MArch 13 and March 14. The Italian authorities assigned the ship to Ancona as a safe port
MV BEAUTIFUL STARS
After a very long hiatus, the Roble Shipping is finally back in the Cebu to Baybay City, Leyte and v.v. Route to serve the people of Baybay and its neighbouring towns with the 'Beautiful Stars', which was acquired by the company in 2008 as the first roro vessel that was ever deployed on the route until a barge sunk and submerged near the roro ramp area amid the Typhoon Odette in Dec 2021. This making it difficult for bigger ships to dock in the Baybay City port. After the barge was removed, the ship could safely dock again.
BEHSHAD
The 'Behshad', owned by Iran's Rahbaran Omid Darya Ship Management Co., has been accused of playing a central role in disruptions to commercial maritime traffic in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, and of being a source for vital information for the Houthis. It was even suspected of having sabotaged submarine cables in the Red Sea when damage was noted to these infrastructures used for the transit of Internet data. The ship was nearby at the time of the incident. Even the USA seemed to be convinced that the 'Behshad' is not just a simple cargo ship. The vessel was the target of an American cyberattack which temporarily paralyzed it in February. Two weeks later, it was operational again. The official Iranian version – that it is a commercial ship – is difficult to swallow for experts. It is, for example, far too equipped for a commercial cargo ship. In Jan 2024, it left the Red Sea enroute to the Gulf of Aden and then positioned itself about 100 kilometers from the coast of Djibouti and began zizaging in the Gulf of Aden. The arrival of the ship in the Gulf of Aden coincided with a sharp increase in attacks on ships in this area. The 'Behshad' is thus suspected of crisscrossing the area in search of potential targets for the Houthis and sending them geolocation data so that they can strike right.
TRUE CONFIDENCE
The two remaining Filipino crew members of the 'True Confidence' returned to the Philippines on MArch 14. They arrived via a chartered medical evacuation flight at 6:45 a.m. They had suffered serious injuries in the missile attack but they were cleared fit for travel by medical authorities in Djibouti on March 13. The two were taken to a hospital where they have been reunited with their families and will continue their recovery. They requested privacy. On March 12, a first batch of 11 Filipino crew members was repatriated. One of them had minor injuries. Two Filipinos were killed and three were severely injured in the attack. The remains of the two Filipino seafarers were expected to be retrieved soon as their ship has reached Oman under tow.
SALVAMAR AL NAIR
The 'Salvamar Nair' has rescues 45 people of ;Maghrebin orgin, among them six minors, who were trying to reach Lanzarote in a boat, which was located in the afternoon of March 14, by the vehicles carrier 'Grande Gabón' (IMO: 9437933 ), that was sailing to the northeast of the island on its route from SDurban to the port of Vigo. The crew notified the JRCC of Salvamento Marítimo. The migrants were taken on board by the 'Salvamar Al Nair' and taken to the port of Arrecife at around 8:30 p.m. (Canary time).
FLOATING BRIDGE 6
The 'Floating Bridge 6' is set to be replaced, the council has confirmed. The £3.5m chain ferry, which crosses the River Medina between Cowes and East Cowes, has been plagued with issues since it was installed in 2017. The council's executive cabinet unanimously agreed to replace the ship. It will now work with consultants 3S which recently found a replacement vessel would have to be redesigned. Options would be researched and brought back to the council before a new ferry was purchased. The executive body agreed previous information, gathered by the council in multiple reports and reviews over the years, should be used to inform the next stages of replacing the vessel.
CG TIGER SHARK
The search for a missing boater has been suspended by the US Coast Guard after the 'Linedout' crashed into a rig off the coast of Grand Isle on March 12, 2024. The boat had issued a distress call after taking on water near ship shoal 87 with two people still aboard and a third man overboard. The USCG sent out a helicopter aircrew and a 45-foot response boat to rescue the two onboard and started searching for the third. The lift boat 'Gloria' also responded and was able to retrieve the two injured boaters. he chopper crew saw no visual trace of the missing man and airlifted the two injured individuals from the liftboat, who were taken to a hospital in New Orleans conscious and responsive. Search efforts continued until March 14 around 1:20 p.m. Crews had searched more than 30 hours and over 926 square miles involving the - U.S. Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans MH-60 Jayhawk; - U.S. Coast Guard Aviation Training Center HC-144 Ocean Sentry; - U.S. Coast Guard Cutter 'Tiger Shark'; - U.S. Coast Guard Station Grand Isle 45-foot boat; - Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
SALVAMAR BETELGEUSE
On March 14 the 'Salvamar Betelgeuse' towe the Spanish flagged fishing boat 'Dexo' to A Coruña. The ship had been disabled and adrift between the estuaries of Coruña and Ferrol, because it had a rope tangled in the propeller. Report with video: https://twitter.com/salvamentogob/status/1768321717250691098
JENNIFER
The 'Jennifer' has arrived on March 13, 2024, at Larnaca Port, en route from Rhodes, and was expected to depart for Gaza on March 15 to transport 500 tons of humanitarian aid, which arrived from abroad by air at Larnaca Airport, Glafkos Clerides, and was then transferred to a warehouse at Larnaca Port. The humanitarian aid included sugar, flour, pasta, canned goods, and milk. Scanners have been placed at Larnaca Port, operated by specialized personnel from Israel. Necessary checks of the humanitarian aid were conducted for security reasons, and then the specially packaged pallets were to be loaded onto the ship. The ship was estimated to reach Gaza in 36 hours. Due to the seabed’s topography, the ship will wait for the unloading of the humanitarian aid carried by the “Open Arms” and the barge 'MMS Aris' to be completed. Then, the goods will be unloaded to the barge to be transported to the shore. Report with photos: https://in-cyprus.philenews.com/in-cyprus/second-ship-carrying-humanitarian-aid-to-depart-for-gaza-tomorrow/
OPEN ARMS
The 'Open Arms' with a barge carrying 200 tons of much-needed food aid was slowly sailing toward the Gaza Strip. The current voyage is the first of several planned as part of a maritime aid corridor to the Gaza Strip. The ship was slowly sailing south of the coast of Israel on March 14. On March 13, Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos said a second aid ship with bigger capacity was being prepared at a virtual meeting on the maritime corridor with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and senior ministers and officials from the UK, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, the European Union and the United Nations. The ministers agreed that there was no meaningful substitute to land routes via Egypt and Jordan and entry points from Israel into Gaza for aid delivery at scale. They also called on Israel to open the port of Ashdod, which lies north of Gaza, for aid deliveries. Since the beginning of the war on Oct 7, 2023, 303,930 tons of aid have been delivered to Gaza, according to COGAT, the Israeli military body that handles Palestinian civilian affairs.
MISSUNDE III
The new Schlei ferry "Missunde III" cannot start operating as planned. The new concept clearly has design flaws. The ferry was supposed to start operating between Kosel (Rendsburg-Eckernförde district) and Brodersby (Schleswig-Flensburg district) in March 2024. According to ferry lessee Rüdiger Jöns, the new concept for the “Missunde III” obviously has design errors. It doesn't hook onto the feeder properly. The rope is also obviously under heavy strain due to the greater weight. The hope of a temporary solution with the old ferry “Missunde II” has also been dashed. The old ferry, which is in need of maintenance, is still on the Schlei and it was suggested that it be reactivated. However, the “Missunde II” no longer has a valid ferry certificate. The cost of getting it fit again for a certification would be 1.8 million Euros. On the other hand, the “Missunde II” has already been sold. The old ferry had already remained in operation longer than intended. The planned start was originally April 2023. Supply chain problems and low water on the Elbe during the transport of the new ferry from the shipyard to the Schlei delayed the delivery, and flooding on the Schlei delayed the renovations to the piers. The “Missunde II” received a temporary operating license until March 2024 to continue operating. However, operations have been suspended since January 2024. The ship is currently in Maasholm, but no longer owned by the Schleswig-Holstein State Office for Coastal Protection, National Park and Marine Protection. The deployment largely depends on whether the Technical Ship Safety Department of the General Directorate of Waterways and Shipping (GDWS) in Mainz is prepared to make a further compromise with regard to the ferry certificate. The 'Missunde II' was examined and approved in Oct 2023. There is currently a valid certificate in the form of a provisional ferry certificate. The ferry can therefore currently continue to operate until April 10, 2024. As soon as the defects identified during the examination have been corrected, the certificate can be extended. Regarding the “Missunde III”, operation should be tested with a lighter rope. The trials that have taken place over the last few weeks in various wind conditions have shown that some modifications were necessary to the ferry's cable guide. In addition, the ferry should be better guided with additional dolphins in order to improve the mooring maneuvers. However, a soil report and permits are still required for the piling work which will take a few more weeks. The 'Missunde III' is significantly larger than its predecessor and can carry significantly more weight. Instead of six, up to ten cars, even heavy vehicles such as coaches, tractors or trucks can be transported. Report with video: https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/schleswig-holstein/Schleifaehre-Missunde-Politik-und-Anwohner-machen-Druck,missunde166.html
ABDULLAH
According to the owner of the hijacked 'Abdullah', there has been no contact with the pirates despite rumors in the local media that a ransom of $ 5 million has been demanded. The 23 crew members were still being held hostage on the ship, which anchored at the Garakad coast near Hobyo port in Somalia on March 14 at 2.00 p.m. The ship's AIS position is very close to the last reported position of the 'Ruen', the Maltese-flagged bulk carrier that was hijacked in Dec 2021. The owner stated that according to the latest information, the pirates have not harmed the crew in any way, and was exploring all possibilities. Neither have the authorities received demands for a ransom to release the crew. There were about 50 pirates on the ship, and the attack may be the first in a series. Four suspected pirate ships have sailed off the coast of Somalia with 36 armed men on board.
RUEN
The 'Ruen', which was hijacked by Somali pirates in Dec 2023, was reported sailing off the coast of Somalia and may be used to conduct attacks on merchant vessels, the British maritime security firm Ambrey said on March 14, 2023. The ship, which has a black hull, red deck and a yellow smokestack with a red horizontal stripe, was seen sailing eastward 160 nautical miles southeast of Eyl, Somalia. The capture of the Ruen was the first successful hijacking involving Somali pirates since 2017, when a crackdown by international navies stopped a rash of seizures in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. Ransom for the 'Ruen'’s kidnapped crew has not been paid. The pirates were still holding 17 crew after releasing one for medical reasons. The 'Ruen' is managed by the Navigation Maritime Bulgare.
ABDULLAH
The 20 hijackers of the 'Abdullah' have demanded a $50 million ransom and threatened to kill the crew if there was any delay in payment. The ship was due to reach Somalia anchjorage early on March 14. All the crew members were reportedly safe and sound for the time being. A European Union vessel was tracking the ship as it headed toward the coast. At that time, there was a gunfight between the two sides. However, the raiding vessel later retreated fearing the death of the sailors held hostage on the Bangladeshi vessel. Meanwhile relatives received calls from board: "Our ship has been attacked. The ship is being hijacked and taken to the coast of Somalia. We are all being held in a room. We have not been beaten. By the grace of Allah, we are doing well, so far, please pray!" These were the words of ASM Saiduzzaman, chief engineer of the hijacked 'Abdullah' to his wife Mehreen Safrin, living in the RG Naogaon area of Naogaon city Zaman, by phone on the night of March 12. On March 13 morning, a recorded voice message came to Mehreen's phone again. In that message, a voice was heard saying, "Sir is fine. Sir is sleeping after eating Sehri. If you have any messages, send an SMS to this number." Mehreen, worried about her husband, said, "The work of the ship is very risky. Sometimes when he goes deep into the sea, there is no contact with him for 15-20 days. I used to worry then. I would only get in touch with him when he came back within the network. But this time the matter is very worrying. They have fallen into the hands of pirates. I see in the news that if they don't get the ransom, they will kill them one by one. “I am spending my time in extreme anxiety in this situation. I can't go anywhere for help with my one-year-old daughter and ailing in-laws. Our appeal to the government and the shipping company authorities is to somehow rescue my husband from the pirates." Qaiyum, a former principal of Sapahar Government College in Nawabganj and former president of Nawabganj District Press Club, received a call from his son's number on March 13 at 3:30 p.m. He called and said that their ship had been attacked by pirates. The ship is being taken to the coast of Somalia. After that, he sent a voice SMS from another number in the night and the next morning. He said in the voice SMS that he was doing well. The pirates did not beat him. They are all being held in a room. They are not being given much water to drink as there is a shortage of food and water on the ship." Omn March 12 at 1:30 pm Bangladesh time, Somali pirates had boarded and took control of the ship, en route from Maputo with 58,000 tonnes of coal. All 23 sailors on board were Bangladeshis. The ship is owned by SR Shipping Limited, an associate company of Chattogram’s Kabir Group.