On Feb 28, the 'Guardarmar Talía' rescued 43 migrants of sub-Saharan origin from a canoe, which had been sighted about 56 nautical miles south of El Hierro. The SAR helicopter Helimer 206 also intervened. The castaways were transferred to La Restinga. Video: https://twitter.com/salvamentogob/status/1762877027353285053
News
CARNIVAL JUBILEE
Two men were rescued by the 'Carnival Jubilee' from a kayak, after their boat had sunk in the Gulf of Mexico on Feb 26, 2024. Crew members aboard the cruise ship spotted them and quickly rescued them off the coast of Isla Mujeres. The men paddled toward the ship's side before crew members helped pull them aboard. The men were then evaluated by the ship's medical staff and given first aid and water. while the ship's team and Carnival's Fleet Operation Center staff in Miami arranged a transfer with Mexican Navy officials. That was completed shortly after the rescue. The cruise ship, which departed from Galveston, Texas, on Feb 24, then continued its regular travel itinerary, heading to Mahogany Bay, Roatan in Honduras. Report with photo and video: https://www.aol.com/lifestyle/carnival-cruise-ship-rescues-2-023909017.html
OLLI KROKUR
Since the beginning of the year, the Iceland Fisheries Authority has temporarily revoked the fishing licenses of three vessels due to discarding: The 'Fálkatindur NS-99' lost its license for 14 days from the start of the next license issue for lumpfish fishing, The 'Hrönn NS-50' and 'Skáley SH-300' had to revoke their licenses for coastal fishing for a week. For the 'Fálkatindur' and 'Hrönn', this was the second license loss within two years. Thanks to improved drone surveillance, fisheries authority inspectors know exactly what is happening on the ships. Five fish were thrown overboard on the 'Fálkatindur' on May 5, 2023, before the end of the two-year deadline. In the opinion of the fisheries authority, the repetition of offenses was sufficient for the license to be revoked, especially since the offense was the same. After the fishing license is revoked, the delinquent is not allowed to commit any offenses for two years. On March 30, 2022, the crew had thrown 16 halibut overboard while fishing for lumpfish. Five halibut were thrown overboard on the 'Hrönn' on May 3, 2023, and the license was revoked at the beginning of February because the authorities believed the discarding was intentional. Last year, the 'Hrönn' had to give up the license twice because of discards, once for 14 halibuts and one plaice, and the second time for 26 halibuts and three plaices, both within a week.
NORDLAND III
The 'Nordland III' has not been moved since having been lifted ashore in the Greifswald Wieck on Nov 13, 2023, with cranes on order of the city. Since then, the ship has stood on the bank between the barrage and Hotel Utkiek. The owners did not take any action at the time. The salvage operation was intended to eliminate dangers to the Ryck federal waterway as quickly as possible and avoid environmental pollution and contamination of the Ryck with oil and diesel still present on board. There are no plans to leave the shipwreck at its current location, which belongs to the State Office for Agriculture and the Environment of Western Pomerania (StALU). The administration itself doesn't yet know when the ship will leave. The salvage has so far cost 227,920 Euros. The ministry did not specify a deadline by which the wreck must be removed. There are no rental costs for storing the ship. Report with photos: https://www.nordkurier.de/regional/greifswald/das-schiff-das-einfach-nicht-bewegt-wird-2292967
GAS COURAGE
While the 'Gas Courage' was anchored off the Kutubdia Anchorage, Bangladesh, in pos. 21° 49.85' N, 091° 43.17' E, on Feb 19, 2024, nine unarmed men boarded the ship and tied up the crew. The perpetrators stole ship's stores.
LIANGHUI688
Two spans and one support of the Lixinsha Bridge in Guangzhou's Nansha district will have to be dismantled, local officials said in a statement on Feb 26, after having been damaged by the 'Liang Hui 688'. The district housing and urban-rural development bureau will then monitor the body of the bridge and provide expert opinions to accelerate repair work. Construction of a makeshift automobile bridge was approved by experts over the weekend, with materials and machinery already sent to the site. The makeshift bridge, scheduled to be completed in seven to 10 days, will connect Sanmin Island to the town of Minzhong in the neighboring city of Zhongshan. The collapse of the bridge also destroyed a water supply pipeline, causing a temporary water supply shortage. The island is home to 9,100 people. After more than 40 hours of repair work, water supply has now returned to normal. The travel needs of island residents have basically been met after two temporary ferry docks started operation over the weekend, increasing the frequency of ferry services. The district commerce bureau has established a special task force to transport daily necessities such as rice, meat, eggs, edible oil and noodles to the island. Special shuttle buses running to and from the ferry docks were transporting students to primary and middle schools off the island. The only primary school on the island has resumed lessons on Feb 26. Postal workers from the Nansha district post office were boarding ferries on motorbikes to deliver daily newspapers and packages to island residents. Some farmers who were growing fruits and vegetables were still affected by the accident, as no vehicles could now reach the island to pick up fruits and other agricultural products. Report with photo: http://www.ecns.cn/news/2024-02-27/detail-ihcychvt6113287.shtml
GLEN SANNOX
The 'Glen Sannox' may not be completed until June, with CalMac needing two months to familiarise the ship, leaving islanders without the new vessel until after the tourist season is complete, due to further delays in its construction. The 'Glen Sannox' was meant to begin service on the Ardrossan to Arran route back in 2019 but has been littered with building issues. Issues with the engine system were the reason for the postponement as the shipyard struggled to find a company to install the LNG technology needed for it to be environmentally-friendly. It will run on diesel until this is sorted. The ferry is scheduled to be ready in June now, instead of May, but will need to undertake familiarisation work for two months with CalMac, pushing back the date it can actually serve passengers into potentially September, after the tourist rush. The yard will be practically complete building the ship by the end of March and commissioning will run through in the months afterwards, mainly on the LNG system. The rest of the time in April-May will be handover trials and further testing, and client [Scottish Government ferry-owning firm Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited] acceptance trial, with the handover before the end of May or in June.
SKALEY
Since the beginning of the year, the Iceland Fisheries Authority has temporarily revoked the fishing licenses of three vessels due to discarding: The 'Fálkatindur NS-99' lost its license for 14 days from the start of the next license issue for lumpfish fishing, The 'Hrönn NS-50' and 'Skáley SH-300' had to revoke their licenses for coastal fishing for a week. For the 'Fálkatindur' and 'Hrönn', this was the second license loss within two years. Thanks to improved drone surveillance, fisheries authority inspectors know exactly what is happening on the ships. Five fish were thrown overboard on the 'Fálkatindur' on May 5, 2023, before the end of the two-year deadline. In the opinion of the fisheries authority, the repetition of offenses was sufficient for the license to be revoked, especially since the offense was the same. After the fishing license is revoked, the delinquent is not allowed to commit any offenses for two years. On March 30, 2022, the crew had thrown 16 halibut overboard while fishing for lumpfish. Five halibut were thrown overboard on the 'Hrönn' on May 3, 2023, and the license was revoked at the beginning of February because the authorities believed the discarding was intentional. Last year, the 'Hrönn' had to give up the license twice because of discards, once for 14 halibuts and one plaice, and the second time for 26 halibuts and three plaices, both within a week.
FGS HESSEN
The 'Hessen', deployed to the Red Sea as part of the EU mission Aspides, has for the first time repelled an attack by the Houthi movement in Yemen. The frigate carried out counterattacks against two enemy targets on Feb 27, 2024. It was the first time on the mission that the German navy used sharp weapons. The ships of the EU mission may only attack militants who attack first. However, they are allowed to fire shots in a preventive manner.
COLOR MAGIC
On Feb 27 at 5.54 p.m. a person was medevaced with a helicopter of the Danish Defence from the 'Color Magic', which was en route from Kiel to Oslo, in the Storebælt. After the patient was hoisted, he was transported to a hospital for medical treatment.
CG SEA OTTER
Off the coast of San Diego, the 'Sea Otter' rescued four adults and one child aboard the 58-ft-pleasure craft 'Playhouse', which had hit rough waters and started taking on water in the afternoon of Feb 24, 2024, between San Clemente Island and Dana Point. The crew made a distress call at around 11 p.m., citing a shaft seal failure which had resulted to quickly take on approximately two feet of water in the engine room. The incident occurred as the boat was transiting from San Clemente Island to Dana Point. The crew managed to stop the leak and promptly contacted the authorities for help. The 'Sea Otter' was diverted to come to their aid and was on scene at 2:50 p.m. It safely escorted the 'Playhouse' to the marina. The successful mooring operation concluded at around 6 p.m. when the leaky craft was safely docked at Dana Point.
RUBYMAR
Efforts to mount a salvage operation for the 'Rubymar' continued to be hampered by the instability of the region and the competing political interests. Reports suggested, at the rate the vessel is settling it could be days before it loses sufficient buoyancy to remain afloat. The ship settled further at the stern. Last week the stern deck was barely above the water. but now has clearly slipped below the water level. The vessel was also reported to be drifting to the north in the Red Sea despite the earlier indications that it was anchored. It has drifted approximately 37 nautical miles since the reported position when it was struck. The U.S. Navy has offered assistance- Talks are ongoing to find a port willing to accept the ship, which might be towed to Djibouti or Saudi Arabia. The government of Yemen on Feb 26 stated it was working on the salvage. They said they would be willing to bring the ship to port. Environmentalists were expressing concern regarding the 41,000 tons of fertilizer which could spill into the Red Sea and worsen this environmental disaster. Salvage companies are concerned about attempting any efforts due to further threats from the Houthis. U.S. officials however have suggested a ceasefire might be put into place in Gaza to coincide with the start of Ramadan on March 10, assuming the vessel could stay afloat that many days without intervention. Report with photo and video: https://maritime-executive.com/article/video-rubymar-s-position-is-precarious-as-ship-becomes-political-pawn
LOMETO
Six Papua New Guinea nationals were rescued by the 'Lometo' on Feb 26, 2024, at midday, after spending 37 days adrift in the South Pacific. The five adults and a nine-year-old boy were on board a small boat that was spotted in Solomon Islands waters by the vessel. The boat had broken down and drifted at sea for 37 days. After their rescue, the six Papua New Guineans underwent medical examinations, and the ship provided them with food and water. They were all in good health. Report with photo: https://french.xinhuanet.com/20240228/db24e85bc29e46ae9704ae251b147c4d/c.html
FALKATINDUR
Since the beginning of the year, the Iceland Fisheries Authority has temporarily revoked the fishing licenses of three vessels due to discarding: The 'Fálkatindur NS-99' lost its license for 14 days from the start of the next license issue for lumpfish fishing, The 'Hrönn NS-50' and 'Skáley SH-300' had to revoke their licenses for coastal fishing for a week. For the 'Fálkatindur' and 'Hrönn', this was the second license loss within two years. Thanks to improved drone surveillance, fisheries authority inspectors know exactly what is happening on the ships. Five fish were thrown overboard on the 'Fálkatindur' on May 5, 2023, before the end of the two-year deadline. In the opinion of the fisheries authority, the repetition of offenses was sufficient for the license to be revoked, especially since the offense was the same. After the fishing license is revoked, the delinquent is not allowed to commit any offenses for two years. On March 30, 2022, the crew had thrown 16 halibut overboard while fishing for lumpfish. Five halibut were thrown overboard on the 'Hrönn' on May 3, 2023, and the license was revoked at the beginning of February because the authorities believed the discarding was intentional. Last year, the 'Hrönn' had to give up the license twice because of discards, once for 14 halibuts and one plaice, and the second time for 26 halibuts and three plaices, both within a week.
TOP DILIGENCE
Four men, armed with gun-like objects, boarded the 'Top Diligence' on Feb 20, 2024, at 03.05 a.m. in the Strait of Malacca off Pulau Iyu Kecil, Indonesia, in pos. 1° 8.29' N 103 ° 29.15' E. Some spare parts were stolen. No injuries were reported. The ship berthed in Zhanjiang on Feb 25.
RESILIENT LADY
Virgin Voyages have announced all sailings in Australia later in 2024 and early 2025 have been cancelled after heightened tensions in the Red Sea, prompting the 'Resilient Lady' to reroute its sailing through the Suez Canal for its upcoming half-world voyage scheduled for March 27, redirecting it back to Europe. The ship was meant to dock in Adelaide in December later this year as a part of a 6-night journey traversing Australia’s South Coast. The decision to reassess the timing for the return to Australia reflects the complexities involved in navigating global geopolitical challenges while ensuring the safety and satisfaction of passengers. Due to the cancellation of the ÄResilient Lady' from Australian waters every voyage in this region has now been cancelled.