The 'Royal Romance' belonging to the oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk, has been granted a certificate of the right to fly the state flag of Ukraine on May 15, 2024, and the corresponding changes have already been registered with the International Maritime Organization (IMO). This statement was made by the Ukrainian Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA). Through joint efforts of the Asset Recovery and Management Agency and the Shipping Administration, the seizedluxury yacht Royal has been granted the status of a Ukrainian vessel, which means that the vessel is under Ukrainian jurisdiction. According to Shipping Administration Head Yevhen Ihnatenko, the corresponding changes were registered with the IMO. This will facilitate the further sale of the seized yacht and the transfer of the proceeds to the state budget of Ukraine. The Dutch auction house, Troostwijk Auctions, won the ARMA’s tender to auction the seized yacht, but refused to sign a further agreement to organize the auction. The yacht, worth an estimated 200 million Euros, was seized by Croatian authorities in March 2022 in relation to EU sanctions imposed on Medvedchuk.
News
SAMARIA I
On MAy 15, 2024, at noon , the Port Authority of Paleochora was informed that during the mooring manoever of the 'Samaria I', there was an impact on the pier of Skala Paleochora, Chania, due to a sudden gust of wind and high waves. The ferry suffered a breach approximately ten centimeters in diameter and approximately fifty centimeters long in the bow bulkhead approximately half a meterabove the waterline. The ship safely disembarked the passengers and vehicles, and no injuries were reported and no marine pollution was observed. The Paleochora Port Station, which conducted the preliminary investigation, banned the ship from sailing until a certificate of seaworthiness has been presented by themonitoring classification society.
Rostock
On May 2, a HLC 295000 heavy load crane of Liebherr mounted on the deck of the 'Orion I' crashed in the Seaport of Rostock during a test when lifting a pontoon which was filled with 5.550 tons of water. The crane boom broke off, and parts fell onto the 'Orion I', which started to list to port side, and onto the quay edge. Heavy metal pieces flew around. Five people inside the crane's cabin were injured by the heave jerk. The fire brigade, ambulances and police attended with a large contingent. They tried to free the victims from the steel mesh. There were two serious and three minor injuries. A total of 120 people were on board the 'Orion I' who were now being evacuated and looked after. A rescue helicopter has landed. In addition, large amounts of oil leaked out, which the fire brigade has to collect before it got into the water. It is the second accident on the Liebherr site within a few months. In January, two loading cranes fell into the water during tests. The salvage then took several months. Reports with photos and video: https://www.nonstopnews.de/meldung/32916 https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/mecklenburg-vorpommern/Rostock-Erneutes-Unglueck-mit-Hafenkran,hafenkran156.html https://www.t-online.de/nachrichten/panorama/id_87809036/rostock-krank-knickt-im-hafen-ab-fuenf-verletzte.html
Everett WA
The American destroyer USS 'Kidd' returned to Everett after nearly 50 crew members aboard were tested positive for coronavirus as of April 27, 2020. This was the second reported outbreak of COVID-19 aboard a US Navy vessel at sea. After concerns were raised about cases aboard the USS 'Theodore Roosevelt', one sailor assigned to that ship died from coronavirus complications. Roughly half the crew members on the USS 'Kidd' have been tested for the virus, and some have been evacuated. 45% of the ship have been tested for COVID-19, with 47 total positive results. Two Sailors have been medically evacuated. 15 sailors have been transferred to USS 'Makin Island (LHD 8)' for monitoring due to persistent symptoms. None were in the ICU or on ventilators. Sailors aboard the USS 'Kidd' were wearing PPE and N95 masks. Initial COVID-19 testing of sailors from the USS 'Theodore Roosevelt' were now complete, there are 955 active cases, along with 14 recovered cases. The USS 'Kidd' was on a counter narcotics mission' when ait was reported at least 18 crew had fallen ill with the virus.
US GOV VESSEL 87
The USS 'Mason' intercepted an inbound Houthi anti-ship missile over the Red Sea on May 13, 2024, after Yemen's Houthis said on May 15 that they had targeted the warship. The US forces also destroyed two drones. The Houthis said they had also targeted a vessel called 'Destiny' in the Red Sea. There was, however, no evidence of an attack on the 'Destiny' in recent days. The vessel and crew were safe, with no issues. The Houthis said they targeted the 'Destiny' because it had been en route for the Israeli port of Eilat on April 20.
MISS SALLY DANE
On May 15, 2024, the 'Miss Sally Dane' was deployed to remove the oil barge 'MMLP 321', carrying 30,000 barrels of vacuum gas oil, which had broken lose from a tug and allided with the Pelican Island Causeway, causing it to partially collapse, at 9.48 a.m. The U.S. Coast Guard coordinated the response along with local, state, and federal agencies. Watchstanders issued an urgent marine information broadcast and coordinated the launch of a Coast Guard Station Galveston boat crew to respond. 3,000 feet of containment boom were deployed in the vicinity of the allision. The intercoastal waterway has been closed from Pelican Cut (mile marker 351.5) to the Galveston Causeway (mile marker 357.3) and a 5.8-mile safety zone has been issued for the surrounding waters. Mariners were urged to avoid the area. No injuries have been reported. The barge had slammed into a bridge pillar, spilling oil into surrounding waters and closing the only road to Pelican Island, that is home to a university. One person on the barge was knocked into the water and quickly rescued. The barge had gone adrift from a tug which was backing out of the Texas International Terminals, a fuel storage operator next to the bridge, after losing control of two barges it was pushing. The current was very bad, and the tide was high. Fire trucks drove over the bridge as workers and law enforcement officials looked at the remnants of the collapsed rail line. A large piece of broken concrete and debris from the railroad was hanging off the side of the bridge and laying on the barge. The rail line only serves as protection for the structure and has never been used. Engineers from the Texas Department of Transportation were en route to inspect the roadway and determine if there was damage. The bridge remained closed until it is deemed safe to use. Involved with the response were: - U.S. Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston; - U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Texas City; - U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Houston; - U.S. Coast Guard Station Galveston; - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; - Texas Department of Transportation; - Texas Commission on Environmental Quality; - Texas Parks and Wildlife; - Texas General Land Office; - Texas A&M; - Galveston County Office of Emergency Management; - Galveston County Police Department; - Galveston Fire Department. Reports with photos: https://www.news.uscg.mil/Press-Releases/Article/3776804/coast-guard-partner-agencies-responding-to-pelican-island-causeway-allision-in/ https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/barge-hit-bridge-galveston-texas-oil-spill/3541844/
Marseille
The 'AIDAblu' made a brief stopover yesterday in Marseille on April 26, 2020, to embark several hundred crew members of one of his sisterships, the 'AIDAsol', which has been moored in the port for 1,5 months. The transfer took place to facilitate the repatriation of AIDA personnel via Germany. The 'AIDAblu' set sail again in the afternoon. At the same time, another cruise ship which had been berthed in Marseille since last month, the 'Europa 2' of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, set sail to also return to Germany, its arrival in Hamburg was scheduled for May 2. The Marseille areas now hosted six cruise ships, the 'Costa Smeralda', 'MSC Magnifica' and 'AIDAsol', 'Le Boréal', 'L’Austral' and 'Le Lyrial'. The repatriation operations of the international personnel of these ships was still in progress, in particular via flights chartered by the owners. This was particularly the case for the crew members of the 'MSC Magnifica', which arrived on April 20 and who also landed 4 tonnes of food surplus, donated to local associations to help the most disadvantaged.
AR MILINO
on May 14 at 2:01 p.m., due to lack of new information, the SAR operation for the missing crew member of the 'Ar Milino' was suspended. At 1:01 a.m., the master of the ship had alerted the CROSS Corsen after the 40-year-old man was swept away during the casting of the fishing net. The CROSS Corsen immediately broadcasted a Mayday relay and deployed the H160 helicopter of the French Navy base in Lanvéoc, the lifeboats 'SNS 098' and 'SNS 088' of the SNSM station of Ploumanac’h and the island of Batz; the customs launch 'DF46' and a fishing boat, the “Kraken”, which immediately responded to the Mayday Relay. At 1:44 a.m., the “Ar Milino” reported having pulled up its net with no sign of the missing person. At 2:49 a.m., the Civil Security Dragon 29 helicopter took over from the H160 helicopter. At daybreak, numerous fishing boats joined the search. At 08:00 a.m., the SNSM boas 'SNS 218' from Trebeurden, 'SNS 295 from Roscoff and 'SNS 718 from Tregastel reached the search area. At the same time, the H160 and Dragon 29 helicopters took turns until mid-morning.
San Diego
The number of coronavirus cases aboard the USS 'Kidd' rose to 64 as the Navy destroyer pulled into port at San Diego on April 28, 2020, to get medical care for the crew and to disinfect and decontaminate the ship. The 'Kidd' was the second Navy ship to have an outbreak of the disease while at sea, the other being the USS 'Theodore Roosevelt', an aircraft carrier that has been docked at Guam for a month and has more than 900 sailors with confirmed cases of COVID-19, but the entire crew has now been tested. The Navy has moved swiftly to get the 'Kidd''s crew ashore. That was a point of contention with the 'Roosevelt', whose skipper, Capt. Brett Crozier, felt compelled to write to several other commanders pleading for more urgent Navy action to protect his crew of nearly 5,000. Crozier was then relieved of command for what the Navy's top civilian official at the time, Thomas Modly, called poor judgment. Modly resigned several days later, and the Navy is now seeking higher-level approval to reverse his move and restore Crozier to command. The Navy said that 63% of the 'Kidd''s crew of more than 300 had been tested as of April 28. One sailor was medically evacuated to the United States on April 22 after experiencing shortness of breath. Fifteen were transferred to another ship with a medical facility for closer observation of symptoms. Sailors being removed from the 'Kidd' at San Diego will be isolated with twice-daily medical screenings. Crew members who have tested negative will enter quarantine for a period of observation, with military health professionals monitoring them for symptoms. Also, a small contingent of sailors who tested negative will remain on the ship for essential services and deep cleaning. The cleaning is expected to take two weeks. The destroyer had been off the Pacific coast of Central American doing counter-narcotics operations. The Navy said no deployed ships currently have known coronavirus cases aboard. 13 ships that previously had one or more active cases while in port have zero cases now.
Flensburg
The Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft shipyard a which had been operating at a loss for some time, filed for self-administered insolvency on April 24. The goal of the shipyard’s filing was to permit it to start afresh. The future of Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft in the medium term was in building Ro-Ro ferries, according to the message delivered by the management at a workers meeting on Sunday April 26. The move is specifically designed to allow the company to start from fresh without existing contractual obligations to customers and suppliers. Though an administrator will be brought in from outside the company, the company management will continue to control the business which is a different process to bankruptcy in German law. Investor Lars Windhorst is prepared to put money into the business through his Tennor Holding investment vehicle. Tennor Holding took 100% control of the yard in 2019. He has said, however, that the money should not be used on loss making contracts. The former majority owner Siem Industries is interested in contracting 4 further Ro-Ro ferries from the yard. Siem recently took delivery of LIEKUT, the eighth of a series of vessels built by FSG for the company to charter out. FSG had been making significant losses for a number of years. The Siem group acquired the company for a token €1 back in November 2014 after severe liquidity problems. Those losses massively increased in recent years, however, with the yard losing an eye watering €111m in 2018. The hugely increased losses were due in part to delivery delays with Irish Ferries 'W.B. Yeats' and the subsequent penalty payments made to Irish Continental Group (ICG). The agreed contract price to build the 'W.B. Yeats' is understood to have left little to no margin for the yard in the first place.