On April 17, 2024, at 8 a.m. Salvamento Marítimo was alerted after the skipper of the yacht 'JPK 960 Philauvent-Passecoque' (MMSI:227613780), the 63 year old veteranian Philippe Benoiton, whio was participatin in the 'Saliling Race Cap Martinique', and had left from La Trinité-sur-Mer (France) bound for Fort-de-France (Martinique). He went missing west of Cape Finisterre in strong northwestern winds in the night of April 16. The regatta coordinator informed that they had no news of a participating sailboat, with a reduced course and speed as they were able to discover from its GPS. They couldn't contact him. The double-handed competitors Yann Gindre and Michel Foucart aboard the 'L'Opale - A Chacun son Everest' finally found the yacht,at 7:40 a.m., without being able to confirm the sailor's presence aboard. The CCS Fisterra coordinated the SAR operation with the 'Don Inda' and the helicopters Helimer 401, Helimer 402,Pesca 1 and the Sasemar 102 plane. At 9.19 a.m. the auxiliary boat of the 'Don Inda' located the sailboat and verified that the single crew member was not on board. The engine was running and the tiller was broken. The yacht was towed to the Cee Port in A Coruña. The body of the missing person was located five nautical miles southwest of Cabo Fisterra by the Pesca I helicopter. it waa recovered and transoorted to the Vigo airport, where the National Police was waiting. The response was coordinated by the RCC of Salvamento Marítimo in Fisterra. Reports with photos: https://www.elidealgallego.com/articulo/a-coruna/helimer-coruna-une-busqueda-regatista-desaparecido-alta-mar-4799426 https://www.boatnews.com/story/45745/cap-martinique-transatlantic-race-mourns-death-of-competitor
News
DALI
The fourth of six victims recovered on April 14 after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key bridge has been identified by the Mexican consular authorities as Carlos Daniel Hernández. The Unified Command had reported the discovery of the body, which was transferred to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and identified on April 15. Rescue teams had located what they believed was one of the vehicles of the missing construction workers, so they immediately notified the Maryland State Police. With the help of the FBI and the Maryland Transportation Authority Police, the state police responded and found evidence that, according to the Mexican Foreign Minister, Alicia Bárcena, corresponded to Carlos Daniel Hernández.
Nhava Sheva
Middle East-India-Africa Express (MIAX) to start operations in October 2019 Hapag-Lloyd is expanding its African liner services and will offer its MIAX (Middle East-India-Africa Express) service starting in October 2019. It will include direct connections between the Arabian Gulf, India, Colombo (Sri Lanka), La Réunion, South Africa and West Africa.
Ngqura
South African state-run logistics company Transnet has suspended a number of employees for taking part in a lengthy go-slow campaign at the Ngqura Container Terminal in the Eastern Cape. The port said in a statement yesterday it had “suspended a number of employees at its Ngqura Container Terminal for engaging in an illegal industrial action.
SALVAMAR SPICA
The Australian flagged s/y 'Nessaru' (MMSI: 503162640), with two people on board, suffered an engine failure on April 17 and requested a tow since it cannot find a private trailer. It was adrift 10 nautical miles southest of Almería. The CCS Almería of Salvamento Marítimo mobilized the 'Salvamar Spica', which pulled the boat to the dock of the Club de Mar de Almería. Report with photo: https://twitter.com/salvamentogob/status/1780579996681077163
ABDULLAH
The 'Abdullah', which was released by Somali pirates on April 14 at 3 a.m. (Bangladesh Time) after a payment of US$5 million ransom, was still crossing through the high-risk area of piracy in the Indian Ocean, amid tight security and escort by warships of the European Union (EU). The vessel sailed 386 nautical miles off the Somali Coast until the morning of April 16, and crossing the high-risk area took until April 17. The ship was expected to reach the Al Hamriyah Port by the morning of April 22 to deliver its cargo of 55.000 tons coal from Maputo. The health and mental condition of the crew members were fine, and there was sufficient stock of food and water aboard the vessel, according to the ship’s captain. Different security measures have been taken onboard the ship to ward off any further untoward incidents. Two warships of the EU’s Operation ATALANTA were escorting the ship. The razor wire has been raised and the high-pressure fire hose rigged on the deck, citadel, emergency fire pump and sound signal have been kept ready and the doors and access to all accommodation and engine room were kept closed as part of precautions.
Kiel
Maiden call by Marella Cruises in Kiel. In the early Tuesday morning (16th July) the cruise ship Marella Explorer (see also CruiseMapper) berthed in the port of Kiel with 2,000 mostly anglo-phone passengers on-board. The vessel follows an itinerary of 14 days leading it all across the Baltic Sea. It started in Newcastle on 13th July and will conclude its cruise in the same port on 27th July.
Tyne
The Port of Tyne has created a new baggage handling for Marella Cruises at its International Passenger Terminal, which is located in North Shields near Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England. The port has reconfigured 300 square metres of its terminal, creating space to process 1,000 bags as well as a marquee that functions as an undercover baggage handling facility. There are now also 382 additional parking spaces specifically for Marella Cruises’ guests. Marella Cruises’ customer will be able to drop off their luggage before heading straight to a dedicated car park. The baggage will be checked by security and loaded onto the ship, expediting the embarkation process.
LEVIATHAN
On April 10, 2024, at 4.25 p.m. the 'Leviathan', with three crew members on board, had to be towed after being adrift due to an interaction with orcas five miles northwest of the Sisargas Islands (A Coruña). The crew raised the alarm and requested assistance. They detailed that they no longer saw the orcas. Salvamento Marítimo mobilized a Red Cross boat that took them to Malpica de Bergantiños.
DISNEY FANTASY
The USCG successfully evacuated a pregnant passenger from the 'Disney Fantasy' on April 15, 2024, in a long-distance operation 180 milesnorthwest of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, while the ship was en route from Port Canaveral to Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. The 35 years old woman of US nationality, had experienced health complications that required a higher level of medical care ashore. The evacuation was carried out by a Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter and an HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft. Once theys arrived, the Jayhawk aircrew deployed a rescue swimmer, while the Ocean Sentry monitored the conditions and provided support. The woman and the cruise ship doctor were successfully hoisted aboard the aircraft and then transported first to the Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport in San Juan, then taken by local emergency personnel to a nearby hospital. The 'Disney Fantasy' was sailing a 7-night Eastern Caribbean itinerary and was northwest of Aguadilla on Puerto Rico’s northwestern coast at the time of the evacuation. Report with photos and video: https://www.cruisehive.com/coast-guard-makes-long-distance-evacuation-from-disney-cruise-ship/128957 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bz0KNCs7b5k
London
All new ships for UK waters ordered from 2025 should be designed with zero-emission capable technologies, according to ambitious plans set out today by maritime minister Nusrat Ghani to cut pollution from the country’s maritime sector. The commitment is set out in the Clean Maritime Plan published today. The government is also looking at ways to incentivise the transition to zero-emission shipping and will consult on this next year. The plan also includes a £1m competition to find innovative ways to reduce maritime emissions and is published alongside a call for evidence to reduce emissions on UK waterways and domestic vessels.
Whittier
U.S. Coast Guard crews have given up the search for a 49-year-old Cordova man who went missing after an explosion and subsequent fire on a fixed barge at Delong Dock in Whittier, Alaska, shortly after midnight on Monday. The fire spread to the pier and then to the Anagalik, a 99-foot commercial fishing vessel that was initially reported to have two people aboard at the time of the explosion. Whittier Police Department personnel have since confirmed one of those two is safely aboard a different vessel en route to Whittier. The fire has now been extinguished, but the fishing vessel and barge sank in 85 feet of water at the pier with a potential maximum of 5,500 gallons of fuel oil aboard. The fishing vessel owners have contracted Global Diving and Salvage for clean-up and salvage efforts. An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak has searched for the missing person by air, and crews aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Chandeleur and Coast Guard Auxiliary 336 searched nearby waters.