On April 24, 2024, at 12.28 a.m., the RNLI boats of Burton-on-Trent and the Barry Dock offshore lifeboat were tasked to support a a medical evacuation from the 'Neptune'. A man was suffering from chest pains, and the Coastguard helicopter Rescue 187 had been tasked to the incident. The lifeboat 'Doris Day and Brian' was quickly launched, andheadedy towards the Hinkley nuclear power station exclusion zone, whereit liaised with the Barry Dock lifeboat and the rescue helicopter. The lifeboats were on scene in case the helicopter was unable to land a winch man on the 'Neptune'. In that case, they would have been able to take the casualty on board, and transfer him onwards to the helicopter. The patient was air lifted to Southmead hospital and the lifeboats were stood down as not required. Report with photo: https://rnli.org/news-and-media/2024/april/24/burnhamonsea-rnli-paged-at-0028-am-to-support-a-medical-evacuation
News
EVERWIN 11
the 'Everwin 11' allided with the tank m/v 'Oak Express' (IMO:9405916), on April 11, 2024, at Batangas. The 'Oak Express' was docked in Mabini town’s Landoor pier when the 'Everwin 11' hit its port quarter due to strong sea currents and winds, causing the vessel to drag while maneuvering. The tanker suffered dents, scratches, and punctured port quarter platings. As of April 25, the 'Everwin 11' was still under the custody of the Coast Guard District Southern Tagalog. The 'Oak Express' left the port of Batangas on April 23 at 11.35 a.m. UTC, headed to Shekou.
Sines
The Portuguese government announced an investment of 547 million euros in the expansion of the Port of Sines in the southwest of the country and an agreement to extend its concession from 2029 to 2049. The agreement was reached last week between Portugal and PSA Singapore for the completion of the 3rd phase of expansion of Terminal XXI, so as to greatly increase its capacity and give another 20 years of operations in Portugal to PSA Singapore. The Sines port, 58 nautical miles south of Lisbon, is one of the major European ports and the great hub port of the Iberian-Atlantic front.
Barcelona
BEST terminal in the Port of Barcelona has recently increased its storage and connection capacity for refrigerated containers, from 1,600 connection points up to 2,750, an increase of 70%, making it one of the terminals with the most connections for refrigerated containers in the whole of the Mediterranean area.
TAI KEYSTONE
An Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) report stated that the tail rotor of an Agusta A109 helicopter struck a handrail while landing on the 'Tai Keystone' on Dec 6, 2023, as the pilot did not detect the obstacle, and the ship’s crew were using an older version of the vessel’s helicopter operations checklist. The report detailed that the helicopter was conducting marine pilot transfer operations to the bulk carrier, which was about 240 km north-east of Mackay, Queensland. As the helicopter’s wheels touched down on the ship’s helicopter landing site, the tail rotor struck an upright handrail that was not identified by the pilot during his approach. The pilot reported hearing a shredding noise and an increase in the engine pitch before completing the emergency shutdown procedure. The helicopter siffered substantial damage and was secured to the deck of the vessel, which then returned to Hay Point to allow the helicopter to be recovered. The ATSB investigation found that the ship’s crew was using an older version of the vessel’s helicopter operations checklist, which did not require the removal of the handrail, and the handrail was not removed during preparation of the landing site. In addition, the handrail was not painted in a color that contrasted with the ship’s deck, which was not in accordance with international guidance. The helicopter was also not positioned correctly during the landing, resulting in its tail rotor being outside the obstacle free zone. While it is the responsibility of the pilot in command to ensure that a landing area is safe, vessel operators should ensure their procedures and landing areas on ships are aligned with the relevant guidance material. To best aid pilots, objects that present a threat to a landing helicopter that are retractable, collapsible or removable should be painted in an appropriate color to ensure they are visible if forgotten or missed. Since the accident, the ship’s operator has updated the relevant checklist, and the helicopter operator has amended its procedures to ensure helicopter pilots are provided with a visual representation of each individual vessel’s helicopter landing site prior to departure. Report with photo: https://www.marinelink.com/news/old-checklist-led-helicopter-incident-513209
CALEDONIAN ISLES
Caledonian MacBrayne announced further delays to the return of the 'Caledonian Isles', which will be out of action until the end of August. The vessel was deemed unfit to return to service during its annual inspection at the Cammell Laird Yard in Birkenhead in January, leaving the main means of crossing between Ardrossan and Brodick relying on a single, smaller ship, the 'Isle of Arran'. In February, the ferry operator insisted the 'Caledonian Isles' would return in June, but this has now been revised until at least the end of August. The scope of repairs will take significantly longer than anticipated. The steel repair work required is understood to involve removing all the engines at a cost of £5 million. As part of the works, the auxiliary engines and their bedplates were removed from the vessel to allow access to the double bottom water ballast tank tops. The structure below the main engines is being supported using hydraulic jacks, whilst the steel around these engines is renewed. The main engines will need to be lifted off their bedplates to allow access under the engines for renewal of the tank top steel directly below the sump.
Rotterdam
APM Terminals Maasvlakte II’s new rail service between its Rotterdam terminal and Venlo, a key logistics hub on the Dutch-German border is proving popular. Following the success of the initial five-times-per-week service, plans are already in place to scale this up to 14 times per week over the coming weeks.
Genova
A 24-hour national labour strike is planned on Jul 24, in all Italian ports and all transportations. The planned strike is subject to confirmation in the coming days.
OAK EXPRESS
the cargo m/v 'Everwin 11' (IMO: 8630992) allided with the 'Oak Express' on April 11, 2024, at Batangas. The 'Oak Express' was docked in Mabini town’s Landoor pier when the 'Everwin 11' hit its port quarter due to strong sea currents and winds, causing the vessel to drag while maneuvering. The tanker suffered dents, scratches, and punctured port quarter platings. As of April 25, the 'Everwin 11' was still under the custody of the Coast Guard District Southern Tagalog. The 'Oak Express' left the port of Batangas on April 23 at 11.35 a.m. UTC, headed to Shekou.
OASIS OF THE SEAS
A 74-year-old female passenger from Belgium caused the 'Oasis of the Seas' to return to Bermuda on April 24, 2024, at 5 a.m. The ship, which en route from Miami, Florida to Cadiz, arrived in local waters at 1 a.m. to drop off a 69-year-old passenger from the USA, who needed medical attention. The passenger was taken to Ordnance Island and escorted safely to KEMH.
Churchill
Canada’s arctic port of Churchill is set to resume its first grain shipments since 2015 after a group backed by investor Prem Watsa stepped in last year to buy the facility and a related rail line linking the northern town with the rest of Manitoba. The 88-year-old port on the shores of Hudson’s Bay will resume operations in the next few months, reducing by several days the shipping time to deliver grains to Europe and the Middle East across the Atlantic Ocean.
King Abdullah Port
In the largest commercial operation of its kind in the history of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah Port has received 28 state-of-the-art Liebherr cranes to start the expansion of the container terminals. The latter was decided through a MoU signed with National Container Terminal on the day the port was officially inaugurated in the presence of the Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman last February. The new cranes include 20 gantry cranes and 8 ship-to-shore (STS) cranes, which are the largest of their kind, with an outreach of 70 m (25 rows) and a safe working load of 65 t. The cranes that were supplied in this deal will join their operational counterparts in the port. They are the largest cranes exported by Liebherr and can serve mega container ships easily and seamlessly.