On May 17, 2024, at 04.10 UTC the 'Fidan', en route from Ust-Luga to Santos, was boarded by ten pirates armed with AK-47 guns in 09:11.2 N 027:03.9 W, around 363 nautical miles southsouthwest of Nova Sintra, Cabo Verde. They took control of the bridge. All crew members were mustered on the bridge where the pirates tied up their hands and legs. The pirates ordered the 2nd and 4th engineer to stop the engines, and the ship went adrift with the intention of stealing the cargo and bunkers. While waiting for the offtake vessel, the pirates stole crew and ship properties. They then moved all crew members into the steering gear room and informed them that there were explosive devices fixed on all doors, and the crew could only exit after two hours. Once the crew emerged from the steering gear room, no pirates or explosives were found. The pirates had damaged communication, internet, navigation equipment and the air control pipes for the main engine and cylinder oil flow valves before escaping. The crew managed to sail the vessel to the next port. No cargo or bunkers was stolen.
News
HATTERAS
At a dual ceremony held at the Hatteras Village ferry docks on May 20, 2024, the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s (NCDOT) Ferry Division and the U.S. Coast Guard honoured the crew of the 'Hatteras' for their rescue of two men and their dog on Jan 12, 2024. Captain Bill Davis, Chief Engineer Robbie Meekins, Oiler Amanda Przygodzinski, and the crew members Gerald Huneycutt, David Butler, and Calob Fulford were onboard the 'Hatteras', tying up the ferry at the Ocracoke-South Dock Terminal, when they noticed two men hanging onto an overturned boat, and swiftly floating out of Hatteras Inlet and toward the Atlantic Ocean. The weather conditions were worsening, the current was strong, and the two men were getting sucked out to sea, Captain Bill Davis sounded the general alarm, and the crew snapped into action. The crew immediately launched a rescue boat and went to the scene, where they found the two men clinging to the side of the vessel, and a dog trapped underneath. The two men had waders on, and were having trouble staying afloat. The strong current combined with the frigid 52-degree water temperature made the situation critical. Due to the crew’s rapid response and training, it didn’t take long for the team to pull both victims and the dog out of the water, and shuttle them back to land, with no injuries reported. In addition to the NCDOT’s Extra Mile Award, Corrie Sergent, Deputy Commander for U.S. Coast Guard Sector North Carolina, also presented the crew with the Certificate of Merit and Recognition of Notable Services that have Assisted Greatly in Furthering the Aims and Functions of the Coast Guard. Multiple agencies and community members were in attendance at the ceremony, including the majority of Coast Guardsmen from Station Hatteras Inlet. Report with photos: https://islandfreepress.org/outer-banks-news/six-member-ferry-crew-honored-by-ncdot-u-s-coast-guard-for-heroic-january-rescue/
Beirut
The Lebanese army on Sep 3 found a further 4.35 tonnes of the explosive ammonium nitrate a month after 2,750 tonnes of the substance exploded in the harbour and destroyed large parts of the city. The explosive substance was found in a warehouse immediately outside one of the entrances to the port, and engineers from the army took care of it. Simultaneously with the new discovery, it emerged that the outgoing Prime Minister Hassan Diab told the head of the investigation of the catastrophic explosion that he knew of the existence of the large amount of ammonium nitrate at the port before the explosion. 25 suspects have been arrested so far, including the port's chief of staff Hassan Koraytem and customs chief Badri Daher. Among the others arrested were also three Syrian workers who carried out welding work at the warehouse, where the huge amount of ammonium nitrate was stored, on the day the explosion took place. Up to 200 were killed and about 6,500 injured in the blast, causing damage to a double-digit billion.
Kiel
https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/schleswig-holstein/NOK-Havarie-Frachter-fuhr-ohne-Lotsen,schleuse886.html
SILVER WHISPER
A female Filipino crew member of the 'Silver Whisper' has been arrested by the Grosseto prosecutor's office on charges of murder after allegedly letting her newborn die on the cruise ship. The woman, who concealed her pregnancy from her colleagues, gave birth ~2 days before the incident. The alarm was raised by her colleagues on the evening of May 19, 2024, while the vessel was near Monte Argentario's coast (Grosseto Province). The police intervened and boarded theship. The newborn's body was discovered in the cabin shared by the mother and other crew members. Authorities conducted a thorough search of the cabin and other areas of the ship, collecting photographic evidence and initial testimonies. In a confused state, the woman was taken to the emergency room in Grosseto. On the morning of May 20, the prosecutor's office decided to arrest her. The baby's body was taken to the "Misericordia" morgue, and an autopsy may be scheduled. Preliminary examinations indicated that the baby's death was not due to suffocation. nstead, it appears the mother left the newborn unattended for hours in the cabin, without providing medical care or nourishment. The 'Silver Whisper's current cruise is a 9-day itinerary from Civitavecchia to Villefranche-sur-Mer/Nice. The voyage started on May 18 and ends on May 27.
ICGS ABHINAV
Despite challenging conditions, the ICGS 'Abhinav' successfully pumpe outd the engine compartment of the Indian fishing vessel 'Gurovayoorappan' with 13 crew members on board, responding to a distress call 30 nautical miles off Chavakkad, Kerala. Following the rectification of defects, the ship safely entered Munambam fishing harbour on May 21, 2024. Report with photo: https://news.abplive.com/kerala/kerala-indian-coast-guard-rescues-13-crew-members-from-sinking-fishing-boat-gurovayoorappan-1689383
Vladivostok
The typhoon Maysak crushed onto the port of Vladivostok on Sep 3, 2020, wreaking havoc at the Navy base and in the commercial port. A floating dock in the base broke off her moorings, drifted along the piers and hit berthed submarines and other ships. The amount of damage was yet unknown. The container terminal at the ommercial port was flooded. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=50&v=Yr8JHgunKNY&feature=emb_title
Kiel
An investigation was launched into the allision of the Panama flagged cargo m/v cargo m/v 'Else', 2449 gt ( IMO: 9006320 ), enroute from Klaipeda to Les Sables with a cargo of ammonnium nitrate, with the northern lock of the Kiel Canal in Kiel-Holtenau upon entering the lock on Aug 29 at 5 a.m. at the pier of the Lindenau Yard in Kiel-Friedrcrichsort. Usually ships stop about 800 meters off the locks on the Kiel Fjord to take a pilot on board, and may only proceed once he has embarked. The 'Else' had ordered a pilot but continued its voyage without reducing speed and crashed into the closed gate with about six knots. The gate was severely damaged, and inspections by divers were to start on Aug 31 to find out if the submerged tanks of it were damaged too. The lock was closed for shipping for the time being, leaving only one of four locks in Holtenau in operating condition. One gate is still under repair after having been hit by the container m/v 'Akacia' 2,5 years ago, another gate is under repair too. It was investigated if this could be used once the now damaged gate has been removed.
ALFRED
The master of the 'Alfred', that grounded off Swona island on July 5, 2022, almost certainly fell asleep and allowed the ferry to swing towards land, and he regularly sailed very close to the coast, an official investigation by the UK Department for Transport’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) concluded on MAy 22, 2024. A total of 41 passengers and crew were injured and almost all the vehicles aboard, and the ferry’s port bulbous bow were damaged. The MAIB report highlighted “key safety issues” as the ferry routinely passing too close to land, fatigue leading to loss of awareness at a critical point in the vessel’s passage and lack of assurance that procedures were being followed. It recommended to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency that passage plans were available during inspections and surveys, and guidance was issued to ferry operators over the need to secure heavy objects. The MAIB said UK domestic ferries’ exemption from carrying voyage data recorders should be reviewed. The branch also called on Pentland Ferries to ensure it recorded passenger details and injuries after such incidents. Report with photo: https://www.scotsman.com/news/transport/pentland-ferries-captain-almost-certainly-fell-asleep-before-vessel-grounded-off-orkney-injuring-41-4638072
DALI
On May 22 Maryland Governor Wes Moore said the 'Dali' will be in Baltimore for four to six weeks, while crews remove pieces of the bridge, damaged containers and parts of the roadway still on board. They will also make a number of temporary fixes. Once this is done, it will be sent to Norfolk. He did not specify which shipyard will receive the ship. The crew members now have the chance to spend some time off the ship for the first time since the initial collapse. After the ship was removed, there is now a 400 foot wide by 50 foot deep channel for 24/7 operations at the Port of Baltimore. The Coastguard was working to expand this further, while clearing additional rubble from the bottom of the channel.
Andernach
Vorbeifahrt Rheinufer 56567 Neuwied-Feldkirchen (Fahr am Rhein) Gegenüber dem Industriehafen Andernach 26.08.2020 - Imperial Gas 79 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuTSSugJmIk&feature=youtu.be 26.08.2020 - MISSOURI Cargo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgkscB-aLoY 26.08.2020 - WSP14 Wasserschutzpolizei https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjHD9XwE9X8 26.08.2020 - VOYAGE Tankschiff https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-m7xqvoroX8