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The 'Odyssey II' was loaded onto the semi-submersible heavy-lift vessel 'Rolldock Sun' (IMO: 9393981) in Gibraltar on April 5, 2020, for transportation to a shipyard to undergo major engine repairs. The luxury yacht, which usually is chartered at a cost of 800,000 Euros per week during peak summer season, has been in Gibraltar since March 19 after having suffered major engine problems. Report with photo: https://www.chronicle.gi/delicate-manoeuvre-as-superyacht-is-loaded-onto-heavy-lift-vessel/

The offshore installation and decommissioning firm Allseas has won a contract to remove three complete offshore platforms and two jackets in Norway for Aker BP. The company said on April 7, 2020, that Aker BP had awarded it a deal to Aker BP for the removal and disposal of multiple topsides and jackets from the Valhall area in the Norwegian North Sea. Allseas will use the ÄPioneering Spirit' for the job. The work comprises removal and disposal of the Drilling Platform (DP) 5,950 t topsides and 4,350 t jacket, and Production and Compression Platform (PCP) 10,900 t topsides and 9,500 t jacket from the Valhall complex, plus the 1,100 t Hod topsides and 3,500 t jacket from the connected Hod field, 13 km to the south. The contract was the latest award triggered by Aker BP under the terms of the frame agreement signed with Allseas in 2017 to provide transport, installation and removal services for the Valhall oil field. The 'Pioneering Spirit' will execute the work between 2021 and 2026. Water depth at the field is approximately 70 meters. Platform preparations were scheduled to begin later in 2020 and continuing into the 2021 lift season. In addition, Aker BP has invoked the option for the removal and disposal of the Valhall Quarters Platform (QP) jacket and the 2/4-G jacket on the Ekofisk field, 24 km north of the Valhall complex. This option was associated with the 2017 award for the removal and disposal of the QP topsides, removed by the 'Pioneering Spirit' in June 2019.

On March 31, 2020, around 9 a.m. a fire broke out aboard the new built Panama flagged cruise ship 'Mardi Gras', 183200 gt (9837444), which is currently built at the Meyer yard in Turku. The fire occurred in a cabin on the upper deck, and fire crews managed to limit the fire to one cabin. In total, 18 fire brigade units were sent from the rescue service to the shipyard, but the fire could quickly be extinguished by the shipyard's own fire department. However, the ship must be checked to make sure there were no remaining hot spots. All workers were evacuated from the ship, but no one was injured in the fire. The cause of the fire was still unclear.

The Port of Kiel commissioned Siemens to build Germany’s largest shore power system to date. With a power of 16 megavolt amperes (MVA), the Siharbor solution will supply two ships simultaneously with certified eco-power, for the first time. This will reduce annual CO2 emissions by more than 8,000 tons. The system is expected to go into test operation within the 2020 cruise ship season. Maritime shipping plays a special role in Kiel. The port is the point of departure for cruises and has ferry connections to the Baltic states and Scandinavia. 32 different cruise ships stopped in 174 times at the port facilities in 2018. The Siemens installation consists of one substation with four Geafol cast resin transformers, four airinsulated medium-voltage Nxair switchgears as well as one 16-MVA frequency converter. The cast resin transformers with a rated power of six and 16 MVA are especially suited for challenging environmental conditions, such as the salty air present at the port. The switchgear is robust and has a compact design, making it suitable for this application. For an uninterrupted and efficient power supply of the mooring ships the Siemens converter system “Siplink” is used. It features a frequency converter and a software for central controlling of the two berths. With the system, two medium-voltage networks with different frequencies can be connected. In this case the local distribution grid with 50 Hz and the ship’s onboard electrical system with 60 Hz. Siplink synchronizes both networks and takes over the power supply automatically within a few minutes. In addition, it coordinates the energy supply of the ships’ two networks so that power can be supplied to both simultaneously. “With this set up, we are able for the first time to supply two ships simultaneously with the necessary 60-Hz onboard frequency by means of one shore power system,” said Axel Mohr, head of sales for Distribution Systems, Region North, at Siemens Smart Infrastructure. “We’re excited to support the Port of Kiel with this sustainable solution, thereby taking on a leading role in Europe together. Such systems will become increasingly important in the future, also outside of Germany, as climate protection goals are implemented. With its “Master Plan for 100% Climate Protection”, the City of Kiel has an ambitious roadmap to be CO2-neutral by 2050. The new shore power system at the Port of Kiel aims to support this goal with the reduction in CO2 emissions it will bring. The shoreside power supply installed by Siemens in the spring of 2019 at the Norwegenkai has already started operations. To date, it has helped slash CO2 emissions by about 1,000 tons.

The Emder Werft und Dock GmbH has won overhaul contracts for the two Phoenix Reisen ships 'Albatros' and 'Amera' which were scheduled to arrive at Emden in week 15/2020. Experience in the passenger segment was gained through several overhaul contracts for internationally operating ferries including those of P&O Ferries, among others. It has been a strategic goal for some time to enter the cruise business. Emden Dockyard representatives exhibited at Seatrade Cruise Global in 2019. The contracts for the 'Amera' and 'Albatros' were won on short notice as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Phoenix Reisen decided to have maintenance work carried out while service was suspended.The exact scope was still under planning and will be defined after Easter. The value of the work has not been disclosed. The 'Amera' was to arrive on April 8. The ship berthed at Bremerhaven on April 5, inbound from Brazil with 560 passengers and 423 crew. Along with the passengers, most crew were disembarked. The 'Albatros' reached Bremerhaven in the morning of April 7, carrying some 370 passengers at the end of a three-week voyage from Lembar. The ship was due in Emden on April 9. Emden Dockyard has a safety/security protocol in place for the two vessels.

48 hours after the NSW Police chief was asked to review how the COVID-19 riddled ÄRuby Princess' docked at Sydney, he decided multiple passenger deaths could be viewed as "suspicious". The ship was green-lighted to anchor at Sydney Harbour on March 19 and allowed 2700 passengers to disperse into the city. On April 5,the NSW Police launched a criminal investigation which will pick apart how that disastrous decision was made, and by who. In the morning of April 8 a 62-year-old South Australian woman who was a passenger on the cruise ship died in Royal Adelaide Hospital. At least 15 fatalities and more than 600 cases have been linked to the 'Ruby Princess".

On March 31, 2020, around 9 a.m. a fire broke out aboard the new built Panama flagged cruise ship 'Mardi Gras', 183200 gt (9837444), which is currently built at the Åbovarvet Meyer Turku. The fire occurred in a cabin on the upper deck, and fire crews managed to limit the fire to one cabin. In total, 18 fire brigade units were sent from the rescue service to the shipyard, but the fire could quickly be extinguished by the shipyard's own fire department. However, the ship must be checked to make sure there were no remaining hot spots. All workers were evacuated from the ship, but no one was injured in the fire. The cause of the fire was still unclear.

At the Yatomi Pier in the port of Nagoya an accident occurred aboard the Japanese cargo m/v 'Tensho Maru No. 1', 1600 dwt (IMO: 9105437), on Feb 3, 2020, at 8.30 a.m. while unloading 72 concrete slabs, in piles of 8 units each. Two workers were buried underneath one when the plate with a weight of 7 to 8 tons fell down after the ropes were untied. Firefighters were called, and cranes were used to rescue them. One of the workers, Keigo Niwa, 24, from Minato-ku, in Nagoya, was recovered dead after having been pressed in the abdominal region. The other, in his 30s, had suffered fractures in both legs. With the fall of the plate, the cargo ship was tilted about 30 degrees to starboard side. The Coast Guard was investigating the cause of the accident. Report with photo: https://www.portalmie.com/atualidade/noticias-do-japao/acidentes/2020/02/acidente-no-navio-cargueiro-em-aichi-mata-um-trabalhador/

The Emder Werft und Dock GmbH has won overhaul contracts for the two Phoenix Reisen ships 'Albatros' and 'Amera' which were scheduled to arrive at Emden in week 15/2020. Experience in the passenger segment was gained through several overhaul contracts for internationally operating ferries including those of P&O Ferries, among others. It has been a strategic goal for some time to enter the cruise business. Emden Dockyard representatives exhibited at Seatrade Cruise Global in 2019. The contracts for the 'Amera' and 'Albatros' were won on short notice as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Phoenix Reisen decided to have maintenance work carried out while service was suspended.The exact scope was still under planning and will be defined after Easter. The value of the work has not been disclosed. The 'Amera' was to arrive on April 8. The ship berthed at Bremerhaven on April 5, inbound from Brazil with 560 passengers and 423 crew. Along with the passengers, most crew were disembarked. The 'Albatros' reached Bremerhaven in the morning of April 7, carrying some 370 passengers at the end of a three-week voyage from Lembar. The ship was due in Emden on April 9. Emden Dockyard has a safety/security protocol in place for the two vessels.

Australian and New Zealand passengers will be evacuated from the 'Greg Mortimer' on April 9, after almost 60% of those on board tested positive for the coronavirus. The ship had departed March 15 on a voyage to Antarctica and South Georgia. Since the beginning of April, however, it has been stuck off the coast of Uruguay, after authorities refused to allow passengers to disembark due to the risk of coronavirus. Of the 217 people on board, 128 passengers and crew have now tested positive for the virus. Six passengers requiring specialized care have been transferred to medical facilities in Montevideo. Passengers from European and American who have tested positive for coronavirus, however, will have to remain on board until they have a negative test result, after which they may be able to depart via Brazil. All passengers will be retested every two or three days. On April 7 the Uruguayan government said it had authorized a medical flight evacuation of New Zealand and Australian passengers aboard the Greg Mortimer for later this week. The passengers will fly to Melbourne on April 9 on a plane chartered by Aurora, where they will undergo a mandated 14-day quarantine before proceeding to their final destinations. The chartered Airbus A340 will be specially fitted with medical and quarantine facilities in order to "ensure the health and safety of all on board. The company estimated the cost per passenger of at least $9,300.

A 52-year old Cape Town truck driver was killed on March 20, 2020, when the spreader from a Transnet Port Terminal crane collapsed and crushed his truck cab inside the container terminal. The accident occurred around 11h00 on Friday morning when the truck arrived to collect a container at the TPT terminal. The reach stacker crane passed over the truck when the spreader bar was dislodged and fell onto the cab of the truck. The reason why the spreader fell was not clear but one witness claimed that the crane involved in the accident had been receiving attention from a technician shortly beforehand. Immediately following the accident the crane operator attempted to hoist the spreader off the truck but was unsuccessful. The driver of the truck was trapped in his cab and died at the scene despite the efforts of Transnet paramedics who were quickly on the scene. Following the accident the South African Police Services opened an inquest docket for further investigation. Operations remained suspended for some hours until all regulatory authorities currently onsite, concluded their assessments. The maintenance of the Kalmar equipment at the port was recently taken over by Transnet.

In the second ship-to-ship LNG bunkering operation to take place in Germany and the first ever in the Port of Rostock, on Jan 22, 2020 the world’s largest LNG bunker vessel 'Kairos' supplied fuel to the newly-built offshore installation vessel 'Orion' which was berthed at the Liebherr construction yard in the Port of Rostock, where she is being outfitted with a 5,000-tonne crane. DEME is a leading adopter of LNG as a marine fuel, and the 'Orion' is its fifth dual-fuel vessel. This operation strengthens the LNG cluster in Rostock significantly and is an essential extension of the services offered by the port. The continuous development from the LNG bunkering operations by truck during the last years towards the first ship-to-ship LNG bunkering operation shows the strong operational performance of the port team. Report with photo: https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/port-of-rostock-hosts-its-first-ship-to-ship-lng-bunkering