News

Broken up 26.09.2019

The National Transportation Safety Committee will be carrying out the investigation regarding the collision of the 'Serasi I' and the cargo m/v 'Batanghari Mas' (IMO: 9586291) while crossing the Bangka Strait, Bangka Belitung Islands on Dec 1. The Harbour Master's Office and Port Authority in Muntok have interviewed the cabin crew and will still interview others including the master of the 'Serasi I'. . Local authorities have also installed buoys around the area where the vessel sank to warn passing vessels.

On Dec 1, 2022, at about 3 p.m. the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) was informed that 15 empty containers at Keppel Terminal had fallen from the wharf into the water as a result of strong winds during a squall. There were no reported injuries and no immediate impact to port operations. The MPA deployed two patrol crafts to monitor and cordon off the affected area to facilitate recovery work by PSA Corporation Ltd. MPA’s Port Operations Control Centre has restricted all vessel movements in the vicinity of Keppel Terminal until the containers were recovered.

For the fourth day in a row, Iranian-made drones attacked Odesa on Sep 26 in the morning, this time against military targets and without civilian casualties. On Sep 23, two civilians were killed during Russian drone attacks on the port city. On Sep 25, Odesa was attacked by three drones, one of which was reportedly shot down by Ukrainian forces. Ukraine has not officially identified the drones, but from the video footage below it appears, according to experts, that they are Iranian-produced Shakhed 136 drones.

The MRCC Rabat recived a distress signal from the 'Bombay Sapphire' on 406Mhz in pos. 31 12 00 N, 011 15 36 W on Dec 5, 2022, at 1.40 p.m. UTC. Vessels in the vicinity have been requested to keep a sharp lookout, assist if possible and report to MRCC Rabat.

The 'World Dream' of Genting Hong Kong will be up for auction on Dec 21, 2022, following the demise of the company in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The bidding is open to anyone. The ship is currently anchored off Singapore. The Office of the Sheriff of Singapore is in charge of the auction, and is selling the vessel “as-is.” The buyer is responsible for making sure it’s seaworthy and for relocating it elsewhere. The vessel auction is being run by the sheriff to help pay off the company’s debts. All bidders must make a deposit of $50K, but the losers of the auction will receive refunds. There will be extra costs associated with the purchase that potential buyers must be willing to accept. Genting Hong Kong wasn’t able to buy fuel for its ships after running up enormous bills, leaving a number of customers stranded. In order to seize the 'World Dream', it was refueled at a cost of $1.2 million. That amount will be added to the sales price.

Russia's Ministry of Transport has set up a ferry service across the Kerch Strait to take over vehicle traffic, offsetting some of the impact of the damage to the Kerch Strait Bridge after a truck was blown up on the westbound road deck of the Kerch Strait Bridge on Oct 7 at about 6 a.m. Two spans of the westbound deck collapsed into the water, but the adjacent eastbound deck remained in place. The blast's timing coincided with the passage of a fuel train on the adjacent rail deck, and it ignited seven fuel tank cars, which burned for hours after the explosion. A Russian salvage diving team has arrived on the site and is completing an underwater survey of the damage, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin said Sunday. An above-water inspection process is already under way. Traffic had partially resumed on the bridge by late Saturday, though restricted by the extent of the damage. Russia's Ministry of Transport said that it also resumed suburban commuter rail service over the rail track, though not heavy freight trains. Two ferries are already in operation to provide a bypass route, and eight separate parking lots have been set up for temporary storage for cars and trucks waiting to make the crossing. Two more ferries will join the effort on Monday, the Yeysh and Mriya.

Yaizu Port is one of the leading fishing ports in Japan. In August 2022, the VesselTracker AIS receiving station opened at Yaizu Port.

The 'Svitzer Dhaka' has been released by a local court in Chittagong on Dec 1, 2ß022, and the port authority released the tug on Dec 2.

The "Geo Barents", which has been in the central Mediterranean for its 20th mission for a few days, has carried out two rescue operations in less than 24 hours, after saving 90 people in the morning of Dec 4, including 35 minors and 5 women, who added to the 74 rescued the previous night. The "Geo Barents" has now 164 migrants on board, 14 of them women and 50 unaccompanied minors, the youngest just 10 years old. The ship had set sail on Dec 1 from the port of Augusta after maintenance works and crew changes.

The Crimean Bridge across Kerch Strait suffered an explosion and fire in the morning of Oct 8, 2022. Two spans of the motorway bridge collapsed and fell into the water, the railway bridge above the motorway witha cargo train including railway car tanks with fuel, was on fire. All bridge traffic was suspended. The Crimean Bridge was more than a Bridge, both for Russia and Ukraine. For Russia it was a symbol of the Russian “victory” and historical justice. For the Ukraine, it was a symbol of the Russian aggression and Crimea occupation. The navigation span of the Bridge is yet undamaged, and therefore, the Kerch Strait Channel remained navigable. The Kerch Strait Transit is from now on, however, a risky undertaking, so all ship owners are advised to calculate risks and probably, change their ships voyages, avoiding Azov sea calls.

Workers at Felixstowe have decided to go on a strike for the first time since 1989. Shipping firms and union leaders have warned that the actions could heavily impact the supply chains and also leave buyers waiting for their necessary goods and other commodities. Nearly 1,900 members of the Unite at Felixstowe have walked out in a dispute regarding pay in the most recent outbreak of industrial action to hit some sectors of the economy. Workers, including machine operators, crane drivers, and stevedores will take action after voting by more than nine to one in favor of strikes. The union said that the eight-day halt is likely to have a significant impact on the port that typically handles almost 4m containers in one year from about 2,000 ships. Felixstowe handles about half of the containerized freight that enters the country and the actions could indicate that vessels have to be diverted to ports in other places in Europe or the UK. Haulage majors have warned that the strike could have a serious impact on business, while trade organizations have said that the consumers could be affected by price increases. All through Suffolk, the bill could run into millions and all over the country a lot more. It is not going to impact the food supply chains as all fresh produces are in stock, but it will impact the supply chain in terms of fences, furniture, and bits and bobs. Maersk, one of the largest container shippers in the world, has said that the strike may cause delays and force it to make changes to its vessel lineup. In the meantime, consumers may be hit with price hikes and shortages of some products. Consumer prices are already rising owing to the increases in the shipping rates experienced since the middle of 2020. Further disruptions in the UK are going to add to the cost pressures, even though the temporary unavailability of some commodities may be the first noticeable impact on the consumers.