The 'Chokyo Maru No. 68' ran aground on rocks in the Hauraki Gulf in the early morning of April 15, 2024, with 27 crew members on board en route to Auckland for supplies. No injuries have been reported. The vessel was heading into Auckland when it got into trouble at The Noises about 3.42 a.m. There was damage to the bow of the vessel. The Police were notified at around 5.35 a.m. Two tugs of the Thomson Towboats were called to refloat the ship at around 1.30 p.m. with the high tide. But the re-floating occurred earlier than expected at 1 p.m. The ship berthed at the Bledisloe Container Terminal in Auckland on April 16 at 6 a.m. UTC for further assessments. Report with photos: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/fishing-boat-run-aground-in-the-noises-hauraki-gulf/AZUXFTNDUVG7LPU4CD7H73YAYI/
News
POLA PELAGIA
From March 30, 2024, until April 4, the 'Pola Pelagia' unloaded cargo in the port Bari, which was originating from the Russian port of Kavkaz. Another vessel of the same company, the 'Pola Maria', has called at Brake from April 5-6 with a cargo of 7.80 kt of grain and oilseeds from Kaliningrad. Although agricultural products are not part of the EU sanctions package, based on EU council press releases, bith ships are currently sanctioned as well as their owners, the Pola Rise LLC, by OFAC. They have been classified by the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping, which is no longer affiliated with the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS). Additionally, there was no information available about the P&I (Protection and Indemnity) Club for both vessels, raising further concerns about the insurance coverage. Without legitimate, continuous insurance coverage, ship owners may be unable to pay the costs of accidents in which they are involved, including oil spills.
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.
FLYING CAT 6
On the morning of April 16, 2024, the Port Authority of Argosaronicos was informed by the Master of the 'Flying Cat 6' that during its scheduled route from Porto Heli via Spetses, Ermioni, Hydra and Poros to the port of Piraeus, the ship experienced a malfunction in the starboard side main engine. The ferry sailed safely to Piraeus, where it disembarked the 176 passengers and its 12 crew members. The Port Authority banned the ship from sailing until the repair of the damage and the presentation of a certificate of class maintenance by the monitoring classification society. The next scheduled route was carried out by the catamaran ferry 'Aereo 1' to the ports of Poros, Hydra, Spetses and Porto Helio.
ELSA
Four Russian tankers carrying oil and refined products, the 'Anthea' (IMO: 9281683),'Elsa', 'Hebe' (IMO: 9259185) and 'Baxter' (IMO: 9282522) have become immobilized at sea following the imposition of new Iran-related sanctions by the United States, imposed on April 4, 2024, and targeting the shipping company, Oceanlink Maritime DMCC, and its vessels, citing their alleged involvement in transporting commodities on behalf of the Iranian military. The U.S. Treasury Department aimed to isolate Iran and disrupt its ability to fund proxy groups allegedly supporting Russia in the Ukraine war. The 'Anthea' received 200,000 metric tons of Russian Ural crude oil via STS from two vessels near the Laconian Gulfin late March and is underway to Singapore with an ETA as of April 30. The 'Elsa' received 100,000 metric tons of fuel oil through STS near the Port of Kalamata. The fuel oil was originally supplied to Kalamata from ports in St. Petersburg and Ust-Luga, Russia. The 'Elsa' was underway to Qingdao with an ETA as of May 12. The 'Hebe' was loaded with 100,000 metric tons of fuel oil at St. Petersburg and Ust-Luga. It was heading towards the Suez Canal, with its final destination unclear. The 'Baxter' was carrying naphtha from the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk and destined for India. The vessel has been drifting in the Arabian Sea since April 5.
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
POLA MARIA
From March 30, 2024, until April 4, the 'Pola Pelagia' unloaded cargo in the port Bari, which was originating from the Russian port of Kavkaz. Another vessel from the same company, the 'Pola Maria', has called at Brake from April 5-6 with a cargo of 7.80 kt of grain and oilseeds from Kaliningrad Although agricultural products are not part of the EU sanctions package, based on EU council press releases, bith ships are currently sanctioned as well as their owners, the Pola Rise LLC, by OFAC. They have been classified by the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping, which is no longer affiliated with the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS). Additionally, there was no information available about the P&I (Protection and Indemnity) Club for both vessels, raising further concerns about the insurance coverage. Without legitimate, continuous insurance coverage, ship owners may be unable to pay the costs of accidents in which they are involved, including oil spills.
HEBE
Four Russian tankers carrying oil and refined products, the 'Anthea' (IMO: 9281683),'Elsa' (IMO: 9256468), 'Hebe' and 'Baxter' (IMO: 9282522) have become immobilized at sea following the imposition of new Iran-related sanctions by the United States, imposed on April 4, 2024, and targeting the shipping company, Oceanlink Maritime DMCC, and its vessels, citing their alleged involvement in transporting commodities on behalf of the Iranian military. The U.S. Treasury Department aimed to isolate Iran and disrupt its ability to fund proxy groups allegedly supporting Russia in the Ukraine war. The 'Anthea' received 200,000 metric tons of Russian Ural crude oil via STS from two vessels near the Laconian Gulfin late March and is underway to Singapore with an ETA as of April 30. The 'Elsa' received 100,000 metric tons of fuel oil through STS near the Port of Kalamata. The fuel oil was originally supplied to Kalamata from ports in St. Petersburg and Ust-Luga, Russia. The 'Elsa' was underway to Qingdao with an ETA as of May 12. The 'Hebe' was loaded with 100,000 metric tons of fuel oil at St. Petersburg and Ust-Luga. It was heading towards the Suez Canal, with its final destination unclear. The 'Baxter' was carrying naphtha from the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk and destined for India. The vessel has been drifting in the Arabian Sea since April 5.
Paramaribo
The Maritime Authority of Suriname has issued the following 2 Notices to Mariners: 1. "From September 5, 2020 to January 6, 2021, the Noble Sam Croft drillship will conduct exploration drillings off the coast of Suriname at the drilling location 07 ° 23 "401 N - 55 ° 55" 264 W (WGS 84). For safety reasons the shipping should keep a safe distance of 1000 (one thousand) metres from thenNoble Sam Croft. The Offshore Support Vessels (OSV) that will assist during the operations are: Southern Tide, States Tide and Polaris. Please note: • Communication is through VHF, all international channels 13, 16, 69, 72. • There is a SAFETY ZONE of 1000 (one thousand) metres from the drilling site. • The Noble Sam Croft is not maneuverable and will display the relevant characters. All ships should take notice of the above mentioned." 2. "The drillship Maersk Developer will conduct exploration drilling of the Coast of Suriname from September 19th till December 3rd, 2020 at the drilling location 07° 21’.270 N – 055° 33’.247 W (WGS 84). For safety reasons vessels should keep a safe distance of 1000 (one thousand) meters from the drillship. The Offshore Support Vessels (OSV) that will assist during the operations are MV Bourbon Topaz, MV Gerard Tide, MV Felton Tide and MV National Energy Explorer. Please note: • Communication is through the VHF channels 16 and 77. • There is a SAFETY ZONE of 1000 (one thousand) meters from the drilling site. • Maersk Developer is not maneuverable and will display the relevant characters. All ships should take notice of the above mentioned."