News

The 'Heba M', while en route from Aliaga to Izmit, suffered a technical failure while entering the Canakkale Strait from the southern entrance on Jan 24, 2021, at 3.30 a.m. for transit passage at 0330 hrs, today. The vessel moored at Karanlik anchorage where repairs have commenced by the crew. The vessel remained stationary in pos. 40° 45.98' N 029° 38.90' E as of Jan 25.

The 'Iba' was beached at the coast of Umm Al Quwain in the Persian Gulf in the morning of Jan 24, 2021. The unloaded tanker broke off its moorings in strong winds and rough seas and drifted onto the shore at the Al Bait Metwahid Walkway. The attempt of the crew to start the engines and gain control of the situation failed. They contacted Hamriyah port control and also Sharjah, but they could not provide towing assistance either. The Umm Al Quwain Police called an emergency meeting to discuss how the vessel should be handled. Officers looked into the necessary measures that must taken by the company concerned. The legal representative of the company confirmed that they were ready to tow the ship as early as possible, and when the weather conditions have improved. The crew aboard the tanker was now hoping that, after 3,5 years at sea, they will at last be able to go home. Five sailors onboard MT Iba have spent 43 months at sea – and 32 months without getting paid their wages – after the tanker’s owner, the Alco Shipping Services, ran into a financial crisis. The company has searched for a buyer for the tanker so it can pay substantial debts to the port authorities. These negotiations were largely sidelined by the pandemic. The ship only had a skeleton crew onboard since its owners ceased trading. Supplies of diesel, fresh water and food were delivered to the 'Iba' when it was at anchor three kilometres offshore. The charity Mission to Seafarers has been working on behalf of the sailors, all from South-East Asia, for two years to recover their wages and repatriate them. The sailors have been surviving on limited rations of rice and chickpeas, with the last of the diesel used to try to steer the ship from danger when its anchors broke. After the salvage the tanker was to be towed 60 kilometres south to Dubai Maritime City. Once there, the crew will disembark for the first time since 2017. Collectively, the men are owed wages of more than $170,000, which can be paid only when the vessel is sold. The tanker was thought to be worth between $2 million and $4m. Waqar Hasan, the operations manager at Alco Shipping Services, hoped a deal can be signed to sell the vessel as soon as possible. A buyer for the vessel has been available for eight months but the company was still waiting for the permission to sell. Report with photos and video: https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/transport/stranded-tanker-caught-up-in-financial-row-runs-aground-on-uae-coast-1.1152748#2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sKvXAFnf8g

Ships

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.

On Jan 23, 2021, a fire broke out in a cabin of the 'Fukuho' in the port of Cappa Ujung in Parepare City. The vessel was about to depart when one of the crew cabins caught fire. The fire could be extinguished by the crew. The room was, howver, completely gutted. No injuries were reported.

arrived Bhavnagar Anchorage 24.01.21

Ships

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

The 'Carmen 1' with 10 crew members on board has been overdue in the Caribbean off the Colombian coast since Jan 21, 2021. Maritime authorities and all ships in the area have being alerted on Jan 23. The ship was en route from Colon to La Guajira. The last position was in Colombian waters 60 nautical miles from Cartagena. Units of the Colombian Navy and Air Force wree deployed in the search for the ship, but nothing has been found so far.

The 'Armenistis' allided with the pier of the port of Mytilene during the mooring process on Jan 23, 2021. The ship was operating the route Thessaloniki-Lemnos-Mytilene. Np one was injured. The three passengers and the 27 trucks disembarked safely at the port, where their final destination was. The ferry was temporarily banned from sailing.

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."

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