Despite six days passing, the pirates who hijacked the 'Abdullah' have made no contact with the ship's owner and have not issued any demands. The owner has reached out to various media outlets seeking assistance in securing the safe return of the ship and its crew. The Kabir Group stated on March 16: "All sailors aboard the hijacked ship are in good health. A sailor contacted the owners on Saturday night to update them on their condition. However, food supplies on board are depleting rapidly as the pirates are sharing meals with the sailors. We are actively working to ensure the safe return of the crew. We have initiated contact with several media outlets for assistance, but have yet to receive a favourable response." Meanwhile, for the past six days, family members of the 23 sailors held hostage have been enduring extreme anxiety. Some relatives have fallen ill due to the stress.
News
KING RICH
On March 13, 2024, the People's Committee of Quang Nam province requireds the authorities to ensure that the process of salvaging the 'King Rich' from the Cu Lao Cham beach must be on schedule and absolutely avoid environmental pollution. It has sent a document to relevant agencies and units on monitoring and coordinating the salvage process in the Tan Hiep commune (Hoi An city, Quang Nam). The People's Committee of theQuang Nam province assigned the Provincial Commanding Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and SAR, the Provincial Border Guard Command, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, the People's Committee of Hoi An City and related branches such as the Quang Nam Maritime Port Authority to inspect and supervise the Vietnam National Marine Co., Ltd. as salvors. The salvage work must be carried out on schedule according to the approved plan, with absolutely no environmental pollution occurring during the process. On Dec 1, 2023, at around 10:30 a.m. the tanker had been spotted adrift off Cu Lao Cham island and ran aground at 11:05 a.m. near Bai Huong village. At the time of discovery, there were no crew members on the ship, its bow was damaged, and it was at high risk of sinking. The ship is owned by the Kindom Co., Ltd. in Tainan City (Taiwan). Report with photo: https://thanhnien.vn/quang-nam-truc-vot-tau-king-rich-mac-can-o-vung-bien-cu-lao-cham-1852403130904314.htm
Iskenderun
Thick black smoke was rising from burning containers at Iskenderun Port on Feb 6, 2023. The fire was caused by containers that toppled over during the powerful earthquake that struck southeast Turkey. ATurkish Coast Guard vessel was assisting efforts to extinguish the blaze.
Kerch
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.
SEROJA III
On March 9, 2024, the 'Seroja III' went adrift after the anchor dragged, amid strong currents. It then ran aground in extreme weather with wave heights of 2,5-3,5 meters and heavy rain in the waters of the Sumenep Regency, ballasting en route from Makasar to Gresik, at the coast of Kangean Island in pos. 06°50, 054'S 115° 13, 656' E. The accident was first noticed by a number of Kangean Island fishermen who then reported to officers of the Republic of Indonesia Sea and Coast Guard. The Kangean Police have been coordinating with officers from the Republic of Kangean Maritime and the Coast Guard. The officers were still investigating the cause of the breakdown and the impact the accident had on the marine environment.
QUEEN ELIZABETH
An investigation has been launched into the cause of a fire which broke out aboard the HMS 'Queen Elizabeth' on March 8, while it was moored in Argyll and Bute. The aircraft carrier was en-route to Rosyth to undergo repairs when the fire broke out during a stop on Loch Long at Glenmallan. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service received a call at 11.50 p.m. to assist partners at Glen Mallan Jetty, Argyll and Bute. The operations Control mobilised three appliances and a height vehicle, and the fire was quickly put out. No ordnance was involved in the incident. Personnel in the vicinity were able to return to work. There were no reported injuries. Crews remained on standby to assist and left on March 9 at 2.15 a.m. The ship had to withdraw from a NATO exercise before because of an issue with a starboard propeller shaft coupling. The HMS 'Prince of Wales' was sent on the Steadfast Defender exercise instead, with the 'Queen Elizabeth' sailing from its base at Portsmouth to the Rosyth dockyard to fix the issue.
Kiel
The Port of Kiel expects another good season in 2023, resulting in 218 cruise calls, said its MD Dirk Claus in the morning of Jan 17, 2023, as part of a presentation reflecting on last year's results. It follows 2022's record-breaking 244 calls, which saw the port handle over 2.24m passengers, 836,000 of those from cruise vessels. The number of calls in 2019 was 37% less by comparison, numbering 178, and passenger volumes 4.1% lower. 2020 had been forecast to become a record season for Kiel, with 200 calls and 880,000 passengers, but aspirations were dashed owing to the pandemic. This year, a number of larger vessels are scheduled to arrive at Kiel on multiple occasions making the gross tonnage of arriving ships similar to 2022. For 2023, the choice of routes and destinations approached from Kiel will be slightly broader. Moving into the future, Claus expects Kiel to settle on between 200 and 250 cruise calls annually. According to the port, last year’s promising results were the result of ‘intense planning’ with international cruise operators. While 11 calls were cancelled owing to the conflict in Ukraine and the resulting loss of St Petersburg from itineraries, nine were newly added as a result of rerouting by operators. Looking ahead, there will be a strong focus on greener shipping with Claus hoping that between 60 and 100 calls can be supplied with green shore power this year. He stated that Kiel will continue to look at strengthening shore power in line with its corporate sustainability strategy to lower carbon emissions. Work on the new Ostuferhafen shore power plant is expected to conclude towards the end of this year, resulting in Kiel being able to offer shoreside connectivity at all its ferry and cruise terminals from 2024. Along with this €17m investment, a further €2m will be invested to install solar arrays. The systems, which will be fitted on roofs at Kiel Port, are intended to cover up to 30% of the port's electricity requirements in the long term. Kiel’s first call is expected to arrive April 7 with the river vessel 'Frederic Chopin'. The first cruise ship of the season, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ 'Balmoral', will arrive a week later. The largest ships to call will be 'MSC Euribia' and 'AIDAnova'. At the other end of the scale, the 'Ocean Majesty' will visit Kiel on six occasions while chartered to Hansa Touristik. The vessel, which celebrates its 57th anniversary this year, is popular with the German source market. One of its calls is scheduled to occur on June 18 during the Kieler Woche sailing festival which will run from June 17-25. Traditionally, this marks the peak of the cruise season with this year no exception: 22 calls are expected by Kiel at the same time as the event takes place. While the highest number of calls is expected between mid-April and the end of September as usual, some ships will continue to call later in the year. 'AIDAnova'’s last departure is scheduled for November 4 whilst December 20 will see Phoenix Reisen's 'Amera' arrive at Kiel as part of a pre-Christmas itinerary. The season will draw to a close a few days later with the 'Spirit of Discovery' on December 29. Costa-, AIDA-, MSC- and TUI Cruises will again be the port's largest cruise customers. The majority of calls account for turnarounds serving the German-speaking source markets, but a number of transit calls will also take place, P&O Cruises’ Britannia, Swiss Ruby, Holland America Line’s 'Nieuw Statendam' and Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ 'Seven Seas Splendor' among them. As in previous years, the Ostuferhafen outside the city centre will be heavily utilised by MSC Cruises and most other cruise ships will arrive at the Ostseekai.
Kerch
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.
RED JET 6
On March 16, 2024, the Isle of Wight to Southampton Red Jet service has been suspended. Initially the service had been running a revised timetable due to a water jet issue on the 'Red Jet 6'. However, the operator has confirmed its Red Jet services have now been suspended following an issue with the 'Red Jet 7' regarding the starboard side jet room. The Red Jet sailings at 10.20 a.m. from Southampton and 10.55 a.m. from Cowes were cancelled due to the same technical issue.
PACIFIC 01
The Houthis announced on March 15, 2024, that they attacked the 'Pacific 01' while it was traveling in the Red Sea. The ship reported an explosion while traveling in the Red Sea about 65 nautical miles west of Al Hudaydah, Yemen. The Houthis then claimed responsibility for the attack on the ship and referred to the vessel as an "Israeli ship". The ship's crew was reportedly safe. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations initially reported that the ship had been hit by a missile. However, the UKMTO reversed its statement after a daylight inspection of the vessel revealed that no damage was found to the vessel. The ship and crew were described as safe and continued their voyage.
Singapore
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.
Odessa
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.