The 'Pacific 01' was attacked by Yemen's Houthi terrorists in the Red Sea early on July 26, 2024, but the ship's crew was unharmed. The British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center initially reported the ship had been struck by a missile off the port city of Hodeida but later on July 26 said that a further inspection of the vessel in daylight found no damage. The ship was continuing on its way. The private security firm Ambrey said the tanker with armed guards aboard had a near miss on July 25 off the coast of Yemen in the Gulf of Aden. Tthe ship had been Israel-affiliated but changed owners in February. The tanker previously had been owned by Singapore-based Eastern Pacific Shipping, which has been repeatedly targeted by the Houthis. That company is ultimately controlled by Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer.
News
JSW RAIGAD
The 'JSW Raigad' ran aground in severe weather conditions on July 25, 2024, at 1.27 p.m. on rocks after dragging anchor between Jaigar and Salav, off the Kolaba Fort, an old fortified maritime base located in Alibag in the Raigad district. The engine room was breached and started flooding. The Raigad district administration provided assistance in the rescue operation. The Coast Guard could not reach the spot, but was monitoring the situation. The vessel was two nautical miles away from the shore. On the morning of Juzly 26 the 14 crew members were taken off by a CG helicopter and dropped off at Alibag beach. The ICG station Murud Janjira coordinated with local authorities for further aid. Reports with photos and video: https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/mumbai-news/cargo-ship-with-15-crew-members-run-aground-off-kolaba-fort-in-raigad-101721935413082.html https://www.aninews.in/news/national/general-news/14-crew-members-rescued-after-maritime-vessel-ran-aground-off-raigads-kolaba-fort20240726104805/ https://www.deccanherald.com/india/maharashtra/14-crew-members-rescued-from-bulk-carrier-off-raigad-coast-3123250 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dnys0vr_7po https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7dmSOLZD8U https://x.com/htTweets/status/1816457500058612134
Kerch
Ukraine has managed a serious blow against the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Crimea on Nov 4, 2023, severely damaging the corvette 'Askold', that was docked at the Zaliv shipyard during successful attacks on the shipping and port infrastructure of the Zaliv shipyard in the temporarily occupied city of Kerch. The “Askold”, which is able to carry up to eight Kalibr or Onyx guided missiles, has been hit by at least one Ukrainian cruise missile. The upper part of the ship was significantly damaged. The damage and destruction of warships of this type is important for the security of Ukraine. Reports with photos: https://www.merkur.de/politik/ukraine-krieg-krim-schwarzmeerflotte-russland-flotte-kiew-moskau-zr-92657747.html https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/ukrainian-forces-hit-russian-ship-in-kerch-aftermath-photo/ar-AA1julmU?ocid=weather-verthp-feeds
Novorossiysk
During a Ukrainian attack in the morning of Aug 4, 2023, in Novorossyisk, the Russian landing craft ÄOlenegorski Gornjak-SDK 91' of the Ropucha class was severly damaged by a maritime drone carrying a 450 kg warhead. The explosion of the drone caused a significant water leak, as well as a strong list to port side, which could lead to the total loss of the ship. The military port of Novorossiysk (Krasnodar Krai) was attacked by several Ukrainian maritime drones. It should be noted that the port in question is very far from the Ukrainian front lines with maritime access, and even more from Ukrainian ports. For example, a drone that left Odessa must have traveled at least 700 kilometres, unless a ship of camouflaged commerce in the Eastern Black Sea deployed the drones used in this attack. The LST was towed by a tug towards the port, the latest videos show it on the side of the entrance to the military port. With 3,450 tons, it is the third largest Ukrainian attack against the Russian Navy in the Black Sea, after the loss of the cruiser 'Moskva' and the loss of a Alligator-class tank landing ship and damage to two Ropucha-class tank landing ships after a Ukrainian Tochka missile attack on the port of Berdyansk. The LST had previously made headlines by being used as ferries between Crimea and mainland Russia to help civilian ferries provide the only direct connection after the Crimean road bridge explosion. While this is indeed the first attack by maritime drones in this Russian region, the neighboring port of Tuapse had also been attacked by aerial drones, once again demonstrating the capacity of the Armed Forces Ukrainians to project means, albeit light, at very long distances. Reports with photos and video: https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/security/2023/08/northern-fleet-ship-seriously-damaged-drone-attack https://air-cosmos.com/article/attaque-a-novorossiisk-un-navire-de-debarquement-russe-tres-serieusement-endommage-par-un-drone-ukrainien-65581
ARGOS GEORGIA
The "Argos Georgia", which ended up in a storm off the Falkland Islands, in all probability collided with a large block of ice. At this time of year, it should be common for large blocks of ice to float in the sea and pose a risk of sinking. 14 people survived the accident, Nine people lost their lives. The survivors have been taken to the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital for a health check. Everything indicated that there was little or no physical damage to the fishermen. Six crew members from Spain have survived the accident. These were scheduled to be brought home in a military plane on July 26. Before, the four Galicians (three from Ribeira and one from Pontevedra), one from Barcelona and a resident of Sovocos (Albacete), Amparo Burguillos, who was on the ship as a scientific observer, made a statement. Two more Spaniards were dead and two were missing. It is assumed that the missing were also dead, and the search operation has ended due to bad weather in the area. The Falkland Islands Government announced the request for support to the vessels that may be in the area and all other possible options to find the four missing, including the Galicians Antonio Barreiro Torea and Juan Antonio García Rey. The 'Robin M. Lee', with the last survivor, an Indonesian citizen who received remote medical assistance through a Vithas hospital service with a medical team from Vigo. and one deceased on board, and the 'Puerto Toro', which was carrying the bodies of the other eight deceased, have arrived at the port of Stanley on the afternoon of July 25. The survivorwas suffering from hypothermia as a result of the low temperatures in the area where the shipwreck occurred, as well as cardiac arrhythmia, ailments for which he was treated on the 'Robin M. Lee' to the point of being fully recovered.
AGIOS GEORGIOS
On June 23, at around 9.15 a.m. the 'Agios Georgios', with 12 passengers and 70 vehicles on board, suffered mechanical damage to the port side main engine about 4.7 nautical miles north of Iraklion. The Port Authority of Iraklion was notified, while the ferry proceeded safely to the port of Iraklion. The Central Port Authority initially banned the ship from sailing. After a certificate of class mainentance and seaworthynesss was issued by the monitoring classification society, the ferry was permitted to continue sailing on its scheduled service.
Kiel
At the last weekend, the port of Kiel reached the mark of one million cruise passengers in one season for the first time. On Sep 16, 2023,, the MSC EURIBIA, AIDANOVA and EXCELLENCE CORAL called at the PORT OF KIEL, and on Sep 17 the AIDABELLA and AIDALUNA visited the Ostsee Quay. Kiel had already seen a positive trend in the cruise business in recent years, which had been put on hold by the slump during the Corona pandemic. In addition to the strong presence of the major European cruise lines AIDA, Costa, MSC and TUI, in recent years North American shipping companies, such as Holland America Line, Norwegian Cruise Line and Disney Cruise Line, have increasingly chosen Kiel as a cruise destination in the Baltic Sea region for their fleets. As recently as 2022, Kiel's seaport recorded its busiest season ever with 243 calls and 835,000 passengers. For the current season 2023, 222 cruise calls have been announced.
Kiel
Having seen its first ever LNG fuelling in May, the Port of Kiel has announced that, for the first time, two cruise vessels have bunkered LNG on the same day. The bunker operations took place on June 10, 2023, and involved the 'AIDAnova' – which became the first vessel to bunker LNG at the port in May – and MSC Cruises’ latest ship, the 'MSC Euribia'. The bunkering of the AIDA Cruises vessel by Titan capped its third fuelling at the Port of Kiel while LNG for the 'MSC Euribia' was supplied by Nordic energy company Gasum. MSC Cruises and Gasum have inked a long-term agreement for LNG supply to the 'MSC Euribia'. The companies have also signed a letter of intent (LOI) which aims to secure liquefied synthetic gas (e-LNG).
OLIVER
The "Oliver" with 340 passengers on board, which had left Split on July 25, 2024, at 10.30 a.m. bound for Vela Luka and was scheduled to arrive shortly after 1 p.m., arrived in Korčula only in the evening with the help of a tug, after after technical failure occurred, which caused the failure of both main engines. The crew tried to solve this problem for about half an hour and temporarily succeeded, but the technical problem arose again.
PAXOS EXPRESS
On June 25 at noon, the Port Authority of Lefkimmi was informed about mechanical damage to the starboard side main engine of the 'Paxos Express', which was carrying out a scheduled route from the port of Corfu to the port of Gaios Paxos. The ship sailed under its own power and safely to the port of Lefkimmi, where it disembarked its 45 passengers. The Port Authority of Lefkimmi banned the ship from sailing until the repair of the damage was confirmed by the attending classification society.
Sevastopol
Ukrainian forces struck the Russian naval base in Sevastopol, in Russian-occupied Crimea 150 miles south of the Ukraine front line on Sep 13, 2023. Fires were raging across a drydock that exploded in the early morning, which cradled two warships, the Ropucha-class amphibious vessel 'Minsk' and the Kilo-class submarine 'Rostov on Don'. The Black Sea Fleet could lose two more of its roughly 30 large ships—ships it can’t replace until Russia’s wider war on Ukraine ends and Turkey reopens the Bosphorus Strait connecting the Black Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. A nighttime drone-boat attack on the landing ship 'Olenegorsky Gornyak' in Novorossiysk, a port in southern Russia just 70 miles east of Russian-occupied Crimea, brought to four the number of major Black Sea Fleet warships the Ukrainian navy definitely has put out of action. The losses include the landing ship 'Saratov', blasted by a ballistic missile in March 2022; the cruiser 'Moskva', holed by an anti-ship missile the following month; the rescue ship 'Vasily Bekh', another victim of an anti-ship missile; and then the 'Olenegorsky Gornyak', which entered a drydock a few days after the Ukrainian attack—and may be out of the war, for good. The Ukrainians also have sank or badly damaged several Russian patrol boats and landing craft—and also recently ejected Russian forces from a pair of captured Ukrainian oil platforms that the Russians had been using as naval outposts in the western Black Sea. The sinkings and raids are a remarkable feat for a Ukrainian fleet that, after scuttling its sole frigate in the early hours of the Russian invasion in February 2022, apparently has just one large ship left: an aging landing ship that has been hiding out near the mouth of the Dnipro River and occasionally lobbing short-range rockets at Russian forces. The Ukrainian navy now effectively is a shipless navy, but no less dangerous for its lack of large hulls. Between its locally-made Neptune anti-ship missiles and Western-made Harpoon ASMs, as well as its missile-armed TB-2 drones and one-way drone boats, the Ukrainian navy isn’t just holding the Russian Black Sea Fleet at bay, it actively is beating back the fleet. Russian warships staging from Crimea are under constant assault; as of last month, ships in Russia proper are at risk, too. When Russian warships leave port, they do so briefly—usually only long enough to launch a few cruise missiles at Ukrainian cities. The Russian fleet’s security is going to get worse before it gets better. The number and variety of deep-strike weapons with which Ukrainian forces can attack the fleet steadily are growing. The Ukrainian industry is developing a new thousand-mile cruise missile; and the administration of U.S. president Joe Biden reportedly has signaled it will donate to Ukraine Army Tactical Missile System ballistic rockets that range as far as 190 miles. Either prospective new weapon could hit Sevastopol from the Ukrainian side of the front line. And the steady drumbeat of Ukrainian attacks on Russian ships is clear evidence that Ukrainian intelligence has no problem pinpointing the ships’ locations. Reports with photos and videos: https://gagadget.com/en/314212-one-of-the-best-vr-games-on-pc-half-life-shooter-until-19-september-alyx-costs-20-on-steam/ https://www.newsweek.com/photos-russian-landing-ship-submarine-damage-crimea-drydocks-hit-sevastopol-1826581
Greenock
One of Scotland’s main cruise ports is set to experience its busiest year since records began. Greenock Ocean Terminal has 91 cruise liners booked into the Inverclyde town’s new dedicated pontoon across 2023 – a rise of over 25 per cent on last year. As many as 150,000 passengers and 38,000 crew members are expected to pass through the port over the course of this year. It’s more good news for the terminal in its second full season since Covid effectively closed down the cruise industry. Jim McSporran, Clydeport Port Director at Peel Ports said: “We’re extremely proud to be announcing a record cruise year for Greenock Ocean Terminal. “Welcoming cruise liners to Greenock is a hugely important aspect of our port offering and we’re delighted that we continue to attract and grow cruise numbers to the region. “This increase in tourism will benefit visitor attractions and businesses across Inverclyde and central Scotland, and we look forward to welcoming these visitors across the season.” “In an effort to showcase the port as the cruise gateway to the West Coast of Scotland, this year we are also investing in a promotional campaign to feature at the global cruise industry’s key annual gathering in the U.S.” Councillor Stephen McCabe, leader of Inverclyde Council, said: “The cruise sector here in Inverclyde continues to go from strength to strength and I’m delighted that this year is set to be the busiest yet with record numbers of ships and passengers, as well as a substantial number of crew visiting these shores. “It’s timely that with 2023 shaping up to be a bumper year for cruise calls that the finishing touches are being put on our new state-of-the-art Greenock cruise ship visitor centre which will provide our guests from around the world with a first class welcome to Inverclyde and the west coast of Scotland.