The 'Ascension', serving between Plaquemine and New Orleans, had to be taken out of service on May 8, 2025, due to damage it sustained from a vehicle on board on the morning. The ferry, which normally runs from 4 a.m. to 9 p.m.,was sidelined for the remainder of the day. There was no estimation on when the ferry would be back in service. The secondary ferry is out of service until further notice to service Cameron Parish.
News
MSC VIRTUOSA
The man who died on board the 'MSC Virtuosa' following an altercation on May 3, has been named as James Messham, 60, from Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex. A 57-year-old man from Exeter, Devon, was arrested on suspicion of murder and has been released on bail, pending further inquiries by Hampshire Constabulary. Proceedings into the death had not yet been opened. Messham was part of a stag party on board the cruise ship, which was in British waters at the time.
Rostock
In Rostock, the fire brigade was called to the site of the crane manufacturer Liebherr in the overseas port on the evening of Feb 26, 2025. Parts of a control station and attachments of a crane used to transport bulk goods were on fire. Since the fire was several meters high, extinguishing the flames was challenging. After the power supply was switched off, the fire in the crane driver's cabin was fought with a pipe. The fire brigade's quick intervention prevented the fire from spreading further. There were no injuries during the operation. 40 members of fire and rescue stations 2 and 3 and the Gehlsdorf volunteer fire brigade were on duty. It was assumed that a technical defect had caused the fire. The extent of the damage was still unclear. Investigations were ongoing. The material damage was estimated to be around 100,000 euros.
Dresden
Demolition work on the collapsed Carola bridge in the city of Dresden was suspended on Feb 18, 2025, after new fractures were discovered in the structure, with shipping traffic on the Elbe river also halted again. An installed acoustic emission monitoring system had detected steel fractures in two sections of the bridge that were not directly affected by its partial collapse on Sep 11, 2024,due to stress corrosion cracks caused by moisture in a section of the structure, leading to inland shipping traffic on the affected section of the Elbe being suspended for five months. The authoritieshad only reopened the passage under the bridge in central Dresden for inland commercial shipping three weeks ago, with free passage in a one-way system planned from Feb 18. However, the passage has been completely closed again since that morning after the measuring system installed to permanently monitor the collapsed bridge signalled movement. The authorities were now waiting for an engineering firm to assess whether the bridge will hold and whether ship traffic may be allowed to pass under it. The dredger 'Domarin' was meanwhile working on the fairway. Reports with photos: https://www.mdr.de/nachrichten/sachsen/dresden/dresden-radebeul/carolabruecke-durchfahrt-schiffe-elbe-sperrung-100.html https://www.dnn.de/lokales/dresden/carolabruecke-dresden-noch-mehr-schaeden-entdeckt-L2PS2IHRPBDKLPP5JWNNUUHEH4.html https://www.projectcargojournal.com/transport-installation/2025/02/19/first-project-cargo-moves-on-the-elbe-following-carola-bridge-collapse/
MAERSK SANA
On May 15, the tug 'Sea 1 Ruby' (IMO: 9413444 ), which had left Bergen on May 4, has reached the 'Maersk Sana', which has been adrift in the Atlantic Ocean after an engine room explosion on April 28, approximately 354 nautical miles east of Bermuda, in pos. 33° 27' N 064° 47' W. The explosion had injured three crew members one of them seriously, who remains in critical but stable condition in a U.S. hospital. Despite the explosion, the vessel has retained auxiliary power and can use its thruster for limited maneuvering. The tug was dispatched on May 4 with the aim of towing the container ship to a port of refuge in the Bahamas by the last week of May. Maersk defended its decision to use a distant tug, stating it prioritized finding the right vessel for the job rather than the nearest one. Calm weather has thus far prevented the situation from worsening, and Maersk’s monitoring teams continued to track conditions to ensure safety.
US GOV VESSEL 75
On May 3, 2025, another F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet from the USS 'Harry S. Truman' has been lost in the Red Sea, the second jet lost from the carrier in just over a week, when the aircraft carrier was making evasive maneuvers to avoid Houthi militant fire in the Red Sea. The F/A-18 fighter Super Hornet jet, along with the vehicle towing it into place on the deck of the ''Harry S Truman', rolled right out of the hangar bay and into the water, after the move crew lost control of the aircraft. The other aircraft was lost after there was some kind of arrestment failure as the jet was trying to land on the carrier, and the pilot and weapons systems officer had to eject. They were recovered by a rescue helicopter and were both alive, but suffered minor injuries.
Vizhinjam
The Kerala government is set to hand over the provisional completion certificate for Vizhinjam Port, marking the beginning of its commercial operations. Kerala government will issue the provisional completion certificate for the Vizhinjam international seaport on Wednesday - 04/12/2024. The Directorate of Customs has assigned a new port code, "INTRV01," for Vizhinjam International Seaport. The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) has also officially recognized "INTRV01" as the designated port code for Adani Vizhinjam Port. This development reflects the growing prominence of Vizhinjam International Seaport as a strategic hub for maritime trade in South Asia. The recognition by UNECE ensures compliance with international standards, reinforcing the seaport's status as a key player in global shipping networks. Vizhinjam International Port has made waves in the shipping industry by achieving a historic milestone—handling 300,000 TEUs (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units) of cargo in just six months of its trial run! This phenomenal growth cements Vizhinjam’s status as a world-class transshipment hub, attracting some of the biggest players in global shipping. MSC Brings Shipping Titans To Vizhinjam! The world’s leading shipping giant, MSC (Mediterranean Shipping Company), is making a bold move by introducing Ultra Large Container Vessels (ULCV) to Vizhinjam by the end of this month. As part of MSC’s elite Jade (Premium) Service, which bridges Asia and Europe, a massive cargo ship will now dock at Vizhinjam every week—which will be a game-changer for international trade.
SIRRAH
The 'Sirrah', which had originally set off from Chennai with 26 crew members on board, encountered technical issues and was forced to anchor about seven nautical miles from Vizhinjam port. After emergency repairs, the ship managed to set sail just hours before the Coast Guard’s deadline on May 12, 2025, and departed for Khorfakkan at 2.30 a.m. with an ETA as of May 21. The departure was made possible after a critical 900-kg engine compressor was sourced from Mumbai and delivered with the support of Waterline Shipping & Logistics Pvt. Ltd., a Thiruvananthapuram-based shipping agency, in coordination with the Kerala Maritime Board. The ship’s owners acted swiftly to procure the required spare parts, but due to the prevailing war-like situation, the transport vehicle carrying the equipment was delayed at multiple checkpoints for security inspections. Once cleared by Customs, the spare parts were ferried to the vessel aboard the tug 'Dhwani', operated by the Kerala Maritime Board. Earlier, the Indian Coast Guard had inspected the vessel and found no suspicious items or hazardous cargo on board. They instructed the captain to move the ship within two days in light of Operation Sindoor. Report with photo: https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2025/May/13/uae-bound-vessel-mv-sirrah-resumes-voyage-following-emergency-repairs
RED FIN
The tanker 'Isla De Bioko' (IMO: 9767235), en route from Rotterdam, being loaded with urea, was in collision with the barges towed by the tug 'Ginny Rose' on April 27, 2025 at 9.20 p.m. The collision led to one barge sinking and six others going adrift, while sailing downstream on the Mississippi River from St. Rose, Louisiana. The conditions on the river were harsh and challenging at the time of the accident. After receiving news of the collision, the Coast Guard immediately mobilized local assisting tugs, which managed to successfully recover four of the barges, but two of them became fouled in the anchor chains of the 'Red Fin', which had moored in pos. 29° 56' N 090° 09' W on April 22, en route from Vistino, and the 'Bulker Bee 30' (IMO: 9489986), which left New Orleans on May 9, en route to Veracuz, where it arrived on May 11. The section near the collision site was temporarily closed off by the Coast Guard from mile marker 108 to 111 above Head of Passes, while crews assessed whether it was safe to traverse given the sunken barge. On April 28 at 3 p.m. after the depth of the sunken barge was deemed safe for other vessels and the last two barges were recovered, the channel was reopened, albeit with restrictions. A survey conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had confirmed the sunken barge was located approximately 75’ below the surface. An investigation has been opened into the matter, and salvage plans were being drawn up for the sunken barge. Elevated river levels remained a complicating factor for marine traffic and recovery operations. The 'Isla de Bioko' left New Orleans again on April 28 en route to Baton Rouge, where it arrived on May 1 and left the port en route to Rotterdam with an ETA as of May 23.
Kolding
Onb Feb 18, 2025, a fire broke out in HJHansen's scrapyard at the port of Kolding. 50 firefighters fought the flames throughout the day, which they brought under control on the evening. It was a complicated extinguishing operation, as pouring water on the burning scrap heap did not have much effect, as the water ran away on the surface of the items in the pile. With the assistane of two cranes, the emergency services were able to separate the pile into smaller fractions. The firefighters contnued working on extinguishing the fire during the night, and they have finished only on Feb 19. Packubgup their equipment, took another couple of hours. Six people were injured in the fire when they were hit by flying fragments. Three of these were taken to the hospital for a check-up, and it was found that no one was seriously injured. Report with photo: https://www.soefart.dk/article/view/1147088/skrotbrand_i_kolding_er_slukket_seks_kom_til_skade
Holyhead
The Stena Line, which owns the Port of Holyhead, has issued a major update on the work to repair a ferry berth damaged during Storm Darragh. The damagehad caused major disruption on the oute between North Wales and Dublin Port, which led to temporary routes connecting Fishguard, Pembroke, and on the existing freight-only Birkenhead (Liverpool) link being opened up for motorists. In January, the ferry port in Wales partially reopened after Terminal 5 was restored to operational activity and saw ferry operations resume. Stena Line has announced a provisional date after the required repairs are completed at Terminal 3, from where Irish Ferries had used. Access to the Terminal 5 ferry berth was successfully restored on an adjusted timetable, allowing ferry operations at Holyhead Port to resume as of Jan 16. Planning is now underway for the necessary repairs and restoration of the Terminal 3 ferry berth, with the current estimate for reopening set for July 1. Work was progressing to ensure that the berth will be returned to full operational capabilities as safely and efficiently as possible.