News

In an effort to clarify the circumstances surrounding the sinking of the 'Bruma', the families of the missing fishermen have united to take decisive action. Following a meeting with Regional Prosecutor Marcela Cartagena, some doubts have been cleared up and important steps have been taken in the investigation. One of the major developments has been the confirmation that forensic divers from the Underwater Operations Department of the Investigative Police (PDI) have conducted expert examinations on the 'Cobra', which remained in the custody of the San Vicente Harbor Master's Office. These examinations were carried out in response to videos, which showed suspicious movements on the vessel under investigation for its alleged involvement in the sinking of the 'Bruma'. In addition to the investigations carried out by the PDI, the fishermen's families have decided to take additional measures. According to Rafael Poblete, the attorney representing them, they have hired a team of private experts to further clarify what happened in the early hours of March 30. This team is composed of a maritime accident investigation specialist, a shipbuilding engineer, and a mechanic. Poblete also addressed the hypothesis put forward by Blumar, owner of the 'Cobra', regarding the possible involvement of another vessel in the tragedy. However, the attorney ruled out this theory based on the traces found on the fishing vessel. At the meeting with Prosecutor Cartagena, the family members also agreed to hold weekly meetings to stay informed about the progress of the investigation. They also reiterated their request that the expert examinations of the 'Cobra' be conducted in a dry dock, in order to obtain more reliable and exhaustive results.The families of the fishermen will return to Constitución, but will closely monitor the progress of the investigation to find answers to this tragic loss.

On the morning of April 18, 2025, several migrant boat departures were reported to the CROSS Gris-Nez off the coasts of Pas-de-Calais and Nord. First, a boat was reported departing from Cap Blanc-Nez. The CROSS deployed an aircraft to monitor the boat's departure and the Gendarmerie's RHIB 'Ouranos', which was then relieved by the 'Cormoran' to continue monitoring the boat. The crew launched their operational droma boat (EDO) to make contact with the boat. The occupants refused the offered assistance. The 'Cormoran' continued its surveillance of the boat until arriving in the British SAR region, where it was taken over by the British emergency services. During the recovery by British assets assisted by the 'Cormoran', one person was reported unconscious. A medevac was coordinated by the British rescue center. The victim was declared dead as they approached Dover. At the same time, the CROSS engaged the 'Oyapock' of the Maritime Gendarmerie, to relocate a migrant boat adrift from Gravelines. Once there, the vessel made contact with the boat's occupants, who refused the assistance offered. Shortly after, the occupants requested assistance from the vessel, which then picked up all nine occupants before dropping them off at the port of Dunkirk. Late in the morning, a migrant boat set sail from Equihen beach. The 'Pluvier' was hired by CROSS to locate and monitor the boat. The boat was heavily laden. While conducting surveillance near the boat, the 'Pluvier' reported the deflation of the boat's inflatable tubes and people who had fallen into the water. The victims in the water were immediately recovered by the 'Pluvier's EDO. The 'Minck' was deployed to support the 'Pluvier'. A total of 15 people were rescued. The other occupants of the boat refused all assistance and resumed their journey, under the supervision of the 'Minck', towards British waters after having managed to reinflate the boat's inflatable tube. In total, 24 people were rescued by French resources.

Hapag-Lloyd continues to develop its position in Africa and launches the new MIAX (Middle East-India-Africa Express) service – which will offer direct connections and fast transit times between South and West Africa, the Persian Gulf, India, Colombo (Sri Lanka) and La Réunion. Hapag-Lloyd has entered the African market about twelve years ago and has since then seen steady and significant growth in transported volumes to and from Africa."With the new MIAX service our customers will now benefit from an even wider range of fast and flexible direct connections," says Dheeraj Bhatia, Senior Managing Director of Hapag-Lloyd's Region Middle East.The MIAX service will be connected to the Global Mainline Network via the key ports of Jebel Ali (Dubai) and Colombo. Hapag-Lloyd will jointly operate the MIAX service with it's THE Alliance partner Ocean Network Express. A total of nine ships with a capacity of 2,800 TEU each, including five provided by Hapag-Lloyd, will be deployed for the new service.

Gas infrastructure along Russia’s Northern Sea Route is set to get a Japanese upgrade with news Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) have signed a cooperation agreement with Novatek to develop LNG transhipment projects in Kamchatka and Murmansk. The projects will construct floating storage units (FSUs) to tranship LNG cargoes from ice-breaking LNG ships to conventional LNG ships. The FSUs will be located in Kamchatka and in Murmansk and will be used for the transhipment of LNG cargoes produced by Novatek’s Yamal LNG Project and Arctic LNG 2 Project, two of the largest gas developments in the world.

Around 100 cars were damaged in the fire on the 'Delphine' in the port of Zeebrugge. This was reported by the fire brigade after they entered the area with fire-resistant suits and oxygen bottles. There were 140 vehicles on the affected car deck, of which at least 100 have burned out. Among them many electric cars. Most batteries have burned out completely.The space was still between 60 and 100 degrees warm, which meant that the fire would flare up again if we were to open a hatch and allow oxygen in. Around midnight, nitrogen was supplied to extinguish the fire in that space. On the morning there was another consultation and it was decided not to open the space. The ship was equipped with CO2 tanks and with that the first part of the fire was fought. It will take a long time before the cars are removed from the space. The deck above was full of trailers and they also have to be removed from the ship. A ventilation operation with high-pressure fans started on April 18 at 10:00 a.m. and lasted until the evening. Due to the landward wind direction, there was a risk of smoke and odour nuisance in the area. Fire boats continued to actively cool the hull for fear of a re-emergence.

On the morning of April 18, 2025, several migrant boat departures were reported to the CROSS Gris-Nez off the coasts of Pas-de-Calais and Nord. First, a boat was reported departing from Cap Blanc-Nez. The CROSS deployed an aircraft to monitor the boat's departure and the Gendarmerie's RHIB 'Ouranos', which was then relieved by the 'Cormoran' to continue monitoring the boat. The crew launched their operational droma boat (EDO) to make contact with the boat. The occupants refused the offered assistance. The 'Cormoran' continued its surveillance of the boat until arriving in the British SAR region, where it was taken over by the British emergency services. During the recovery by British assets assisted by the 'Cormoran', one person was reported unconscious. A medevac was coordinated by the British rescue center. The victim was declared dead as they approached Dover. At the same time, the CROSS engaged the 'Oyapock' of the Maritime Gendarmerie, to relocate a migrant boat adrift from Gravelines. Once there, the vessel made contact with the boat's occupants, who refused the assistance offered. Shortly after, the occupants requested assistance from the vessel, which then picked up all nine occupants before dropping them off at the port of Dunkirk. Late in the morning, a migrant boat set sail from Equihen beach. The 'Pluvier' was hired by CROSS to locate and monitor the boat. The boat was heavily laden. While conducting surveillance near the boat, the 'Pluvier' reported the deflation of the boat's inflatable tubes and people who had fallen into the water. The victims in the water were immediately recovered by the 'Pluvier's EDO. The 'Minck' was deployed to support the 'Pluvier'. A total of 15 people were rescued. The other occupants of the boat refused all assistance and resumed their journey, under the supervision of the 'Minck', towards British waters after having managed to reinflate the boat's inflatable tube. In total, 24 people were rescued by French resources.

The Port of Los Angeles has announced a development opportunity for an Outer Harbor Cruise Terminal at Berths 46 and 50, with plans to release a Request for Proposal (RFP) later this fall. The proposal is intended for cruise lines, terminal operators, and real estate developers interested in creating a new state-of-the-art cruise terminal in a prime location for expansion of west coast cruise travel at America’s busiest port. Located on the south end of an extensive LA Waterfront development, the proposed 13-acre site offers unique panoramic views of the coastline and Catalina Island. The area is currently used as a concert venue, special event site, and temporary berth location for cruise ships.

The Chinese Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) sees its order intake for ro-pax ferries further increase following a long-awaited double order from P&O Ferries for a next-generation of Dover-Calais shuttle ferries.

On the morning of April 18, 2025, several migrant boat departures were reported to the CROSS Gris-Nez off the coasts of Pas-de-Calais and Nord. First, a boat was reported departing from Cap Blanc-Nez. The CROSS deployed an aircraft to monitor the boat's departure and the Gendarmerie's RHIB 'Ouranos', which was then relieved by the 'Cormoran' to continue monitoring the boat. The crew launched their operational droma boat (EDO) to make contact with the boat. The occupants refused the offered assistance. The 'Cormoran' continued its surveillance of the boat until arriving in the British SAR region, where it was taken over by the British emergency services. During the recovery by British assets assisted by the 'Cormoran', one person was reported unconscious. A medevac was coordinated by the British rescue center. The victim was declared dead as they approached Dover. At the same time, the CROSS engaged the 'Oyapock' of the Maritime Gendarmerie, to relocate a migrant boat adrift from Gravelines. Once there, the vessel made contact with the boat's occupants, who refused the assistance offered. Shortly after, the occupants requested assistance from the vessel, which then picked up all nine occupants before dropping them off at the port of Dunkirk. Late in the morning, a migrant boat set sail from Equihen beach. The 'Pluvier' was hired by CROSS to locate and monitor the boat. The boat was heavily laden. While conducting surveillance near the boat, the 'Pluvier' reported the deflation of the boat's inflatable tubes and people who had fallen into the water. The victims in the water were immediately recovered by the 'Pluvier's EDO. The 'Minck' was deployed to support the 'Pluvier'. A total of 15 people were rescued. The other occupants of the boat refused all assistance and resumed their journey, under the supervision of the 'Minck', towards British waters after having managed to reinflate the boat's inflatable tube. In total, 24 people were rescued by French resources.

On the morning of April 11, 2025, the 'Eileen Rita' ran aground in Boston Harbour off Green Island. The fishing vessel was proceeding in shallow water at low tide, when it grounded on the rocks. The three crew members donned immersion suits and sent out a distress call at 7:46 a.m. The watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Boston received a broken radio transmission from the fishing vessel. They established contact with the captain and confirmed the vessel had run aground. The Coast Guard Stations Point Allerton and Boston, along with the Boston Police and Fire Departments, quickly responded, while the vessel rolled over onto its port side and partially sank. A Boston Police vessel and two Coast Guard boats responded. The Boston police boat safely rescued the fishermen, who had saved themselves onto the starboard side of the scalloper, which had remained above the water. There were no reports of injuries. Oil and fuel started spilling from the wreck. The authorities stated as much as 4,000 gallons of diesel fuel and 50 gallons of lubrication oil were on board, though the discharge rate was unknown. A long sheen of oil and fuel could be seen between the grounding site and the shores of Green Island. The Coast Guard was monitoring the pollution and estimated it may take several days to clean up the spill, while collaborating with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, and other state agencies to address the grounding and mitigate environmental impacts. Mariners near Green Island were urged to monitor Sector Boston’s safety marine information broadcast on VHF Channel 22A for navigation updates around the grounded vessel. Reports with photos and video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbHR2MQaqzs https://publishedreporter.com/2025/04/12/coast-guard-responds-to-fishing-vessel-grounding-in-boston-harbor-crew-rescued-pollution-threat-averted/ https://www.msn.com/es-xl/noticias/other/guardia-costera-rescata-a-tres-personas-despu%C3%A9s-de-que-barco-pesquero-encallara-en-puerto-de-boston/ar-AA1CKK8l?apiversion=v2&noservercache=1&domshim=1&renderwebcomponents=1&wcseo=1&batchservertelemetry=1&noservertelemetry=1

With the successful start an important milestone has been reached in the execution of the contract to operate the tugboat fleet for Fortescue Metals Group (Fortescue) in Port Hedland, the world’s largest bulk export port on Australia´s west coast. The fleet consists of eight new ART 85-32W and one RT80-32 Rotortugs®. Six of them are Fortescue owned, three are owned by KOTUG, which are chartered directly to Fortescue. KOTUG manages the entire contract.

The Ports and Maritime Organization of Iran is going to sign a contract with the private sector on Tuesday for the construction of Iran’s biggest mechanized mineral terminal at Shahid Rajaee Port, the deputy head of PMO announced on Monday. Ali Hassanzadeh added that the contract is worth 50 trillion rials (over $430 million). The terminal’s capacity will reach 50 million tons per year upon the completion of the project, which will be carried out in three phases, covering 180 hectares of land, each spread over 60 hectares. It will be the biggest mineral terminal in the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman, and mark a major development in Iran’s mining industry, considering its considerable mineral capacity, Mehr News Agency reported.