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Israeli military forces intercepted the ' Barcarole' on the early morning of June 8, in international waters while it was en route to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. The ship, operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), was boarded at around 3:02 a.m. CET in pos. 31.95236° N, 32.38880° E. The vessel was carrying a small cargo of humanitarian items such as rice, baby formula, food, and medical supplies. The crew, consisting of 12 international volunteers, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and French Member of European Parliament Rima Hassan, were detained by Israeli forces and the cargo was confiscated. Report with photo: https://www.marineinsight.com/shipping-news/israeli-forces-intercept-gaza-bound-aid-ship-detain-greta-thunberg-crew/?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwKz9CJjbGNrArP0C2V4dG4DYWVtAjExAAEefejFSPUSSeAhqVBrPEjgVvj7L_vNqPYCt_ZFFEmM3o3jCKMlvQYdSrZeyyY_aem__27OJIb567aOdFp4h9U47w

On June 5, 2025, at around midnight, the 'Phoenix Jamnagar' disconnected from an offshore pipeline connection in the Si Racha District southeast of Bangkok in the Gulf of Thailand, due to unexpected severe weather conditions, including high waves and sudden strong winds. Oil dispersants, booms, and skimmers were being deployed to contain the spill. The Thai Oil company initiated a process to stop the oil transfer but during the sudden storm, the breakaway coupling worked as designed to prevent damage to the ship or pipeline. It disengaged causing the spill which took 30 minutes to stop. Thai Oil along with multiple government agencies worked to contain the oil slick. The National Maritime Interests Protection Center (ThaiMecc) reported that an estimated 20 cubic meters or approximately of oil had spilled . Oil booms were strung at 399 and 600 meters but the spill spread to create a slick covering an area estimated at 10 meters by 10 meters and drifted southwards at a speed of 1 to 2 knots. Boats and helicopters with dispersants were crossing the area, and a skimmer had also been deployed. The goal was to complete the skimming operation by the afternoon of June 6. No damage was apparent to the tanker or the pipeline.

Cyprus continues to address every facet of its maritime offering to lure more shipowners to the island. The country’s deputy minister for shipping Natasa Pilides has revealed plans to abolish initial ship registration fees to boost one of Europe’s fastest growing flags. Members of parliament will vote on the issue later this month with a view to making the regulation official in time for Cyprus’s shipping week, which kicks off on October 6. The Cypriot register today is the 11th largest in the world with 24.4m gt on its books.

Napier Port, the third largest port on New Zealand’s North Island, has placed an order with Damen Shipyards Group for an Azimuth Tractor Drive (ATD) Tug 2412 Twin Fin for delivery later this year. The contract was signed by Sjoerd de Bruin, sales manager Pacific for Damen and Napier Port CEO Todd Dawson at Napier Port main office. Napier Port is currently developing a sixth wharf which, at 350 metres long, will be capable of handling the larger vessels that are expected to access the port in the near future. As a key transport hub for the Hawke’s Bay region of the North Island, the port already hosts a wide range of vessels including container ships, cruise ships, cargo and timber carriers. The ATD Tug 2412 Kaweka will join two existing Voith-type tugs at the port; the Te Mata and Ahuriri. Tractor tugs work best at Napier Port due to their ability to operate effectively in a swell, to tow indirectly, and their manoeuvrability, the last particularly important due to the tight berthing arrangements in the harbour. Just 24-metres in length but with 72 tonnes of bollard pull, the ATD Tug 2412 delivers just the combination of power but compactness that the Napier Port management team is seeking.

On June 8, 2025, at around 6:00 p.m. LT the 'OT 2439' suffered a hull damage and ran aground on the Kazachinsky rapids of the Yenisei River in central Siberia, while the towing two empty barges downstream. It had struck an underwater obstacle, which caused a breach in the hull and partial flooding. Subsequently, an oil leakage occurred from the ship, which had its strrn submerged and was listing to port side. Containment measures, including an oil barrier and sorbent booms, were deployed to prevent the spread of the oil slick, which drifted downstream and affecting riverbanks. A state of emergency has been declared in Kazachinsky district. There were 14 crew members on board at the time of the incident. Two of them were evacuated to shore, while the others remained to help contain the spill. The heads of the Pyatkovsky, Galaninsky, Momotovsky, Mokrushinsky, Kazachinsky, and Zakharovsky village councils have been ordered to monitor the appearance of oil spills, Russia’s Eastern Regional Transport Investigation Department has launched an investigation into the cause of the incident. Report with photos and video: https://www.fontanka.ru/2025/06/09/75566087/

Beached 2025 https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=122149660574471366&set=a.122116494098471366

The port in Northern Ireland has committed GB£254m of investment to deliver new marine and estate infrastructure. Belfast Harbour’s investment is part of a 2019-2023 Strategic Plan to boost Northern Ireland’s economy. The plan focuses on increased collaboration and partnerships with key city stakeholders to drive growth and regeneration in Belfast’s waterfront area and has been unveiled alongside an outlook through to 2035. Belfast Harbour’s chairman, David Dobbin, said: “Over the next five years Belfast Harbour intends to invest £254 million in new Port and estate infrastructure and facilities. This major investment programme is really only possible because of our Trust Port status which allows us to reinvest every penny of our net earnings back into the business.” Belfast Harbour will upgrade its cranes and material handling equipment, install new ramps to accommodate larger vessels and build new storage facilities. Work will also begin on digital ‘Smart Port’ initiatives to provide greater automation and a new unified system to coordinate cargo and shipping communications.

On the 9th of September 2019 the work for the contract “Dredging Het Nieuwe Diep”, commissioned by the Port of Den Helder, has started. Dutch Dredging is expected to carry out the remediation of 200,000 m3 of partially contaminated spoil until mid-December. The survey vessel “Hydrograaf” started the pre-dredge survey on the 9th of September, a so-called “baseline measurement” of the work. The work will then be carried out in 3 phases. In Phase 1, a bed leveller equipped with a so called dirt-plough will be employed. This is due to the fact that the top layer of silt contains a considerable amount of soil-foreign material. The specifically developed dirt-plough consists of long thin spikes that sink through the layer of silt and rake the dirt from the soil. The dirt will be ploughed to free locations where it can be dredged by means of a grab dredger and will be discharged into skips on the quay for removal and disposal. In the Phase 2, a bed leveller, trailing suction hopper dredger and a grab dredger will subsequently commence with the dredging works to the north and south of the Moorman bridge. They will restore the required depth. During Phase 3 the contaminated sediment will be removed. This phase is carried out by a grab dredger and several hopperbarges. The dredged material will be loaded in to the barges, which will transport the sediment to a depository for polluted sediment.

On June 5, 2025, at 12.54 a.m., the 'Phoenix Jamnagar' disconnected from an offshore pipeline connection in the Sri Racha District southeast of Bangkok, in the Gulf of Thailand in pos. 13°04.225′ N, 100°46.815′ E. The accident happened due to unexpected severe weather conditions, including high waves and sudden strong winds. Oil dispersants, booms, and skimmers were being deployed to contain the spill. The Thai Oil company initiated a process to stop the oil transfer but during the sudden storm, the breakaway coupling worked as designed to prevent damage to the ship or pipeline. It disengaged, causing the spill which took 30 minutes to stop. Thai Oil along with multiple government agencies worked to contain the oil slick. The National Maritime Interests Protection Center (ThaiMecc) reported that an estimated 20 cubic meters or approximately of oil had spilled . Oil booms were strung at 399 and 600 meters but the spill spread to create a slick covering an area estimated at 10 meters by 10 meters and drifted southwards at a speed of 1 to 2 knots. Boats and helicopters with dispersants were crossing the area, and a skimmer had also been deployed. The goal was to complete the skimming operation by the afternoon of June 6. No damage was apparent to the tanker or the pipeline. Report with photos: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/general/40050889

Sold to Alang Breakers

The US Coast Guard informed that it reopened the Houston Ship Channel, on September 13, after a protest demonstration near Baytown, Texas. Namely, on September 12, 22 Greenpeace US climbers created a blockade from the Fred Hartman Bridge in Baytown. The closure on the ship channel started on September 12, after Sector Houston-Galveston watchstanders received notification that about 11 individuals were suspended from the Fred Hartman Bridge. A US Coast Guard Station Houston 29-foot Response Boat-Small boat crew, a US Coast Guard Station Galveston 45-foot Response Boat-Medium boat crew and the crew of the US Coast Guard Cutter Tiger Shark were launched to the scene.

Last week, the Dutch multimodal operator Multi Modal Rail B.V. launched a new container rail service between Rotterdam and the French town of Ottmarsheim, Port of Rotterdam said in its release. Starting with one round trip per week, the shuttle connection is expected to swiftly expand to two round trips per week. The train calls on each of Rotterdam’s major terminals. After being loaded in Rotterdam on Thursday, the shuttle departs from the sea port on Friday and arrives/departs in Ottmarsheim on Saturday. The train is back at Maasvlakte for unloading on Sunday morning. The shuttle service is offered as a complement to the two existing container rail services between Rotterdam and Strasbourg.