The Russian Emergencies Ministry reported the death of Dmitry Okhrimenko, head of the firefighting service for the Arkhangelsk region, on July 24, 2024, after he was helping to extinguish a fire on the 'Grigory Mikheyev'. However, his death was not related to the fire on the vessel. The exact circumstances under which Okhrimenko died were not specified. The federal Emergencies Ministry statement said that on the day of his death, Dmitry Okhrimenko was "on duty." The fire on the 'Grigory Mikheyev', which was moored in Solombala, occurred on the afternoon of July 24. There were 15 crew members and eight expedition members on the vessel. 22 people evacuated on their own. The automatic fire extinguishing system was activated The first fire and rescue units of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia arrived at the scene within seven minutes. Firefighters brought one victim to fresh air and handed him over to doctors. There was no information about his health condition. The search for the source of the fire was complicated by heavy smoke. The fire brigade managed to cope with the fire an hour after the fire alarm was raised. Three units of the gas and rescue service worked in an environment unsuitable for breathing. Foam generators were sent to extinguish the fire. In total, 10 units of fire-fighting equipment and more than 35 specialists were involved. At 4:45 p.m., the fire was extinguished on an area of 20 square meters. Barrels have been brought in to cool the vessel. The cause of the fire was being determined. Reports with photos: https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/6852498 https://www.dvinainform.ru/incidents/2024/07/25/73833.html
News
ST NIKOLAS
Iran has released the 'St. Nikolas' without the cargo one million barrels of Iraqi crude oil. The seizure was in retaliation against the ship’s manager, the Empire Navigation, Greece. In 2023, the Empire Navigation helped the US authorities to seize the Iranian cargo aboard the vessel, formerly named 'Suez Rajan'. The US Court ordered the seizure of Iranian cargo from Suez Rajan. In August 2023, the Iranian cargo was offloaded from the vessel at the Texas coast. Following this, the tanker was renamed and returned to the Middle East. It was seized along with its cargo by Iran on Jan 11. The oil cargo has been transferred through ship-to-ship onto the 'T.'Semahat' (IMO: 9804148) near Larak Island between July 23 and 25 . Tupris, a Turkish refiner, stated that it had purchased the crude oil from SOMO, an Iraqi state oil company. The refiner also noted that the crude oil is now destined for the refinery and scheduled to arrive in September. The 'T.SEMAHAT was moored at Khor Fakkan Anchorage on July 26.
Ashkelon
One person is was and two others were missing after a crane collapsed into the water on an Ashkelon pier latein the night of March 14, 2023. The collapse of the crane was caused by unusual weather and strong winds. The injured person was in moderate condition and is receiving treatment at Barzilai Medical Center. Attempts to contact two people who had been working on the site of the crane have been unsuccessful, leading police to believe that they were missing after falling into the sea. Extensive search and rescue efforts were commenced with the help of police diving units, the elite 669 Search and Rescue unit, the Israeli Navy and others. The body of a man of about 60 years of age was found on Beersheba Beach in Ashdod on March 15. The gas pier at the Rotenberg power plant in Ashkelon was damaged. The Electric Company formed a team to investigate the incident. Reports with photos: https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-734237 https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-734373
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.
CG BERNARD C WEBBER
The small boat of the 'Bernard C. Webber' and Broward County Sheriff's officers rescued two people on July 25, 2024, after their vessel caught fire 11 miles east of Dania Beach. Coast Guard Sector Miami watchstanders received a report via channel 16 of a 41-foot cabin cruiser taking on water at approximately 1:25 p.m. Sector Miami watchstanders also launched Station Fort Lauderdale. A Coast Guard Auxiliary aircrew also responded and provided overflight support to Sector Miami and boat crews on scene. The small boat crew located two people on a life raft before bringing them aboard with no medical concerns. The Broward Sheriff’s Office Fire Rescue boat crews extinguished the fire. The Coast Guard boat crew transferred the two survivors to Broward Sheriff's officers who brought them ashore. Report with photos: https://www.news.uscg.mil/Press-Releases/Article/3850347/coast-guard-partner-agencies-rescue-2-people-from-vessel-fire-near-dania-beach/
ULTRA GALAXY
Salvage work on the 'Ultra Galaxy' was continuing, more than two weeks after the vessel ran aground on the evening of July 9 off the coast of Duiwegat, just south of Brand se Baai. The crew of 18 Filipino seafarers, which was taken ashore at St. Helena Bay, has since been evacuated to their homes in the Philippines. The immediate emergency phase of the salvage operation has concluded. This phase included the search and recovery of flotsam and other debris from the ship and sealing the fuel tanks to prevent any oil from spilling into the sea. The salvage company Smit International has been appointed to carry on the next phase, which involved dive inspections that were conductedduring the recent days to recheck the structural integrity of the ship and fuel tanks. In the coming days, a specialised monitoring system will be installed to track the ship’s movement, stresses, and bending moments. This system will help determine the best method to safely bring the ship upright and remove it from the beach. In addition, a bathymetric survey or a water depth survey was being conducted in the water surrounding the ship and further off the coastline. A Platform Supply Vessel (PSV) would be brought in and anchored offshore to help stabilise the Ultra Galaxy. Missing in the sea or along the beaches from Brand se Baai to St Helena Bay was debris that may wash up on the beach, items such as cargo bags, steel hatch covers or other flotsam. The cargo bags will have contained fertiliser although should have dissolved. The SAMSA requested that any items found should be reported to them through the Maritime Rescue Coordinating Centre (MRCC) at 021 938 3300 or 012 938 3303. The public was also advised not to attempt to salvage any debris themselves. It is important to properly dispose of any debris to minimise harm to people and the environment. In case of an oil spill from the shipwreck, the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) remains on standby and ready to respond should seabirds become affected. Report with photo: http://africaports.co.za/#8746
Iskenderun
The fire at the Port of Iskenderun has finally been extinguished, Turkey's ministry of defense announced on Feb 7. It was the second time that the ministry has reported that the fire has been put out; after the previous announcement, the blaze resumed at scale, and firefighters managed to contain it later that night. Iskenderun's container terminal is still closed due to the severe structural damage, which forced the facility to halt all operations. The magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck southern Turkey on Feb 6 had a significant impact on the port, toppling stacks of containers and cracking pavement. The physical damage is severe enough that container lines were diverting vessels to other ports, like nearby Mersin. The quake also sparked a fire in the center of the terminal's container storage area. Turkey's coast guard deployed a vessel to apply water from the quayside, and the Turkish air force and army sent aircraft to drop fire retardant on the blaze. The fire spread despite these efforts, but was finally contained in the night of Feb 7. Report with video: https://maritime-executive.com/article/fire-at-port-of-iskenderun-extinguished-after-two-days
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.
C. EPSILON
En route from Ceuta to Abu Qir the crew of the 'C Epsilon' spotted a person in boat, which was adrift/26 nautical miles off the coast on July 25, 2024. The CSS of Salvamento Marítimo in Almería was notified and mobilized the lifeboat 'Salvamar Spica', which rescued the man, while the cargo ship remained on standby. Report with photos: https://x.com/salvamentogob/status/1816443058235293760
GOVT VESSEL 67
The commanding officer of the USS 'Cole', Cmdr. Tim Clark, was transferred to the aircraft carrier USS 'Theodor Rossevelt'' for undisclosed medical reasons, the Navy said in a statement on July 23, 2024. Capt. Ryan Leary, deputy commodore of Destroyer Squadron 23, temporarily assumed command of the 'Cole'. The Navy did not indicate the seriousness of Clark’s medical condition. The Navy couldn’t say on July 24 if Clark was still aboard the 'Theodor Roosevelt' or receiving medical treatment. The 'Cole' was on a scheduled deployment to the 5th Fleet area of operations, which includes the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Oman Since at least November, the Navy has kept a nearly continuous presence in the Red Sea as part of the Operation Prosperity Guardian mission to protect ships in the waterway against Houthi militant attacks. In June, the 'Dwight D. Eisenhower' Carrier Strike Group left the area after nearly seven months. It returned to Norfolk on July 14 after a historic nine-month deployment. The 'Theodore Roosevelt' Carrier Strike Group entered the 5th Fleet area of responsibility on July 12. On Monday, the group was in the Gulf of Aden.
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.