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The Ports of Jersey and a freight company have been told to improve safety measures after a 49-year-old deckhand of the 'Normandy Trader' slipped from a quayside ladder and fell seven metres deep between the ship and the quayside, breaking his leg, on Nov 21, 2024. The Jersey Maritime Administration's report found multiple safety failings contributed to the accident at St. Helier Harbour: The deckhand was not wearing a lifejacket and was carrying a rucksack while climbing the slippery vertical ladder with no fall prevention system. The company Normandy Trader Freight Services was told to review its risk assessments and Jersey Ports was asked to carry out a review of inspection processes of quayside ladders. It was likely he fractured his left tibia when he struck one of the ladder's securing lugs as he fell. He was still undergoing physiotherapy. Recommendations for the freight company included ensuring crew members do not climb or descend ladders while wearing rucksacks or carrying any items. Areview should take place into the possible use of a fall prevention device. The ladder was safe to use at the time of the accident but Jersey Ports should improve its safety through repairs and modifications. The accident had similarities to an incident in 2023 where a man died after falling between two ships on the same quay. Ports of Jersey should consider issuing a safety bulletin comprising of lessons learned from both accidents. Full report: https://www.gov.je/md/MDAttachments/Sustainable%20Economic%20Development/Decisions%20in%202025/MD-SED-2025-126%20FINAL-%20%20Jersey%20Administration%20Incident%20Report%20%20-%20MV%20Normandy%20Trader%20%20crew%20injury%20during%20egress%20to%20quay%2021Nov2024%20(4Feb2025).pdf

The Chilean government decided on April 14 to intervene in an alleged maritime accident and filed a complaint for "failure to provide assistance" against the 'Cobra', that allegedly ran over the artisanal fishing vessel, whose seven crew members are still missing, 15 days after the shipwreck. On April 4, Juan Sanhueza, one of the lookouts on the 'Cobra', considered the key witness, disappeared from his home after consulting with the company psychologist and before having to testify that same morning before the Public Prosecutor's Office. Sanhueza was found hanged days later in the neighbouring region of Biobio, after the last known image of him was made public, captured while boarding a bus. Gerardo Balbontin, manager of Blumar, the ship's owner, admitted that the crew heard an audio recording, but not a collision, which, according to his account, was attributed to an internal conflict, after several crew members on his own vessel acknowledged that they hit something. After concluding the search for the missing crew on April 13 without finding any trace of the fishermen, Security Minister Luis Cordero announced that the government had decided to file a complaint. Claudia Urrutia, leader of the cod fishermen in the central Maule region and spokesperson for the families, called for the investigation to continue and for the vessel to be returned to dry dock for examination. Alejandro Espinoza, the lawyer for the 'Cobra' crew, stated on April 14 that the ship's radars did not detect the presence of another vessel nor did they receive any warnings of an anchored boat. The company is available to have the ship inspected for as long as necessary and that each and every maneuver aimed at establishing whether the Cobra participated in the collision and whether this collision occurred while the 'Bruma' was already damaged or submerged be carried out absolutely and thoroughly. The investigation "must establish whether all electronic and navigation systems on the vessels involved, the Cobra, Bruma, or others, were operating in accordance with regulations; and whether the crews fulfilled the obligations established by the maritime authority." The inspection preliminarily revealed that the two radars, one calibrated for short range and the other for long range, detected absolutely nothing. There was also the hypothesis that the collision occurred with the semi-submerged vessel, and that was the reason why neither the 'Cobra' nor any of the vessels that sailed close to the 'Bruma's last position detected this vessel. There wasno indication that the 'Bruma' has disclosed its anchorage position. Report with photo: https://new.diariolaprensa.cl/index.php/2025/04/14/con-ayuda-de-buque-cientifico-cabo-de-hornos-se-registran-hallazgos-que-corresponderian-a-la-bruma/

The Port of Rotterdam Authority has reached an agreement with Sif Holding n.v. regarding the lease of 20 ha of port site and a 200-m stretch of deep-sea quay at Maasvlakte. Sif’s new lot lies adjacent to its existing port site, where the company already works on the assembly of foundations for offshore wind turbines, the company said in its release. Sif will be using the newly allocated site on behalf of clients active in the offshore wind power sector. The first project to be undertaken at the new site will be the logistics handling of all 94 monopiles (wind turbine foundations) destined for the offshore wind farm Borssele 1 + 2, commissioned by Deme Offshore.

Kalmar, part of Cargotec, has concluded an agreement with long-term customer EUROGATE Tanger (EGT) in Morocco to upgrade four ZPMC ship-to-shore (STS) cranes, as part of the terminal’s expansion plans. With a quay length of 821 meters, a terminal area of 400,000 m2 and a water depth of up to 18 meters, the facility is well-equipped to handle the new generation of containerships. The terminal’s equipment fleet already includes several Kalmar machines, including rubber-tired gantry cranes (RTGs). Furthermore, Kalar will be responsible for the planning, engineering and execution of the entire project, which involves heightening the four STS cranes by 11 meters and extending the booms by six meters. The project with Kalmar will help the terminal serve mega-sized container vessels.

Isle of Wight ferry passengers face significant delays and cancellations on the evening of April 14, 2025, following a technical issue affecting the car ferry service’s boarding ramp, causing disruiptions to the service of the 'Wight Light',sailing between Yarmouth and Lymington, which cause delays of up to 90 minutes. Affected customers were advised to check in as usual, with foot passengers required to arrive 15 minutes before the scheduled departure.

The Russian captain of the 'Soling', Vladimir Motin, appeared before at London's Central Criminal Court, from prison via a video link on April 14. He is charged with gross negligence manslaughter over the death of a crew member. Mark Angelo Pernia, 38, a Filipino crew member on the 'Solong', is missing presumed dead. Mr Motin, from Primorsky, St Petersburg, spoke only to confirm his name during the brief hearing. In the absence of a Russian interpreter to assist the defendant, Judge Mark Lucraft KC adjourned his plea hearing until May 30. Report with picture: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2lz79q2y1vo

Genting Hong Kong (GHK) has officially secured funding for the construction and post-delivery financing of Dream Cruises’ two new Global Class ships. KfW IPEX-Bank will supply US$2.9 billion, with backing from the Federal Republic of Germany, Finnish export credit agency Finnvera, and the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. At an overall cost of €3.1 billion (US$3.4 billion), the two new vessels are currently being built at GHK-owned shipyard MV Werften in Germany for the fast-growing Asian cruise market. “We are very appreciative of KfW IPEX-Bank, the bank consortium, the Federal Republic of Germany, the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Finnvera for supporting GHK in the financing of the Global Class ships,” said Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay, chief executive of Genting Hong Kong.

Qatar has established an investment partnership with Somalia to build a new port in the latter's country. The Ministry of Transport and Communications in Qatar said that the partnership between Qatar Ports Management Company (Mwani) and Somalia will see the construction of the Hobyo Port in the Mudug region of central Somalia. Hobyo Port is expected to bring multiple economic benefits for Somalia. The port could create new business opportunities for the country by bolstering the commercial relationship with new markets in Africa and providing access to global markets, in addition to providing maritime services to vast areas in Somalia. The Hobyo Port is in proximity to the Bab al-Mandab Strait, one of the world’s most important sea crossing points. Hobyo is also important due to its location in the Mudug region, which links the south and north of the country.

On April 14, 2025, a young child fall between the 'Symphony of the Seas' and the concrete pier of Royal Caribbean’s private island in the Bahamas, Perfect Day at CocoCay. The 'Symphony of the Seas' had departed Miami on April 13, and the visit to CocoCay was the first port of call on the 7-night Eastern Caribbean itinerary. The ship was docked from approximately 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. The child’s mother was nearby, and the child was rescued in a matter of a few minutes. The mother and child got back onboard the 'Symphony of the Seas', which departed CocoCay on schedule, and there appeared to be no delay to her itinerary. The ship spent April 15 at sea, and will call at St. Thomas and St. Maarten on April 16 and April 17, and return for debarkation on April 20. Report with photos: https://www.cruisehive.com/child-falls-between-pier-and-royal-caribbean-ship-at-cococay/169716

Lark Harbour Mayor Wade Park stated that the town is not pleased due to a lack of commitment to build a road to the 'MSC Baltic III' to allow for quicker salvage and clean up. The Coast Guard stated: “Canada follows the “polluter pay principle”. This means vessel owners are responsible for addressing all the hazards and risk of pollution posed by their vessel as well as all the associated costs. MSC has contracted T&T Salvage for removal of the heavy fuel oil and cargo on board the MSC Baltic III to mitigate the immediate hazards posed by the vessel. Eastern Canada Response Corporation has also been engaged by the vessel operator. Their role is to take actions to help prevent a spill and respond should one occur.’ CCG recognizes the impacts of weather on the timeliness of the operations and is committed to continue working in collaboration with MSC to advance contingency planning. Area residents and harvesters in particular have been growing increasingly concerned, fearful that potential pollution on board the compromised vessel, and the added activity in the area, will disrupt the fishing season. The Coast Guard said that Canada follows a “polluter pay” principle whereby the owners are responsible for addressing all the costs, hazards and the risk of pollution posed by their vessel. The Coast Guard resources remained on site in Lark, with additional pollution response equipment available and assets were in place to ensure that the owner is taking appropriate and reasonable measures to address all hazards posed by the vessel, including the remaining fuel and oil on board. Report with photos: https://vocm.com/2025/04/14/coast-guard-remains-on-scene-of-baltic-iii-salvage-efforts/

Marine battery supplier Corvus Energy is to install its lithium-ion battery storage systems onboard AIDA Cruises’ ships to reduce fossil fuel use and emissions. In a project that will also involve ABB and Siemens, Corvus will install and commission the battery storage systems on the first AIDA ship in 2020. The companies then plan to then use their findings from the pilot project to successfully fit battery systems onboard other vessels in the AIDA fleet. “Our goal is the emissions-neutral ship operation,” said Michael Thamm, group CEO of Costa Group and Carnival Asia.

Port of Oslo in Norway has signed a cooperation agreement with an environmental non-profit organisation to help it become emission-free. The Port of Oslo, which first talked about its zero-emission ambition in June, will partner with the Oslo-headquartered Bellona Foundation to achieve its zero-emission goal. Emissions in the port are anticipated to be reduced by 85% by 2030 and gradually reduce until they are eliminated. “The Port of Oslo is in full swing with the green transition, and has begun the phasing in of emissions-free solutions,” said Port of Oslo chairman, Roger Schjerva. “It is enthusiastic about working alongside the Bellona Foundation and exchanging ideas and solutions with Bellona’s network of environmental experts and organizations. Maritime transport and urban ports are crucial in reducing the world’s greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector.”