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The German authorities must await a court decision before they can potentially dispose of the seized "Eventin." The ship is believed to belong to Russia's shadow fleet.According to the Federal Ministry of Finance, legal action has been filed against the seizure. Further enforcement measures must be waived until the competent court makes its decision. The responsible authorities, meanwhile examined and confirmed the ship's seaworthiness. Maritime safety and the threat situation remained subject to ongoing review. The ship, which is moored off Sassnitz on the island of Rügen, is to be relocated promptly to a so-called dangerous goods anchorage, approximately three nautical miles from its current mooring.

The sinking of the 'Sewol' was caused by internal structural failures, including a malfunctioning steering system and poor stability, according to recently revealed findings from government investigations ahead of the 11th anniversary of the tragedy. The Mokpo branch of the Korea Maritime Safety Tribunal said on April 14, 2025, that a special panel issued its conclusion on the tragedy in November last year — 10 years and 7 months after the ferry sank on April 16, 2014. While court rulings apply to general legal cases, maritime accidents in Korea are subject to the tribunal’s decisions. The tribunal’s judgment document functions similarly to a court verdict. The panel fully ruled out the theory that external factors, such as a collision, caused the ferry to sink, according to the tribunal’s findings: “Based on findings following the vessel's salvage and inspection, we did not confirm any evidence of external forces that could have caused an abrupt turn, such as hull damage. As there was no credible evidence of external impact, we did not consider that theory in our determination.” Instead, the panel found that the abrupt turn made by the ferry was not due to human error by the helmsman but rather a mechanical failure in the ship's steering system. The panel also took the arguments from a 2018 investigation that claimed the solenoid valve in Pump No. 2 of the steering gear was stuck and led the steering system to malfunction. At the time of the accident, the ship’s stability was already severely compromised. This was due to extensive structural modifications made to increase the passenger capacity, which raised the ship’s center of gravity. Although vessels with weakened stability must carry less cargo, the 'Sewol' was found to have been carrying nearly twice the amount allowed in its stability calculations — 2,021 tons, instead of the permitted 1,077 tons. To make matters worse, the cargo had not been properly secured. The unfastened cargo made the ferry severely tilt while making a turn. Water then flooded through the openings in the outer hull, resulting in the loss of stability, according to the panel’s conclusion. Out of the 476 people on board, 304 were killed or went missing in the disaster. The tribunal attributed the scale of the human toll to the crew's failure to take active rescue measures.

The Port of Salalah, Oman’s major regional gateway port and transshipment hub on the Arabian Sea, set another record in productivity with a delivering 412.97 Port Moves per Hour (PMPH) on vessel Cap San Tainaro handling 3,820 moves in a port stay of 9.25 hours. This is the highest productivity delivered by any port in the region till date.

The Croatian government said it would help a troubled shipyard owned by Uljanik, the country’s largest shipbuilder, resume production. The government, which owns a 25% stake in Uljanik, said in March that it would not back a proposed restructuring plan for the group due to the financial burden it would place on the state. However, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Thursday that the government was willing to support 3.Maj, which is located in the northern Adriatic port of Rijeka and is one of the group’s two shipyards, because it did not have as big a debt burden. “Unlike Uljanik, the 3.Maj is not an overly indebted company and there is an interest in the construction of new ships,” Plenkovic told a televised press conference after a government meeting. He said the government expected 3.Maj to draft a plan for its future operations.

The upper part of the wheelhouse of the 'Niels' collapsed due to a broken support cable on April 14, 2025, on the Juliana Canal near Urmond. The skipper was hit by the ceiling of the cabin on his head and suffered back injuries. He was no longer able to get out himself. The emergency services responded to the accident aboard the pusher tug at the Paalweg, where the ship was moored. A trauma helicopter was also called in, although it did not ultimately have to take action. With the help of the fire brigade, the injured man was carefully lifted out of the cabin and off the ship. He was taken to hospital by ambulance. The labor inspectorate indicated that it has completed its investigation into the incident. Reports with photos and video: https://www.limburger.nl/regio/stein/urmond/stuurhut-duwboot-zakt-vanwege-gebroken-steunkabel-in-op-julianakanaal-bij-urmond-schipper-gewond/56698925.html https://www.hbvl.be/nieuws/schipper-gewond-nadat-stuurhut-duwboot-zakt-vanwege-gebroken-steunkabel-op-julianakanaal-in-urmond-vlak-bij-belgische-grens/56789930.html

The National Agency of Ukraine for Finding, Tracing and Management of Assets Derived from Corruption and Other Crimes (ARMA) has put up for sale the 'Nika Spirit', which has been seized in Izmail, Odesa region. The auction is scheduled for April 21, 2025, with a starting price of UAH 2.438.5000. The vessel is actually a tanker for the transportation of oil products. It was built in 1989. The functional wear and tear is 80%. On Nov 4, 2024, the Dniprovsky District Court of Kyiv allowed the Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA) to seize the Russian tanker, formerly known as 'Neyma', which was detained on July 24, 2019, in the port of Izmail. The vessel was identified as the one used to block the Kerch Strait on Nov 25, 2018., when it allegedly ran aground under the arch of the Kerch Bridge, while the Ukrainian ships 'Berdiansk' and 'Nikopol' and the tug 'Yany Kapu' were making a planned passage from the port of Odesa to the port of Mariupol in the Sea of Azov and were attacked by Russian warships, resulting in the capture of Ukrainian sailors.

This is the 22nd marine port in Yilport Holding’s portfolio, and its first terminal in Italy. The company, ranked 12th among international container terminal operators by Drewry, targets to be ranked among the top 10 by 2025. Chairman Robert Yuksel Yildirim made the following remarks at the signing ceremony: “We have a strong presence in the Mediterranean. We are in Malta and operate seven ports between Spain and Portugal. Being able to enter Italy and work here in Taranto is like filling in the missing piece of a puzzle that we are building globally. The infrastructure was there but there was no one to take care of it. Our intention is to create another success story in Taranto. From today until the end of this year, we will be fixing cranes to ramp up business, visiting potential customers, and promote the container terminal. The project also aims to cooperate with local operators to improve cargo and ro-ro traffic.”

Palma de Mallorca, Marseille, Barcelona are a few of the European ports that the President of the North Adriatic Sea Port Authority, Pino Musolino, has sent a letter to in recent days, inviting his colleagues to meet in Venice to discuss the economic and environmental impact of the cruise industry and to draw up guidelines for a new sustainable approach to maritime tourism. The ports mentioned above have already accepted and other replies are expected in the coming days. A date will soon be set for a seminar on the issues, to be held in the Venice area.

On March 14, 2025, the 'Francisco Javier Uno' suffered an engine failure and was disabled and adrift one nautical mile north of Punta Langosteira and requested towing assistance. The CCS A Coruña of Salvamento Marítimo mobilized the SAR boat 'Salvamar Beteigeue' (MMSI: 225986508), which took the fishing vessel in tow and safely pulled it to the Oza dock in A Coruña.

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, and the case was adjourned until May 30 for a plea hearing at the same court. Report with picture: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2lz79q2y1vo

PSA International Pte Ltd (PSA) has completed the acquisition of Halterm Container Terminal (“Halterm”) in the Port of Halifax, Canada, from Macquarie Infrastructure Partners,a fund managed by Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets, following formal approval by the relevant regulatory authorities. Halterm is the only container terminal in Eastern Canada that can serve mega container vessels.

There is currently limited supply of marine gasoil at the Turkish port of Istanbul, sources said Friday, August 2, owing to limited cargo deliveries in the region.