News

On April 11, 2025, the 'Jos-Deschênes II', sailing between Tadoussac and Baie-Sainte-Catherine, suffered technical issues which required to be inspected. Only after this inspection will the STQ know if repairs are required and how extensive they will be. "An alarm had sounded in the engine room, The crew noticed an accumulation of water in a compartment of the vessel that is supposed to be watertight.The Société des Traversiers (STQ) announced that the crossings have been canceled until further notice The inspection had to be carried out in an enclosed space, which required the vessel to be stopped. After informing the regulatory authorities, Transport Canada ordered an inspection of the 'Jos-Deschênes II'.

On April 8, at around 10:45 p.m., a burst pipe aboard the 'Sky Princess' caused massive flooding in several public areas of the upped deck. The leak triggered emergency measures and temporarily led to the evacuation of passengers from central sections of the cruise ship, which was completing its seven-day round trip from Southampton to Spain and France. Water from the burst pipe, which was connected to the Sky Pool, poured across several decks and flooded the popular Piazza atrium on decks five and six. The scene was described as being initially chaotic, but was quickly brought under control. passengers were reported to their muster stations while the crew attempted to contain the major water issue. Teams immediately shut off the water and began cleaning the areas. Evening entertainment in other areas was uninterrupted, and guests were able to resume use of the piazza on the morning of April 9.

The French port of Marseille Fos plans to spend over US$22 million to reduce air emissions by extending its shoreside electrical connections to every ferry, cruise ship and repair quay in the eastern harbour. The port has also introduced speed restrictions to reduce industrial air pollution. Already available on the Corsica ferry quays, the shore power network will be expanded in two phases to cover North Africa ferry quays and the ship repair hub by 2022 and the cruise terminal between 2022 and 2025. The zero-emissions investment, which is supported by national and regional government, recognises the need to maintain the port’s economic value while improving the city’s waterside air quality.

Phase one of the new Jurong Port Tank Terminals (JPTT) was officially opened on Monday (July 29), with Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Chee Hong Tat saying it will allow Singapore to strengthen its position as one of the world’s top bunkering ports for low-sulphur fuels. The $200 million, 16ha petrochemical terminal is a joint venture between port operator Jurong Port and German firm Oiltanking with 252,000 cubic m of clean petroleum storage capacity. From January next year, the International Maritime Organisation will prohibit ships from using fuels containing more than 0.5 per cent sulphur.

The captain of the 'COS Master' was banned from sailing for two weeks by the Disciplinary Board of Shipping. The sanction was imposed because the crew tender allided with a buoy off the coast of Belgium on Aug 6, 2024, and sprung a leak. The crew boat, which is used to transport technical personnel from Ostend to the Borssele offshore wind farm, sailed over a buoy with two crew members and 13 passengers on board. The 'COS Master' then returned to Ostend. According to the ILT inspector, the captain did not keep a proper lookout and sailed at a high speed of approximately 20 knots while he was doing other work. According to the inspector, this led to the collision. The captain then allegedly handed over the watch to a sailor who was not authorized to do so. The captain acknowledged that he did not keep a proper lookout and that the allision was the result of this. He was distracted by a changed assignment and weather report. The captain also acknowledged that he should not have left the sailor alone on the bridge. But he did dare to do so with this experienced sailor and so he was able to see for himself whether it was safe to sail back to Ostend. However, the Disciplinary Board fully agreed with the inspector. The captain should have stayed on the bridge himself and let the engineer inspect the damage. That is why the captain's sailing license has been suspended for four weeks, two of which were conditional.

On the morning of April 13, the 'Z.63-Thalassa' was disabled off the Belgian coast, after the net had fouled the propulsion of the trawler. After the crew requested assistance, the tug 'Multratug 11' (IMO: 7232626) took the ship in tow and safely pulled it into the port of Oostende, to remove the oobstruction from the propulsion system. Photos: https://www.tugspotters.com/app/content/2025/04/multratug-11-met-z-63-thalassa/

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and the City of Dubrovnik have partnered to introduce sustainable tourism management practices that will preserve the Croatian city’s cultural heritage. CLIA president and CEO Kelly Craighead and Dubrovnik’s Mayor Mato Franković signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU), which outlines plans to make Dubrovnik a model of sustainable tourism for the Adriatic region. All plans focus on investment, collaboration and best practices that will benefit both Dubrovnik’s residents and visitors. “Today’s agreement validates the work we have already done with Mayor Franković and formalises the cruise industry’s continued commitment to the City of Dubrovnik and its people,” said Craighead.

Congestion at Cambodia’s top port is creating supply chain disruptions. In a note to clients German containerline Hapag-Lloyd noted that terminal productivity at Sihanoukville port has deteriorated due to port and yard congestion. Feeder services and turnaround times are affected and feeder space is tight. In an effort for medium term improvement of this situation, the port is building an extended yard for additional storage space. “Before the new container yard is completed, port congestion may persist,” Hapag-Lloyd warned.

The 'A Rosa Riva' suffered an engine failure on the Danube near Ybbs-Persenbeug (Melk district), with 170 people on board, on April 12, 2025. The ship was en route from Bratislava to Passau when, shortly after the Ybbs-Persenbeug lock, it suddenly became unmaneuverable and ran into an embankment on the riverbank on the early evening. The cruise ship was able to be inspected and repaired on site, and finally continued its journey towards Passau after a good two hours, Report with photos: https://www.heute.at/s/schock-an-der-donau-motorschaden-legt-schiff-lahm-120102368

The 'Joseph Gerczak' was among the units of the US Coast Guard, which were searching for the 23-foot recreational fishing vessel 'Makalapua Ona Lani'. with one person aboard off he Island of Hawaii, on April 10, 2025. Coast Guard Sector Honolulu watchstanders received a report at 2:17 p.m. from Hawaii County Fire Department dispatchers regarding the overdue vessel, which has a white hull, blue trim and twin outboard engines. Missing was Earl Hind, a 42-year old man who was scheduled to return from a fishing trip in the vicinity of South Point on the morning of April 9. Hind’s family members confirmed that his truck and trailer were still located at the boat ramp. Sector Honolulu watchstanders coordinated the launch of a Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point HC-130 Hercules airplane crew and diverted the 'Joseph Gerczak' to aid in the search. Also involved in the search were the Hawaii County Fire Department and the Department of Land and Natural Resources. Anyone with information that may assist in search efforts should contact the Coast Guard on VHF-FM channel 16 or call the Sector Honolulu command center at 808-842-2600.

The Tanger Med port has emerged as the biggest port in Africa in terms of container capacity, surpassing Africa’s bigger ports like Durban (South Africa) and Mombasa (Kenya). The Tanger Med port now connects Morocco to 77 countries and 186 ports around the world. The Tanger Med II has two new container terminals – TC3 and TC4 – with an additional 6 million container capacity. The TC3, which is operated by Morocco’s main port operator Marsa Maroc, has a capacity of 1 million TEUs (twenty foot equivalent units). The TC4, which is operated by the Netherlands-based APM Terminals, has a capacity of 5 million TEUs. According to the Tanger Med Port Authority, with its new terminals, Tanger Med port will have a capacity of processing 9 million containers, 7 million passengers, 1 million vehicles and 700,000 trucks. Thanks to its extensions, Tanger Med port has now become the largest port in the Mediterranean region, surpassing some of the region’s top ports like Algeciras (Spain), Valencia (Spain) and Gioia (Italy). The port is located 40 kilometers east of the Moroccan town of Tangier, which is a gateway to both Europe and Africa. “Our aim is to develop an effective port platform integrated with transshipment activities, imports and exports,” Tanger Med Port Authority said on its website. The Tanger Med port has become vital for Morocco’s economy as it handled 317 billion Moroccan dirhams (US$33.14 billion) worth of exports and imports in 2018. It processed an overall tonnage of 52.24 tonnes last year.

French oil and gas giant Total SA has taken a 50 per cent stake in Dhamra LNG Terminal Pvt Ltd (DLTPL), a unit of Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ), which is constructing a 12 million tonne per annum (mtpa) LNG regasification terminal at its port located at Dhamra in Odisha’s Bhadrak district.