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The 'Lord of the Isles' was undergoing repair works to its port side propeller at Kennacraig. Due to this, a number of sailings have been cancelled. On July 22, 2021, the Lochboisdale-Mallaig sailing at 06.50 and 4 p.m. an on July 23: Sailings from Mallaig at 11 a.m. and 1.30 p.m. and from Armadale at 12.15 p.m. and 2.45 p.m. The 'Hebrides' operated an additional sailing from Uig, United Kingdom to Lochmaddy at 6.30 p.m.

Eight armed robbers managed to climb aboard othe 'Sandunga' in the night of July 19, 2021, in the Bay of Campeche, Gulf of Mexico. They fired shots in the air, and the workers hided in any shelters they could find, while the robbers ransacked the platform, taking with them equipment like diving equipment, communication devices, breathing apparatuses etc. Law enforcement teams arrived at the platform in the morning of July 20, long after the robbers had fled.

The Lebanese army on Sep 3 found a further 4.35 tonnes of the explosive ammonium nitrate a month after 2,750 tonnes of the substance exploded in the harbour and destroyed large parts of the city. The explosive substance was found in a warehouse immediately outside one of the entrances to the port, and engineers from the army took care of it. Simultaneously with the new discovery, it emerged that the outgoing Prime Minister Hassan Diab told the head of the investigation of the catastrophic explosion that he knew of the existence of the large amount of ammonium nitrate at the port before the explosion. 25 suspects have been arrested so far, including the port's chief of staff Hassan Koraytem and customs chief Badri Daher. Among the others arrested were also three Syrian workers who carried out welding work at the warehouse, where the huge amount of ammonium nitrate was stored, on the day the explosion took place. Up to 200 were killed and about 6,500 injured in the blast, causing damage to a double-digit billion.

Surging demand for imported diesel and the limited number of Medium Range (MR) vessels available between the US and Brazil has spurred demand for Long Range (LR) tankers over the last two months, as buyers working with narrow margins gravitate towards optimal price conditions. Brazilian clean fuels buyers typically contract MRs — vessels with around 37,000-38,000t capacity — rather than LRs, which have around 60,000t capacity. This is due to smaller cargo needs and port limitations, particularly in Brazil's northeast, where there is less infrastructure to receive full LR vessels. This regularly prompts importers to offload part of LR cargoes in ports capable to accommodate tankers with a large draught, such as Itaqui and Santos, before berthing in other destinations. Since the week ending 21 August the difference on the Worldscale benchmark between LR and MR vessels has been around 45 points, according to a Brazilian clean fuels trader. "When the [Worldscale] difference between MR and LR vessels is greater than 19, the LR is more worthwhile, even if it requires an additional discharge port" he told Argus. So far this month, at least two LR vessels — the Stena Primorsk and the Starling — have arrived in Brazil carrying around 152mn l (956,000 bl) of foreign diesel destined for the southeast, according to data from Vortexa. In July, around 119mn l of diesel was imported to the northeast and southeast on the LR BW Lena and the Stena Performance. LR imports in July and August so far totaled 271mn l, compared with a total of 465mn l during the first half of 2020. MRs availability may return soon The increase in LR vessels between July and August could slow by the end of August, when availability of sought-after MR tankers off the US Gulf coast is expected to increase. Tropical storm Marco and Hurricane Laura, which kept the US on alert all of last week, caused ship cancellations and could ease the current shortage of Brazil-bound MR tankers, a shipbroker told Argus. Most port operations had normalized in the US Gulf coast by the afternoon of 27 August. This should increase the supply of MR vessels to Brazil, according to the broker. A drop in MR freight rates last week is already supporting demand for the tanker category. After reaching Worldscale (WS) 165 on 19 August, the highest level for the month, Argus assessed the US Gulf coast-east coast South America clean medium range tanker rate at WS130 on 27 August. Clean freight from the US Gulf coast to Brazil's south and southeastern ports dropped 21pc in outright price to $21.91/t over the same period. The downward trend is expected to extend at least through the first ten days of September, when the number of MR vessels available in the US Gulf region is expected to increase significantly. The surge in LR arrivals echoes a similar trend from August last year, when affordable rates and tight margins among importers spurred demand for larger vessels. By Gabrielle Moreira

The 'Aleksandr Lebed', en route from Gulluk to Rostov on Don, suffered a technical failure during the passage of the Canakkale Strait and returned to the Bozcaada anchorage on July 19, 2021, at 8.45 p.m. Repairs were started by the crew, and the ship resumed its voyage with an ETA as of July 27.

The US Coast Guard medevaced a crew member from the 'Coral Furcata' approximately 11 miles off Galveston, Texas, on July 21, 2021. Coast Guard Houston-Galveston watchstanders received a call at approximately 9 a.m. from the tanker, stating a 48-year-old male crew member was experiencing stroke-like symptoms. They consulted with the duty flight surgeon, who recommended a medevac. A Coast Guard Station Galveston 45-foot Response Boat–Medium crew launched with emergency medical services personnel aboard to assist. The boat arrived on scene but was unable to conduct a transfer because the ailing crew member was no longer ambulatory. A Coast Guard Air Station Houston MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew diverted to assist. The helicopter arrived on scene, hoisted the patient and transported him to the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston in stable condition.

The typhoon Maysak crushed onto the port of Vladivostok on Sep 3, 2020, wreaking havoc at the Navy base and in the commercial port. A floating dock in the base broke off her moorings, drifted along the piers and hit berthed submarines and other ships. The amount of damage was yet unknown. The container terminal at the ommercial port was flooded. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=50&v=Yr8JHgunKNY&feature=emb_title

https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/schleswig-holstein/NOK-Havarie-Frachter-fuhr-ohne-Lotsen,schleuse886.html

The 'Acadia Desgagnes', en route from Montreal, suffered a main engine failure in position 44 56 39.0N, 075 01 46.0W, in the St. Lawrence Seaway off Massena on July 19, 2021, at 6.30 p.m. The vessel stopped at an anchorage near Wilson Hill Island to assess the problem and carry out repairs and berthed in Port Colborne on July 21.

The 12 Indian crew members of the 'Kanchan' were rescued by the m/v 'Hermeez' off Umargam, Gujarat, on July 22. The 'Kanchan', which was on its way to Mangalore, has sunk seven nautical miles west of Umargam in Gujarat after its engine failure. A distress call was issued late on July 21. Since no Coast Guard vessel could reach the position immediately, the Indian authorities diverted the 'Hermeez'. She was next headed to Mumbai with the castaways on board.

In port

An investigation was launched into the allision of the Panama flagged cargo m/v cargo m/v 'Else', 2449 gt ( IMO: 9006320 ), enroute from Klaipeda to Les Sables with a cargo of ammonnium nitrate, with the northern lock of the Kiel Canal in Kiel-Holtenau upon entering the lock on Aug 29 at 5 a.m. at the pier of the Lindenau Yard in Kiel-Friedrcrichsort. Usually ships stop about 800 meters off the locks on the Kiel Fjord to take a pilot on board, and may only proceed once he has embarked. The 'Else' had ordered a pilot but continued its voyage without reducing speed and crashed into the closed gate with about six knots. The gate was severely damaged, and inspections by divers were to start on Aug 31 to find out if the submerged tanks of it were damaged too. The lock was closed for shipping for the time being, leaving only one of four locks in Holtenau in operating condition. One gate is still under repair after having been hit by the container m/v 'Akacia' 2,5 years ago, another gate is under repair too. It was investigated if this could be used once the now damaged gate has been removed.