The 'Isle of Arran', serving on the route Kennacraig-Islay, suffered a technical issue impacting the sewage system on July 28, As a consequence, the scheduled departures from Kennacraig at 10:00 a.m. and03:30 p.m. and from Port Ellen at 12:45 p.m. and 06:00 p.m. have been cancelled to carry out repairs. Due to the ongoing issue with the sewage system, more sailings had to be cancelled on July 29: Departure Port Askaig – 07:00 a.m.; Departure Kennacraig – 10:00 a.m.; Departure Port Ellen – 12:45 p.m. The ferry 'Finlaggan' continued as a replacement ship and operated the following sailings: Departure Kennacraig – 07:00 a.m. Departure Port Ellen – 09:45 a.m. After the 'Isle of Arran’s sewage system was repaired. the ferry resumed service on Juily 29 at 1:00 p.m., departing from the port of Kennacraig.
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SALVAMAR SPICA
On the early morning of July 29, the 'Salvamar Spica' rescued eight migrants of North African origin, including a woman and three minors, who were sailing on a small boat, which was located 28 nautical miles southeast of Cabo de Gata in the Alboran Sea. The boat was spotted by the crew of the ferry 'Kalliste' (IMO: 9050618), sailing between Nador and Marseille, which notified the CCS of Salvamento Marítimo in Almería. Following the alert, the 'Salvamar Spica' was mobilized and proceeded to rescue the occupants. The migrants were taken on board and disembarked at around 2:23 a.m. in the port of Almería, where they were treated by a humanitarian assistance team. Report with photo: https://x.com/salvamentogob/status/1950091971160121433
MSC ELSA 3
Citizen groups, including Greenpeace India, along with environmental groups, legal experts and fishermen bodies have called for an urgent and enforceable action by the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) regarding the sinking of the 'MSC Elsa 3'. In a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram on July 28, the citizen groups released a comprehensive white paper outlining the potential ecological and socio-economic impacts of the shipwreck. They demanded that the company be held fully accountable. The MSC company has denied its responsibility and refused to pay I9,531 crore compensation demanded by the state government and they claimed that there was no significant ecological damage from the shipwreck. The document also outlined the severe livelihood disruptions for fisherfolk, and growing concerns over marine biodiversity. The citizens groups demanded that the company support an independent environmental and social impact assessment and roll out a comprehensive compensation package that reflects the magnitude of the damage. The shipwreck has significantly affected over 10 lakh fisherfolk in Kerala, especially in the wake of early monsoon weather restrictions and the 20-nautical-mile fishing ban period following the accident, with serious consequences on daily income, food security, and occupational health.
KEPEJORA
The Walloon Waterways Directorate continued to deal with the 'Kepejora', that sank in Auvelais. After the barge has been emptied of its 1,400 tons of scrap cargo, a specialized company was preparing the wreck for refloating on July 29, using powerful pumps, which have to remove the same amount of water from the flooded holds, in an effort to quickly restore ship traffic on the Sambre, which remained suspended due to a pollution threat. Report with photo: https://www.lavenir.net/regions/namur/2025/07/29/sambreville-dans-la-peniche-coulee-1-400-000-litres-deau-a-pomper-6YQMZR4RR5FRJCNSKZYPIPX7GY/
NEWNEW POLAR BEAR
Two years after damaging the Balticconnector pipeline and communication cables in the Gulf of Finland, the 'Newnew Polar Bear' has set sail for the Arctic again. Ot received a permit for Russia’s Northern Sea Route on July 22 and is currently heading north in the Sea of Japan in the direction of the Bering Strait. Russian authorities cleared the vessel to transit the Arctic in both westward and eastward directions between Aug 1 and Oct 31. This will be the vessel’s first return to Europe and the Arctic since the incident. Beijing officials initially had claimed that the dragging of the anchor was an accident caused by severe storm conditions, though meteorological conditions at the time were mild for the Baltic Sea in fall. Investigators and industry experts remained skeptical that the vessel could have accidentally dragged its anchor unnoticed for more than 100 nautical miles. The 'Newnew Polar Bear' incident caused more than $40 million in damages and for months disrupted regional energy and communication infrastructure. A criminal case against the captain Wan Wenguo is currently winding its way through the Chinese court system, with another round of hearings not before September 2025.