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The collision between the 'Colombia-Colombia II' and the 'Eiltank 65' on the Volkerak on Jan 7, 2023, near Dinteloord was primarily the fault of the barge 'Colombia' (MMSI: 205253090). However, the 'Eiltank 65 was not entirely blameless and bears 15% of the blame, the Rotterdam District Court ruled. The vessels were sailing on opposite courses in the dark, with winds of force 5 and gusting to force 7. The 'Eiltank 65' struck the 202-meter long barge combination 'Colombia-Colombia II' almost amidships. At that moment, the barge was sailing in the wrong direction, in line with the 'Eiltank 65', and was simultaneously overtaken on starboard by another vessel. In the case brought by the owner of the 'Eiltank 65' against the 'Colombia', the latter was accused of being at fault for the collision. The 'Colombia' was not only sailing on the wrong side of the fairway, but also allegedly altered its course at the last moment in such a way that a collision became unavoidable and wrongly failed to yield right of way to the 'Eiltank 65'. Furthermore, the 'Colombia' failed to contact the radio or take any other measures to avoid the collision, according to the German company Eiltank. The Belgian owner of the 'Colombia' was invoking force majeure due to strong winds. In the event of force majeure, each party must bear its own damages. The owner of the 'Colombia' believed that both parties were 50% at fault for the collision. The Rotterdam District Court determined that there was no force majeure. In this case, the 'Colombia' is 85% at fault. This leaves Eiltank with a "minor contributory negligence" of 15%. The court based this assessment on several factors: While the wind was strong and the vessels were affected, it was not so strong that the collision was unavoidable. At the same time, it has not been established that the 'Colombia' indeed altered its course to port just before the collision. Eiltank did assert this, but did not substantiate it properly. Furthermore, under the circumstances, the 'Colombia' should have yielded to the right of way. This did not happen, according to the court. The court further argued that it was primarily up to the skipper of the 'Colombia' to contact his colleague on the 'Eiltank 65' by radio. This did not happen, and the 'Colombia' did not take any other precautions to prevent the collision. At the same time, the skipper of the'' Eiltank 65' could have foreseen the collision and contacted the 'Colombia' about it. Because this also did not happen, Eiltank bears a small portion of the blame. The hull damage, loss of time, and expert assessment costs amounted to over €96,000 for Eiltank. The owner of the 'Colombia' must pay 85% of this, or almost €81,700. The €56,300 already paid will be deducted from this, leaving an outstanding invoice of almost €25,400. This amount will be increased by the interest on several of the aforementioned amounts. There will also be an additional €7,000 in legal and collection costs. Because the 'Eiltank 65' was not entirely unscathed in the collision, some money must also be transferred in the opposite direction. The owner of the 'Colombia' will receive approximately €6,800 in damages, as well as approximately €2,000 in collection and legal costs.

The 'Bute', operating on the route Wemyss Bay-Rothesay suffered a fuel issue on July 22. The departures from Rothesay at 10:000 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. and from Wemyss Bay at 11:15 a.m. and 1:05 p.m. had to be cancelled with more crossings at the risk uf disruption. After the issues were successfully resolved, the following sailings, which were initially cancelled, were reinstated: Departure Rothesay - 2:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Departure Wemyss Bay -3:05 p.m., 5:05 p.m. and 7:05 p.m.

The 'Nautilus' has found the ship's bell of the lost frigate USS 'De Haven- (DD-469,', the latest in a series of discoveries in a survey of the so-called "Iron Bottom Sound" off the Solomon Islands. The Fletcher-class destroyer was commissioned in September 1942and immediately departed for the Solomon Islands campaign. She escorted a convoy of troopships to Guadalcanal, then patrolled the archipelago to interdict Japanese forces for the next several months. On Feb 1, 1943, the 'De Haven' was escorting a small group of landing craft and a seaplane tender to a new beachhead on Guadalcanal. As she returned to the base with two of the landing craft, nine Japanese planes approached, and six turned to attack her. The 'De Haven' was hit by three bombs, killing the commanding officer and sinking the ship just off Savo Island. 167 crewmembers lost their lives. The wreck was discovered by Dr. Robert Ballard in 1992, and the the 'Nautilus' returned to the site in July to re-survey the vessel. With the assistance from live-stream video viewers, the research team found the bell dislodged from its mount and resting atop a torpedo mount amidships. Signs of deterioration and marine life colonization suggested that the timing of the find was lucky: some areas of the wreck have become heavily encrusted, and one of the other torpedo mounts has tilted due to deck collapse since the last survey. The team also conducted the first ever wreck exploration of the USS 'Walke', a Sims-class destroyer that sank off Savo Island during the Second Naval Battle of Guadalcanal on (Nov. 15, 1942. The 'Walke' fired off about 300 five-inch rounds at three Japanese warships in a nighttime battle; she was hit by a torpedo in return, then by multiple rounds of shells. As she went down, her depth charges detonated, killing survivors in the water. The ROV exploration showed the ferocity of the fight: the bridge had been blown off and was found separately, and only about half of the length of the hull could be identified as a single structure. Both the bow and stern were missing. Videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oqLozxPV0g&t=416s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pfSGpiZ4WY&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.maritime-executive.com%2F&source_ve_path=MjM4NTE

The 'Lochinvar', serving on the route Lochaline-Fishnish, suffered a technical issue that requires further investigation on July 23. As a consequence, the scheduled departures from iLochaline at 9.40 a.m. and from Fishnish at 10 a.m. had to be cancelled. After the issue was resolved, the 'Lochinvar'operated the previously cancelled crossings.

As of July 21, the 'Wan Hai 503' remained in a stable condition. Grey smoke was last observed in the vicinity of cargo holds no. 3 and 4 on the afternoon of July 2ß, consistent with previously reported patterns of residual combustion due to unextinguished smouldering cargo. The vessel continued to weather rough conditions with gusting winds over 30 knots and swells. The ship was currently located approximately 238 nautical miles southeast of the Indian EEZ boundary and has been drifting along with prevailing ocean currents in the absence of active tow. The connection with the 'Offshore Warrior' was scheduled to be re-established upon its return from Cochin, where it had proceeded for replenishment of bunkers, stores, and freshwater. Salvage operations continued on board with a 16-member team having boarded the casualty. The salvage team now intended to remain on board continuously to maintain operation tempo and stability. Essential amenities such as cooling appliances and food supplies have already been provided to support extended stays. Dewatering of the engine room, cargo holds, and duct keel continued, with improved control achieved in most spaces. Notably, cargo holds no. 2 and 3 appeaedr dry, while the engine room water level was being maintained at approximately 50 cm. Pumping in hold no. 6 was ongoing. The 'Offshore Warrior wass expected to arrive back on July 22. Once reconnected, it was to re-establish tow and return the vessel toward the Indian EEZ as previously committed to Sri Lankan authorities. The salvage team has also mobilized an additional tug, the 'Advantage Libra', which departed from Khor Fakkan on July 20 with an ETA as of July 27 to augment the operational fleet and provide greater redundancy for towage and salvage work, particularly in the light of an upcoming potential port entry. The 'Advantis Virgo', having suffered propeller issues during prior maneuvers, was planned to return to Colombo for underwater inspections and repair after the 'Offshore Warrior' took over towing duties. Until then, it remainned on standby. Meanwhile, the 'Saksham' was actively engaged in fire watch and boundary cooling as required. The 'Water Lily' continued to serve as the primary platform for safe personnel transfer to and from the casualty. The overall salvage and stabilization picture was cautiously optimistic. The 'Wan Hai 503' has shown structural resilience. The recurrence of grey smoke emissions was anticipated and attributed to residual combustion within affected cargo holds. Given the limitations of safe access to these areas, boundary cooling remained the feasible mitigation approach at present. The emergency towline that parted earlier was recovered and stored aboard the vessel as a precaution. A backup towline was also being prepared. The salvage team’s ability to remain on board continuously marked a positive shift in operations, reducing reliance on the single transfer ship 'Water Lily', and allowing uninterrupted oversight. Planning was also progressing for final stages of casualty removal. The Wan Hai Lines has communicated its decision, based on inputs from ITOPF and shoreline drift modelling, to discontinue contractual ties with SpillTech and MERC for shoreline clean-up, citing minimal ongoing risk. However, MERC remains on standby should future response be necessary. The Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) has taken note and will revert formally upon review.