On July 7, 2025, while en route from Alexandria, the 'Elbeborg' participated in an international rescue operation in the eastern Mediterranean and assisted in the rescue of 74 distressed migrants, including children, elderly, and sick people. At 5 p.m. LT the ship received an urgent high- frequency radio call from Libyan authorities: after a migrant boat had lost power and run out of supplies in pos. 33°27.720′N, 24°56.186′ E. The captain immediately activated the emergency plan, adjusting course and sailing 30 nautical miles to the scene. Meanwhile, the Chief Officer coordinated with Libyan and Egyptian authorities, and the Second Officer plotted the fastest route. At 10 p.m. the ship reached the position along with the ccontainer m/v 'Tegar' amid rough seas and darkness with wind force 6. The two ships conducted a joint rescue. All deck lights were activated to illuminate the rescue zone. The watchkeepers located the drifting boat in darknessI. The Indonesian crew prepared water, emergency rations, and first aid kits. All 74 people were rescued safely and transferred to port under Egyptian government coordination. The 'Elbeborg' berthed in Alexandria on July 11.
News
RIGOLETTO
The 'Rigoletto', enroute from Stavoren to Harlingen, allided with the lock gates of the Lorentz locks at Kornwernerzand on July 22, 2025, at around 4:30 p.m. There were no injuries among the passengers on board. The bow of the vessel suffered slight damage, but it could continue its voyage. The lock was timewise closed for shipping. Ten pleasure boats had to wait until the inspection of Rijkswaterstaat was completed. Report with photo: https://www.schuttevaer.nl/nieuws/actueel/2025/07/23/sluis-tijdelijk-gestremd-nadat-cruiseschip-de-deuren-schampt/
COASTAL LEGEND
Oil spill response operations in Cuxhaven were continued late on July 23 following the allision of rhe incoming ' Capella' with the 'Coastal Legend', which was berthed at the Lübbert Quay. In the afternoon, emergency responders from the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) arrived from Bremerhaven. They replaced the THW volunteers from Cuxhaven, who had been fighting the spill since the morning. Since the start of the operation, emergency responders have already removed approximately 80 cubic meters of oil-water mixture from the water's surface. The work was ongoing, and there was no end in sight. The oil-water mixture is being pumped into a waiting tanker and a tanker truck for disposal. In the afternoon, the DO 228 sensor aircraft also flew over the accident site once again. Among other things, the emergency command was monitoring whether any of the oil might have entered the Elbe River. This has largely been prevented so far. Around 20 Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) personnel has used skimmers to remove the oil from the water's surface.
CALEDONIAN ISLES
CalMac said on July 22 that the 'Caledonian Isles' would return to dry dock for further repairs which would likely take between eight weeks and four months, prompting a re-think of the winter timetable. Based on the current prognosis, the 'Caledonian Isles' could return in September in a best-case scenario or November in a worst-case scenario. CalMac intendex to publish winter timetables soon and aim to give communities and customers certainty about service levels and vessel deployment during that period.
MSC SORAYA
On July 20, 2025, at arouind 12 p.m. a leaking container on the 'MSC Soraya' caused a major operation at the Athabaska Höft in the Port of Hamburg in pos. 53° 32' N 009° 55' E, after a considerable amount of the chemical substance Lipaton SB 29 Y 146 flowed over the deck and into the Elbe River. The container had been positioned in such a way that the bottom was punctured. The latex-like substance, which was not considered a hazardous substance, spilled over the upper deck ofontainer ship and from there into the Elbe River. Firefighters, who were deployed with the fireboats "Branddirektor Westphal" and "Prag," among others, deployed oil booms to contain the spread. Approximately 500 square meters of water surface were contaminated To prevent a further spread into the river, also special forces from the Technical and Environmental Guard respoinded. The fire department's environmental service and experts from the environmental agency were also on site to assess the situation and secure samples. The operation was concluded at around 3:30 p.m. The 'MSC Soraya' was banned from sailing. It had arrived from Loondon Gateway Port on July 17 and remained stationary at the Waltershof Container Terminal as of July 23. Cleaning work could take weeks. Reports with photos: https://www.tag24.de/hamburg/feuerwehreinsatz-hamburg/grosseinsatz-im-hamburger-hafen-chemikalie-fliesst-in-die-elbe-3405218 https://www.abendblatt.de/hamburg/hamburg-mitte/article409558271/kautschukartige-substanz-laeuft-ins-hafenbecken-grosseinsatz.html https://www.thb.info/rubriken/maritime-sicherheit/detail/news/havarie-box-an-bord-der-msc-soraya-verliert-latex.html