A man has been rescued from the water by a Coast Guard helicopter two hours after falling overboard from the Shannon ferry, serving on the route Tarbert, County Kerry-Killimer, County Clare, on Sep 7, 2025, shortly after 9 a.m. In moderate conditions with a strong ebb tide, the Kilrush RNLI lifeboat proceeded swiftly to the last known position, after being alerted at 9.22 a.m. A major multi-agency SAR operation was quickly initiated. The Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 117 was tasked from Waterford, Fenit RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat was launched, and both the Ballybunion Coast Guard unit and the Ballybunion Sea and Cliff Rescue unit were mobilised. A number of other vessels also assisted, including two Foynes-based yachts, the Shannon Pilot boat, and both Shannon Ferries vessels 'Shannon Breeze' and 'Shannon Dolphin'. The search area extended from Aylevarroo Point to Tarbert, with coordinated creeping line search patterns carried out. Shortly after 11 a.m., the Rescue 117's crew sighted a person swimming near the Tarbert power station. approximately 1.5 nautical miles west of the Tarbert Lighthouse on the Kerry shore. The helicopter’s winchman was deployed, entered the water and secured the casualty. The Kilrush RNLI boat then came alongside, recovered the casualty safely on board, and supported the winchman during the operation. The casualty was subsequently winched from the lifeboat into the helicopter and transferred directly to University Hospital Limerick for treatment for severe hypothermia. Once the person was confirmed safe, the wider search operation was stood down. The Shannon Ferry Group will conduct an internal review following the incident. The man was reportedly recovering well.
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LUCKY DRAGON
The body of the Chinese sailor, who went missing after falling into the sea at Paradip Port from the 'Lucky Dragon' on the morning of Sep 5, 2025,, was recovered on Sep 7. He fell into the sea while untying the rope ladder of the 'Lucky Dragon' at the Paradip International Cargo Terminal (PICT) berth. Despite an extensive search, he could not be traced. Following the accident, the captain of the vessel had announced a reward of USD 1,000 for locating the missing sailor. An ODRAF team recovered the body and handed it over to Paradip Marine police. He has been kept in the mortuary of Paradip Port hospital. Police have sought the presence of the vessel’s company representatives and a crew member for proper identification on Sep 8. Once identified, the body was sent for a postmortem examination. A team from West was is also expected to arrive to preserve and embalm the body before transporting it to Peace Heaven mortuary in Kolkata for repatriation to China. The intervention of the Chinese consulate has already been sought for repatriating the remains of Tai to his native place in China. Meanwhile, the Immigration department has clarified that the 'Lucky Dragon' will not be allowed to leave Paradip Port without a no-objection certificate until the verification of the dead sailor’s identity, cancellation of his passport and completion of legal formalities. The vessel, carrying 25,000 tonne of pig iron, was anchored at the port. The Paradip Marine police station registered an unnatural death case.
LOCH FRISA
The 'Loch Frisa', serving on the route Oban-Craignure, suffered a technical issue with the fresh water pumps on Sep 8. As a consequence, the scheduled 10.00 a.m. departure from the port of Craignure had to be cancelled. The vessel was re-positioned to Oban to allow the issue to be investigated. The departure at 11:25 a.m. from Oban was liable to disruption or cancellation. The ferry finally departed at 11:47 a.m. with delay of 22 minutes to the scheduled departure. The ferry was expected to make up time throughout the day.
GEMINI
The 'Gemini' suffered substantial hull damage in a dock allision at the port of Piraeus en route from Patmos on the morning Sep 5, 2025, while traversing the berth. The impact left a large hole above the water line with a lengthy gash in the hull. Officers of the Port authority and the ship’s maintenance crew were evaluating the damage. The ship shifted to Ampelakia on Sep 6. The ship will need to be thoroughly assessed to determine the extent of the repairs needed. The pier also suffered damage. In March, the ship had an engine room fire shortly after departing Piraeus. All guests and crew were ordered to their muster stations, with smoke visible from the upper decks. The vessel turned around and returned to port under limited propulsion. Report with photo: https://www.cruisehive.com/cruise-ship-suffers-significant-damage-from-dock-collision/185977
CARMEN BARCIA
On the early morning of Sep 8, the 'Carmen Barcia' was disabled and went adrift about one nautical mile off Louro. The SAR boat 'Salvamar Régulus' was mobilized to assist by the CCS Fisterra of Salvamento Marítimo. It took the fishing vessel in tow and safely pulled it to Porto do Son.