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Bonn & Mees has completed the largely critizised salvage of the German submarine 'U 16', sunk in 1919 off the coast of Cuxhaven. The wreckage was located at a depth of approximately 20 meters at the mouth of the Elbe between the islands of Neuwerk and Scharhörn. According to the German Waterways and Shipping Authority (WSV), the submarine belonging to Kaiser Wilhelm II's navy posed a potential hazard to shipping. Due to the erosion, there was a significant risk that the 'U16' would change position and project its stern into the shipping channel. The wreck of the submarine, built in Kiel in 1911, had been registered since 1960.The wreck broke in two during the lifting operation. The 'Matador 3' with the remaining section of the 114-year-old submarine proceeded to Cuxhaven. The forward section of the 57-meter-long vessel was salvaged overnight on Sep 1, with the aft section following on Sep 3. This was accomplished using the wreck grabber of the floating crane. Bonn & Mees carried out the salvage operation on behalf of Deme. According to the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH), no permit had been requested for the salvage and only learned of the operation after the first wreckage section had been salvaged. The process iwas now being coordinated within the agency. Both sections were to be appropriately secured to prevent further damage and unauthorized access, The sections of the submarine were originally planned to be demolished and the old batteries removed. Demolition has now become uncertain. The Directorate General of the Waterways and Shipping Authority was in discussions with the Federal Agency for Real Estate (BlmA) about the fate of the 'U-16'. The German Naval Museum in Wilhelmshaven was interested in at least part of the historic submarine. No museum could afford to preserve the entire wreck. According to underwater archaeologist Florian Huber from Kiel, 'U-16' is the only German submarine from the First World War that is no longer submerged and was state-of-the-art at the time. There may still be interesting artifacts in the wreckage. Criticism of the procedure was now coming from the scientific community. Archaeologists are upset about the recovery of the boat. Hamburg's state archaeologist Rainer-Maria Weiss called the authorities' actions "bungling" and spoke of an "illegal, hasty operation." Weiss only learned about the operation from the newspaper: It's Hamburg territory, and therefore we are responsible for all archaeological sites around Scharhörn." He called it a "gross disregard for all regulations." Under normal conditions and professional supervision, the boat would not have broken apart. The intention of simply pulling up a known submarine that has been identified is quite unique. Jens Auer, who is also spokesperson for the Commission for Underwater and Wetland Archaeology in the Association of State Archaeologists, expressed similar anger. "So I'm a bit speechless and can't really understand how they came to do it this way. So from a professional point of view, it's absolutely unacceptable." He pointed to a set of rules established in Germany regarding construction projects or salvage operations. "This action simply contradicts all of these rules." The fact that it was initiated by a federal authority is particularly problematic. The primary goal is to preserve a monument in its natural habitat. After all, this is German cultural heritage, which cannot simply be destroyed. It would have been better to relocate the wreck in its environment. The Federal Agency for Real Estate (BIMA) stated the 'U16' is the property of the Federal Republic of Germany and that BIMA is the owner's representative for the wreck. According to the agency, the BIMA has not granted a permit for the salvage. In addition, according to BIMA, the following are generally required: - a notification to the relevant regulatory authorities; - an excavation permit under monument protection law; - an access permit from the respective property owner; - if necessary, a nature conservation and/or water law permit; - the involvement of the German War Graves Commission. The BIMA has contacted the German Federal Directorate for Waterways and Shipping (GDWS) after the salvage operation became known. It is in discussion with the responsible authorities there regarding the next steps. The submarine wreck will now be secured in order to appropriately prevent the boat from deteriorating and to prevent unauthorized persons from approaching it, the authority announced on Sep 4. Reports with photo and videos: https://www.geo.de/wissen/-stuemperhaft---archaeologen-kritisieren-bergung-des-u-boots--u16--36027576.html https://www.schuttevaer.nl/nieuws/actueel/2025/09/04/matador-3-van-bonn-mees-haalt-ook-tweede-wrakdeel-van-keizerlijke-duikboot-uit-noordzee/ https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/niedersachsen/oldenburg_ostfriesland/u-boot-wrack-in-der-nordsee-u16-nun-vollstaendig-geborgen,wrack-116.html https://www.ndr.de/fernsehen/sendungen/hallo_niedersachsen/cuxhaven-u-boot-wrack-nun-vollstaendig-geborgen,hallonds-1860.html https://www.standaard.be/buitenland/u-boot-uit-1919-breekt-tijdens-berging-in-noordzee/88097287.html

On Aug 28, 2025, the 'Iris I' , en route from Eikefet,allided with a bunker at the outer head of the west chamber of the sea lock, while entering the port of Wilhelmshaven. The bulbous bow of vessel, loaded with grit, was crushed, the bow tip damaged. Only minor damage was caused to the lock. The sea lock's functionality was not impaired. Police investigations showed that an operating error by the 48 year old captain caused had an engine failure, and in the consequence the allision could not be prevented, even though the ship was manned by a port pilot. The Wilhelmshaven Water Police launched an investigation. The ship remained stationary in port as of Sep 5. Report with photo: https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/niedersachsen/oldenburg_ostfriesland/bedienungsfehler-frachter-stoesst-in-wilhelmshaven-gegen-schleuse,schiffskollision-112.html

On Sep 1, 2025, at around 11.30 p.m., the 'Naoussa' with 11 Greek crew members on board lost control due to a mechanical failure about 11 nautical miles south of Cape Sounion (Lat. 37.4667 Lng. 24.0034). The tugs "Pantanassa" (IMO: 9332561) and "Captain Giannis P" (IMO: 9756523) were deployed to assist the bunker tanker on the early morning Sep 2. They took the vessel in tow at around 1.30 a.m. towards the Elefsina anchorage, where it was safely moored in pos. 38° 02' N 023° 32' E. The Elefsina Central Port Authority banned the tanker from sailing until repairs were carried out and a seaworthiness certificate presented by the monitoring classification society. The 'Naoussa' remained stationary at its mooring as of Sep 5.

On Sep 3, 2025, at around 2 p.m. a fire broke out in the foreship of the 'Verdel' in the Port of Mar del Plata. The ship was moored at the local maritime terminal in section seven of the Terminals II and III., when smoke started billowing from bulleyes at starboard side.. The fire was affecting several compartments and their connecting corridor on the main deck. Crew members of another moored vessel initially began spraying water to extinguish the flames. Minutes later, firefighters arrived and started extinguishing the fire and carried out cooling tasks on the bow. An Incident Command was deployed, which initially ordered the establishment of a security cordon and the complete evacuation of all persons on board the vessel. No one was reported injuredAfter several hours of intense work, firefighters from the Prefecture managed to bring the situation under control, and a guard remained on site to deal with possible re-ignitions,. On the morning of Sep 4 the forensic work began. The possible causes of the fire were under investigation. Report and videos: https://www.0223.com.ar/nota/2025-9-3-15-45-0-tension-por-el-incendio-de-un-buque-en-el-puerto-de-mar-del-plata https://www.instagram.com/p/DOMHNN_jhO_/?img_index=1

On the morning of Sep 3, 2025, the 'Jade' ran aground near the bridge at Sas van Gent. She was underway from Bilbao to Ghent. Three tugs, the 'Hendrik 7' and 'Hendrik 9' from Aerde Towing Service in Sas van Gent and the 'Multratug 9' from Multraship in Terneuzen were deployed to refloat the ship. No damage was reported. Two of the involved tugs then towed the 'Jade' to the port of Ghent, where it remained stationary as of Sep 5. Photos: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1AtFX67DhB/