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The insurance issued to dozens of aging oil tankers used by Russia to skirt international sanctions was bogus, according to Norwegian authorities, which are now investigating the Norway-registered Romarine AS, which is behind the forged documents and is fully owned by Andrey Mochalin, a Russian citizen and former employee of the Norwegian insurer Hydor AS. The company was not registered as an insurance provider by Norway’s Financial Supervisory Authority Finanstilsynet (FSA). The firm made an effort to show the tankers involved had Western insurance coverage in the event of pollution or sinking. The FSA sent a warning to Romarine in January of this year, but the company failed to respond, prompting the FSA to issue an order on March 4, 2025, instructing the firm to halt operations. Romarine stated it was aware of the FSA’s order and that it had replied “with some delay through our lawyers.” Romarine said it operated in line with applicable regulations, but that it had decided to stop taking new business until there is a positive feedback from the authority. The FSA, however, has in fact not received a reply from Romarine. Norway’s official company registry shows that Romarine’s website is located in Russia with an IP address in St Petersburg. Romarine’s website as of early March listed at least 30 tankers subject to U.S., EU or UK sanctions, including the 'Captain Kostichev', which is operated by United Arab Emirates-based Stream Ship Management, and the 'Ionia' (IMO: 9312505), owned and operated by Seychelles-based Narus Maritime Corporation and since renamed 'Oilstar', A certificate of insurance provided by the 'Ionia' to Russian port authorities in Primorsk on Feb 2 and dated Jan 9, listed Romarine as its insurance provider. Another presented to port authorities in De Kastri by the 'Captain Kostichev' was dated March 24 and also listed Romarine as its insurer. Although that certificate said it was valid until April 24, the vessel has since been deleted from Romarine’s website, while the 'Ionia' was remaining. Regarding vessels that are subject to Western sanctions, Romarine said on March 12 that they appeared on its website by mistake due to a technical glitch. These vessels cannot access Western insurance markets because of sanctions, and have turned to Russian and Indian insurers to plug the gap. The FSA became concerned about Romarine after it received an emailed inquiry last September from overseas asking about a document carrying FSA’s letterhead which certified Romarine as a vessel’s insurer and immediately saw that it was false, The letterhead had possibly been copied and pasted into the forged document. It cited non-existent Norwegian law. The person who signed it never worked at the FSA, and the stamp was false. The FSA on March 25 posted a warning on its website against using the services of Romarine. The Oslo police have also launched an investigation into Romarine’s business activities after receiving a complaint from the FSA. They were investigating four people, two Norwegian nationals, one Bulgarian and one Russian, on suspicion of creating and using falsified documents and performing insurance mediation activities without a license. They said a search of the residence of one of the suspects was conducted in late March. The two Norwegians denied knowledge of any wrongdoing; The Russian resident of St. Petersburg owns and manages the business. He was not in custody, and despite the instructions from Norwegian authorities, the company's website remained online. As of March 25, the FSA was unable to reach the brokerage and warned against entering into agreements with the Romarine AS and against using the services offered through the company's websites. The new insurance inspection regime in the Baltic Sea turned up seven tankers that claimed to be covered by Romarine. The false coverage documents passed muster at the time, given the Norwegian address and connections of Romarine, but had no actual insurance behind them. This left the tankers dangerously uncovered in the event of a casualty or a spill.

Seven castor containers filled with illed with highly radioactive nuclear waste were transferred from the 'Pacific Grebe' to train in Nordenham for transport to Bavaria, after the ship docked in the port on the morning of April 1, 2025, amid protests and a heightened police presence. The nuclear waste is being transported from Sellafieldto a temporary storage unit in Niederaichbach. The waste left the port of Barrow-in-Furness on March 26. The nuclear waste was what remained after the reprocessing of fuel elements from decommissioned German nuclear power plants. The first of the containers, which are four meters long and weigh over 100 tons, was lifted off the "Pacific Grebe" by a large crane and underwent inspection to measure radiation levels and ensure they matched those taken in Sellafield. The port in Nordenham remained sealed off and guarded by heavily armed police, who have thus far reported no incidents, despite a number of protests by anti-atomic energy groups. Further protests are planned along the presumed route of the train carrying the waste over the coming days, including in the cities of Bremen and Göttingen. Report with photo: https://www.dw.com/en/nuclear-waste-returns-to-germany-amid-protests/a-72108958

During dredging work by: the 'Innovatie' in the Rhine near the Pfaffendorf Bridge on April 1, 202a5, a 500-kilogram World War II bomb was discovered. The unexploded bomb, which had two intact detonators, was loaded onto the dredger. For safety reasons, the ship was moved to the Moselle Lock in Koblenz. Experts from the Rhineland-Palatinate Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service decided that the bomb could not be relocated. Therefore, the defusing must take place directly on the ship. After extensive investigation, the Gülser Mosel bend was determined to be the most suitable location for defusing. The necessary infrastructure is in place there, and the evacuation effort can be minimized. While approximately 16,000 people would have had to be evacuated from the site where the bomb was found in the Rhine, the number at the chosen defusing site is approximately 1,000. The defusing is planned for April 4. The evacuation area must be cleared by 8:30 a.m. Only after the evacuation is complete can the bomb disposal team begin defusing the bomb on the dredger. Residential accommodations will be provided in Lay for children from the elementary school and daycare center, as well as for other affected individuals. Report with photo: https://www.blick-aktuell.de/Nachrichten/Koblenz-Bombe-muss-auf-Baggerschiff-entschaerft-werden-623511.html

The 'Hanseatic Spirit' with approximately 200 passengers aboard got stuck in the ice on March 30, 2025, after leaving the port of Kemi afterup to 70 centimetres of ice accumulated in the Bothnian Bay. Seven icebreakers are currently in operation to support the merchant ships on their journeys to the Finnish and Swedish ports. Although the "Hanseatic Spirit" also has Polar Class 6 certification for ice navigation, it was unable to cope with the ice barriers off Kemi and Oulu. The Finnish Maritime Administration therefore sent the icebreakers "Kontio" and "Polaris" to the cruise ship, which opened up a channel in the ice and then escorted the "Hanseatic Spirit" southwards out of the ice zone at ten knots. After a transit of about 200 miles, the ice-free part of the Baltic Sea was reached near the port of Lulea. The ship is now on its way back to Hamburg. It is scheduled to pass through the Kiel Canal on April 4, which will also mark the end of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises' last winter cruise of the 2024/2025 season. Report with photos: https://www.cruisehive.com/cruise-ship-rescued-after-getting-stuck-in-the-ice/167582

The norovirus outbreak aboard the 'Queen Mary 2' has left over 224 passengers and 17 crew members ill, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The ship was en route from Southampton, England, through New York and the Caribbean before returning to the UK, having departed on March 8 and being set to return on April 6. The sweeping norovirus outbreak was reported to the CDC on March 18. In response to the outbreak, the ship and crew increased cleaning and disinfection procedures, collected stool specimens for testing and isolated people who had fallen ill.