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The Ports of Jersey and a freight company have been told to improve safety measures after a 49-year-old deckhand of the 'Normandy Trader' slipped from a quayside ladder and fell seven metres deep between the ship and the quayside, breaking his leg, on Nov 21, 2024. The Jersey Maritime Administration's report found multiple safety failings contributed to the accident at St. Helier Harbour: The deckhand was not wearing a lifejacket and was carrying a rucksack while climbing the slippery vertical ladder with no fall prevention system. The company Normandy Trader Freight Services was told to review its risk assessments and Jersey Ports was asked to carry out a review of inspection processes of quayside ladders. It was likely he fractured his left tibia when he struck one of the ladder's securing lugs as he fell. He was still undergoing physiotherapy. Recommendations for the freight company included ensuring crew members do not climb or descend ladders while wearing rucksacks or carrying any items. Areview should take place into the possible use of a fall prevention device. The ladder was safe to use at the time of the accident but Jersey Ports should improve its safety through repairs and modifications. The accident had similarities to an incident in 2023 where a man died after falling between two ships on the same quay. Ports of Jersey should consider issuing a safety bulletin comprising of lessons learned from both accidents. Full report: https://www.gov.je/md/MDAttachments/Sustainable%20Economic%20Development/Decisions%20in%202025/MD-SED-2025-126%20FINAL-%20%20Jersey%20Administration%20Incident%20Report%20%20-%20MV%20Normandy%20Trader%20%20crew%20injury%20during%20egress%20to%20quay%2021Nov2024%20(4Feb2025).pdf

On April 14, 2025, a young child fall between the 'Symphony of the Seas' and the concrete pier of Royal Caribbean’s private island in the Bahamas, Perfect Day at CocoCay. The 'Symphony of the Seas' had departed Miami on April 13, and the visit to CocoCay was the first port of call on the 7-night Eastern Caribbean itinerary. The ship was docked from approximately 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. The child’s mother was nearby, and the child was rescued in a matter of a few minutes. The mother and child got back onboard the 'Symphony of the Seas', which departed CocoCay on schedule, and there appeared to be no delay to her itinerary. The ship spent April 15 at sea, and will call at St. Thomas and St. Maarten on April 16 and April 17, and return for debarkation on April 20. Report with photos: https://www.cruisehive.com/child-falls-between-pier-and-royal-caribbean-ship-at-cococay/169716

The Swedish National Disaster Management Authority has found no evidence that the 'Yi Peng 3' intentionally damaged data cables in the Baltic Sea in November 2024. The Swedish Coast Guard had shadowed the 'Yi Peng 3' for a long time after suspicions that the ship had destroyed two submarine cables on the bottom of the Baltic Sea. When the ship anchored in international waters off Denmark, Swedish police and accident investigators were able to board and begin an investigation. The investigation, led by the Chinese accident investigation authority, showed that the vessel had dragged the port side anchor behind it for one and a half days, for 180 nautical miles, but it could not be proven that it was deliberate.

The crew of Coast Guard Station San Diego, the 'Sea Otter' and the 'David Duren' apprehended 18 migrants in two separate interdictions off the coast of San Diego on April 13, 2025. At 6:50 p.m., a boat of the USCG Station San Diego intercepted a 25-foot cuddy cabin style vessel carrying eight people, among them five adult males and three adult females, all claiming Mexican nationality, approximately seven miles south of Point Loma. At 7:27 p.m., the 'Sea Otter' and the 'David Duren' interdicted an 18-foot cuddy cabin style vessel with 10 people on board, among them one female adult claiming South Korean nationality, four male and two female adults claiming Mexican nationality and three additional males with no identification, approximately 10 miles west of Point Loma. All 18 people were taken into custody by the Coast Guard and transferred to U.S. Border Patrol personnel.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will convene a public board meeting on April 15 to determine what caused the fire aboard the 'Grande Costa D’Avorio' that claimed the lives of two firefighters in Newark, New Jersey. on July 5, 2023. It had started when a pusher vehicle operated by shoreside workers caught fire while loading cars on an interior garage deck. The situation turned tragic when two land-based firefighters became disoriented in the smoke-filled decks and died. Six additional emergency responders sustained injuries during the response operations. The local fire department responding to the incident had little to no maritime firefighting training, experience, or familiarization with cargo ships of any type, according to preliminary findings from the ongoing Coast Guard investigation.

On April 12, 2025, a crew member of the 'Baltic' sustained serious injuries. At around 9 a.m., the tug reported to the MRCC in Bremen, that he had fallen from a height of approximately three to four meters and needed urgently medical attention. The "Baltic" was approximately 7.5 nautical miles of Warnemünde at the time. The lifeboat 'Arkona' of the DGzRS station in Warnemünde set sail immediately, taking a volunteer marine doctor aboard the daughter boat 'Caspar'. Once on scene, the 'Arkona' moored alongside the "Baltic" in westerly winds of force three to four Beaufort. The marine , a sea rescuer trained as a paramedic, and a volunteer sea rescuer trained as a rescue paramedic, embarked onto the tug in moderate sea conditions. They initially stabilized the victim on board the tug and then transferred him to the 'Arkona' on a stretcher. He was transported to Warnemünde, where he was transferred to the shore based rescue service for further transport to hospital.

Om March 28, 2025, the 'Sea Star 74' was detained in Tuapse with 20 deficiencies: 1) Fire safety - Fire detection and alarm systems Inoperative 2) Living and working - Other (Mooring) Other 3) Pollution Prevention - Suspected of discharge violation 4) Pollution Prevention - Pumping, piping and discharge arrangements Not as required 5) Water/Weathertight - Scuppers, inlets and discharges Not as required. 6) Safety of navigation - Nautical publications Expired 7) Safety of navigation - Navigation records Not as required 8)) Safety of navigation - Bridge operation Not as required 9) Safety of navigation - Voyage or passage plan Inoperative 10) Living and working - Cleanliness Not as required 11) Living and working - Ropes and wires Not as required 12) LIving and working - Anchoring devices Not as required 13) Fire safety - Fire pump and its pipes Not as required 14) Fire safety - Fire doors/openings in fire resisting division Not as required 15) Fire safety - Fire fighting equipment and Appliances Not as required 16) Fire safety - Other (Fire safety) Other 17) Life saving Appliances - Lifeboats Not properly maintained 18) Pollution Prevention - Retention of oil on board Not as required 19) Fire safety - Remote Means of control Inoperative 20) ISM - Ism certificate Not as required The vessel was released again on April 5 and has remained stationary in the port since. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063576908591

The Russian captain of the 'Soling', Vladimir Motin, appeared before at London's Central Criminal Court, from prison via a video link on April 14. He is charged with gross negligence manslaughter over the death of a crew member. Mark Angelo Pernia, 38, a Filipino crew member on the 'Solong', is missing presumed dead. Mr Motin, from Primorsky, St Petersburg, spoke only to confirm his name during the brief hearing. In the absence of a Russian interpreter to assist the defendant, Judge Mark Lucraft KC adjourned his plea hearing until May 30. Report with picture: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2lz79q2y1vo

The Chilean government decided on April 14 to intervene in an alleged maritime accident and filed a complaint for "failure to provide assistance" against the 'Cobra', that allegedly ran over the artisanal fishing vessel, whose seven crew members are still missing, 15 days after the shipwreck. On April 4, Juan Sanhueza, one of the lookouts on the 'Cobra', considered the key witness, disappeared from his home after consulting with the company psychologist and before having to testify that same morning before the Public Prosecutor's Office. Sanhueza was found hanged days later in the neighbouring region of Biobio, after the last known image of him was made public, captured while boarding a bus. Gerardo Balbontin, manager of Blumar, the ship's owner, admitted that the crew heard an audio recording, but not a collision, which, according to his account, was attributed to an internal conflict, after several crew members on his own vessel acknowledged that they hit something. After concluding the search for the missing crew on April 13 without finding any trace of the fishermen, Security Minister Luis Cordero announced that the government had decided to file a complaint. Claudia Urrutia, leader of the cod fishermen in the central Maule region and spokesperson for the families, called for the investigation to continue and for the vessel to be returned to dry dock for examination. Alejandro Espinoza, the lawyer for the 'Cobra' crew, stated on April 14 that the ship's radars did not detect the presence of another vessel nor did they receive any warnings of an anchored boat. The company is available to have the ship inspected for as long as necessary and that each and every maneuver aimed at establishing whether the Cobra participated in the collision and whether this collision occurred while the 'Bruma' was already damaged or submerged be carried out absolutely and thoroughly. The investigation "must establish whether all electronic and navigation systems on the vessels involved, the Cobra, Bruma, or others, were operating in accordance with regulations; and whether the crews fulfilled the obligations established by the maritime authority." The inspection preliminarily revealed that the two radars, one calibrated for short range and the other for long range, detected absolutely nothing. There was also the hypothesis that the collision occurred with the semi-submerged vessel, and that was the reason why neither the 'Cobra' nor any of the vessels that sailed close to the 'Bruma's last position detected this vessel. There wasno indication that the 'Bruma' has disclosed its anchorage position. Report with photo: https://new.diariolaprensa.cl/index.php/2025/04/14/con-ayuda-de-buque-cientifico-cabo-de-hornos-se-registran-hallazgos-que-corresponderian-a-la-bruma/

On April 13, 2025, at 8.48 p.m. the 'Chimo', en route to Rotterdam, was in a head-on-collison with the inland container ship 'New Jersey' (MMSI: 244927482) on the Oude Maas near Poortugaal. The cause of the accident was yet unclear. The 'New Jersey' had a speed of 11,4 knots, the 'Chimo' as speed of 6,1 knots at the time of the collision. The tanker suffered serious damage to the foreship. A gaping hole was torn above the waterline on the port side. The ship berthed in Moerdijk on April 14. The 'New Jersey' suffered damage to its port side bow above the waterline too. It berthed at the Shipyard Kooiman Hoebee BV in Dordrecht on April 15 or repairs. Report with photo: https://www.schuttevaer.nl/nieuws/actueel/2025/04/14/new-jersey-en-chimo-kop-op-kop-op-oude-maas/

The crew of Coast Guard Station San Diego, the 'Sea Otter' and the 'David Duren' apprehended 18 migrants in two separate interdictions off the coast of San Diego on April 13, 2025. At 6:50 p.m., a boat of the USCG Station San Diego intercepted a 25-foot cuddy cabin style vessel carrying eight people, among them five adult males and three adult females, all claiming Mexican nationality, approximately seven miles south of Point Loma. At 7:27 p.m., the 'Sea Otter' and the 'David Duren' interdicted an 18-foot cuddy cabin style vessel with 10 people on board, among them one female adult claiming South Korean nationality, four male and two female adults claiming Mexican nationality and three additional males with no identification, approximately 10 miles west of Point Loma. All 18 people were taken into custody by the Coast Guard and transferred to U.S. Border Patrol personnel.

On April 14, the 'Glen Sannox', serving on the route Troon-Brodick, suffered a control issue with the passenger lifts with only one lift remaining in operation. This had to be controlled by a crew member. The issue was expected have an effect on the turn around times of the ferry at the port. The issue has not yet been resolved as of April 15.

On April 7, 2025, the 'Sea Breeze' was detained in Trieste with 23 deficiencies, seven of which being regarded as seriously and grounds for a detention: 1) Safety of navigation - Charts Not updated 2)Labour conditions - Provisions quantity Insufficient 3) Fire safety - Fixed fire exthinguishing installation Inoperative 4) Fire safety - Fire detection and alarm system Not as required 5) Fire safety - Fire fighting equipment and Appliances Not as required 6) Fire safety - Evaluation of crew performance Lack of training 7) ISM - Ism certificate Not as required The vessel was released again on April 14 and left the port en route to Constanta with an ETA as of April 22. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063576908591

On April 9, 2025, the 'Ayana Sea' was detained in Kocaeli with 18 deficiencies, five of which being regarded as seriously and grounds for a detention: 1) Certificate & Doc - Certificate for Master and officers Not as required 2) Living and working - Cleanliness of engine room Insufficient 3) Water/Weathertight - Doors Not properly maintained 4) Propulsion and auxiliary machinery - Auxiliary machinery Not as required 5) Propulsion and auxiliary machinery - Propulsion main engine Not as required The vessel was released again on April 11 and left the port en route to Sulina, where it arrived on April 15. The last detention was on Feb 21, 2024, also in Kocaeli, with 25 deficiencies for five days. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063576908591

Isle of Wight ferry passengers face significant delays and cancellations on the evening of April 14, 2025, following a technical issue affecting the car ferry service’s boarding ramp, causing disruiptions to the service of the 'Wight Light',sailing between Yarmouth and Lymington, which cause delays of up to 90 minutes. Affected customers were advised to check in as usual, with foot passengers required to arrive 15 minutes before the scheduled departure.

On the evening of April 12, 2025, the crew of the "Amalie Sofie" rescued the fishermen of a cutter, which had suffered an engine room fire, which was soon beyong control, outside Nordvågen, southeast of Honningsvåg, in the Nordkapp municipality. Captain Johansen received the mayday call of the other ship and was on scene about five minutes later. The fishing boat was about to be engulfed in flames. The two crew members were standing on the deck in survival suits. The stern of the boat was burning,and the blaze was spreading fast. The fishermen jumped into the sea to escape the flames. One of them drifted behind the boat, where the flames were the worst. The 'Amalie Sofie' had to circle around the burning boat, but managed to throw a rope towards him. After a short time, both castaways were rescued unscathed. Report with photos: https://www.vg.no/nyheter/i/xmv2jl/fiskebaat-i-full-fyr-maatte-hoppe-i-sjoeen

On April 13, 2025, at 8.48 p.m. the tank barge 'Chimo' (MMSI: 244130477), en route to Rotterdam, was in a head-on-collison with the 'New Jersey', en route from Mannheim to Rotterdam, on the Oude Maas near Poortugaal. The cause of the accident was yet unclear. The 'New Jersey' had a speed of 11,4 knots, the 'Chimo' as speed of 6,1 knots at the time of the collision. The tanker suffered serious damage to the foreship. A gaping hole was torn above the waterline on the port side. The ship berthed in Moerdijk on April 14. The 'New Jersey' suffered damage to its port side bow above the waterline too. It berthed at the Shipyard Kooiman Hoebee BV in Dordrecht on April 15 or repairs. Report with photo: https://www.schuttevaer.nl/nieuws/actueel/2025/04/14/new-jersey-en-chimo-kop-op-kop-op-oude-maas/

The 'Margaret Norvell' was among the units of the US Coast Guard, which searched for five missing people from a suspected failed smuggling venture on April 13, 2025,, approximately 29 miles off the St. Lucie Inlet. An Air Station Miami aircrew had rescued four people and transported them to local emergency medical services at Stuart Airport. One more was recovered dead, three suffered non-life threatening injuries and one has serious injuries. After the rescue, a survivor reported the vessel had departed Bimini with nine people on board on Aprl 11, and it had capsized on the early morning of Apil 12. The area was searched by air and sea for approximately seven hours, covering more than 1,240 square miles, before the operation was supsended. Besides the 'Margaret Norvell', the Coast Guard Stations Lake Worth Inlet and Fort Pierce , the Coast Guard Air Stations Miami and Clearwater, the Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations, the Homeland Security Investigations, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, the Martin County Sheriff's Office and the Martin County Fire Rescue were involved. Reports with photo and video: https://www.news.uscg.mil/Press-Releases/Article/4153592/coast-guard-suspends-search-for-5-people-off-st-lucie-inlet/ https://ca.news.yahoo.com/coast-guard-suspends-search-5-211006273.html

The authorities in Estonia have, during an inspection of the 'Kiwala', which was intercepted in the Baltic Sea by units from the Estonian Navy, found 40 shortcomings and deficiencies. Inspectors from the Transport Administration conducted a full-day inspection and identified several significant deficiencies. Of on the whole 40 deficiencies being found, 29 were deemed significant and formed the basis for detaining the vessel. 23 of those were documentation-related, while others concerned failures in the ship’s safety management system, crew emergency preparedness, and technical malfunctions. Estonian authorities stated that the vessel lacks a valid flag state and insurance. The ship could not to continue sailing, as it could endanger safety at sea and the marine environment. According to the ship's Chinese captain, the tanker is registered in Djibouti, which was however rejected by Djibouti, which has not been able to find the ship in its ship registe after having withdrawn the flage due to previous illegal activities of the ship, which has changed owners and names several times in recent years. The tanker had thus entered the Gulf of Finland on April 10 without valid flag state certification or insurance. The vessel is also subject to sanctions imposed by the European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, and Switzerland for past illicit conduct. After entering Estonia’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the ship was contacted and directed into Estonian territorial waters for inspection. The tanker is sailing in ballast and was on its way to Ust-Luga in Russia, when the Estonian authorities intervened, exercising its rights and international obligations to inspect a stateless vessel. Operating without a flag leaves a vessel outside any national jurisdiction, violating international maritime norms. The majority of the ship's 24-man crew is from China, the rest from Mauritania. Report with photo: https://tvpworld.com/86137104/estonian-inspectors-find-detained-shadow-fleet-tanker-has-dozens-of-deficiencies

Already on Dec 26, 2024, the 'Kristin' was detained in Setubal with nine deficiencies, six of which being regarded as seriously and grounds for a detention: 1) Certificate & Doc - Liability for the removal of wrecks certificate Expired 2) Certificate & Doc - Certificate or documentary evidence of financial security relating to shipowners liability Expired 3) Certificate & Doc - Certificate or documentary evidence of financial security for repartriation Expired 4) Certificate & Doc - Civil liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage Certificate Invalid 5) Certificate & Doc - Minimum safe manning doc Invalid 6) Emergency systems - Emergency source of power - emergency generator Not as required The vessel was released again only on April 14, 2025, afte r110 days. The last detention was on March 15, 2024, Papenburg with 27 deficiencies for 25 days. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063576908591