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.
News
BOB
The "Bob" was detained on July 16, 2025, in Mersin with 29 deficiencies, four of which being regarded as seriously and grounds for a detention: 1) Life saving Appliances - Rescue boats Inoperative 2) Life saving Appliances - Inflatable liferafts Insufficient 3) Life saving Appliances - Lifebuoys incl provision and disposition Not as required 4) Water/Weathertight - Cargo & other hatchways Damaged The vessel was released July 22 and left the port enroute to Alexandria with an ETA as of July 24.
TALARA
Under the pressure of EU sanctions the 'Talara' under charter to BP and inbound from Cape Town to Vadinar, in order to load a cargo of ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel on July 21, 2025, to be transported to Africa, left the port without loading the oil. The tanker was placed back on the charter market, available for pickups in India or the Middle East. On July 18 the EU further expanded the sanctions on the Russian energy industry. The goal was to continue to increase the pressure on Russia, and the ' Talara' was included on the new sanctions list. As of July 22, the tanker was anchored in pos. 22° 12' N 068° 42' E in the Gulf of Kutch.
GEFION
On the morning of July 6, 2025, the 'Gefion' ran aground on the breakwater of quay 10 off Rødbyhavn, short time after leaving the port following a yard stay anc prior to its transit to Portugal, due to an engine failure. The hull was breached, and the ship was flooded. No injuries were reported. The Danish Emergency Management Agency was handling the case. The wreck was not hampering ship traffic. The dredger 'Vilma Høj' (IMO: 6616904) was tasked with removing the wreck from the breakwater, which was impossible to be done in one piece. It arrived on site on July 13, and on July 14 the keel was pulled out of the water. The wreck removal was completed on July 15. Reports with photos and video: https://www.folketidende.dk/nyheder/skib-stodt-pa-grund-ved-rodbyhavn/4975408 https://segelreporter.com/panorama/traditionssegler-gefion-auf-den-steinen-vor-rodby/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/165696976897947/?locale=de_DE https://www.tv2east.dk/lolland/sejlskib-strandet-ved-rodby-havn-0aec2 https://www.avisen.dk/stort-sejlskib-gaaet-paa-grund_804572.aspx https://www.kn-online.de/schleswig-holstein/kutter-aus-laboe-traditionssegler-gefion-nach-havarie-in-daenemark-abgewrackt-A6ETJ36TRFB4VACSNWSJMXGNC4.html
ISLE OF ISLAY
A second set of sea trials for the 'Isle of Islay' have been carried out by Cemre Marin Endustri n the Sea of Marmara from July 16 to 20, and were attended by staff from CMAL and CalMac. Included in the trials were the set-up and testing of the battery energy storage system (BESS), as well as the testing and optimisation of the power management system (PMS) and the energy management system (EMS). The successful testing of the hybrid system marked a significant step forward in completing the vessel for the service Islay and Jura. The vessel has returned to the Cemre Marin Endustri in Yalova, where it was undergoing further outfitting work. The vessel is due to be delivered in Q3 of 2025.
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
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.
TUNU PRATAMA JAYA
The National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) hinted at a possible end to search operations to locate those still missing at sea following the sinking of the 'Tunu Pratama Jaya' on July 21, with personnel returning to routine activities, if a field assessment finds the search to be no longer effective. After being extended by seven days—from July 15, 2025, to July 21—the search period has officially ended. SAR operations were carried out normatively for one week, The search period could be extended under special considerations, but if the SAR operations are determined to no longer be effective, the search may be ended, he reaffirmed. The BASARNAS had handed over the search mission coordination for the passengers of the sunken ferry to its Surabaya office, which continued the search for the remaining 16 missing passengers. As of July 15, the death toll from the sinking was recorded at 19. 30 people survived the incident.
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/
MF AXEL
On July 19, 2025, shortly after 3 p.m. the 'Axel' ran aground in the Karlskrona archipelago off Ramsö, between Sjuhalla and Dragsö,.with 87 passengers on board, while transiting the narrow Sjuhallasundet Strait, in which only one vessel can pass at a time. There was an oncoming boat. that was heading out, so the captain of the 'Axel' had to wait a bit, but during this time, the 'Axel' slowly slid onto this ground at a speed of two knots, The ship got stuck on sandy bottom about100 meters from the shore and was unable to free itself. The Swedish Coast Guard and the Swedish Sea Rescue Society (SSRS) were called to assist and arrived a short time later. The rescuers started the evacuation of all the passengersl. Two of the crew had remained on the ship. During the evacuation, the 'Axel' got light enought to float free again. After all passengers were disembarked, was allowed to proceed under its own power back to the port of Karlskrona, where it arrived past 6 p.m. The Coast Guard questioned the crew on board and also carried out sobriety checks, which everyone passed. Reports with photo and video: https://www.svt.se/nyheter/lokalt/blekinge/passagerarbat-har-gatt-pa-grund-utanfor-ramso-87-personer-evakueras https://www.blt.se/nyheter/mf-axel-gick-pa-grund-89-personer-evakuerades/ https://www.sydostran.se/artikel/skargardsbaten-axel-gick-pa-grund-89-passagerare-fick-evakueras-horde-en-small/
