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The jury has delivered its verdict into the collision on the Kiel Fjord. Team Holcim, led by skipper Rosalin Kuiper, wins the protest hearing following the crash at the start of the Ocean Race Europe on Aug 10. The jury in Cartagena has delivered its verdict: For missing the first leg of the race, "Holcim-PRB" will receive the average points of the positions sailed in legs two to five. No penalties were imposed on any of the participating teams. "We are satisfied with the jury's decision, which allows us to collect points for Leg 1 that fairly reflect the team's performance throughout the entire race," said Alan Roberts, who represented Team Holcim at the hearing. Team Holcim held the leeward position and was therefore in the right according to the fundamental rule of sailing, "leeward before windward." However, the question of whether Kuiper and her team gave the Italians enough time to avoid the crash or whether they unintentionally luffed so sharply was debated until the very end. Team Mapei had also relied on this – to no avail. "The jury has decided not to grant us any compensation. We respect their verdict, even if it is not the result we hoped for. That's part of our sport, and we accept it," said skipper Ambrogio Beccaria. The consequences of the protest negotiations are not yet visible in the overall result – Team Holcim is in fourth place behind Boris Herrmann. The number of points Kuiper and her team will receive for the canceled first leg depends on the following three results. The seven racing yachts have completed two of the five legs so far. Kuiper finished second after rejoining – accordingly, if she maintains her performance, she would also receive a second place as compensation.On Aug 24, the "Holcim PRB" and "Allagrande Mapei Racing" started the second leg of the Ocean Race.

On the morning of Aug 24, the SAR boat 'Guardamar Urania' rescued 236 people from an overlaoded cayuco. that had been located adrifting and without an engine, 232 miles south of the island of Gran Canaria, on Aug 23. The CCS in Las Palmas received an alert from the 'Teos', en route from Las Palmas to Cape Verde, reporting the presence of the cayuco, stopped alongside and carrying several people. While the vessel secured the vessel with a rope, it requested assistance, as it did not believe it was safe to carry out further operations. The CCS in Las Palmas mobilized the 'Salvamar Urania', which rescued the 236 people aboard the cayuco at 2:15 a.m. They were sub-Saharan Africans, including men, women, and children. It arrived at the port of Arguineguín, at around 3:15 p.m., where the migrants were disembarked. Report with photo: https://x.com/salvamentogob/status/1959656456950775886

On the morning of Aug 25, the trial against Captain Davit Vadatchkoria, a Georgia national, and two officers of the 'Eagle S' has started at the Helsinki District Court.. The three were facing charges ranging from aggravated sabotage and aggravated telecommunications interference to lesser charges of vandalism and endangering public safety.The prosecutors demanded jail time for the master of the tanker, another Georgian who was the 1st officer, and Santosh Kumar Chaurasia, an Indian who was the 2md officer aboard. The prosecution called for sentences of 2,5 years in prison, which was near the minimum of two years under the law. The maximum for aggravated sabotage (criminal mischief) is 10 years in prison, while the aggravated charges for interfering with telecommunications are up to five years. According to the prosecutors, the charges were aggravated, because their actions were intentional and deliberate. The prosecutors asserted that the crew was required to operate the vessel safely. The defendants claimed that the cable breaks were an accident. The ship's captain, Davit Vadatchkoria , stated that they did not notice that the speed of the tanker had slowed down as a result of the anchor dragging on the bottom for 55 miles. For the first time, they also said in court that the vessel appeared to slow as it passed over the cables, and they contended that if the Finnish authorities had not intervened and seized the tanker, it would have done more damage as it continued its trip. The maximum sentence for aggravated criminal mischief is 10 years in prison, while aggravated interference with telecommunications carries a term of up to five years.

On Aug 23, the 'Nadir' rescued around 60 African migrants off the Libyan coast, including Nigerians, Ethiopians, Eritreans, Malians, Ivorians, and Sudanese. A pregnant woman and a child with severe burns were on board too. The bodies of three Sudanese sisters – 17, 12, and nine years old – were also recovered. The ship headed to Lampedusa to disembark the castaways. The patrol boat 'CP 322' of the Itailian Coastguard took on board the injured and the pregnant woman.

On Aug 22, the Shipping Disciplinary Board has imposed a €600 fine on the captain of the tug 'VB Seal' (IMO: 9448188) in connection with the ith the 'Gulholmen' on Aug 23. The tug was moored near buoy Maas 5, awaiting the arrival of the container mv 'Maersk Iowa'. However, due to dense fog, the vessel unknowingly lost its position, drifting back towards the north and crossing the course of the incoming 'Gulholmen'. The collision followed shortly thereafter. The tug started taking on water and was pushed towards the shore by other vessels. This released so much CO2 that several people became ill. The Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) accused the captain of not using the radar sufficiently to check his position. The Disciplinary Board followed this reasoning: although the radar was in use, the captain failed to determine whether the ship was maintaining its position. This would have prevented the 'VB Seal' from changing position. The captain, who retired three days after the incident, argued that he always acted carefully, had never previously had any problems with the authorities, and that other parties involved – such as the pilot and crew of the 'Gulholmen' – were also negligent. He argued for a warning at most. The Disciplinary Board rejected this. According to the ruling, danger to the crew's lives could not be ruled out, and the captain seriously breached his duty of care. The €600 fine must be paid within three months.

The 'Hallaig', serving on the route Sconser-Raasay, suffered a technical issue with the vessel's generator on Aug 24. As a consequence. the service was suspended timewise. After repairs in Raasay, the ferry departed from the port again at approximately 12:15 p.m.

The 'Loch Ranza', serving on the route Tayinloan-Gigha, required essential works to be carried out to the rescue boat on Aug 15. As a consequence, the following sailings had to be cancelled: Departure Tayinloan - 10:00 a.m. Departure Gigha - 10:30 a.m. The service was expected to resume at 11:00 a.m. from Tayinloan Already on Aug 13, repairs to the 'Loch Ranza’s bilge system were required, and the service was suspended. A passenger charter continued to operate. Engineers were on their way to the vessel to carry out repairs at its berth in Tayinloan. The.repairs have been completed on Aug 13, and the ferry resumed service with the 2:00 p.m. sailing from Tayinloan.

The jury has delivered its verdict into the collision on the Kiel Fjord. Team Holcim, led by skipper Rosalin Kuiper, wins the protest hearing following the crash at the start of the Ocean Race Europe on Aug 10. The jury in Cartagena has delivered its verdict: For missing the first leg of the race, "Holcim-PRB" will receive the average points of the positions sailed in legs two to five. No penalties were imposed on any of the participating teams. "We are satisfied with the jury's decision, which allows us to collect points for Leg 1 that fairly reflect the team's performance throughout the entire race," said Alan Roberts, who represented Team Holcim at the hearing. Team Holcim held the leeward position and was therefore in the right according to the fundamental rule of sailing, "leeward before windward." However, the question of whether Kuiper and her team gave the Italians enough time to avoid the crash or whether they unintentionally luffed so sharply was debated until the very end. Team Mapei had also relied on this – to no avail. "The jury has decided not to grant us any compensation. We respect their verdict, even if it is not the result we hoped for. That's part of our sport, and we accept it," said skipper Ambrogio Beccaria. The consequences of the protest negotiations are not yet visible in the overall result – Team Holcim is in fourth place behind Boris Herrmann. The number of points Kuiper and her team will receive for the canceled first leg depends on the following three results. The seven racing yachts have completed two of the five legs so far. Kuiper finished second after rejoining – accordingly, if she maintains her performance, she would also receive a second place as compensation.On Aug 24, the "Holcim PRB" and "Allagrande Mapei Racing" started the second leg of the Ocean Race.

On the morning of Aug 24, 2025, the 'Sten Pontos', en route from Santa Panagia to Gibraltar, located a migrant boat 28 nautical miles from Cabo de Gata, off the coast of Almería. At around 4:30 a.m., the tanker notified the CCS of Salvamento Marítimo of its position and remained alongside the boat to escort it until the SAR boat 'Salvamar Spica' arrived and proceeded to rescue the occupants. The 'Salvamar Spica' took on board the seven migrants at around 6:45 a.m and took them to the port of Almería at around 9:00 a.m.

The oil spill on the Albert Canal near the lock complex in Olen was still clearly visible on Aug 24. This became evident from aerial images of the canal taken four days after the 'River Drone 4' spilled 10 tons oil near the lock complex in Olen. Most of the oil was cleaned up using absorbent material and extraction systems. Drones were also deployed to map the contamination. However, a film still remained on the Albert Canal. Oil slick on Albert Canal, as it's impossible to remove 100% of the pollution. However, the remaining amount was so minimal that it would evaporate on its own. SThe visible film still visible may not be solely due to the oil spill, but could also be related to the blue-green algae pollution. The 'River Drone 4' berthed in the Verrebroek Dock in Antwerp on Aug 25. Report with photo: https://www.rtv.be/economisch-nieuws-actualiteit-en-nieuws/oliespoor-op-albertkanaal-olen-nog-goed-te-zien-niet

On Aug 22, the Shipping Disciplinary Board has imposed a €600 fine on the captain of the 'VB Seal' in connection with the collision of the tug with the oil tanker 'Gulholmen' (IMO: 9435703) on Feb 23. The tug was moored near buoy Maas 5, awaiting the arrival of the container mv 'Maersk Iowa'. However, due to dense fog, the vessel unknowingly lost its position, drifting back towards the north and crossing the course of the incoming 'Gulholmen'. The collision followed shortly thereafter. The tug started taking on water and was pushed towards the shore by other vessels. This released so much CO2 that several people became ill. The Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) accused the captain of not using the radar sufficiently to check his position. The Disciplinary Board followed this reasoning: although the radar was in use, the captain failed to determine whether the ship was maintaining its position. This would have prevented the 'VB Seal' from changing position. The captain, who retired three days after the incident, argued that he always acted carefully, had never previously had any problems with the authorities, and that other parties involved – such as the pilot and crew of the 'Gulholmen' – were also negligent. He argued for a warning at most. The Disciplinary Board rejected this. According to the ruling, danger to the crew's lives could not be ruled out, and the captain seriously breached his duty of care. The €600 fine must be paid within three months.

On Aug 12, 2025, a fixed-wing aircraft flew over the fishing vessel 'Karolee', 22 gt (Coast Guard ID: 248180), and attempted to make contact. The aircraft got no response from the vessel and found no signs of distress, but there was no activity on board the vessel either. On Aug 13, the 'Sea Lion' was dispatched to intercept the 'Karolee'. It reached the fishing vessel in the morning and found no one on board. The vessel had been rigged for fishing, the vessel lights were enabled and all the safety equipment was still in place, but was there were no one on board. The 'Sea Lion' took the 'Karolee' under tow and proceeded to Eureka, California where the vessel was moored. The Coast Guard launched a search between Cape Flattery up to La Push, Washington along the track the 'Karolee' had sailed. After searching hundreds of miles from the water and the sea, the search was called off. The Coast Guard found no signs of the skipper. The relevant authorities have launched an investigation into the incident. The 'Karolee' had departed from Washington with a single person on board, who sent out a text message on the morning of Aug 8. He stated the weather was foggy and that he nearly had a collision with a whale. No further communication was sent from the vessel. The AIS tracked the 'Karolee' as it proceeded south at four knots along the Washington and Oregon coast. Several vessels had attempted to contact the 'Karolee', but got no response. It is uncertain what exactly happened on board the ship. At some point between Aug 8 and Aug 12, the skipper went overboard. The fishing vessel continued on its course south unmanned. It is unlikely any other details of what exactly happened on the fishing vessel will be known. Report with photos and video: https://www.news.uscg.mil/Press-Releases/Article/4275571/coast-guard-suspends-search-for-man-missing-off-pacific-northwest-coast/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdC59s-dAAo

On Aug 24, the 'Bute', serving on the route Wemyss Bay-Rothesay, suffered an issue with the fast rescue craft. As a result, the scheduled sailing departing Rothesay at 3 p.m. and the sailing departing Wemyss Bay at 04:05 p.m., had to be cancelled, while repairs works were carried out. The sailings of the 'Argyle' werel operated according to the timetable. After the issue was resolved, the vessel resumed its service with the 5:00 p.m. sailing departing Rothesay.

On Aug 24, the 'Guardamar Urania' rescued 248 people from an overlaoded cayuco. The migrants were disembarked at Arguineguín. The 'Salvamar Spica' rescued seven migrants from a boat, who were disembarked in Almería. The 'Salvamar Denébola' rescued a number of people in the water, who were disembarked in Algeciras. The responses were coordinated by the CCS of Salvamento Mar´itimo in LasPalmas, Almería, Tarifa and Madrid. Report with photo: https://x.com/salvamentogob/status/1959656456950775886

FRS/DFDS cancelled several departures of the 'Ceuta Jet' between Ceuta and Algeciras due to technical issues on Aug 23, 2025. The scheduled departure from Ceuta at 6:30 p.m. and the return departure from Algeciras at 8:00 p.m. were canceled. in addition to the previous cancellations of the day: the 3:30 p.m. departure from Ceuta and the 5:00 p.m. departure from Algeciras, which had already left several passengers with unexpected changes of plan. Affected passengers were advised to contact the customer service department of the shipping company to arrange changes or refunds.

On Aug 24, the 'Guardamar Urania' rescued 236 people from an overlaoded cayuco. The migrants were disembarked at Arguineguín. The 'Salvamar Spica' rescued seven migrants from a boat, who were disembarked in Almería. The men of North African origin were located 28 nautical miles from Cabo de Gata, off the coast of Almería, on the morning of Aug 24. Their boat was spotted by the tanker "Spen Pontos" (IMO: 9323584) at around 4:30 a.m., the crew of which subsequently notified the CCS of its position and remained alongside the boat to escort it until the 'Salvamar Spica' arrived and proceeded to rescue the occupants. At around 6:45 a.m., the seven people aboard the inflatable boat were rescued and finally taken to the port of Almería around 9:00 a.m. The 'Salvamar Denébola' rescued a number of people in the water, who were disembarked in Algeciras. The responses were coordinated by the CCS of Salvamento Maritimo in Las Palmas, Almería, Tarifa and Madrid. Report with photo: https://x.com/salvamentogob/status/1959656456950775886

On the early morning of Aug 25, 2025, a fire destroyed a compartment of the 'Utopia', which was moored at the IJssel Quay in the center of Kampen upon the Ijssel. At least three fire engines and a team of divers with a boat were dispatched were mobilized, after the fire was discovered around 4:30 a.m. by a passerby, who saw smoke coming from the ship's forward hatch and called emergency services. The fire department worked both from inside and above. After extinguishing the fire, a fan was used to blow carbon monoxide out of the hold of the ship. The two crew members brought themselves to safety. They were not injured. The ship had attended the SAIL in Amsterdam and moored in Kampen, near the restaurant De Vier Jaargetijden, on Aug 23. The affected compartment was destroyed by fire, but otherwise the damage was limited. The fire department removed charred remains from the ship. After about one hour, the forces were stood down. Reports with photos and video: https://kampen-live.nl/2025/08/25/nachtelijke-brand-in-zeilschip-aan-kamper-ijsselkade/ https://www.destentor.nl/kampen/nachtelijke-brand-op-zeilschip-in-kampen-opvarenden-in-veiligheid-gebracht~afdc9b36/ https://112nederland.nl/2025/08/25/video/aangemeerd-zeilschip-vliegt-in-brand/ https://www.brugnieuws.nl/nieuws/112/340736/112-kampen-middelbrand-in-zeilschip-in-kampen-twee-personen-o https://1zwolle.nl/nieuws/188796/brand-klipper-utopia-ijsselkade-kampen.html

The 'VB Seal' was in collision with the Marshall Islands flagged chemical tanker 'Gulholmen' on the Caland Canal near the Europoort of Rotterdam on Feb 23, 2025, at around 2 a.m. After the accident, and suffered a leak with ensuing water ingress, The tug started to list to starboard side. The seagoing vessel and two other vessels pushed the tug against the quay in the Europoort to keep it afloat. They had to accelerate considerably, which released a lot of CO2. The exhaust fumes entered the ship, and six people on board became unwell due to the high carbon dioxide concentration. Four ambulances rushed to the scene, and four of the victims were taken to hospital. They were doing well under the circumstances. The two other injured people were checked on site by emergency services. The tugwas ventilated after which further action could be taken. To prevent the tug from sinking, pumps were also placed on board to drain out the water, and the ship could be stabilzed. The emergency services attended with large contingents. The Port Authority and HEBO Maritiemservice with the 'Hebocat 7' were on scene. The cause of the collision was being investigated. On Feb 24, the ship was moored in pos. N 51° 58' N 004° 07' E with the tug 'VB Tiger' (IMO: 9454888) alongside to stabilize it, later joined by the 'VB Beagle' (IMO: 9816359). Reports with photos: https://mediatv.nl/nieuws/nieuws/28090/sleepboot-lek-na-aanvaring-6-mensen-onwel-bij-hulpverleningsactie-calandkanaal-europoort-rotterdam https://www.tugspotters.com/app/content/2025/02/vb-seal-vb-tiger-vb-beagle-hebo-cat-7/# https://www.dehavenloods.nl/nieuws/algemeen/57284/zes-personen-onwel-na-botsing-sleepboot-met-zeeschip-bij-euro

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) continued deporting crew members off cruise ships that it said have violated their work visas. The Trump administration confirmed on Aug 21, that it was expanding its review of all current U.S. visas and specifically suspending work visas for foreigners. CBP officers once again met the 'Carnival Sunshine' on Aug 17, when the ship returned to Norfolk, Virginia, from its weekly cruise. Four Filipino crewmembers out of the crew of over 1,000 people were taken into custody, removed from the ship, placed in a hotel under guard overnight, and flown out of the United States on Aug 18. They were fast-tracked for deportation with no legal process. No evidence, no charges, and no hearings were conducted. Instead, the crew members were told they must sign deportation paperwork or face the potential of a $250,000 fine or jail time. As part of the deportation, they were also barred from returning to the United States for 10 years. They were told they were being targeted because they participated in an online chat group that had links to child pornography. No evidence was presented, and the group said that all four individuals denied the allegations. 28 crew members from the Carnival Sunshine have now been removed from the ship and deported since the crackdown began in spring. Over 100 crew members from various cruise ships around the United States, all holders of valid crew visas for work on commercial vessels, have been deported. The Pilipino Workers Center was speaking with the Philippine government about the matter.

On Aug 24, the 'Loch Ranza' suffered a technical issue with the vessel's aft ramp. As a consequence, the service was operating single ended. Vehicles may be required to reverse on/off the vessel, and the service was liable to delays at short notice. After the he technical issue was successfully resolved, the service was operating again according to timetable. An additional sailing was operated with a departure from Gigha at 6:00 p.m.