The Douglas Lifeboat Station is out of action due to the lack of a working vessel. The station's lifeboat 'Ruby Clery' had been replaced by a relief Mersey Class vessel after suffering a technical failure. The relief boat had to be taken out of action due toan own technical failure on May 15. 2025, and needed to be sent elsewhere for repairs leaving the station temporarily out of action. The 'Ruby Clery' has now been repaired and would return to the station if all goes well with the sea trials The boat will be lifted back into the water this week to undergo system checks with sea trials planned for next week. before making passage arrangements to return the lifeboat to Douglas.
News
NORWEGIAN BLISS
On July 1, 2025, Alaskan authorities started a search for Marites "Tess" Buenafe, 62, an American woman visiting Juneauy who did not return to the 'Norwegian Bliss'. She was last heard from at around 7:30 a.m. and said she planned to ride the Goldbelt Tram up Mount Roberts and hike Gold Ridge and Gastineau Peak..The Juneau Police Department received a report on the afternoon, that the woman from Kentucky had not returned to the vessel by its departure time. The woman’s plans involved taking a tram popular with tourists partially up a mountain overlooking downtown Juneau and continuing from there, with plans to trek to Gold Ridge and Gastineau Peak. There were still areas of snow on the local peaks. Ground and aerial searches were conducted by the state Department of Public Safety, with ground searches resuming on July 2 with ground and aerial teams, including Alaska Wildlife Troopers, the U.S. Coast Guard, Juneau Mountain Search and Rescue, and Southeast Alaska Dogs, who searched the area using helicopters and thermal drones. Aircraft were on standby due to overcast and rainy weather.Alaska State Troopers reported that her body was spotted pon July 3 just before noon by an Alaska Army National Guard helicopter crew approximately 518 meters below the ridge line of Gold Ridge on Mount Roberts. near the hiking trail. Troopers and Juneau Mountain Rescue recovered the body. Buenafe was last seen on security footage leaving the Goldbelt Tramway on top of the mountain. Report with photo: https://www.ktoo.org/2025/07/03/body-of-missing-cruise-ship-passenger-found-in-juneau-mountains/
ATHARA
On July 3, 2025, a passenger went missing on the 'Athara', en route to Olbia. The Olbia Maritime Directorate was coordinating the search for the 65-year-old man from Rome who boarded the ferry in Civitavecchia on July 2, but did not disembark the next morning at the port of Isola Bianca. The Olbia Maritime Authority was gathering information about the man and his recent movements. Images from the cameras installed on board the ferry have apparently been extracted. The search for the missing person was also ongoing at sea.
BERINGZEE
The Dutch Safety Board has launched an investigation into the collision between the 'Containerships Nord' and the 'Beringzee' on the Western Scheldton May 30. The Board wants to learn from the accident in order to contribute to safer shipping. The container ship had hit the inland vessel at the stern. one crew member of the 'Beringzee' fell overboard. The captain managed to rescue the sailor from the water single-handedly. He then brought a seriously injured person to safety from a part of the ship that was taking on water. Thanks to help from nearby ships, the tanker was quickly stabilised. The crew members were taken to hospital for check-ups- The wheelhouse and the cabin of the ship were completely flooded amd destroyed.
LOCHINVAR
The 'Lochinvar', serving on the route Lochaline-Fishnish, suffered a technical issue with the aft ramp in Lochaline on the morning of July 3. As a consequence, the scheduled departures at 07:00 a.m. from Lochaline at 07:25 from Fishnish have been cancelled. The ferry resumed its service with the 07:45 a.m. sailing from Lochaline. The vessel was, however, operating single ended until further notice. Vehicles will be required to reverse on or off the vessel.
EVIA STAR
On July 3, 2025, at noon, the Port Authority of Karystos was informed by the Greek Coastal Administration that following a request from the Unified Coordination Center for Operations and Crisis Management due to a fire n the Municipality of Rafina-Pikermi, the 'Evia Star' could not sail to the port of Rafina. The ship, which was operating the Marmari-Rafina route with 125 passengers and 17 crew members on board, returned to the port of Marmari. The remaining scheduled routes of the ship remained unexecuted.
ASTORIA
On the afternoon, of July 3 the Multratug 20' , assisted by the 'Multratug 3', was towing the 'Astpria' from its longtime berth in the Waalhaven in Rotterdam to Ghent with an ETA as of July 4. On the morning of that day, the convoy was underway off Middelburg with a speed of about four knots. During the unmooring manoever, also the tugs 'Fairplay 66' and VB Boluda' assisted. The ship was supposed to arrive in Flushing around 01:00 a.m. but sailed near Westkapelle at around 08:30 a.m. and was now expected in the outer harbour of Terneuzen around 2:15 p.m. It will pass through the lock there at around 2:45 p.m. If all goes well, the 'Astoria' will arrive in Ghent early in the evening, a few hours later than the planned 3:00 p.m. Due to non-payment of fees by the former owner, the cruzise ship had been detained for five years The new Belgian owner Galloo paid 200,000 euros for the ship in addition to the amounted fees. Reports with photos: https://www.tugspotters.com/app/content/2025/07/multratug-20-en-multratug-3-met-astoria/ https://www.omroepzeeland.nl/nieuws/17574558/scheepsspotters-opgelet-oudste-cruiseschip-ter-wereld-vaart-op-de-westerschelde https://www.rijnmond.nl/nieuws/2035947/schip-des-doods-heeft-waalhaven-verlaten-en-begint-aan-laatste-reis
CALEDONIAN ISLES
After the 'Caledonian Isles' ran into problems during sea trials which unearthed issues with the ship's gearbox, engineers have been working around the clock to get to the root of the problem, with the ferry berthing at Fairlie Quay while further trials were undertaken. The ferry had spent eight months in Greenock undergoing repairs over the winter after returning to the Clyde in September following work at the Cammell Laird shipyard on Merseyside. Engineers have now teamed up with the original manufacturers of equipment on the ship to resolve the 'pitch control issue. The works were said to be progressing as a priority, however, the operator CalMac feared that the ship may require to return to dry dock in order for such repairs to be carried out ahead of a return to service.
AF CLAUDIA
The 'Af Claudia', chartered by the Africa Morocco Line (AML), allided with the quay in Alggeciras on July 3, 2025 at 7.52 p.m., as it was preparing to dock en route from Tankger-Med. The ship knocked down the fenders and damaged the boarding bridge with its port side stern. No personal injuries were reported. The ferry suffered scratches and dents above the water line. For safety reasons, the Port Authority has suspended maritime operations for the remaining ships at Berth 2 until the two fenders were restored and both the pier and the boarding bridge had been inspected. The institution's Conservation Department was already working in the area. The berth closure did not affect the regular operations of the Port of Algeciras, which has four other berths to serve the Algeciras-Tangier Med service. Ship traffic between the two ports, as well as port operations in Algeciras, continued to operate normally, without any impact. The 'Af Claudia' had joined the Algeciras-Tangier Med service only on June 29, making three daily rotations. Report with photo: https://www.diarioarea.com/puerto-algeciras/accidente-en-el-puerto-de-algeciras-el-ferry-af-claudia-choca-y-obliga-a-cerrar-temporalmente-un-atraque/
ATHENA SA-RESOURCE
A barge towed by the 'Athena' sank on July 1, 2025, at Holmön outside Umeå, ten hours after it started taking on water on the night. At 03.29 a.m. the MRCC received an alarm that the former customs boat with three people on board had experienced problems with the barge they were towing. The Maritime Rescue Society went to the scene, as did one of the Swedish Maritime Administration's pilot boats, the 'Pilot 214' SE ((MMSI: 265719460)). The barge was already heavily listing and partially submerged. The water washed into ventilation hatches on the barge, causing it to fill with water. The rescuers decided to start towing the barge towards land with the pilot boat. But then it listed even more, tipped 180 degrees and began to sink. The cargo on the barge consisted of a military vehicle and another vehicle, a large number of telephone poles and two tanks filled with around 3,000 liters of diesel. The Coast Guard proceeded Holmsund to handle the spill at the scene. On the morning of July 2, the Coast Guard recovered one of the tanks. The Coast Guard then investigated the site further with divers and found another diesel tank, which has now also been recovered. A small emission of what appeared to be diesel was initially observed at the site where the barge sank. This was no longer visible, and no new emissions have been observed. The small emission that was previously observed has likely evaporated. The risk of an environmental impact was now assessed to be low by the Umeå Municipality. The Swedish Coast Guard has been at the scene of the accident and examined the vessel with divers. The authority has initiated a preliminary investigation into crimes related to the release of diesel into the sea, deficiencies in the equipment and the seaworthiness of the barge. Reports with photos: https://www.expressen.se/nyheter/sverige/pram-har-sjunkit-utanfor-umea/ https://www.pt.se/nyheter/holmon/artikel/diesel-har-lackt-ut-i-havet-luktar-kraftigt/lzz634ql https://www.norran.se/nyheter/holmon/artikel/efter-pramolyckan-dieseltankarna-har-bargats/jp2d1q6r https://www.osterbottenstidning.fi/Artikel/Visa/895281 https://www.sjofartstidningen.se/pram-sjonk-stor-tank-med-diesel-bargad/
GT WIN
The Public Prosecutor in Singapore was proceeding with a case against the master, chief officer, and the pump master of the 'GT Win', fo the death of a crew member on May 11, 2024, after he entered a tank that had not been properly vented and inspected. The pump master pleaded guilty on July 2, 2025, to one count of acts endangering the life of the crew member. The chemical tanker had offloaded a cargo of naphtha and the moved to the Singapore anchorage, where the chief officer, Dao Tien Manh, ordered three crew members to clean the emptied tanks, although he failed to check the oxygen levels and did not carry out the necessary safety checks. Further, he instructed the pump master, Le Thanh Dung, to make modifications to the mask of the breathing apparatus. He connected the mask’s hose to an air bottle on deck, which prosecutors called impractical, noting space constraints at a staircase. One of the crew members, Hoang Van Chau, became unconscious while working in one of the tanks. Chau was found unconscious inside tank 6 instead of tank 4, which had not been declared gas-free before he entered the tank. The crew attempted CPR and requested emergency medical assistance from shore. Chau was pronounced deceased at a local hospital, dying from exposure to volatile hydrocarbons. Dung later admitted to the false information in two written statements provided to investigators. He further told investigators that he showed the modified mask to the vessel’s master, Nguyen Duc Nghi. He contended the master threw the mask into the sea, and told the crew to lie about it to the police so that Chau’s family would get the insurance money. The pump master, was sentenced to three months and two weeks in jail after his guilty plea. The cases against the master and chief officer for their role in the death were still pending in the Singapore courts.
GAMECHO
A fishing vessel located a boat, which was drifting bottom up two nautical miles off Malasmañas on July 3, 2025. The CCS Santaner of Salvamento Marítimo was notified and mobilized the SAR boat 'Salvamar Deneb' to investigate the matter. Once on scene, the crew confirms that it was an auxiliary vessel of the 'Gamecho', which was notified and recovers the lost boat.
FLYING DOLPHIN XIX
On the afternoon of July 3, 2025, the Port Authority of the Argosaronic Gulf was informed by the captain of the 'Flying Dolphin XIX' that an object had possible got entangled in the ship's fins while sailing in the waters of the Piraeus anchorage of a scheduled route from the port of Aegina. The ship sailed safely to the port of Piraeus, where it disembarked 14 passengers, while it subsequently had scheduled routes for the ports of Aegina and Agistri with 16 passengers, who were forwarded to their destination with the company's care. During an underwater inspection by a diver, a crack in the stern of the ship was found. The Argosaronic Gulf Port Guard banned the ship from sailing until the damage was repaired and a certificate of seaworthiness was issued by the monitoring classification society. As of July 4, the ferry was moored in Perama in pos. 37° 58' N 023° 34' E.
EXCELLENCE QUEEN
The 'Excellence Queen', enroute from Nuremberg to Erlangen with 80 passengers and 40 crew members on board, became stuck under a pedestrians and cyclists bridge over the Main-Danube Canal near Fürth on July 2, 2025, at around 10 p.m. None of the 120 people on board were injured. The allision triggered a major SAR operation involving firefighters, the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW), and water rescue teams. Since it was initially unclear whether anyone had fallen into the water, 70 rescuers searched the shore and the canal using powerful lights. At the same time, the list of passengers and staff on board was checked. Finally, everyone was accounted for. According to initial investigations, the accident occurred because the captain had failed to adjust the height of the ship to the bridge. The Main-Danube Canal was closed to shipping for the duration of the search oepration and accident investigation. About two hours after the alision, the ship, which had suffered damage in the five digit Euro region, was able to continue its journey. Damage was also caused to the bridge. Iinitial estimates put the damage at several tens of thousands of euros. Short past midnight, the shipping on the waterway was possible again. On July 3, the "Fürberger Steg," which connects the two Fürth districts of Unterfürberg and Oberfürberg, was to be checked for stability. Reports with photos: https://www.nordbayern.de/nuernberg/polizeibericht/grosseinsatz-am-main-donau-kanal-bei-furth-passagierschiff-kollidiert-mit-brucke-1.14745320 https://www.br.de/nachrichten/bayern/flusskreuzfahrtschiff-bleibt-an-fussgaengerbruecke-haengen,UprYjBd https://www.infranken.de/lk/fuerth/blaulicht/fuerth-passagierschiff-kollidiert-mit-bruecke-70-einsatzkraefte-vor-ort-art-6235919
NIKOLAI KARAMZIN
An outbreak of infection occurred on the ''Nikolai Karamzin of the Moscow Tourist Fleet company. 36 patients have already been infected, complaining of symptoms of intestinal infection such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Dissatisfied passengers wrote a complain during the cruise. The check on board has already been carried out, and tests were taken from the crew members, water samples and flushes. Rarlier a similar story happened to another vessel of the same company, the 'Mikhail Bulgakov', one month earlier. As a result, a case was initiated under part 1 of article 236.
FV COELACANTHE
The 'Cœlacanthe' was disabled off the coast of Guernsey on the foremidday of July 3, 2025, due to a jammed propeller The trawler notified the CROSS Jobourg. It was taken in tow by the SNSM lifeboat 'Notre Dame du Cap Lihou 2' Other fishing vessels offered assistance too. The towing operation began in the evening. On July 4 at 3 a.m. the ship was pulled into the port of Granville without difficulties.
CONTAINERSHIPS NORD
The Dutch Safety Board has launched an investigation into the collision between the 'Containerships Nord' and the 'Beringzee' on the Western Scheldton May 30. The Board wants to learn from the accident in order to contribute to safer shipping. The container ship had hit the inland vessel at the stern. one crew member of the 'Beringzee' fell overboard. The captain managed to rescue the sailor from the water single-handedly. He then brought a seriously injured person to safety from a part of the ship that was taking on water. Thanks to help from nearby ships, the tanker was quickly stabilised. The crew members were taken to hospital for check-ups- The wheelhouse and the cabin of the ship were completely flooded amd destroyed.
CHIEFTAIN
The 'Chieftain', serving on tthe route Gourock-Kilcreggan, suffered a technical issue with the starboard side main engine in Gourock on the afternoon of July 2. As a consequence, the scheduled sailings from Gourock at 5:30 p.m. and at 5:50 p.m. from Kilcreggan have been cancelled. After the issue was resolved, the vessel resumed its service with the 6:18 p.m. sailing from the port of Gourock.
SALVAMAR DRACO
On the morning of July 4, the 'Salvamar Draco' rescued the 30 North African occupants, among them one woman and two minors, from a rubber dinghy which had been located 39 nautical miles off Cartagena by the ferry 'GNV Cristal', which alerted Sakvamento Marítimo. The migrants were taken to the port.. The response was coordinated by the CCS Cartagena.
ELEGANT LADY
The "Elegant Lady" remained moored on the banks of the Moselle in pos. 50° 05' N 007° 08' E as of July 4. A total of 50 ships had to interrupt their voyage after the allision in St. Aldegund. To be able to continue their journey as quickly as possible, the exact damage to the lock must first be determined. For this purpose, an expert was lowered into the damaged gate on zjr afternoon of July 3, using a crane. The Waterways and Shipping Authority (WSA) was hoping that the waiting ships will be able to pass through the damaged lock. The gate can still be opened and closed, and emergency operations could be possible perhaps as early as July 6. Report with photos: https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/regional/rheinlandpfalz/schiffsunfall-mosel-schleuse-100.html