News

The "Ciudad de Sóller" will be out of service for seven to ten days following the fire in an auxiliary engine that occurred in the port of Valencia, according to Trasmed CEO Ettore Morace. Provisionally, the Valencia-Palma line will be served during this time by the ferry "Ciudad de Palma." Meanwhile, passengers and cargo on the Barcelona-Palma line will travel on Balearia, thanks to an agreement between the two companies. The "Ciudad de Sóller" remained stationary at the passenger terminal in Valencia for the time being.

The 'Spirit of Tasmania IV' will sail into Tasmanian waters on the afternoon of Aug 22, after a six-week journey that has taken it past France, Africa and across the Indian Ocean, The vessel will first make a ceremonial stop in Devonport, after passing Cape Wickham at 5:20 a.m., Rocky Cape at 12:30 p.m. and Burnie at 2:10 p.m. The welcome event will run from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and feature a Rotary sausage sizzle and children’s entertainment. From there, the ferry will head south to Hobart, where it is scheduled to dock at Macquarie Wharf on Aug 23 at 10 a.m. The new vessel is the first of two designed to boost capacity on the busy Bass Strait route between the mainland and Tasmania. Report with photos: https://pulsetasmania.com.au/news/new-spirit-of-tasmania-ferry-to-dock-in-hobart-on-saturday/

The HMS 'Trent' and a Wildcat helicopter have shadowed Russian vessels in UK waters during a five-day operation in mid-August 2025. The Portsmouth-based Offshore Patrol Vessel shadowed the Russian destroyer 'Vice Admiral Kulakov (Вице-адмирал Кулаков' and two tankers on their transit through the English Channel. The operation was part of the government’s ongoing commitment to safeguard the integrity of UK waters and protecting national security through the government’s Plan for Change. The 'Trent' started shadowing the 'Vice Admiral Kulakov' off Great Yarmouth, watching her every move westward through the Channel towards Ushant. Simultaneously, a NATO ally shadowed the two tankers as they made their transit from the west to join the Russian destroyer. They met off the island of Ushant, off the tip of the Brittany peninsula, with the three Russian vessels turning to sail eastwards through the Channel, followed all the way by HMS 'Trent'. A Wildcat helicopter from 815 Naval Air Squadron, based at Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton, later joined the operation to provide air support and monitor the Russians’ movements with its impressive suite of sensors. The operation was multi-national and had the 'Trent' operating with several of our European NATO allies demonstrating our interoperability with other nations and providing a deterrence inside UK waters. The 'Trent' and the Yeovilton-based Wildcat were also supported by warships, patrol aircraft and helicopters from other NATO allies. Report with photo: https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/defence/hms-trent-shadows-russian-vessels-in-the-english-channel-5282070

On Aug 15, 2025, two passengers of the 'Carnival Elation' and 'Mardi Gras' have died in separate incidents in the lagoon and at the beach of a private island in the Bahamas. One tourist, 79, became unresponsive while snorkelling at a beach on Celebration Key. Attempts to revive him failed. A woman, 74, was found unresponsive while swimming in a pool. Both were believed to be US citizens. They had been travelling on the Carnival Cruise ships which had been docked at the cruise line’s private resort Celebration Key, on Grand Bahama Island. Celebration Key opened in July at a cost of US$600 million.

The 'Finnmerchant', now sailing as 'Jabal Ali 9', was identified by the Swedish Accident Investigation Board as one of the ships, besides the ferry 'Finnjet' (IMO: 7359632), that were included in the International Investigation Commission's report from 1997 on the position of various ships in the area in connection with the sinking of the ferry 'Estonia' (IMO: 7921033) on Dec 8, 1994, and were stated to be unknown. The two merchant ships had also participated in the rescue operation. It appeared to be an administrative error by the old commission, says Jonas Bäckstrand at a press conference onm Aug 20, 2025, in which the Board presented the results of three investigations into the sinking of the 'Estonia'. The investigations have been carried out in parallel with the work of completing the final report, which is expected in December. One of the investigations concerned a classified document from the Swedish Maritime Administration with alternative explanations for the sinking of the 'Estonia', including mention of an explosion or collision. According to Jörgen Zachau, this has probably been important for the many conspiracy theories that have flourished regarding the sinking. Now the authority has concluded that it is a forgery. The document, which was submitted to the authority in its entirety by a journalist this spring, has not, for example, been archived or registered with the Swedish Maritime Administration and does not match the authority's template. In addition, the secret stamp does not look authentic. It appears to be computer-generated and not stamped. The conclusion is that it is fake, said the chairman of the investigation, Jonas Bäckstrand. The third review concerned the circumstances surrounding an exercise in port state control that took place on the 'Estonia' the day before the sinking, and the minutes from there. The protocols exist in different versions, which has given rise to speculation, but now the investigation believes it has been able to trace all versions back to the original. The exercise has been discussed following statements that attempts were made by Swedish inspectors to prevent the ship from departing due to serious deficiencies. However, based on testimony and the extent of the deficiencies, no such attempts were made, according to the Swedish Accident Investigation Board. A final report from the Swedish Accident Investigation Board is expected before the end of the year. The results of the reviews now being presented will not be included in the final report because they are not considered relevant. Report with photos: https://www.dn.se/sverige/haverikommissionen-forsoker-sla-hal-pa-konspirationsteorier-om-estonia/

On the evening of Aug 20, 2025, the 'River Drone 4', en route from Antwerp to Limburg along with the 'River Drone 8' (MMSI: 205568290), suffered damage while passing through the lock of the Albert Canal in Olen. A hole with a diamtre of approximately 15 centimeters was torn into the hull near a fuel tank, causing approximately 10 tons of gas oil to leak into the canal near the lock complex. A large spill spread over several kilometers, was floating on the water, spanning the entire width mainly on the west bank of the canal. The fire department arrived immediately and brought the situation so far under control, but the oil had already spread over several kilometers. There was a film of oil on the water from the Olen lock to the Olen-Hoogbuul bridge on a length of two to three kilometers, The Brabo company was called in. Around midnight, it started to contain and extract the oil slick, thus averting the risk of the oil flowing into the port of Antwerp.T here were five zones where the oil has been contained, and Brabo was vacuuming the sludge. The lock was also cleaned during the night. Shipping on the Albert Canal between Olen and nearby Ham was at a complete standstill. The 'River Drone 8' was moored in pos. 51° 09' N 004° 53' E, where it remained stationary as of Aug 21. Odor nuisance has been reported in surrounding municipalities. The Antwerp drinking water company Waterlink draws its drinking water from the Albert Canal, so everything had to be done to prevent the oil from reaching Antwerp. As the oil was floating and being held back by the Olen lock, that problem was resolved for the time being. The cleaning work was expected to be continued until the evening of Aug 21. With small boats and floating oil booms, the majority of the oil was removed upstream. The area around the vessel, where the thickest layer was, has been almost completely cleaned up. Next the remaining oil was transported to the lock complex because that's where was easiest to suck it up. One of the three locks, the push barge lock, was already cleaned overnight The northern and central locks still need edto be done. A small amount of oil was still present along the river bank. Regarding the cause of the accident, the maritime police have launched an investigation and have questioned the master. Reports with photos and video: https://www.hln.be/olen/vrachtschip-lekt-10-000-liter-olie-op-albertkanaal-in-olen-de-opruimingswerken-duren-vermoedelijk-nog-tot-vanavond~af1926c5/ https://nos.nl/artikel/2579339-olie-gelekt-in-kanaal-belgie-mogelijk-gevaar-voor-drinkwater-antwerpen https://www.hbvl.be/regio/antwerpen/kempen/lek-in-schip-veroorzaakt-kilometerslang-oliespoor-van-10.000-liter-in-albertkanaal-scheepvaartverkeer-blijft-gestremd/84944613.html https://www.nieuwsblad.be/regio/antwerpen/kempen/olen/lek-in-schip-veroorzaakt-kilometerslang-oliespoor-van-10.000-liter-in-albertkanaal-scheepvaartverkeer-blijft-gestremd/84938507.html

Investigations of the 'Nordstjernen' showed that a minor technical problem had aused the stern to touch the pier. A diver was deployed on the evening of Aug 19 and discovered no structural damage to the ship. There were only a few scratches on the hull. The technical cause of the incident was found and remedied. The classification society boarded the ship on the morning of Aug 20, checked its technical condition, and finally released the ship shortly after noon. On the early afternoon, the 'Nordstjernen' left Rostock, one day late en route to Skagen with an ETA as of Aug 21. The Nordstjernen had to shift to the port of Rostock during the night because its berth in Warnemünde was needed with the cruise ships 'AIDAmar', 'Viking Sky' and 'Rotterdam' approaching.

On the evening of Aug 20, 2025, the Port Authority of Chios was informed that a passenger of the 'Ariadne', which was operating a scheduled route from Mytilene to the port of Chios, experienced a fainting episode and required immediate hospital treatment. Upon the arrival of the ship at the port of Chios, the man was picked up by an ambulance and transferred to the General Hospital of Chios for the provision of medical treatment.

The 'Henry Alex' and the 'Belle Reynolds' will be deployed off the Destin-Fort Walton Beach coast as part of the county's five-year reef plan.The Okaloosa Board of County Commissioners approved contracts totaling $820,000 on Aug 19, 2025, to purchase and deploy the two vessels as artificial reefs in the Gulf of Mexico off the Destin-Fort Walton Beach coast.The board approved single-source contracts with Tri-Native Contractors for $250,000 for the'Belle Reynolds' and $450,000 for the 'Henry Alex'. An additional $60,000 per vessel will cover deployment costs. The 'Belle Reynolds' is a 156-foot custom vessel with multiple decks that was originally being converted to a hunting or fishing camp in the Louisiana bayou before that project was abandoned about 10 years ago. The 'Henry Alex' is similar to the 'Deep STIM III', that the county deployed in 2023 as part of a tri-county project. Both vessels are currently located in Louisiana. The purchases are part of the county’s five-year artificial reef plan that was passed five years ago, designed to expand fish habitat and create destinations for diving and fishing, making the county the leader in artificial reef construction in the state. The county has worked with Tri-Native Contractors on four previous large deployments. Since 2020, 20 vessels have been deployed, with three more scheduled for deployment by December 2025. Four similar vessels have previously been purchased by the military from the county for use as artificial reefs after exercises. Report with photos: https://www.getthecoast.com/okaloosa-purchases-156-foot-224-foot-vessels-for-artificial-reef-program-off-destin-fort-walton-beach/

The 'Ben-My-Chree' suffered technical issues in Douglas on Aug 20, 2025. The backup vessel was only in service because the Steam Packet Company’s ferry 'Manxman' had developed a fault during an overnight crossing from Heysham. Smoke was detected in a machinery space on the morning of Aug 19, safety procedures were followed and the vessel was escorted into Douglas for checks. The 'Ben-my-Chree', which had been due to depart Douglas at 08:30 a.m., was first rescheduled to 09:45 a.m., but didn't depart Douglas until after 12.30 p.m. as the ferry was experiencing technical problems to essential firefighting equipment. During the repair time, free tea and coffee were offered.’the Steam Packet Company while dealing with ‘ongoing repairs of fire drencher pipework on the vehicle deck, which was damaged during freight loading operations at Heysham Port overnight.‘Permanent repairs in Douglas took longer than anticipated, leading to further effects on the day’s sailing schedule.

On Aug 15, 2025, two passengers of the 'Carnival Elation' and 'Mardi Gras' have died in separate incidents in the lagoon and at the beach of a private island in the Bahamas. One tourist, 79, became unresponsive while snorkelling at a beach on Celebration Key. Attempts to revive him failed. A woman, 74, was found unresponsive while swimming in a pool. Both were believed to be US citizens. They had been travelling on the Carnival Cruise ships which had been docked at the cruise line’s private resort Celebration Key, on Grand Bahama Island. Celebration Key opened in July at a cost of US$600 million.

The Georgian captain Davit Vadatchkoria of the 'Eagle S' for the first time he has given his version of events on board the tanker after Estlink 2, an important power cable between Finland and Estonia, had stopped working. When the ship was boarded, Davit Vadachkoria says he did not know about the cable breaks. Earlier in the evening, the Border Guard vessel 'Turva' had approached the 'Eagle S' outside Porkala, made contact and reported that the anchor chain was out. Vadatchkoria then decided to stop his vessel and haul up the anchor. Then he noticed that it was gone, describing it as one of the worst things he had experienced during his career as a tanker captain. He asked the commander of the 'Turva' for permission to continue the route westward, towards the Danish Strait and on to Egypt, which was the destination for the unleaded gasoline and diesel oil in the cargo. According to Davit Vadatchkoria, the 'Turva's commander refused to budge, who wanted to continue talking and repeated that the 'Eagle S' should steer into Finnish waters to anchor. Vadatchkoria knew that he was in international waters, and that Finnish authorities only had limited rights to command merchant ships out there. He chose to follow the order anyway. At the new anchorage, he had expected port authorities and insurance representatives to board the 'Eagle S' calmly and safely with the help of the 'Turva's inflatable boats. Instead he received orders to gather the entire crew except for the three highest officers in the mess. Then the tanker was boarded with helicopters, and the boarding team confiscated electronic equipment such as computers, cameras and phones.According to the captain, they had spent two nights sleeping on the floor of the mess. During that time, each crew member was questioned. After that, one crew member needed psychological support, and another was taken to hospital for treatment of a blood clot. A few days later, the ship was ordered into Sköldvik outside Porvoo to undergo a port state inspection. After initially refusing, Davit Vadatchkoria claimed that he was forced to comply with the authorities' demands at gunpoint, otherwise he would have been arrested, and then he would have completely lost control of the ship and the crew. By this point, it was clear that the 'Eagle S' was singled out as the ship that had not only severed an electrical cable but also four communication cables, and a total of eight people on board were suspected of crimes. Suspicions remain against three officers, Captain Davit Vadatchkoria and the first and second mates. Indictments have been brought and the trial will begin in the Helsinki District Court on Aug 25. The three are suspected of aggravated sabotage and aggravated disruption of postal and telecommunications traffic. The indictment contains alternative crime categories that are milder, such as aggravated damage and causing public danger. Jukka Rappe, Deputy Prosecutor General, believes that the actions were intentional. Jukka Rappe brought charges last week and the next step is the trial, which is expected to take a couple of weeks. Jukka Rappe has said that there is not necessarily any conspiracy behind it, which can be interpreted as the fact that no money transfers from the Kremlin have been found and no conversation that proves that the 'Eagle S' had a secret mission to tear up cables in order to destabilize the Nordic countries. Together with his lawyers, Davit Vadatchkoria has gone through the entire preliminary investigation on hundreds of pages. Captain Davit Vadatchkoria believes that it was an accident and that a detailed technical and structural investigation would now be required. He also points out that the severe weather exposed the ship to extra stress. The question whether the crew should have discovered that the anchor had gone out and dragged the ship for 90 kilometers, was answered with yes by prosecutor Jukka Rappe and no by captain Davit Vadatchkoria, who claimed that he could prove that there were no heeling movements or course changes that would have caused an alarm from the autopilot, nor were any increasing vibrations, impacts or bouncing movements noticed that would have indicated that the anchor had been dragged. No abnormal noises from scraping chain or smoke were detected from the anchor windlass. According to Vadatchkoria, there were no visible dents or distortions and no traces of soot, which would usually be the case when the anchor has been lowered uncontrolled. Eagle S lost a couple of knots of speed just before 12.26 on Christmas Day when the electric cable broke. This could be explained by the anchor starting to drag at that time. But according to Davit Vadatchkoria, the change in speed was not something they reacted to. The wind had picked up, the wave height increased and other nearby ships also lost speed. Davit Vadatchkoria and the two other suspects have been held in Finland with a travel ban. They have been living in Helsinki since. Report with photos: https://yle.fi/a/7-10082866

The 'Donald M. James', which had been drydocked at the Lloyd Yard in Bremerhaven since March 11, following its rudder loss, has left the port after damage inspections on Aug 19. No repair contract was completed, and now the ship was being towed by the offshore tug 'Abeille Horizon' (IMO: 9178410) to Setubal with status NUC and an ETA as of Sep 6 for permanent repairs.

Coast Guard Sector Maryland-National Capital Region personnel, in coordination with partner agencies, remained engaged in salvage planning on Aug 20 in order to recover the hatch cover that detached during the explosion aboard the 'W Sapphire' in Baltimore port. A draft restriction remained in place, limiting the maximum navigational draft to 46.6 feet for vessels transiting within a 500-yard radius of the hatch cover's location. An intermittent safety zone covering all navigable waters within a 500-yard radius of the hatch cover's location were to be reactivated during future dive and salvage operations. Updates on the safety zone were to be provided via the Coast Guard Sector Maryland-National Capital Region. The 'W Sapphire' remained anchored north of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in pos. 39° 02' N 076° 22' W as of Aug 21. The vessel has enacted its vessel response plan and was in stable condition. Following a joint boarding conducted with other investigative entities, a comprehensive plan was to be developed to safely clear the vessel from the port.

The 'Wolfe Islander IV' will be out of service for the remainder of the summer season 2025, while undergoing repairs to the vessel's diesel generator in Marysville. The shut down of the ferry will also allow to proceed with work on charging infrastructure at the Marysville dock. The 'Wolfe Islander IV' was being expected to remain out of service until Oct. 10. The ferry has been experiencing mechanical issues since it was put back in service earlier this year causing service disruptions. The 'Wolfe Islander III' was put back in service on Aug. 2 running an hourly service between Kingston and Dawson Point. A shuttle bus service was being provided to transport pedestrian passengers between Dawson Point and Marysville.

The extraction of fuel from the 'MSC Elsa 3' 14.6 nautical miles off the Alappuzha coast, has reached an advanced stage and the task was expected to be completed by Sep 25. The fuel extraction from the sunken vessel commenced on Aug 20 with saturation diving operations using advanced 'Diving Support Vessel (DSV) Southern Nova'. Specialized divers have been mobilized and preliminary activities have begun, marking a significant step in the process of fuel extraction and wreck management. The operation was suspended on July 12 due to adverse weather conditions experienced at the site due to South West Monsoon. The support vessel 'Offshore Monarch is assisting the Diving Support vessel in the fuel extraction at the site. Additionally, the tug 'Canara Megh' has been deployed to monitor the operations and enforce a one nautical mile exclusion zone around the wreck site to ensure safe diving activities. Entry of fishermen has been banned in the one nautical mile radius around the site of operation. Despite challenging underwater conditions in a water depth of 51 metres, the salvage team has successfully initiated the diving phase, which will continue in a phased manner, subject to weather and sea currents. As per the plan submitted by the SMIT Salvage firm engaged by the ship owners and the Protection and Indemnity insurer North Standard, the tentative timeline for oil removal and associated activities was set for completion by Sep 25, weather-dependent. Environmental surveillance of the area was also being maintained through aerial, coastal and satellite monitoring in coordination with the Indian Coast Guard and State pollution control authorities. While no oil spills have occurred so far from the vessel, precautionary measures remained in place, with response equipment on standby to address any eventuality. 66 containers and other debris of the 'MSC Elsa 3' have washed ashore the Kerala Coast as of Aug 21, which have been safely removed by the Marine Emergency Response Centre (MERC) team appointed by the owners. No other containers or debris have been sighted along the coast at present. The shore-side cleanup efforts by the MERC team to remove the plastic nurdles along the Kerala and Southern Tamil Nadu Coast progressed very well with the help of more than 500 volunteers per day. So far, 655 tons of plastic nurdles have been collected from the coastal areas and kept segregated for disposal.

On the afternoon of Aug 19, 2025, a passenger aboard the Marella Voyage died as the ship was on a call in Naples. The man from Scotland was 83 years old. He was found unresponsive in the swimming pool, having passed away of natural causes. Despite attempts by fellow holidaymakers and crew members to revive him, the man was pronounced dead at the scene. Italian officials boarded the ship, briefly detaining it while they carried out their investigation. The UK Foreign Office was supporting the family of a British man. The 'Marella Voyager' was on a Mediterranean round trip voyage from Mallorca with calls to Rome, Ajaccio, Corsica, and Palamos.

The USS 'San Diego (LPD-22)' assisted in combating a fire that burned for 12 hours aboard the amphibious warship USS 'New Orleans (LPD-18)' (MMSI: 200700018) off Okinawa on Aug 20, 2025. It was declared extinguished on the early morning of Aug 21. The warship was now anchored near the White Beach Naval Facility on Okinawa. The fire began at approximately 4 p.m. The firefighting efforts were supported by the crew of the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship, which was moored at White Beach Naval Facility Two sailors suffered minor injuries and were treated aboard the 'New Orleans'. The crew will remain aboard the 'New Orleans' with additional accommodations available on the 'San Diego' and ashore. Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and Japan Coast Guard assets assisted with the firefighting effort. Two tugs were using water cannons on the bow of the amphibious ship. The 'New Orleans' is part of the Navy’s forward-deployed amphibious force based in Sasebo. Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force; Japan Coast Guard; and U.S. Navy commands from across Commander, Fleet Activities Okinawa also provided critical support to the firefighting efforts. Reports with photos and video: https://news.usni.org/2025/08/20/breaking-amphib-uss-new-orleans-suffers-fire-off-okinawa https://edition.cnn.com/2025/08/20/asia/japan-uss-new-orleans-intl-hnk https://www.twz.com/sea/amphibious-warship-uss-new-orleans-catches-fire-off-the-coast-of-japan https://www.independent.co.uk/bulletin/news/us-navy-ship-fire-japan-uss-new-orleans-video-b2811153.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqYXQ6UVLa4

Beached at Alang 21.08.25

On the afternoon of March 11, 2025, the 'Donald M. James' was towed from Bremen to Bremerhaven by the tugs 'VB Pioneer' (IMO: 9190614) and 'Fairplay 31' (IMO: 9416575) without its rudder. The damage had occurred when the ship's stern got stuck on the oppsite embankment of the Weser at Hasenbüren while casting off from the Steel Works Bremen in the Weserport on Feb 17, damaging the steering gear. It had arrived on Feb 16, en route from Narvik. On March 12 the ship was docked at the Lloyd Yard in Bremerhaven for inspections of the damage. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y14nlma8rEo