Police have taken charge of an inquiry into the disappearance of a man from the 'Pacific Challenger' off the coast of Hawke’s Bay, and an active helicopter search has been stood down on the evening of April 2, about 24 hours after the man was reported as going over board at the stern of the vessel, 11 kilometres off Waimārama at around 8 p.m. Police officers were working to gather information on the circumstances and kept working alongside Maritime NZ and Coastguard. Maritime NZ’s Rescue Coordination Centre (RCCNZ) had coordinated the search, which included rescue helicopter services from Auckland, Gisborne and Hastings, Coastguard Hawke’s Bay, two NZ Defence Force NH90s and other vessels in the area. The circumstances of how the man ended up overboard were unclear and it was not known if he was wearing a lifejacket.
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SC MONTANA
The 'SC Montana' was still in the waters off the southwest coast of Little Cayman on April 3, but is bound for Cuba. The ship has been given assistance from the 'Lefkes' and the 'Aruna Cihan' to keep it away from Little Cayman’s coastline. The port authoritiy tug 'Navigator' has also been sent from Grand Cayman. The Cayman Islands Coast Guard, was monitoring the disabled ship and coordinating the efforts to keep it from running aground. Neither of the docks on Little Cayman and Cayman Brac have the infrastructure to handle the vessel, and it was not clear how the ship will be repaired. The Department of Environment remained aware of the potential risk and was ready to act if necessary to prevent a potential marine pollution. Acting Governor Franz Manderson and Premier Juliana O’Connor-Connolly met in the night of April 3 with representatives of the CICG, Hazard Management Cayman Islands, the DoE and other key stakeholders to discuss mitigation steps.
DSV COMMANDER
A stolen van that crashed into the port of O Grove on March 26, 2024, has been recovered by the 'DSV Commander' on April 3 at 9 a.m., and taken to the MECA Dock, one week after a young man, a resident of Brión, rushed into the water. The driver was rescued by the crew of a boat that was sailing through the A Vía area, and took him to the port of O Grove where he was treated by medical personnel and taken to the Montecelo hospital with symptoms of hypothermia. Divers had placed straps around the wreck, and the ship's crane proceeded to lift the pharmaceutical delivery van aboard the vessel and later transport it to the port. The removal of the vehicle from the sea was urged due to the risk to the navigation of ships in the area and the danger of contamination from the medicines. Report with photo: https://www.diariodearousa.com/articulo/o-salnes/recuperan-mar-furgoneta-robada-precipito-puerto-grove-4778850
FRIO CHIKUMA
On April 3, 2024, the 'Frio Chikuma' ran aground in adverse weather in the waters of the Malvinas fishing grounds in the entrance bay of Port Stanley. The reefer was taken in tow by a tug the Malvinas authorities in order to move it to a safer place. At 6.50 a.m. UTC it was anchored in pos. 51° 40.27' S 057° 49.74' W. The ship was loaded with about 1000 of squid corresponding to the first trip of the year. The Galician capital fleet that fishes in the region's fishing grounds —Pereira, Pescapuerta, Rampesca, Copmear, Chymar — uses the services of the vessel to send its catches to refrigeration companies such as Frigalsa, Fandicosta or Frialia. Report with photo: https://www.farodevigo.es/mar/2024/04/03/encalla-malvinas-mercante-cargado-calamar-100574779.html
RUBYMAR
The anchor of the 'Rubymar', which was hit on Feb 18 by two anti-ship missiles fired by the Houthis, and drifted for a distance of around 30 nautical miles, before sinking on March 2, scraped over the sea bed and damaged three sea cables - the 15,000 kilometer Seacom/Tata cable which runs through East Africa and also connects it to India; the Asia Africa Europe-1 (AAE-1), which winds 25,000 kilometers and connects Europe to East Asia; and the Europe India Gateway (EIG), 15,000 kilometers long and linking India to the United Kingdom. The three submarine cables are located in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which separates Africa from the Arabian Peninsula between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, and the damage caused problems of internet, both in East Africa and in Vietnam.
NORWEGIAN DAWN
The group of eight passengers which had missed the 'Norwegian Dawn' for more than one hour on March 27, finally re-embarked in Dakar on Apri 2. The first attempt to get the guests back on the ship occurred on April 1, when they hoped to re-embark at a port in Banjul, Gambia, some 1,800 miles from São Tomé and Príncipe. However, adverse weather conditions, as well as tidal restrictions meant that the ship could not dock safely. As a result, the guests had to chase the ship to Dakar, a distance of some 100 miles further. The Norwegian Cruise Line helped the passengers by facilitating their visas, and would pay them back for the trip from Gambia to Senegal. The passengers had traveled through seven countries in 48 hours to catch up with the ship.
DE YI
The 'De Y' with 13 Chinese and Indonesian crew members on board has been detained on March 30, 2024, by the South Korean authorities in waters near Yeosu, South Jeolla Province. The ship was allegedly headed to Vladivostok from North Korea with a stop in Shidao. The ship initially refused orders to stop; however, the South Korean Coast Guard subsequently ordered the vessel to move to Busan, where it anchored in pos. 35° 03.45' N 129° 01.56' E at noon. The authorities have been unable to confirm what the ship was carrying as the crew was refusing to open the cargo hold. The ship was last operated by an owner in Hong Kong. The South Korean Foreign Ministry was conducting an investigation, in close coordination with the USA. The vessel was allegedly involved in the violation of UN Security Council resolutions on North Korea. The ministry has also stated that they believed the ship to have been in North Korea’s Namo port before heading to Shandong, China.
OPEN ARMS
The sea convoy, consisting of the 'Jennifer' and the 'Open Arms' with 240 tons undelivered food for Gaza returned to Larnaca on April 3 after the killing of aid workers of World Central Kitchen (WCK) in an Israeli airstrike on the evening of April 1. The 'Jennifer' dropped anchor just outside the port. The 'Open Arms' had already arrived earlier. The undelivered aid was part of a consignment of about 340 tonnes sent to Gaza from Cyprus on March 30. The aid workers killed in Gaza had just finished work unloading 100 tonnes from a barge, also sent from Cyprus. The WCK, active in Gaza since October, has paused operations in the territory after the killings, and turned around its flotilla of ships back to Cyprus. Report with photo: https://gcaptain.com/gaza-aid-ships-return-to-cyprus-after-ngo-worker-deaths/
ADAB
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority has prosecuted the captain of the 'Boshi 58' and the shipping company Fu Ye Shipping, based in Hong Kong, in connection with a fatal accident that occurred on May 25, 2023 involving a ship’s pilot. The pilot’s ladder broke and left him with severe injuries when he was being transferred to the cargo ship. Investigators discovered throughout the trial that the pilot ladder had been illegally kept and had not been inspected regularly, which had caused its condition to worsen to the point of danger. The ship's captain and the Fu Ye Shipping’s master pleaded guilty and received fines of $5,300 and $32,000, respectively, for breaking Australia’s Navigation Act of 2012 and a 2023 maritime order. Pilots depend on the captain and crew to maintain, store, and rig pilot ladders appropriately; neglecting a pilot ladder can have fatal consequences
TRANSMERIDIAN
The Brazilian Federal Police (PF), in a joint action with the Brazilian Navy, seized 212 kilos of cocaine in an operation in the port of Santos aobard the 'Transmeridian', destined to Rotterdam. The ship was selected for inspection based on Federal Police risk and intelligence criteria. The eight packages of cocaine were hidden in the vessel's sea box, an opening located below the waterline, which serves to supply water to cool the engines and power the firefighting system. During the inspection, the action of Navy and federal police divers was necessary. After the drug were seized, an investigation into the case was launched by the Santos Federal Police Station. So far, no one has been arrested. Report with photo and video: https://www.cnnbrasil.com.br/nacional/pf-e-marinha-apreendem-200-kg-de-cocaina-em-navio-no-porto-de-santos/
SITC DANANG
On April 3, 20ß24, shortly after midnight the 'SITC Danang', en route from Qinzhou to Saigon, was in collision with a fishing boat near the island of Hainan. The impact caused the sinking of a fishing boat, whose crew of eight fell into the water and were missing. Hainan emergency response personnel sent military and police search teams to the site, and 21 ships and five aircraft were engaged in the SAR operation. 20 hours after the accident, none of the missing fishermen have been found, while the search operations were still underway. The cause of the accident was under investigation.
BIRGER JARL
On the morning of April 2, the police arrested the 'Baltic Star's owner Leif-Ivan Karlsson. He was suspected of financial crime. Leif-Ivan Karlsson, who, among other things, runs a business in Strängnäs, was arrested at his home in Stockholm, where he was visiting over the Easter weekend. Soon it will be decided whether he should be detained or released. According to prosecutors at the Ecocrime Authority, he was suspected of four serious financial crimes. It concerns gross misconduct against creditors, gross aggravation of bankruptcy and two gross accounting offences. He was being held on probable cause. There were different crime periods between the years 2019 and 2021 and all have taken place in Stockholm, according to prosecutor Maximilian Berg Molin. Leif-Ivan Karlsson is also one of 11 people charged with involvement in the environmental scandal surrounding Think Pink. The waste company is suspected of dumping and burying unsorted construction waste at various locations in Central Sweden.
DALI
The Unified Command continued to coordinate response operations on April 3 to the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, despite the challenging weather conditions which included severe thunderstorms and high winds. Eight commercial vessels have meanwhile passed through the two temporary alternate channels that were opened up. The Unified Command staged to begin lifting the first of the undamaged containers off the bow of the 'Dali' to give space to safely operate to begin to plan to remove portions of the bridge that are now also embedded into the ship. They were also waiting for a better weather window to do a 350 ton lift off a section near the main channel. Trained crews, in conjunction with the Unified Command, were taking steps forward with operations and are conducting routine salvage assessments, while evaluating the safest and most effective routes. Divers were on scene to conduct underwater surveys along with mapping out plans for future wreckage removal. While the operations continued, they were adjusted as necessary in response to the adverse weather conditions. The Unified Command remaind committed to re-opening the port while ensuring safety and environmental protection. The Key Bridge Response 2024 Unified Command continues to coordinate response operations despite the challenging weather conditions in Baltimore. The Key Bridge Response Unified Command priorities were ensuring the safety of the public and first responders, accountability of missing persons, safely restoring transportation infrastructure and commerce, protecting the environment, and supporting the investigation. The Maryland Department of the Environment received the results of water sampling taken the day of the incident upriver and downstream of the site. The samples were analyzed for substances associated with fuel constituents, including volatile organic compounds. There was no detection of any of these contaminants. The results will be used as a baseline for comparison with water quality monitoring done throughout response, recovery and reconstruction. Sampling will continue indefinitely every few days, as needed. The current 2,000-yard safety zone around the Francis Scott Key Bridge remained in effect and is intended to protect personnel, vessels, and the marine environment. Members of the public may not enter the safety zone unless authorized by the COTP or designated representative. Those in the safety zone must comply with all lawful orders or directions given to them by the COTP or designated representative. The COTP issued a Broadcast Notice to Mariners (BNM) via VHF-FM marine channel 16. Mariners are requested to monitor channel 16 for the latest information. A Debris Reporting Hotline has been established. If the public encounters any debris from the incident, please contact +1 (410) 205-6625 The Key Bridge Response 2024 Unified Command includes the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Maryland Department of the Environment, the Maryland Transportation Authority, the Maryland State Police and Witt O’Brien’s representing Synergy Marine. A website with incident response information can be found at the following URL: https://www.keybridgeresponse2024.com For updated information on the status of the maritime transportation system visit the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Maryland - National Capital Region Homeport page: https://homeport.uscg.mil/port-directory/maryland-ncr The media is requested to call the Joint Information Center at +1 (410) 631-8939 for interview response inquiries and interviews. Resources are available for businesses and individuals impacted by the Port closure: Benefit Line for Port of Baltimore Workers: +1 (667) 930-5989 Disaster Loan Assistance: https://lending.sba.gov
HDMS IVER HUITFELDT
On April 3, the Dankish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen dismissed its the Defense Chief Flemming Lentfer as a consequence of the problems with the 'Iver Huitfeldt's system failure and defective ammunition. The matter of the frigate's failing systems became publich on April 2 and led to Troels Lund Poulsen asking the defense chief for a quick statement on the matter. He received it on the morning of April 3 from the Defense Command - but parts of the statement were leaked to TV 2 before the minister had even explained the case to the rapporteurs in the defense conciliation circle. In this statement, the Defense Command acquits itself and stated that the Ministry of Defense's department was informed of the case. But the minister was not, he stressed both on April 2 and at the press conference on Aprl 3. But quite surprisingly and quite unseen, the minister receives a new report on the same matter on April 3 from the same sender - the Defense Command. But now the content had changed. The first statement should have contained information that the ministry's department was briefed on the problems with the weapons system on the frigate on March 15, and that this information was to be elaborated on at a meeting between the ministry and the defense command on March 18. The new statement has been changed, but the minister did not say at the press conference exactly which information has been changed. “I'm not trying to hide anything. There have been different perceptions of what was disclosed at a meeting on 18 March," he stated at the press conference, where the minister stated that Major General Michael Hyldgaard has been appointed acting chief of defence. At the press conference, the minister also said that no correct information has been given about the costs of the controversial arms purchase from the Israeli manufacturer Elbit. Potentially, the budget could be exceeded by over a billion Danish crowns. The 'Iver Huitfeldt' returned to Denmark on April 3 morning after a 2-month long mission in the Red Sea, where the task was to protect shipping against attacks by the Houthi movement, a task the frigate had difficulty solving, as it turned out that the ship's central radar system is unstable, and the ammunition for the main guns consists of 30-year-old shells. These were conditions that Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen was not aware of.
JENNIFER
The sea convoy, consisting of the 'Jennifer' and the 'Open Arms' with 240 tons undelivered food for Gaza returned to Larnaca on April 3 after the killing of aid workers of World Central Kitchen (WCK) in an Israeli airstrike on the evening of April 1. The 'Jennifer' dropped anchor just outside the port. The 'Open Arms' had already arrived earlier. The undelivered aid was part of a consignment of about 340 tonnes sent to Gaza from Cyprus on March 30. The aid workers killed in Gaza had just finished work unloading 100 tonnes from a barge, also sent from Cyprus. The WCK, active in Gaza since October, has paused operations in the territory after the killings, and turned around its flotilla of ships back to Cyprus. Report with photo: https://gcaptain.com/gaza-aid-ships-return-to-cyprus-after-ngo-worker-deaths/
US GOVERNMENT VESSEL
The USS 'Gravely' has destroyed a ballistic missile and two drones launched by the Yemen's Houthis against the ship, which was operating in the Red Sea in the framework of operations against the Houthis. There were no injuries or damage to the vessel. urthermore, US forces destroyed a mobile surface-to-air missile system in Houthi-controlled territory.
FV BREIZ
Philippe Capdeville, 62, the master of the SNSM lifeboat which assisted the 'Breiz', refuted on April 3 in court that he had been negligent. He has been working for the SNSM since 1986 and was the skipper of the Ouistreham lifeboat since 2008, and responded for three hours to the magistrates. On the night of the shipwreck he had been alerted by the CROSS, and the ALB 'SNSM 091 'set sail in 15 minutes. Capdeville admitted to not having been aware of the state of the 'Breiz', a 40-year-old vessel, and overloaded before even starting fishing. When asked why he did not ask the fishermen to throw the boxes of shells on the deck into the water, which could have avoided listing and sinking, he replied: “I can’t imagine a fishing skipper throwing his catch overboard.” The very experienced rescuer, with 900 missions, claimed to have reacted to alerts launched by the towed ship, reduced speed and changed course. “It is not normal for a boat to sink so quickly. All hypotheses are possible. A wave, we don’t know where it came from. I don’t feel like I was negligent. You can't blame everything on me. We're dealing with professionals!”, he replied, referring to the three sailors who lost their lives. In addition to the prosecution for non-compliance with the Colreg convention, Capdeville is also accused of forgery, which concerns the operation schedules (arrival in the area, start of towing etc., which he entered in the logbook, which conflict with those noted by the maritime gendarmerie investigator. He considered that these accusations were related to the vocabulary used. “Why lie when everything is verifiable?” he recalled. The trial is scheduled until April 5.
MSC ARMONIA
The 'MSC Armonia' with around 1,500 passengers on board has been detained at the port of Barcelona after 69 Bolivian citizens without a valid Schengen zone visa were prevented from disembarking. The Spanish National Police suspected that their documents were forged. Barcelona was the final destination for the Bolivian passengers, but not for all those on board. The ship was originally supposed to continue to Croatia, but is now anchored in the Catalan port awaiting a solution to the situation. MSC Cruises were working with the Spanish authorities to manage the situation regarding the passengers from Bolivia, including families and children, who traveled with invalid documents. The passengers appeared to have proper documentation upon embarkation in Maceo. However, MSC Cruises was later informed by the Spanish authorities that the visas were invalid for the entry into the Schengen area, preventing them from docking in Barcelona on April 2. The ship remained in the port of Barcelona while the company was working with the relevant authorities to facilitate this process and has informed passengers on board of the situation.
INGRID
A US Coast Guard helicopter aircrew medically evacuates a 29-year-old male person from the 'Ingrid', approximately 160 miles southwest of San Diego, on the afternoon of April 3, 2024. Watchstanders at the Sector San Diego Joint Harbor Operations Center received a distress call from the 'Ingrid' at approximately 1:30 p.m., reporting that a person on board was experiencing a medical emergency. In response to the distress call, it was determined that the patient required immediate higher-level medical care. The Sector San Diego launched an Air Station Jayhawk Helicopter crew with an embarked Specialized Trauma Assistance Team (STAR) medic to retrieve and transport the patient ashore. The aircrew landed at Sector San Diego at approximately 4:30 p.m. and successfully transferred the patient to awaiting Emergency Medical Services (EMS). The patient was reported to be in stable condition.