The US Navy ship USS Porter and the supertanker Otowasan collided in Persian Gulf after navigation error. The VLCC Otowasan was on route to the Fujairah port, where should be loaded with crude oil. During the passage through the Strait of Hormuz the vessel collided with the US Navy ship and both vessels got serious hull damages, which even caused evacuation of USS Porter. The VLCC Otowasan was empty during the accident, so there is no water pollution and there are no injured people on board. The crew of the navy vessel was evacuated after serious hole in the hull and danger from water ingress. There is no information, which ship was guilty for the accident, as most probably the US Navy ship was maneuvering dangerously close to the supertanker and crossed its road, which made the tanker unable to avoid collision. The cargo ship is moored in the Persian Gulf and still is waiting for the inspection from the port authorities about the ability to operate.
<…Passenger ship ran aground in Elbe River
The passenger ship Altona ran aground in Elbe River near Hamburg, due to the the low tide and navigation error of the duty officer on board. The passenger ship was operating on regular route from Blankenese to Neuenfelde, when the ship hit mud bank and stand in position without availability to refloat. During the accident there are no serious damages of the hull, as the crew reported that there is no water ingress. However the ship Altona stayed during the whole day agrounded. On board of the ship there were 30 passengers, who stayed on board and spent about 1 day in such position before being refloated and tugged to the HADAG-pier, where was berthed for inspection and repair. The port authorities are investigation the reason of the accident, but the shipowner will have to pay all the expenses for refloating and salvage operations of the ship.
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Fire on board of general cargo ship Yukka
The general cargo ship Yukka caught fire on 40 nautical miles off Cide, Turkey in Black Sea. The ship was operating on route from Istanbul to Rostov-on-Don, when a fire started from the engine room and caught whole vessel. The distress signal from the vessel was sent to the coast guard and the crew left the ship on life rafts. Two officers were slightly injured during the accident, but their burns were minor and there is no danger for their health. Meanwhile, the Turkish Coast Guard sent firefighting tugs to the scene of the accident, which extinguished the fire on board and towed the vessel to the port. The crew was evacuated and transported to Cide, where the injured officers will have a medical treatment. The port authorities started investigation for the source of the fire, but as preliminary information the reason was technical malfunction.
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Super-yacht Phocea was arrested in Vanuatu
The super-yacht Phocea and its captain were arrested for breaking the Immigration and Customs Act of Vanuatu. The coast guard boat stopped the yacht a few miles off the coast of the South Pacific Ocean's island for regular check. On board of the yacht were found fake passports of Vanuatu and weapons. The police reported that two government ministers were on board of the super-yacht Phocea before the arriving of the customs officials. The preliminary information shows that the yacht was used for drug and weapons traffic, as the investigations in such direction continue. The captian of the yacht Richard Malaise, together with a woman will be due in a court together and may be jailed for up to two years. The super-yacht is one of the largest sailing yachts of the world and managed by Sete Yachts. The preliminary information reveals that the yacht was used for charter and the owner and manager are not engaged with the process in any case.
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Birka Paradise
The cruise ship Birka Paradise is part from the fleet of Birka Cruises and definitely one of the most beautiful and most luxury cruise ships built ever. The the length of the vessel is 177.00 m, the beam is 28.00 m and the depth is 9.40 m. The cruise ship has summer draft of 6.50 m, when operating fully bunkered and loaded. Birka Paradise has deadweight of 4,400 DWT and gross tonnage of 34,728 GRT. Such large dimensions and tonnage are showing the majesty of the ship, but even from the first sight can be noted the luxury interior and design. The cruise ship Birka Paradise has capacity for 1,800 passengers with double occupancy. The vessel has 10 passenger decks from total eleven stages. The interior is luxury and comfortable, providing really great cruise for all the guests. In any case on board the passengers have not only great accommodations and service, but also many public facilities and places. On board of Birka Paradise there are sports fields, fitne…
Saudi Arabia invest in port developments
The Port Authority of Saudi Arabia signed contracts for development and growing of a few ports in the country. The improvements will increase the size and the capacity of the the port King Abdul Aziz Port in Dammam, King Fahd Industrial and Commercial Ports in Yanbu and the Port in Tabuk. The total price of the investment is over 164 millions USD and the project has idea to increase the cargo and cruise capacity of the ports in Saudi Arabia. The press release of Saudi Ports Authority is that one new container terminal in Dhuba and two new terminals in King Fahd port will be constructed during this year. Also new yacht and cruise ships terminal will be created in Yanbu port, which will allow even largest recreation yachts and ships to visit the country. All the investment want to make Saudi Arabia one of the leaders in Persian Gulf in maritime transport and cargo carrying.
Ferry with 80 passengers ran aground in Bergen
The ferry Trondheim with 80 passengers on board ran aground in the port of Bergen, Norway. The ship collided with Krokeide Quay and ran aground in the mud bank of the port during maneuvering for berthing. The rescue boats, and port authorities arrived at the scene of the accident, but they reported that there are no injured passengers and no damaged cars. The ferry Trondheim was operating on route between Hufthammar and Bergen, when during the maneuvering operations had technical problem and got blackour of the diesel generators. The vessel drifted with higher speed to the quay and the shallow, where ran aground. The divers are inspecting the hull of the ship but no serious damages and no holes were found. However, the ferry Trondheim will be dry docked in bergen for full recovery and maintenance.
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Fire on board of container ship Jupiter off San Diego
Fire started on board of the container ship Jupiter 30 nautical miles off San Diego, USA. The cargo ship was operating on route to Mazatlan, Mexico, when a fire started in the engine room. The crew on board started firefighting with all the facilities on board. During the accident one of the crew members was seriously burned and needed medical intervention. The fire was extinguished with the ship's firefighting equipment, but the condition of the seamen got worse. The officers sent a distress signal and requested assistance from the coast guard. A helicopter arrived at the scene of the accident and carried the seaman to the hospital for further treatment. The container ship reported that there are no other injured people on board during fire extinguishing and continued the voyage to Mexico with 2,400 TEU on board.
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IMO hangs over MEH to Indonesia
The Government of Indonesia got the control over the Marine Electronic Highway, which was managed and created by International Maritime Organization (IMO). The information system is providing traffic details and control over the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, which are some of the heaviest load marine routes in Asia and all over the world. The IMO secretary, formally handed over the Marine Electronic Highway system to the General Director of the Directorate General of Sea Transportation (DGST) on formal ceremony in Batam, Indonesia. The Marine Electronic Highway project is arrangement of the three countries Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, which together with the partnership of IMO, International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) and International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) will create better traffic control over the most busiest shipping routes.
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NCC Najem
NCC Najem is the newest chemical tanker, which was built in the South Korean shipyard of SHINAsb (ex SLS). The vessel is property of the South Arabian company National Chemical Carriers Ltd, part of the National Shipping Company BAHRI. The ship was completed in August 2012 and constructed according to the latest standards of IMO and MARPOL. The vessel is part from the large order, which National Chemical Carriers Ltd signed with the South Korean shipyard. The chemical tanker is really modern, large and highly environmental. The overall length of the ship NCC Najem is 183.00 m, the beam is 32.25 m and the depth is 18.90 m. The chemical tanker has maximum summer draft of 12.15 m, when fully loaded with cargo and free board of 6.75 m. Such dimensions are really large, when talking about chemical tankers, but the shipbuilders introduced their most modern technologies inside and make the vessel really safety. The deadweight of NCC Najem is 45,499 DWT, the gross …