Marine Link
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
SUBSCRIBE

Indian Coast News

26 Dec 2023

Indian Navy to Deploy Guided Missile Destroyers After Strikes Off Its Coast

© Kamchai / Adobe Stock

The Indian Navy will deploy guided missile destroyer ships in the Arabian Sea as a deterrent after an Israel-affiliated merchant vessel was struck off the Indian coast over the weekend.The navy was investigating the nature of the attack on the vessel, MV Chem Pluto, which docked in Mumbai on Monday, and initial reports pointed to a drone attack, a navy statement said."Further forensic and technical analysis will be required to establish the vector of attack, including type and amount of explosive used…

22 Aug 2023

Philippine and Indian Coast Guards to Enhance Cooperation

Source: ICG

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and Indian Coast Guard (ICG) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to enhance maritime cooperation at the ICG Headquarters in New Delhi, India, on August 22.PCG Commandant, CG Admiral Artemio M Abu, and ICG Director General, DG Rakesh Pal, presided over the signing ceremony. The aim of the MoU is to strengthen the professional bond between the two organizations by sharing best practices, conducting joint exercises, and enhancing training collaborations.

03 Jun 2021

Sri Lanka Prepares for Oil Spill after X-Press Pearl Ship Sinks

Credit: Sri Lanka Air Force./ Youtube Screenshot

Sri Lanka on Thursday readied for the possibility of an oil spill after a cargo ship laden with chemicals sank off its western coast.The Singapore-registered MV X-Press Pearl, carrying 1,486 containers, including 25 tonnes of nitric acid along with other chemicals and cosmetics, was anchored off the port city of Negombo when a fire erupted onboard after an explosion on May 20.Flaming containers filled with chemicals tumbled into the sea from the ship's deck as emergency crews sought to contain the blaze over the ensuing two weeks.The craft began to sink early on Wednesday…

20 May 2021

Indian Rescuers Searching for 26 Still Missing from Sunken Barge

(Photo: Indian Navy)

India's army and navy deployed ships and aircraft as they searched for 26 people still missing more than three days after a powerful cyclone sank a barge off the country's west coast, killing 49 people on board.Cyclone Tauktae, the most powerful storm to barrel into the west coast in two decades, has killed at least 46 others after wreaking havoc in the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala."Ships and aircraft continue to search for the remaining crew," Navy…

14 Sep 2020

Sri Lanka Plugs Leak on Fire-stricken Supertanker

Credit: Sri Lanka Navy

Sri Lanka has initiated repair work on the ruptured fuel oil tank in the engine room of a stricken fully loaded oil supertanker after plugging the leak, the country's Navy said.The supertanker is currently 52 nautical miles (96 kms) from the Sri Lankan coast, Navy spokesman Indika de Silva said. "Salvors are on board, they plugged the leak and the repair is still going...They have vacated the ruptured tank and transferred the dirty water into the ballast section," de Silva told Reuters. A fire broke out in the engine room of the Greek-owned New Diamond tanker on Sept.

10 Sep 2020

Sri Lanka: Fire-hit Tanker Towed Further Offshore as Wind Picks Up

Credit: Sri Lanka Navy

The Sri Lankan navy has towed a fire-stricken supertanker further out to sea to keep it off the coast of the Indian Ocean island after the wind picked up strength and changed direction, a spokesman said on Thursday.The tanker, loaded with 2 million barrels oil, was 50 nautical miles (95 km) from the east coast and moving in a northerly direction, the navy spokesman, Indika de Silva, said. Earlier, it had been headed southwest.The stricken vessel has raised fears of an environmental disaster…

17 Aug 2020

India Sends Team to Mauritius to Tackle Wakashio Oil Spill

(Photo: Mobilisation Nationale Wakashio)

India has sent technical equipment and a team of specialists to Mauritius to help local authorities deal with an environmental crisis after an oil spill from a Japanese ship, a government official said on Sunday.The Japanese bulk carrier Wakashio struck a coral reef off the Indian Ocean island nation on July 25, spilling about 1,000 tonnes of fuel oil and triggering a state of “environmental emergency”.The carrier split on Saturday, and the oil spill spread over a vast area of endangered corals…

06 Dec 2019

VOS Champion Starts New Charter

(Photo: Vroon Offshore Services)

Vroon Offshore Services reports its Singapore-managed anchor-handling tug supply (AHTS ) vessel VOS Champion has started a five-month contract with a major international oil and gas engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) contractor. The firm period of the current contract will last until March 2020.VOS Champion, which had been under charter to Chevron earlier this year, was delivered to her new charterers in early November and immediately mobilized to Sandakan, Malaysia.

12 Aug 2019

GRSE Launches FPV for Indian Coast Guard

Kolkata-based defence shipyard Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) launched the Fifth Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV) for the Indian Coast Guard at Raja Bagan Dockyard Unit of GRSE, Kolkata.This ship, to be commissioned as ICGS Kanaklata Barua, is the last in the series of Five FPVs built by GRSE. Upholding the best of maritime traditions, the shipwas “Launched” by Smt. Veena Ajay Kumar, wife of Dr. Ajay Kumar, IAS, Secretary Defence (Production) who was present at the occasion as the Chief Guest.This ship is 50M long, 7.5M wide and has a displacement of around 308 Tons. These FPVs are designed for a maximum speed of 34 knots with…

08 Aug 2019

CSL Launches 2 Ro Pax Vessels for IWAI

India's Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) has launched two Ro Pax vessels designed and built for Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI).The vessels launched at present are the third and fourth vessels in the series of 10 vessels order from IWAI, said the largest shipbuilding and maintenance facility in India.Cochin Shipyard is building a total of 8 Nos. Ro Pax vessels and 2 Nos Ro-Ro vessels for Inland Waterways Authority of India.IWAI nominated CSL for the construction of these vessels, which will be operated in strategic locations in National Waterways 1&2. These vessels can accommodate around 200 passengers and will have 8 crews and can carry 2 trucks and 4 cars.

24 Jul 2019

India Upgrades its Coast Guard

The Government India has established a robust maritime search and rescue framework to address and respond to various contingencies in deep sea and in coastal areas of India.According to a government release, the framework includes distress onboard fishing boats and merchant vessels, safety of life during marine incidents and SAR (Search and Rescue) response during cyclones.Director General Indian Coast Guard has been designated as the Chairman of National Maritime Search and Rescue Board (NMSARB), which constitutes members from national/coastal state administration/agencies.The sanctioned strength of Coast Guard has increased from 8149 in 2008 to 16818 upto July, 2019 which is 100% increase from manpower in 2008.

20 Jun 2019

International Workshop on Piracy in India

ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC) and Indian Coast Guard (ISG) are co-hosting an international workshop in New Delhi, India to deepen knowledge on issues related to piracy and armed robbery.Having 20 countries as its members, ReCAAP is the first regional Government-to-Government agreement that deals with the issues of piracy and armed robbery at sea in Asia.Designating ICG as the point of focus for ReCAAP within India, the nation has played an active role in establishment and functioning of ReCAAPISC along with Japan and Singapore.This year’s Capacity Building Workshop emphasises on knowledge of the role and functions of ReCAAP Focal Points in combating piracy and armed robbery against ships…

23 May 2019

Fugro Cancels, McDermott Extends CSV Charter

The provider of geo-intelligence and asset integrity solutions for large constructions, infrastructure and natural resource, Fugro has cancelled a charter with Oceanteam for construction support vessel (CSV) Southern Ocean off Australia as the unit has been delayed while working on its current job off India.Meanwhile, McDermott has awarded a charter extension to the Southern Ocean for operations offshore India."As a result of the cyclone hitting the Indian coast early May, expected scope of work undertaken by the CSV Southern Ocean could not be finalized during the charter period," said a press release from Oceanteam.Both charterer (McDermott) and the Vessel owner…

03 May 2019

Cyclone Slams Indian Coast, Millions Evacuated

A cyclone barrelled into eastern India on Friday, bringing down trees and power lines and "extensively" damaging the tourist town of Puri, but there were no early reports of casualties with a million people evacuated before it made landfall.Tropical Cyclone Fani, the strongest to hit India in five years, spent days building up power in the northern reaches of the Bay of Bengal before it struck the coast of the state of Odisha at around 8 a.m., the state-run India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.Howling winds gusting up to 200 kph (124 mph) whipsawed trees, uprooting scores, and driving rain impacted visibility, while streets were deserted in the state capital Bhubaneswar and Puri."Damage in Puri is extensive…

29 Mar 2019

Fairfax Invests in Seven Islands Shipping

Toronto-based investment holding company Fairfax India Holdings Corporation has invested approximately $72.1mln in Seven Islands Shipping Limited, a Mumbai-based liquid seaborne logistics company that has been operating ocean going tankers.The investment was completed through a direct subscription and secondary acquisition of Seven Islands shares. Following completion of the various transactions, Fairfax India owns 41.4% of Seven Islands.Seven Islands will use the proceeds of the direct subscription to expand its ocean-going fleet by acquiring additional vessels and for general corporate purposes.Seven Islands is the second largest tanker private shipping company in India and transports products along the Indian coast as well as in international waters.

16 Jul 2018

MV SSL Kolkata: Salvage Operations Continue

The salvage operations of the container vessel MV SSL Kolkata that had caught fire last month, is continuing in rough weather conditions with 2- 4 metre swells. The vessel is grounded at about 8 nautical miles off the ecologically sensitive Sundarbans since the 13th of last month when its cargo area had caught fire following an explosion. All 22 crew members were   rescued by the Indian Coast Guard. The Directorate General of Shipping and its allied office, Mercantile Marine Department, Kolkata, Govt. of West Bengal, the Indian Coast Guard and various authorities have been constantly monitoring the developments as the salvage efforts continue.

12 Jul 2018

Fire Stricken Box Ship SSL Kolkata Sits Aground

Indian flagged containership SSL Kolkata caught fire and went adrift in the Bay of Bengal on June 13 (Photo courtesy of the Indian Coast Guard)

Responders are facing challenging monsoon season conditions as they work to salvage a containership that caught fire and grounded in the in the Bay of Bengal last month.The stricken containership SSL Kolkata remains aground in soft mud some 7.5 nautical miles off the Indian Sunderbans, Kolkata, West Bengal, after an explosion in one of the containers lit a fire on board the vessel on June 13.An oil spill response team from OSRL has arrived on scene and is the process of managing the counter pollution operations as responders battle challenging weather conditions…

14 Jun 2018

22 Rescued from Containership Ablaze in the Bay of Bengal

(Photo courtesy of the Indian Coast Guard)

The Indian Coast Guard said it has rescued all 22 crew members from a containership that caught fire around midnight in the Bay of Bengal.Coast Guard vessels arrived on scene Thursday morning and rescued all crew and the captain from Indian flagged SSL Kolkata, Coast Guard Commander Inspector General (NE) Kuldip Singh Sheoran said.SSL Kolkata was sailing from Krishnapatnam in Andhra Pradesh to Kolkata when the fire broke out due to an explosion in one of the containers, local media reported.Sheoran said the ship is carrying 464 containers on board.With all crew evacuated…

23 Apr 2018

Maersk Honam in Jebel Ali Port

The Maersk liner vessel Maersk Honam, which was hit by a serious fire on 6 March, will reach anchorage outside the Jebel Ali Port (UAE) on Tuesday 24 April 2018. The fire broke out around 900 nautical miles southeast of Salalah, Oman, and remains under control. Firefighting activities were initiated by the Indian Coast Guard until vessels with special firefighting capabilities arrived at the scene. Salvage operations are led by Smit Salvage and Ardent – two best-in-class companies within maritime salvage. After careful evaluation with port authorities in the area, Jebel Ali was chosen as the most suitable to accommodate the vessel. During…

13 Apr 2018

Rolls-Royce, GSL to assemble MTU engines

Rolls-Royce said it has reached a deal with Indian naval shipbuilder Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) to cooperate in the local manufacturing of technologically-advanced MTU Series 8000 engines. Under the agreement, which was signed this week at the defense trade show Defexpo in India, the companies will assemble the 16-cylinder and 20-cylinder MTU Series 8000 engines at GSL’s new facility in Goa.The MTU brand produces large diesel and gas engines and complete propulsion systems as part of Rolls-Royce Power Systems.The agreement includes transfer of MTU technology related to localizing of engine components, engine assembly, testing, painting and major overhauls. MTU Series 8000 engines are the largest and most powerful MTU diesel engines with a power output of up to 10 MW.

07 Mar 2018

Maersk Ship Ablaze in Arabian Sea, 4 Crew Missing

Maersk has reported an active fire in a cargo hold on its liner vessel Maersk Honam en route from Singapore toward Suez around 900 nautical miles southeast of Salalah, Oman. After firefighting efforts were unsuccessful, the crew sent out a distress signal and a total of 23 crew members were evacuated to the nearby vessel ALS Ceres, which arrived at the scene around 18:30 GMT. Four crew members remain missing. The fire on board the Maersk Honam continues and the situation of the vessel is very critical, Maersk said. The cause of the fire is currently unknown. Maersk Line said it will investigate the matter in cooperation with all relevant authorities. The Indian Coast Guard is involved in emergency response efforts.

09 Feb 2018

Piracy, Armed Robbery in Asia Drop in January: ReCAAP

A total of seven incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships were reported in Asia - five actual incidents and two attempted incidents - in January 2018, compared to 16 incidents reported in December 2017, according to regional piracy watchdog ReCAAP ISC. Out of the seven reported, five were actual and two were attempted incidents. One of these was a piracy incident and six were armed robberies against ships. Five incidents occurred on board ships while at anchor/berth, specifically at Muara Berau (East Kalimantan, Indonesia), Manila (Philippines), Cam Pha (Vietnam) and the South China Sea. The two incidents on board ships while underway occurred off Alang, Gujarat (India) and off Pulau Karimun (Straits of Malacca and Singapore).

11 Dec 2017

ReCAAP, India Coast Guard Conduct Workshop

The Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) Information Sharing Centre and the Indian Coast Guard have commenced the 2017 Capacity Building Workshop in New Delhi, India. Themed “Striding Over Domestic Challenges,” this year’s workshop draws ReCAAP Focal Points from maritime enforcement and government agencies across Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Japan, Korea, Laos, Myanmar, the Netherlands, Norway, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and the United States. Participants will pool case studies drawn from recent incidents from their respective countries, discuss challenges, and share best practices to effectively deal with the evolving patterns of piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia.

Subscribe for
Maritime Reporter E-News

Maritime Reporter E-News is the maritime industry's largest circulation and most authoritative ENews Service, delivered to your Email five times per week