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Aegean News

18 Oct 2023

IMRF Announces 2023 SAR Award Winners

Geoffrey Denman (Source: IMRF)

The International Maritime Rescue Federation (IMRF) has announced the winners of this year’s IMRF Awards, which recognize all those involved in global maritime search and rescue (SAR) efforts.The IMRF Awards acknowledge those that have shown excellence in their field, developed innovative technology and equipment, or acted as a role model to inspire others. The awards also shine a light on those colleagues who offer the tireless support, training, and planning that enables SAR crews to do what they do…

22 Aug 2023

Forest Fire Shuts Turkey's Dardanelles Strait for Maritime Traffic

© Brais Seara / Adobe Stock

Maritime traffic from the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara has been suspended due to the ongoing forest fire in the Turkish northwestern province of Canakkale, the transport ministry and a shipping agency said on Tuesday."The traffic at Dardanelles was suspended for both directions on Tuesday at 18:45 (1545 GMT) hours due to the aircraft intervening in the forest fire in the region by safely taking water from the sea," Tribeca shipping agency said.The Dardanelles Strait, a narrow and historically significant passage connecting the Aegean Sea to the Black Sea…

02 Jun 2023

Cargo Vessels Collide Off Greek Island Near Turkey

(Photo: Hellenic Coast Guard)

Two cargo vessels collided off the Greek island of Chios near the Turkish cost on Friday, authorities said, adding that there were no injuriesThe Singapore-flagged cargo vessel Potentia with 19 crew members and the Vanuatu-flagged ship Ant with 13 crew collided in the eastern Aegean Sea nine miles north of Chios."There are no injuries, there is no risk of pollution", a coast guard official told Reuters on condition of anonymity, adding that the ships were not loaded with cargo.It was not immediately clear what had caused the collision, the official added.

17 May 2023

Greece: Alexandroupolis Port Gets $26M EU Funding

Lighthouse at Alexandroupolis Port - ©Constantin/AdobeStock

Greece has secured 24 million euros ($26 million) in European Union funding to upgrade its northern Aegean Sea port of Alexandroupolis, privatization agency HRADF said on Wednesday.Alexandroupolis, which is close to Bulgaria and Turkey, has been used by U.S.

01 Mar 2023

Greece's First FSRU Project Starts with Conversion at Keppel

(Image courtesy Gaslog)

Work has begun to develop Greece’s first Floating Storage Regasification Unit (FSRU) at the Keppel shipyard in Singapore, with the conversion of GasLog’s DNV classed LNGC Gaslog Chelsea, recently renamed Alexandroupoli.Following conversion, FSRU Alexandroupoli will serve as an offshore storage and regasification facility and will be part of the Alexandroupolis Independent Natural Gas System (INGS). The 155,000-cbm LNG carrier, recently reflagged to the Greek flag, is the first FSRU conversion under the Greek Flag for operation in the Aegean Sea.

08 Dec 2022

Why Are Oil Tankers Stuck in Turkish Waters?

© momentscatcher / Adobe Stock

Turkey's maritime authority said on Thursday it would continue to block the passage of oil tankers that don't carry appropriate insurance letters, adding that insurance checks on ships in its waters were a "routine procedure".The logjam is creating growing unease in oil and tanker markets and comes as the G7 and European Union introduce a price cap on Russian oil.Millions of barrels of oil per day move south from Russian ports through Turkey's Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits into the Mediterranean.Here are key facts about the issue.Ships typically have protection & indemnity (P&I) insurance…

04 Oct 2022

Refurbished Oil Spill Response Ship Enters Service

Photo courtesy Environmental Protection Engineering (EPE)

A refurbished high-spec oil spill response vessel for the Aegean Sea has entered service under a four-year contract with the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), a contract with an option for four additional years.Dubbed AKTEA II, the OSRV will be able to reach anywhere in the Aegean within 24 hours and can collect and carry up to 4,500 tonnes of oil.Based in Piraeus, Greece AKTEA II OSRV (IMO 9327516) has onboard capacity of 4,486 cu. m. for recovered oil and is equipped with…

16 Aug 2022

African Penguins Endangered by Ship Bunkering Noise in Algoa Bay, Study Finds

©Lennart/AdobeStock

The already endangered African penguin is being driven away from its natural habitat off the east coast of South Africa due to noise from ship refueling, a scientific study has found.The number of African penguins on St Croix island in Algoa Bay, once the world's largest breeding colony of the birds, has plummeted since South Africa started to allow ships in the area to refuel at sea, a process known as bunkering, six years ago, the study found.Situated in a busy shipping lane along South Africa's east coast…

25 Jul 2022

Satellite Images, Data Show Russian Ship 'Looting' Ukrainian Grain

(Photo: Planet Labs PBC)

Late last month, a Russian-flagged cargo ship carrying corn pulled into the Turkish port of Izmir on the Aegean Sea. The SV Nikolay had loaded the grain at Port Kavkaz, in Russia, six days earlier on June 18, according to documentation provided by an employee of the Russian company that owns the ship.A Reuters analysis of satellite imagery, ship-tracking data and open-source photos and videos yields a different port of origin for the SV Nikolay. On June 18, Reuters’ analysis of a satellite image indicates…

05 Jul 2022

DNV Recognizes First Verified SEEMP III Vessel

(L to R): Jason Stefanatos, Regional Decarbonization Director, DNV, George Teriakidis, Area Manager East Mediterranean & Black Sea, DNV, Dimitrios Mattheou, CEO, Arcadia Shipmanagement Co Ltd., Ioannis Chiotopoulos, Senior Vice President, Regional Manager SE Europe, Middle East & Africa, DNV, Leonidas Karystios, Regional Business Development Director. (Photo: DNV)

Classification society DNV presented Arcadia Shipmanagement Co Ltd. with a certificate recognizing their vessel Aegean Myth as the first vessel globally to have a SEEMP III manual. The Ship Operational Carbon Intensity Plan or SEEMP Part III, is part of IMO’s strategy to reduce shipping’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and a verified SEEMP Part III must be kept on board from 1 January 2023.The SEEMP Part III, or Ship Operational Carbon Intensity Plan, was finalized with the latest amendments to MARPOL Annex VI and the associated Guidelines at MEPC 78 last month.

24 Jun 2022

Aframax Tanker Green Admire Delivered to Aegean Shipping

(Photo: Aegean Shipping)

Aegean Shipping announced it has taken delivery of the newbuild Aframax tanker Green Admire. The vessel was handed over on Friday at China Yangzhou Cosco Shipyard Heavy Industry.The ship's design incorporates an optimized hull form powered by a Tier III MAN B&W 6G60ME-C9.5-HPSCR engine for improved fuel efficiency, Aegean Shipping said. With an attained EEDI of 2.99g CO2/t.NM vessel already fulfills phase II of EEDI. The vessel is also equipped with a ballast water treatment system and complies with the new Bureau Veritas Environmental notations (Green Passport…

18 Apr 2022

Russian Oligarch Deripaska's Yacht Arrives in Turkish Waters

A yacht linked to Russian aluminum tycoon Oleg Deripaska arrived in a bay near the southwestern Turkish resort of Gocek on Saturday, as more Russian billionaires head for Turkey to flee Western sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.Deripaska, founder of Russian aluminum giant Rusal, has been sanctioned by the United States, European Union and Britain. He has previously called for peace.A Reuters witness saw the 73-metre (239.5 foot) yacht Clio arrive off the coast of Gocek in the Aegean coastal province of Mugla on Saturday. The Cayman Islands-flagged vessel remains in a bay off Gocek.The arrival of Clio in Turkish waters comes after two superyachts linked to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich…

29 Mar 2022

COSCO Launches Aframax Green Adventure for Aegean Shipping

(Photo: Aegean Shipping)

A newbuild aframax tanker Green Adventure was launched for Aegean Shipping at the Cosco Yangzhou shipyard in China's Jiangdu District on Monday. The 112,500 DWT crude oil tanker is scheduled to be delivered later this year.The vessel is one of four currently being built for the Greek shipping company at Cosco Yangzhou. Aegean ordered the first two ships in September 2020 and exercised an option for the third and fourth in December of the same year. Aegean has ordered 12 consecutive vessels from COSCO Group yards over the last five years.The series' first ship…

27 Dec 2021

At Least 16 Dead in Greek Shipwreck

(Photo: Hellenic Coast Guard)

At least 16 people died when their boat overturned off the Greek island of Paros in the central Aegean Sea on Friday, in the third maritime disaster involving migrants this week, the country's coastguard said.Authorities scrambled a search and rescue operation overnight northwest of Paros. Air and sea assets were deployed to the area, the coastguard said.Greece is one of the main routes into the European Union for migrants and refugees from Africa, the Middle East and beyond, though the flow has tapered off since 2015-2016…

01 Nov 2021

Ship with Hundreds of Afghan Migrants Docks at Greek Port

Credit: Hellenic Coast Guard

A Turkish-flagged cargo ship carrying 382 mostly Afghan migrants docked safely at a Greek island's port early on Sunday, two days after losing power in the Aegean Sea and sending out a distress signal.Six people among what was the country's biggest single influx of migrants in years were detained after the vessel, the Murat 729, was towed into Kos port by a Greek coast guard ship, the migration ministry said.The other arrivals were taken to a reception centre on the island. Their stay at the center…

04 Oct 2021

Turkey Sends Cypriot Vessel Away From Its Continental Shelf

Turkey sent a Greek Cypriot research vessel away from what it says is its continental shelf in the Mediterranean on Sunday after it entered the area without permission, Turkey's Defence Ministry said, in a sign of renewed tensions.For decades, Turkey has been at odds with Greece and Cyprus over competing territorial claims in the east Mediterranean, air space, energy, the status of some islands in the Aegean, and the breakaway Turkish state on the divided island of Cyprus.After months of tension last year that sparked fears of direct confrontation between NATO members Turkey and Greece, the two sides agreed in January to resume talks…

30 Aug 2021

Cargo Ship Sinks Off Greece. All 16 Crew Rescued

A Togo-flagged cargo ship sank on Saturday after hitting Greek islets in the Aegean Sea but all 16 crew were rescued, the Greek coast guard said.The freighter Sea Bird, which sailed from Ukraine and was bound for Tunisia, sent a distress signal after sailing into rocky islets in the southwestern Aegean Sea, the coast guard said in a statement.Nearby vessels rescued all 16 Syrian crew, a coast guard official said.It was not immediately clear what caused the accident.Three anti-pollution vessels have rushed to the scene to check whether there was any leaking from the freighter, the coast guard added.(Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou; Editing by Angus MacSwan)

19 Mar 2021

Sanmar Adds Two New Tugs

(Photo: Sanmar)

Sanmar Shipyards has delivered another vessel in its Delicay tug series—this time to its own fleet.Like its sister tugs, the the 25.3m x 12m x 6.1m Delicay Vlll is a Z-drive tractor tug built to Canadian naval architects Robert Allan Ltd’s exclusive to Sanmar TRAktor-Z 2500SX design, created in partnership with the Turkish tug-builder and operator for both harbor ship handling and towing duties.Built at Sanmar Shipyards Altinova, the tug is powered by 2x 2100kW main engines, giving it a speed ahead of around 12 knots and 75 tonnes of bollard pull.

18 Feb 2021

Turkey Deploys Research Vessel in Aegean Sea Sparking Protests from Greece

Greece said on Thursday it had protested to Turkey over its deployment of a research vessel in the Aegean Sea, in what it called an "unnecessary" move as the NATO allies seek to resume talks over a long-standing maritime dispute.An advisory issued by Turkey's navy this week showed the research vessel Cesme would be conducting a hydrographic survey from Feb. 18 until March 2 in an area of international waters where both sides have potential interests."It's an unnecessary move which does not help positive sentiment," government spokesman Christos Tarantilis told reporters. The foreign ministry has made a verbal complaint, government officials said.Ankara considers the area to be in international waters…

04 Feb 2021

Greek Cruise Operators Hope Vaccinations Will Help Save Summer Season

© Coprid / Adobe Stock

Greek cruise lines hope a swifter vaccination rollout and the government’s proposed vaccine certificates scheme can help get ships out of the docks where they have been idling empty for the past year and back to sea for the vital summer season.With international travel now at a near-standstill, saving at least part of the summer season will be vital, said George Koumpenas, Chief Operating Officer for Celestyal Cruises, a medium-sized operator that offers trips to the Aegean and…

24 Dec 2020

Aegean Shipping Orders More Tankers from COSCO

(Photo: Aegean Shipping)

Aegean Shipping Management announced Thursday it has exercised an option for a third Aframax tanker from Chinese shipbuilder COSCO Heavy Industry (Yangzhou) Co. Ltd. At the same time, a letter of intent (LOI) for a fourth vessel was signed.The initial deal for the series' first two vessels was signed in September 2020.The four ECO friendly tankers are scheduled to be delivered sequentially from June 2022 through March 2023.Piraeus-based Aegean Shipping, who owns only newbuilds from China, said the average age of its fleet will be 2.9 years upon completion of the latest newbuild series.

30 Oct 2020

Greece Gets Strong Interest for Igoumenitsa Port

© Dimitris / Adobe Stock

Greece on Friday received nine non-binding bids for a 67% stake in Igoumenitsa port, its privatization agency said on Friday.Bids were submitted by Aegean Oil, Attica Holdings and a consortium of Archirodon Group and ANEK & Trident Hellas Group.The other bidders were a consortium of Grimaldi Euromed and Minoan Lines, Danthia Shipping, MRG Ltd, Portek International, Quintana Infrastructure and Thessaloniki Port Authority , the agency said.The deadline for bidding expired at 1500 GMT on Friday.Greece embarked on an ambitious privatization plan in 2010, at the start of a decade-long financial cri

22 Oct 2020

Greece Calls for Tougher EU Stance Over Turkish Mediterranean Exploration

Greece urged the European Union on Wednesday to reconsider its customs union with Turkey in response to Ankara's continued gas exploration in contested Mediterranean areas, deploring what it termed Ankara's "imperial fantasies."After meeting Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Nicosia, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said they all agreed that Ankara is "blatantly" violating international law."Turkey's leadership has fantasies of imperial behavior with aggressive behavior from Syria to Libya, Somalia to Cyprus, from the Aegean to the Caucus," he said.The EU should also take note of Turkey's 'many violations' of the EU-Turkey customs union accord…