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26 Mar 2024

Bridge Collapse Freezes Ship Traffic in Port of Baltimore

(Photo: David Adams / U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)

Ships sailing to the U.S. port of Baltimore dropped anchor in waters nearby while vessels were stranded inside the port after traffic was halted following a bridge collapse, shipping data showed on Tuesday.A 948-foot container ship smashed into a four-lane bridge in the port in darkness early on Tuesday, causing it to collapse and sending cars and people plunging into the river below.Port traffic was suspended until further notice, Maryland transportation authorities said.At least 13 vessels that were expected to load coal were anchored near to Baltimore port…

26 Mar 2024

Six Presumed Dead After Baltimore Bridge Collapse

Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies.

Six workers were missing and presumed dead from a bridge that collapsed in Baltimore Harbor early on Tuesday after a massive cargo ship crippled by a power loss rammed into the structure, forcing the closure of one of the busiest ports on the U.S. Eastern Seaboard.With dive teams facing increasingly treacherous conditions in the darkened, wreckage-strewn waters, active search-and-rescue operations were suspended about 18 hours after the accident, U.S. Coast Guard and Maryland…

26 Mar 2024

Cargo Ship Lost Power Before Slamming Bridge in Baltimore

Collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore (Credit: Screenshot/StreamTime Live)

A massive cargo ship smashed into a bridge while sailing out of Baltimore early on Tuesday, sending cars and people into the river below and closing one of the busiest ports on the U.S. Eastern Seaboard.Rescuers pulled out two survivors, one of whom was hospitalized, and searched for more in the Patapsco River after huge metal spans of the 1.6-mile (2.57 km) Francis Scott Key Bridge crumpled into the icy water around 1:30 a.m. (0530 GMT).The ship reported a power issue before impact…

26 Mar 2024

Ships Bound for Baltimore Drop Anchor After Traffic Stopped

Collapsed Key Bridge in Baltimore (Credit: Screenshot/StreamTime Live)

At least 10 commercial ships that were sailing to the U.S. port of Baltimore have dropped anchor in waters nearby, data from ship tracking and maritime analytics provider MarineTraffic showed on Tuesday.A container ship smashed into a four-lane bridge in the port on Tuesday, causing it to collapse and sending cars and people plunging into the river below.Port traffic was suspended until further notice, Maryland transportation authorities said.The vessels that anchored included container and bulk carrier ships that were signaling their destination as Baltimore…

26 Mar 2024

Baltimore Bridge Collision Sends Vehicles Tumbling Into Water

Collapsed Key Bridge in Baltimore  (Credit: Screenshot/StreamTime Live)

A container ship smashed into a four-lane bridge in the U.S. port of Baltimore in darkness on Tuesday, causing it to collapse and sending cars and people plunging into the river below.Rescuers pulled out two survivors, one in a "very serious condition," and were searching for more in the Patapsco River after huge spans of the 1.6-mile (2.57 km) Francis Scott Key Bridge crumpled into the water.The ship "lost propulsion" as it was leaving port, and crew on board notified Maryland officials they had lost control of the vessel, ABC News reported, citing an unclassified U.S.

21 Feb 2024

Ship Hit by Missiles and Abandoned in Red Sea Faces Unknown Fate

© Eugene / Adobe Stock

A cargo ship abandoned four days ago in the Gulf of Aden after it was hit by missiles fired by Yemen's Houthis is still floating despite taking in water, and could be towed to nearby Djibouti, industry sources said on Wednesday.Shipping risks have escalated due to repeated drone and missile strikes in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait by the Iran-aligned Houthis since November. U.S. and British forces have responded with several strikes on Houthi facilities but have so far failed to halt the attacks.The crew of the Belize-flagged Rubymar abandoned the vessel after it was hit on Sunday…

20 Feb 2024

Greek Ship Attacked in Red Sea by Houthis Arrives in Aden

© Faraways / Adobe Stock

The Greek-flagged bulk cargo vessel Sea Champion arrived in the southern Yemeni port of Aden on Tuesday after being attacked in the Red Sea in what appeared to have been a mistaken missile strike by Houthi militia, shipping and military sources said.Shipping risks are escalating due to repeated drone and missile strikes in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait by the Iran-aligned Houthis since November. U.S. and British forces have responded with several strikes on Houthi facilities but have so far failed to halt the attacks.The Sea Champion…

22 Jan 2024

Suez Canal Authority Carries Out Repairs to Missile-hit Vessel

(Photo: Suez Canal Authority)

Egypt's Suez Canal Authority said on Monday it had conducted repair work on a missile-hit Greek dry-bulk carrier, highlighting its readiness to restore damaged ships passing through the Red Sea.The Malta-flagged, Greek-owned vessel Zografia had berthed at a floating dock of the authority-affiliated Suez Shipyard Company for repairs after the ship's hull and some components sustained external and internal damage in a Jan. 16 attack by Yemeni Houthi forces.The vessel was sailing…

18 Dec 2023

Commercial Ship Still Hijacked off Somali Coast

(Photo: EUNAVFOR)

A commercial vessel hijacked by unknown assailants remains off the coast of Somalia raising fears of further instability for global shipping as attacks escalate in the Red Sea, maritime security sources said on Monday.A Spanish navy ship was dispatched at full speed on Friday towards the Maltese-flagged Ruen vessel, which sources said had been hijacked.British maritime security company Ambrey said the vessel had reached nine miles offshore from Bander Murcaayo in Puntland, Somalia on Dec.

15 Dec 2023

Yemen's Houthis Attack Two Ships with Missiles

© ID1974 / Adobe Stock

Attacks from Houthi-controlled Yemen struck two Liberian-flagged ships in the Bab al-Mandab Strait on Friday, a U.S. defense official said, underlining the threat to vessels in shipping lanes being targeted by the Iran-aligned group.Danish shipping company A.P. Moller-Maersk said it would pause all container shipments through the Red Sea until further notice. German container line Hapag Lloyd said it was considering a similar move.A projectile, believed to be a drone, struck one of the Liberian-flagged vessels, the German-owned Al Jasrah, causing a fire but no injuries, the U.S.

19 Nov 2023

Grain Ship Damaged Off Ukraine, Likely Hit Sea Mine

© Grispb / Adobe Stock

A merchant ship transporting grains was lightly damaged off the coast of Ukraine and was likely to have been hit by a floating sea mine, according to maritime specialists and a Ukrainian government source.This is the latest incident affecting commercial ships sailing in the Black Sea.War risk insurance premiums have risen to as much as 3% of the value of a vessel after a missile damaged a merchant ship in the Ukrainian port of Pivdennyi last week, industry sources said.Four maritime and trade sources said the Liberia-flagged Georgia S bulk carrier laden with a wheat cargo was sailing from Pivd

08 Nov 2023

Finland Says China Promised Full Cooperation in Pipeline Probe

© iuneWind / Adobe Stock

Finland on Wednesday said China had promised to fully cooperate in the investigation of the destruction last month of the Balticconnector gas pipeline, which happened on the same night that three subsea telecoms cables in the area were also damaged.Finnish police have said they are investigating whether a Hong Kong registered container vessel, the NewNew Polar Bear, damaged the pipeline by dragging its anchor over the sea bed, but have not concluded whether this was an accident…

07 Nov 2023

Russian Firm Says Baltic Telecoms Cable was Severed as Chinese Ship Passed Over

Chinese ship NewNew Polar Bear (previously known as Baltic Fulmar) in 2020. (Photo: Alf van Beem)

A Russian fiber optic cable under the Baltic Sea was completely severed last month when a Chinese container ship passed over it, state company Rostelecom said on Tuesday.Finnish investigators have already said they suspect the vessel, the NewNew Polar Bear, of causing serious damage to the nearby Balticconnector gas pipeline by dragging its anchor over the sea bed during the same voyage.Two other Baltic telecoms cables were damaged on the same night of Oct. 7 along the route that the ship was travelling…

03 Nov 2023

Wagenborg Offshore Takes Delivery of Subsea Support Vessel Kingsborg

Credit: Wagenborg Offshore

Wagenborg Offshore has taken delivery of the Kingsborg subsea support vessel.Kingsborg is a subsea support vessel, converted from a platform supply vessel, that will support subsea activities and decommissioning works in the southern North Sea in a long-term agreement with an energy major, Wagenborg said, without sharing the name of the client."After the positive experiences with the W2W vessels Kasteelborg and Keizersborg, Wagenborg has once again opted to convert a standard Platform Supply Vessel into this specialist offshore vessel.

01 Nov 2023

Solstad Offshore Sells Laid Up AHTS Vessel

Credit: Wanfahmy/AdobeStock

Solstad Offshore's subsidiary, Solstad Rederi, has sold the Anchor Handling Tug Supply (AHTS) vessel Nor Spring.The 2008-built, 70-meter-long AHTS vessel has been in layup in Asia since 2020. "Delivery of the vessel to the new owner took place today, November 1, 2023," Solstad Offshore said, without disclosing the name of the buyer."The sale of the vessel will result in a positive accounting effect of approximately MNOK 50 to be reflected in the Q4 2023 accounts," the company said.According to MarineTraffic…

27 Oct 2023

Three Baltic Pipe and Cable Incidents "are related", Estonia Says

The NewNew Polar Bear ship photographed as Baltic Fulmar outside the Port of Rotterdam in 2020 - Public Domain Photo

The three incidents that resulted in damage to a gas pipeline and two telecom cables between Estonia, Finland and Sweden "are related", Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said.Finnish police leading the pipeline investigation have named the Hong Kong-flagged container carrier NewNew Polar Bear as the prime suspect in damaging the Balticconnector Finland-Estonia gas pipeline early on Oct. 8.A large anchor was found near the pipeline, and the investigators believe the pipe was…

17 Oct 2023

Evergreen Line Declares Force Majeure on Israel Shipment

Taiwanese container shipping line Evergreen has declared force majeure on a shipment to the Israeli port of Ashdod, with its Ever Cozy vessel diverted to Haifa further north due to safety concerns, according to a customer note.This is one of the first force majeures declared since Hamas Islamists launched attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, amid preparations by Israel's military to launch ground operations into Gaza in retaliation.The Ever Cozy was sailing towards Haifa port on Tuesday, according to data from ship tracking and maritime analytics provider MarineTraffic.Israel has vowed to annihilate Hamas Islamists after its fighters stormed through Israeli towns from Gaza…

30 Aug 2023

Ships Drop Anchor Around Gabon as Country Shuts Down After Coup

© Julian / Adobe Stock

At least 30 commercial ships dropped anchor on Wednesday around Gabon's waters after military officers said they had seized power in the Central African country, according to data and maritime sources.Military officers in oil-producing Gabon said they had put President Ali Bongo under house arrest, after the country's election body announced that he had won a third term.

16 Oct 2023

Tanker Hits Mine in Black Sea

A Liberian-flagged oil products tanker hit a mine on Sunday in the Black Sea off the coast of Romania and sustained minor damage, but the crew was safe, sources said on Monday.It is the second vessel this month to have been hit by a floating mine in the Black Sea, in a reminder of the continued perils faced by commercial ships in the region.The Ali Najafov tanker was sailing near to the Sulina channel near Romania when the blast occurred on Sunday, Yoruk Isik, head of the Bosphorus Observer consultancy, told Reuters.A Ukrainian source separately confirmed the vessel had struck a mine.The vessel's Istanbul-based manager Palmali, listed in shipping databases, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

24 Aug 2023

Ukraine Asks Lebanon to Bar Syrian Ship Carrying 'Stolen' Corn from Docking

Ukrainian officials on Thursday asked Lebanon to bar a Syrian state-owned cargo ship carrying allegedly stolen Ukrainian grain from docking in Lebanon's Tripoli port, according to the Ukrainian embassy and a diplomatic note seen by Reuters.The Ukrainian mission said in comments to Reuters that the Finikia was transporting 6,000 metric tons of corn, which it considered stolen, from the Black Sea port of Sevastopol.In the note to Lebanon's ministries of transport, finance and economy, as well as the customs directorate, the embassy said the corn had been "stolen from storage units in the Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv and Kherson regions".It said…

11 Sep 2023

Siem Topaz Vessel's Contract in Taiwan Extended to Q4 2024

Siem Topaz - Credit: Siem Offshore

The Norwegian offshore vessel Siem Offshore said Monday it had secured a contract extension for the AHTS Siem Topaz with a local client in Taiwan. The contract will start in direct continuation of the current contract, for a firm period reaching into Q4 2024. The vessel will continue to be employed within the offshore wind industry.Offshore Engineer reported back in March that Siem Offshore had secured a medium-term contract for the AHTS Siem Topaz for client Helix Robotics Solutions Inc.

06 Oct 2023

Turkish Ship Hits Mine in Black Sea, Sustains Minor Damage

A Turkish-flagged general cargo ship hit a mine on Thursday in the Black Sea off the coast of Romania and sustained minor damage but the crew was safe, maritime and security sources said.British maritime security company Ambrey, citing information it received, said the ship struck a sea mine 11 nautical miles north of Sulina in Romania, near the entrance to the Sulina Canal."The vessel reportedly experienced an explosion at approximately 0920 UTC (GMT). The vessel dropped anchor for a short period to assess the damage," Ambrey said in a note."At 1210, the vessel resumed sailing," Ambrey said adding that no casualties were reported.It was one of the first incidents for some months involving a ship hitting a sea mine.

15 Oct 2023

Backlog at Israeli Ports Grows

© Dmitry Pistrov / Adobe Stock

The backlog of ships is growing at Israeli ports while operations continue at most terminals amid preparations by the military to launch a ground assault in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, according to data and sources.Israel has vowed to annihilate Hamas in retaliation for a rampage in which its fighters stormed through Israeli towns a week ago, shooting civilians and seizing scores of hostages in the worst attack on civilians in Israel's history.Israel has faced heavy rocket barrages including in the south of the country…