Montenegro News

The 93 passengers and 36 crew on a ro-ro ran aground approximately 100 meters from shore at Barangay Nasunugan in Banton, the Philippines, at midnight on July 16 have now been rescued and refloating efforts have begun.Montenegro Shipping’s Maria Helena was sailing from Lucena Port in Lucena City, Quezon Province, bound for San Agustin Port in Tablas, Romblon, when the incident occurred.The vessel has been listing 10 degrees to portside, and the Captain is reported to have attributed the list to to the explosion of one tire of one of the rolling cargoes onboard…

Two seafarers have been brought up on charges for their alleged roles in smuggling cocaine into Western Australia on board a Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier.The men, both from Montenegro, were serving as master, 43, and chief engineer, 39, on board the 58,000-dwt supramax St Pinot. They have been charged with importing a commercial quantity of cocaine by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and are expected to face Perth Magistrates Court on Friday.Police allege the pair…

A former heavyweight boxer from Montenegro was charged by the U.S. Department of Justice on Monday with trafficking in 22 tons of cocaine worth over $1 billion, most of which was part of one of the largest cocaine seizures in American history.Goran Gogic, 43, was arrested on Sunday night while trying to board a flight to Zurich from Miami International Airport, after being indicted by a grand jury in New York.Prosecutors charged Gogic with three counts of violating the federal Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act, and one count of conspiracy.

A superyacht linked to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich docked in the Turkish tourist resort of Bodrum on Monday, after skirting the waters of European Union countries which have sanctioned the oligarch over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.Abramovich was among several wealthy Russians added last week to an EU blacklist, and EU governments have acted in recent days to seize yachts and other luxury assets from them.World governments are seeking to isolate President Vladimir Putin and his allies over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which the Kremlin calls a "special military operation".Last week, Abramovich flew into Moscow after leaving Istanbul in his private jet.

Preventing pollution from dumping of wastes at sea relies on global frameworks, regional conventions and protocols and national regulations, the UN's shipping agency, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) said. To be effective, these need to be aligned and implemented effectively. This was the subject of a March 2 meeting organized by IMO's Office of the London Protocol and Ocean Affairs (OLCP&OA) and UNEP/MAP.The meeting was attended by Barcelona Convention Contracting Parties…

Mediterranean countries underwent International Maritime Organization (IMO)  training on the impacts of anti-fouling systems and ships’ biofouling on the marine environment at a workshop in Valletta, Malta (12-14 November).The event raised awareness of IMO’s Anti-Fouling Systems (AFS) Convention and Biofouling Guidelines – what it means to implement them, and, in the case of the AFS Convention, the requirements and benefits of ratification and enforcement.Biofouling is the build-up of aquatic organisms on a ship’s underwater hull and structures. It can be responsible for introducing potentially invasive non-native aquatic species to…

Pollution response can be faster and more effective when there is an established emergency communications and emergency system.Mediterranean Countries recently met at a regional workshop held in Brussels, Belgium (22-23 October), to explore the set-up of a common emergency communication system for marine pollution incidents that connects the entire Mediterranean region. During the event, representatives from 12 Mediterranean countries - Albania, Algeria, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Egypt, France, Israel, Malta, Montenegro, Morocco, Spain, Tunisia and Turkey - received training in the European Union's Common Emergency Communication and Information System for Marine Pollution from ships and off-shore units (CECIS).The participants…

As privately owned, luxury yachts near the size of the average cruise ship, behold a new option, which is anything but commonplace: The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection. At 624 feet and 11 decks, her exterior profile resembles a sleek superyacht design, not a cruise ship on the horizon. Launched in October 2018 at Hijos de J. Barreras Shipyard in Vigo, Spain, the flagship of the new brand is now in outfitting and interior finishing. The project was co-managed by The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, Marriott and Tillberg Design of Sweden.

The Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC),  the IMO-administered pollution emergency response centre in the Mediterranean, has delivered a national training course in oil spill response in Montenegro.International Maritime Organization (IMO) said in a press release that the course was designed to prepare the competent national authorities to co-ordinate and manage responses and make decisions on strategies and tactics to be used in clean-up operations.It was aimed at supervisors and on-scene commanders, the release said.The training course will help Montenegro implement the International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness…

International Maritime Organization (IMO)-supported 4th edition of the Adriatic Oil Spill Conference (ADRIASPILLCON 2019), was held in Opatija, Croatia (28-30 May)."Planning for any marine pollution incident requires ongoing communication, collaboration and cooperation. Regional and sub-regional contingency planning is an effective way to share resources and expertise," said the UN body in a press release.The Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC), the IMO-administered pollution emergency response centre in the Mediterranean, shared its extensive experience and expertise in building capacity…

Planning for any marine pollution incident requires ongoing communication, collaboration and cooperation, points out the International Maritime Organization (IMO).Regional and sub-regional contingency planning is an effective way to share resources and expertise. This was in evidence at the IMO-supported 4th edition of the Adriatic Oil Spill Conference (ADRIASPILLCON 2019), held in Opatija, Croatia (28-30 May), said the UN body.Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC), the IMO-administered pollution emergency response centre in the Mediterranean, shared its extensive experience and expertise…

Damen Shipyards Group, Adriatic Marinas and the Montenegrin Government have signed a contract for redevelopment of Bijela shipyard. The consortium will transform site into superyacht repair and refit facility.According to a press release from the Dutch shipyard group, the consortium of superyacht marina development and operating group Adriatic Marinas and the global ship and superyacht builder Damen, have been working with the Government of Montenegro.Since 2012 the parties have been developing plans to bring about the redevelopment of the former Bijela shipyard in Boka Bay, Montenegro, it said.The recent completion of technical surveys…

An important strategic objective for International Maritime Organization (IMO)  is improve the way its treaties and conventions are implemented, at the national level.Domestic implementing legislation is required but audits carried out by IMO reveal that, in many countries, it either doesn’t exist or is incomplete.To address this need, IMO offers an intensive 5-day workshop for lawyers and legislative drafters. It provides them with the tools they need to understand IMO treaties and how they are developed and adopted. The most recent such workshop was held at IMO Headquarters (1-5 October).Participants from 16 countries (Argentina, Czech Republic…

Italian police said on Thursday they found 20 tonnes of hash worth as much as 200 million euros ($232 million) in the fuel tanks of a Panama-flagged ship that was stopped in international waters and escorted to Sicily.The entire 11-person crew, all from Montenegro, was arrested for international drugs trafficking, Italy's finance police said in a statement.The research and survey vessel Remus left the Canary Islands bound for Egypt and Turkey, but police surveillance showed it had turned off its position transmitter near the coast of North Africa, raising investigators' suspicions.With the permission of Panamanian authorities, Italian finance police seized the vessel in international waters on July 31 and escorted it to Palermo.

The headquarters of the EU’s anti-piracy missions off the coast of Somalia will be moved from the UK to Spain next year as EU leaders revealed the latest consequence of Brexit."EU NAVFOR confirms that following the decision from the Council of the European Union the mandate of Operation ATALANTA will continue until 31 December 2020," said a press release. EU NAVFOR Somalia, also known as Operation Atalanta, is a current counter-piracy military operation at sea off the Horn of Africa and in the Western Indian Ocean, that is the first undertaken by the European Union Naval Force.The mandate extension signals the EU’s commitment to continuing counter-piracy operations off the Somali coast.

A group of migrants, including 11 Syrians, were rescued on Tuesday from an Italian fishing trawler in the Adriatic Sea and taken to Montenegro, police said. Montenegro's coastal security sent out a rescue team after Erica, a 15 metre-long (50 feet) vessel, put out a distress signal 17 nautical miles (31 km) off the coast, said Safet Kocan, director of maritime safety. The Italian ship with migrants on board was finally moored in the Montenegrin port of Zelenika, inside the Boka Kotorska bay. Police said there were 11 Syrian nationals on the vessel, two people from Morocco and two from Yemen, one person from Afghanistan and one from Pakistan. The group included four children. "The distress call was sent this morning ...

The key IMO treaty supporting the free flow of international maritime traffic – the Facilitation Convention – provides a set of consistent, uniform regulations that cover the wide range of administrative tasks required of ships coming into and leaving port. To support this process in Montenegro, IMO is holding a seminar with the Ministry of Transport and Maritime Affairs in Bar, Montenegro (14-16 November). Thirty-five participants from various agencies with responsibilities for clearing ships, cargo, crew and passengers in the country’s ports, and private stakeholders are taking part. The seminar is advising participants on both the current facilitation regulations and recent amendments on the mandatory electronic data exchange for international shipping…

The world's largest heavy transport vessel Dockwise Vanguard is transporting a new floating dock from Montenegro to Lithuania. The floating dock was acquired in June 2016 and began its journey to Klaipeda, where it will be installed at the Western Shipyard owned by BLRT Grupp. In the beginning of August the 11,000 ton floating dock was loaded onto the Dockwise Vanguard, world's only vessel with a deadweight of 110,000 tons for carrying heavy loads and floating oil and gas platforms.

Italian maritime service provider Ocean S.r.l. has welcomed its first Damen tug – a Stan Tug 2608 – into its fleet. The company, part of the Ocean-Team Group, will deploy the vessel in harbor towage operations in the ports of Monfalcone and Porto Nogaro in the northern reaches of the Adriatic Sea. The signing of the delivery protocol was attended by King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, at the Palazzo Reale in Milan, as part of a recent State Visit to Italy with a parallel Netherlands Economic Mission.

International law firm Watson Farley & Williams (“WFW”) has advised Turkey-based cruise port operator Global Ports Holding (“GPH”) on the acquisition of stakes in companies managing cruise terminals in Italy. Specifically, GPH acquired stakes in the companies managing the Cagliari (Sardinia), Catania (Sicily) and Ravenna (Emilia-Romagna) cruise ports, previously owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (“Royal Caribbean”), Aloschi&Bassani S.p.A. and Bassani Ravenna S.r.l. Royal Caribbean will retain a minority stake in all three companies and Cagliari, Catania and Ravenna ports will remain part of Royal Caribbean’s cruise itineraries. Founded in 2004…

International law firm Watson Farley & Williams (“WFW“) is delighted to announce that Rome corporate Counsel Francesco Maria di Majo has been appointed president of the prestigious Port Authority of Civitavecchia, Gaeta and Fiumicino (Lazio Region, Italy). The appointment was confirmed today by Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Mr Graziano Delrio, following approval from the Italian Chamber of Deputies’ Transport Commission on 15 November 2016. The Port Authority of Civitavecchia, Gaeta and Fiumicino is a key maritime hub for Rome and the central Italian regions of Campania, Umbria, Tuscany and Marche, linking them to the rest of the Mediterranean and beyond, as well as offering access to some of Italy’s most popular tourist destinations and captivating cruise routes.

International law firm Watson Farley & Williams advised Global Ports Holding on the acquisition of two significant stakes in Venezia Terminal Passeggeri S.p.A made via Venezia Investimenti S.r.l., which is jointly owned in equal shares by GPH and fellow industry leaders Costa Crociere, MSC Cruises SA and Royal Caribbean. The first acquisition was of a 48% stake in APVS S.r.l. which owns 53% of Venezia Terminal Passeggeri, from Veneto Sviluppo S.p.A. The second of an 85.85% stake in Finpax S.r.l., which owns 22.18% of Venezia Terminal Passeggeri, from certain Venice port operators. The remaining stakes in Venezia Terminal Passegeri are held by SAVE SpA (22.18%) and the Chamber of Commerce of Venice, Rovigo and the Delta Lagoon (2.64%).

Cortec Corporation said that its biobased and biodegradable rust preventative, BioCorr, has received registered trademark approval from EU's Office of Harmonization. BioCorr is a water based, ready to use formulation intended for preservation of metals in storage and during transportation. This innovative solution is formulated with renewable raw materials and contains 64% biobased content. It provides multi-metal corrosion protection by combining film-forming additives with Vapor phase Corrosion Inhibitors (VpCIs).