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Dover Strait News

08 Nov 2023

UK Report: More Collaboration Needed on Migrant Crossings

Source: MAIB

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch has published its accident investigation report on the loss of at least 27 lives when an inflatable boat carrying around 33 people became flooded and partially sank during an attempt to cross from France to the UK on November 24, 2021.The events were complex with multiple inflatable boats that were unsuitable and ill-equipped for the journey attempting to cross the Dover Strait to England. The occupants were not trained mariners, and their only means of calling for help was by mobile phone.

25 May 2021

P&O Ferries and DFDS Ink Space Charter Agreement

(Photo: P&O Ferries)

Two ferry operators on the English Channel on Tuesday announced a deal to make freight space on their Dover-Calais ships available to one another to maintain customer service levels on the route and ensure its continued resilience.Under the space charter agreement between P&O Ferries and DFDS, freight drivers can arrive at either the Port of Dover or Port of Calais and board the next available sailing, irrespective of whether the ferry is operated by either company.David Stretch…

01 Jul 2017

Ships Collide in the Dover Strait

The UK Coastguard report that a bulk carrier and an oil tanker collided in the Dover Strait. Although both vessels have been damaged, there is no water ingress and no pollution. A French tug is on scene with the vessels. There are no injuries and all of the crew are accounted for. The tanker, ‘Seafrontier’, which is loaded with 37953mt of gasoline, has 27 people on board. The bulk carrier ‘Huayang Endeavour’ is in ballast and has 22 people on board. The Coastguard helicopter was sent to the scene, along with Dover and Ramsgate RNLI Lifeboats, in case evacuation was required. The helicopter remained with the vessels for a short while, reporting information back to the Coastguard, before returning to base. The lifeboats have also now left and the tug has arrived on scene.

18 May 2017

EU Ship Owners Set Brexit Wish List

European ship owners have published their priorities when it comes to Brexit negotiations outcome. The shipping community embodies a fundamental acquis of the EU: free movement of goods and persons. European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA) believes that the current operating climate should be preserved as much as possible even after the Brexit. “European ship owners strongly believe that to the extent possible, EU and UK should aim for conformity in legislation relating to maritime affairs,” said ECSA Secretary General Patrick Verhoeven. An overall concern of EU ship owners relates to their competitiveness, among others in the fiscal area.

06 Dec 2015

Cargo Ship EMS Majestic Rescued in English Channel

The Antigua-Barbuda-flagged EMS Majestic began to sink with seven crew on board in the English Channel when it was being towed to safety. The UK Coastguard received a Mayday call at 7.09pm on Sunday from a cargo vessel which was taking in water in the Dover Strait. EMS Majestic reported that they had seven crew on board and were taking on water and sinking 13 miles south east of Eastbourne. A number of vessels transiting the area responded to Mayday Relay broadcast to provide assistance as required. Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) rescue helicopters based at both Lee on Solent and Lydd have been sent to the scene along with Eastbourne RNLI lifeboat. EMS MAJESTIC received assistance from the tug, THOR FRIGG and is currently under tow to Southampton.

22 Jan 2015

EU Backs Dover Strait Sea Connection

Photo courtesy: Ten-T Program

The EU's TEN-T Program will back with over $16.25million the improvement of the sea connection between Dover in The UK and Calais in France. The developments include better traffic management, berth enhancements and a new rail freight connection between Calais and southern France. The project will focus on innovative solutions to adapt and enhance the current transport infrastructure and improve the traffic management across the Strait of Dover. The action will have a positive impact by encouraging modal shift and reducing the carbon footprint of transport…

25 Nov 2014

Avoiding the Edges of the Sea

As predicted by Rudyard Kipling in 1935, we have reached the point where technology has instilled a false sense of complacency in many mariners.  Technology only performs its designed tasks if properly programmed and utilized.

Mariners do best when they avoid the edges of the sea – the shoals, rocks, and other hard spots. Coming into contact with the edges of the sea at other than a slow walking speed can ruin an otherwise pleasant voyage. Unfortunately, though, vessels have been making hard contact with the edges since Noah’s Ark grounded on Mount Ararat, rendering the Ark unseaworthy. For a while, it was thought that the leadline would reduce groundings, but one can’t be swinging the leadline constantly. Lighthouses were another early means of identifying hard spots by means other than direct contact.

13 May 2014

Europe Grapples with Threat of Ships Sailing Blind

Europe has yet to fully wake up to the danger of maritime disasters caused by signal jamming and blackouts of satellite navigation devices, say the proponents of a back up system on trial in British and Dutch ports. Ships increasingly rely on systems that employ satellite signals to find a location or keep exact time including the Global Positioning System (GPS) and GLONASS. But experts say such systems are vulnerable to signal loss from solar weather effects or radio and satellite interference and can also be affected by intentional jamming by criminal gangs, nation states or potentially from militant groups. The General Lighthouse Authorities of the UK and Ireland (GLA) is pioneering a radio-based back-up prototype called eLoran.

21 Nov 2008

Misuse of ARPA Causes Close Call

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) issued the report of its investigation into the close-quarters situation that occurred between a cruise ship and a car carrier in the Dover Strait Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) on 15 May 2008. The car carrier, along with a number of other vessels, was proceeding in the southwest lane of the TSS. The cruise ship intended to cross the southwest lane en route from Le Havre to Harwich. The master and the navigation officer on the cruise ship conducted several trial maneuvers utilizing the ARPA on the radar prior to executing the actual maneuver. Unfortunately, due to their unfamiliarity with the trial maneuver feature, they obtained a result that made the maneuver appear safer than was actually the case.

03 Nov 2008

UK –Near Miss in Dover Strait TSS

At 0438 UTC on 10 July 2008 a close-quarters situation occurred between the bulk carrier Barbara and the product tanker Maersk Borneo in the Dover Strait Traffic Separation Scheme in good visibility. The incident occurred outside UK territorial waters. Maersk Borneo was following the south-west traffic lane on a course of 233º at a speed of 12 knots and had a cargo of ammonium nitrate. Barbara had departed Antwerp in ballast for passage to Barcarena, Brazil, and was joining the south-west traffic lane from the east on a course of 298º, also at a speed of 12 knots. As the vessels closed, the OOW on board Maersk Borneo identified that there was a risk of collision and that Barbara was the ‘give way’ vessel.

04 Jan 2008

Containership Refloated

A large container vessel ran aground in the Dover Strait on January 2, 2008, and has been successfully refloated. The LT Cortesia is a large container vessel which ran aground this morning on the Varne Bank while traveling through the Dover Strait. The vessel was refloated by three powerful tugs at high tide this evening and pulled stern first off the sand bank. The Coastguard Tug, Anglian Monarch has been on scene throughout the operation, available for any additional support if needed. The LT Cortesia has made her way to a safe anchorage in the Downs approximately 10 miles East of Dover where she will undergo inspections overnight and tomorrow.

02 Jan 2008

Freighter runs aground in Channel

According to the Guardian Unlimited, the coastguard was sent to the aid of a large container ship that ran aground in the Dover Strait. The crew of the 90,465-ton German container vessel LT Cortesia contacted the Dover coastguard at 5am after running aground on the Varne Bank. The coastguard has sent the emergency tug Anglian Monarch to help the stranded ship and assess the options for salvaging it. The vessel was traveling through the strait from Thames port on its way to the Suez when it ran aground nine miles south of Dover harbor, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said. None of the 27 people on board the stranded ship was injured, and its 42,785 tons of cargo is reported to be undamaged. The vessel is believed to be watertight. Source: Guardian Unlimited

20 Dec 2001

Master of French Fishing Vessel Fined for Navigation Violation

The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) report that a French maritime court convicted the French skipper of the fishing vessel St. Jacques II for violations of the navigation rules following the April 23, 2001 collision with the Maltese vessel Gudermes in the Dover Strait. The master was found to have been proceeding the wrong way in the traffic lane, failing to show proper navigation lights while underway, and colliding with another vessel. He was fined 7500 Euros. Source: HK Law

15 Apr 2005

Master Prosecuted for Illegal Crossing

At a hearing at Aberdeen Sheriff’s court, the Master of a general cargo ship pleaded guilty to a Merchant Shipping offence following an incident while transiting the Dover Strait Traffic Separation Scheme. Captain Andriy Naumenko, the Ukranian Master of the 10,100 tonne, Maltese registered vessel, SAFMARINE BATA, pleaded guilty to a breach of Rule 10(c) of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea 1972, for which he was fined £2,000. This prosecution follows an investigation by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency into the circumstances surrounding an incident involving the SAFMARINE BATA on the 12th April 2005 as it crossed the Southwest lane of the Dover Strait Traffic Separation Scheme whilst en route from Portugal to Aberdeen in the UK.

05 Mar 2007

Multi-National Exercise in Dover Strait

The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA)will conduct a multi-national exercise on March 5. It will be conducted in the Dover Strait to test the response to a major maritime incident. Units from Belgium, France, and the UK will participate. Source: HK Law

15 Nov 2005

UK Master Prosecuted for TSS Navigation Offenses

The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency issued a Press Notice stating that the master of a refrigerated cargo vessel was convicted of violation of rules of the Dover Strait Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) and fined £2,500 plus £2,500 costs. The ship was proceeding up the North East lane of the TSS. When the ship turned to make its call at Sheerness, it did not do so at right angles as required. As a result, it came onto a collision course / at close quarters with three other vessels. When advised of the situation by Dover Coastguard, the master altered course to starboard, with the result that it proceeded directly against the flow of traffic in the South East lane of the TSS. Source: HK Law

16 Aug 2002

Two Ships Collide in Dover Strait

Two general cargo vessels on passage in the same lane of the Dover Strait have collided around 14 miles east of Ramsgate at 1:30 a.m. this morning. The 16,000gt Liberian registered, German owned 'Catharine Oldendorff' and the 16,000gt Netherlands registered 'Slotergracht' were both travelling in the same direction when they collided causing damage to the portside of 'Catharina Oldendorff' and to the starboard of 'Slotergracht'. Damage to both vessels seems at this stage to consist of dents and scrapes. There have been no reported injuries from the 16 crew on 'Catharina Oldendorff' or from the 24 crew on 'Slotergracht', who all remain on board their respective vessels.

20 Jan 2003

Transas Provides Simulator in Bangladesh

Transas Marine Pacific, the Transas representative in the South-East Asian region, has supplied a bridge simulator, Navi-Trainer Professional 3000, and a GMDSS simulator, TGS 4100, to Bangladesh Maritime Training Institute (BMTI). The acquired simulation facility has enabled BMTI to organize STCW compliant courses at its premises. The full mission ship handling simulator Navi-Trainer Professional 3000 comprises ECDIS with radar picture overlay capability, Radar/ARPA, real hardware for steering and engine control, Conning center and three channels of visualization. The simulator is provided with a wide variety of ship models and extended exercise areas library, including Dover Strait, Singapore Strait, Kanmon and others.

09 Dec 2002

MCA Issues Sea Discharge Report

The U.K. Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has released its 2001 survey of reported discharges attributed to vessels and Offshore Oil and Gas Installations operating in the United Kingdom pollution control zone. This report compiled annually by the Advisory Committee on Protection of the Sea (ACOPS) has shown that both the number of incidents of pollution from vessels has reduced as has the amount of oil released into the sea. · 678 accidental or deliberate polluting discharges were identified from vessels and offshore installations operating in the United Kingdom Pollution Control Zone and national waters. This is a reduction of 8.7% over the previous year’s total of 743 discharges. · Offshore oil & gas installations were identified as the source of 71% of the confirmed discharges.

21 Feb 2002

Emergency Tug Assistance Available Within U.K. Waters

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and the British Tugowners' Association (BTA) have this week concluded a revised agreement for instant, no-fuss, tug assistance to be available within U.K. waters. CAST (Coastguard Agreement for Salvage and Towage) means that, subject to availability, one or more tugs can be instantly mobilised by the MCA when a vessel is in difficulty and poses a threat to life, the environment or property. The agreement complements the government funded Emergency Towing Vessels (ETVs) which are large anchor handling type vessels that provide year-round cover in the Dover Strait, South West Approaches, the Minches and the Fair Isle area. The first CAST agreement was drafted in 1997 following the recommendations on the Donaldson report.

07 Apr 2003

Fire on Car Carrier in Dover Strait

The U.K. Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) rescue helicopter ‘India Juliet’ has airlifted a team of nine fire fighters from East Sussex Fire Brigade to the ‘Oriental Highway’ to assist the crew who are currently controlling the fire on board believed to be on deck seven. The ‘Oriental Highway’ was on passage from Germany to Portugal carrying 484 cars when the fire aboard was reported to Dover Coastguard. The vessel is currently anchored nine miles off Eastbourne in the English Inshore Traffic Zone. The Coastguard Emergency Towing Vessel ‘Anglian Monarch’ is alongside and is boundary cooling. Hastings and Eastbourne lifeboats which were assisting, have been withdrawn and are standing by in the vicinity.