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Friday, April 24, 2026

Flagged Bulk Carrier News

31 Mar 2026

How Many Ships have been Attacked in the Gulf Since Start of Iran War?

Source: social media

The Iran war has threatened Gulf ports and disrupted global trade through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which roughly a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes.Iran's Revolutionary Guards have warned that ships passing through the narrow Strait will be targeted, after the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on the country on February 28.Below is a list of reported attacks:MARCH 1A crew member was killed on board Marshall Islands-flagged crude tanker MKD VYOM after it was hit by a projectile as the vessel sailed off the Omani coast…

25 Mar 2026

Thai Tanker Transits Hormuz after Iran Talks

© Pawinee / Adobe Stock

A Thai oil tanker has safely passed through the Strait of Hormuz following diplomatic coordination between Thailand and Iran, and was not required to pay to escape the blockade, a Thai official and the oil major that owns the vessel said on Wednesday.The Bangchak Corporation BCP.BK-owned tanker crossed the strategic waterway on Monday after successful talks between Thai foreign minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow and Iran's ambassador to Thailand."I requested that if Thai ships need to pass through the strait…

17 Mar 2026

List of Vessels Attacked Since Start of War in Iran

Copyright ImageBank4U/AdobeStock

The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran has threatened Gulf ports and disrupted global trade through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which roughly a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes. Iran's Revolutionary Guards have warned that any ship passing through the narrow Strait will be targeted.Below is a list of reported attacks since the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran started on February 28:MARCH 1A crew member was killed on board Marshall Islands-flagged crude tanker MKD VYOM after it was hit by a projectile as the vessel sailed off the Omani coast…

11 Mar 2026

AMSA Detains Bulk Carrier Due to Unpaid Wages

© Merrillie / Adobe Stock

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has taken swift action to protect seafarer welfare, detaining Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Ocean Bright and banning it from Australian ports for six months after nonpayment of crew wages.This week, AMSA received a complaint that seafarers onboard the vessel Ocean Bright had not been paid for two months, prompting investigation when the vessel docked in Newcastle. The investigation found that eight crew members were owed US$46,334 in unpaid wages.AMSA also detected several other issues during the inspection and identified 18 deficiencies…

11 Mar 2026

Projectiles Strike Three Vessels in Strait of Hormuz

© woodpencil / Adobe Stock

Three vessels have been hit by unknown projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz, maritime security agencies and sources said on Wednesday, as one of the strikes led to a fire onboard a ship and forced most of its crew to evacuate it.The Thailand-flagged bulk carrier Mayuree Naree was targeted and damaged approximately 11 nautical miles north of Oman, two maritime security sources said.The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said later, referring to the incident, that the fire had been extinguished and that there was no environmental impact.

09 Jan 2026

Russian Drone Hits Two Foreign-Flagged Vessels Near Odesa

© Adobe Stock/ Leonid

Russia has attacked two foreign-flagged civilian vessels with drones in the southern Odesa region, killing a Syrian national and injuring another, Ukrainian officials said on Friday.Moscow has stepped up attacks on Ukraine's maritime export arteries over the last two months as retaliation for attacks on "shadow fleet" tankers heading to Russia to export its oil.Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said in a statement that one ship had been sailing along Ukraine's maritime export corridor to pick up a grain cargo at the port of Chornomorsk, and was under the flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis.The ot

23 Oct 2025

Sweden Boards Suspected Pollution Vessel in the Baltic Sea

Credit: Adobe Stock/Anna

The Swedish coast guard on Thursday boarded a Liberia-flagged bulk carrier suspected of dumping waste in the Baltic Sea, Sweden's civil defence minister said."This is a clear example of how the coast guard conducts active maritime surveillance to combat environmental crimes," Civil Defence Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin said in a post on X, without naming the vessel.(Reuters)

31 Aug 2025

Belize-Flagged Bulk Carrier Damaged Near Odesa

© Peter Hermes Furian / Adobe Stock

A civilian bulk carrier flying the flag of Belize has sustained minor damage after hitting an unknown explosive device near the Ukrainian seaport of Chornomorsk, two sources told Reuters on Sunday.Chornomorsk is a large and strategically important seaport in Ukraine's southern Odesa region, one of three Ukrainian ports operating in a maritime transport corridor linking the Black Sea to the Mediterranean Sea.Sources reported that the crew of the NS PRIDE were unharmed and that the ship continued on its way.

18 Aug 2025

Baltimore: Bulk Carrier Afloat After Explosion

Source: Baltimore County Police

The US Coast Guard and local partners are responding to an explosion aboard the 751-foot Liberia-flagged bulk carrier W-Sapphire in Baltimore Harbor.Responders from Coast Guard Sector Maryland - National Capital Region were dispatched to the area to assist. No injuries have been reported, and the cause of the explosion is under investigation.The vessel remains afloat and is being assisted by tug boats.The Coast Guard has established a 2,000-yard safety zone around the incident location…

07 Jul 2025

Houthis Claim Magic Seas Cargo Ship Attack

© Adobe Stock/FER737NG

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis said on Monday that a cargo ship they struck with gunfire, rockets and explosive-laden remote-controlled boats had sunk in the Red Sea, after their first known attack on the high seas this year.The ship's Greek operator Stem Shipping told Reuters it had no independent verification. Reuters could also not immediately verify whether the ship had sunk.The Houthis claimed responsibility for Sunday's assault and said they had allowed the 19 crew members to disembark from the Liberian-flagged bulk carrier…

08 Jul 2025

Two Crew Injured, Two Missing From Liberian-Flagged Vessel

© Adobe Stock/FER737NG

Two crew were injured and two others missing on a Liberia-flagged bulk carrier that was attacked with skiffs and drones 49 nautical miles southwest of Yemen's Red Sea port of Hodeidah, British maritime security firm Ambrey said on Monday.Ambrey said the vessel’s engines had reportedly been disabled and it had started to drift.

17 Mar 2025

AMSA Fines Uncooperative Owner

Source: AMSA

In Australia, Gladstone Magistrates Court has fined Universal Shipping Alliance Ltd, owner of the bulk carrier KMAX Leader, A$63,000 ($40,000) for failing to comply with an Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) written direction and ordered them to pay court costs.KMAX Leader, a Liberia-flagged bulk carrier, entered the Port of Gladstone in October 2023 due to propulsion issues. The vessel undertook extensive work in November 2023 which failed to repair the ship’s propulsion.Concerned with the lack of an effective repair plan…

24 Feb 2025

Baltic Sea Subsea Damage may have Occurred in January

Copyright gankevstock/AdobeStock

Finland's telecoms operator said the damage reported last week to its C-Lion1 telecoms cable in the Baltic Sea may have occurred as early as January 26, the same day a cargo ship broke another undersea cable in the area.Swedish and Finnish police said on Friday they were investigating a suspected case of sabotage of the C-Lion1 cable running along the seabed from Finland to Germany, while adding it was not immediately clear when the damage had occurred.The Baltic Sea region is on alert and the NATO alliance has boosted its presence after a series of power cable…

27 Jan 2025

Another Baltic Undersea Cable Damaged

Source: Latvian Government

An undersea fibre optic cable between Latvia and Sweden was damaged on Sunday, likely as a result of external influence, Latvia said, triggering an investigation by local and NATO maritime forces in the Baltic Sea."We have determined that there is most likely external damage and that it is significant," Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina told reporters following an extraordinary government meeting.Latvia is coordinating with NATO and the countries of the Baltic Sea region to clarify the circumstances…

01 Jan 2025

Single Point of Failure Led to Grounding

Source: ATSB

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has issued several safety recommendations after an electrical short circuit led to the grounding of a bulk carrier in the channel off Port Hedland, in Western Australia’s Pilbara region.On April 9, 2022, the Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Hagen Oldendorff departed its berth with a harbor pilot on board and four tugs assisting for an outbound passage of Port Hedland’s 40km dredged channel.During the transit, shortly after completing a turn…

30 Oct 2024

Mexican Ship Manager Caught Hiding Oily Water Discharges

© manola72 / Adobe Stock

Gremex Shipping S.A. de C.V., a Mexican ship management company has pleaded guilty to providing false records to the U.S. Coast Guard to conceal its illegal discharge of oily bilge waste, a felony violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS).The charge stems from a Coast Guard investigation of the cement carrier Suhar once it arrived in Pensacola, Florida, on August 25, 2023. The 7,602 gross ton Panamanian-flagged bulk carrier routinely hauled cement from Tampico…

28 Oct 2024

Oil Spilt During Bunkering off Changi

Source: MPA

An oil spill has occurred off Changi in Singapore during a bunkering operation between the Bahamas-flagged bulk carrier Ines Corrado and a licensed bunker tanker.The incident occurred at about 5.40pm on October 28, and bunkering operations ceased immediately. Singapore MPA craft arrived at about 5.50pm and sprayed dispersants.An estimated 5 tonnes of oil was reported to have overflowed.As a precautionary measure, a Current Buster has been deployed off Changi to recover oil on water, if sighted.

14 Oct 2024

Two Vessels Struck in Russian Attack on Odesa

© Sofiia / Adobe Stock

Another Russian missile attack on Ukraine's Black Sea port of Odesa damaged two civilian vessels and a grain storage on Monday, killing one person and injuring at least eight, Ukrainian authorities said.Russian troops have ramped up strikes on Ukraine's southern port infrastructure in recent weeks. Such attacks, which damaged a total of four foreign-flagged vessels since Oct. 6, had already pushed insurance rates up.One of the two vessels hit on Monday was a Palau-flagged bulk carrier…

12 Sep 2024

Russia Strikes Civilian Grain Vessel in Black Sea, Ukraine Says

Photos shared by Ukraine show a damaged civilian cargo vessel, carrying wheat grain to Egypt, which was hit by a Russian missile strike after it left Ukrainian maritime border in the Black Sea, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, September 12, 2024. (Photo: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service)

Ukraine accused Russia on Thursday of using strategic bombers to hit a civilian grain vessel with a missile in the Black Sea in NATO member Romania's maritime economic zone, in what it described as a "brazen attack" on freedom of navigation.President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the vessel carrying Ukrainian grain to Egypt had been hit by a Russian missile just after it exited Ukrainian territorial waters, and that there were no casualties according to a preliminary assessment.There was no immediate comment from Russia.If confirmed…

04 Jun 2024

Unseaworthy Bulker Banned from Australian Ports

(Photo: AMSA)

Australia has banned a Cypriot-flagged bulk carrier from entering its ports after inspectors found the vessel to be unseaworthy.The vessel, Peace, is operated by Danaos Shipping, a company which also operates the containership Suez Canal, which was the subject of a prolonged detention by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) in January 2024.AMSA Acting Executive Director Operations Greg Witherall said Danaos Shipping’s failures with the Suez Canal gave the authority…

29 May 2024

Houthis Claim to Attack Six Ships in Three Seas

French frigate FS Forbin assists bulk carrier Laax, which was hit by Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles in the Red Sea (Photo: French Armed Forces)

Yemen's Houthis launched attacks on six ships in three different seas, the Iran-backed group said on Wednesday, including the Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier Laax that was damaged after reporting a missile strike off the Yemeni coast.Security and shipping sources confirmed the Houthis hit the Laax in a barrage of attacks on Tuesday. In a televised speech, the group also said it targeted the Morea and Sealady in the Red Sea, the Alba and Maersk Hartford in the Arabian Sea…

12 May 2024

AMSA Bans Indian-Flagged Bulk Carrier

Source: AMSA

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has issued a 180-day ban to the Indian-flagged bulk carrier Darya Shaan after its operator took repeated risks with the safety of the crew, vessel and Australian marine environment by not reporting serious defects to the main engine and machinery whilst the ship entered Australian ports.AMSA inspectors attended the ship at Port of Melbourne on April 26 and found multiple maintenance issues on board including defective main engine control and monitoring systems…

07 May 2024

Ship Engine Failure Halts Bosphorus Vessel Traffic

© Aytug Bayer / Adobe Stock

Traffic was suspended in Turkey's Bosphorus on Tuesday after a bulk carrier had an engine failure at the southern end of the straits that run through Istanbul, shipping agent Tribeca said.It said that the Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Alexis suffered the engine failure at 5 a.m. (0200 GMT) and that vessels were sent to the area for a likely salvage operation.(Reuters - Reporting by Daren Butler; Editing by Jonathan Spicer)