Greece News

Sri Lanka is seeking at least 340 million rupees ($1.9 million) from the owner of the stricken oil supertanker New Diamond for assistance given to the vessel since it caught fire on Sept. 3, the coordinating officer to the country's attorney general said.Nishara Jayaratne said the cost was for services provided by various departments including the Sri Lankan navy, air force, ports authority and Marine Environment Protection Authority, among others, up until Sept. 15.The fully-loaded vessel is still in Sri Lankan waters…

Cyprus is ready to engage in talks with Turkey to resolve differences but only "without blackmail and threats", President Nicos Anastasiades said on Wednesday.The two countries are locked in a dispute over drilling rights in the Mediterranean, and Turkey said on Tuesday it had extended a drilling vessel's operations in disputed waters off Cyprus until Oct. 12."Nicosia has been always ready for a dialogue but for that ... to be effective, it needs to be clearly defined based on international law…

Sri Lanka will take legal action against the owner of the oil supertanker that caught fire on Thursday as there is a large leakage of bunker oil from the stricken vessel, an official at the Marine Environment Protection Authority said.“We are deciding whether to claim criminal liability or civil liability or both,” Jagath Gunesekara, Deputy General Manager of the Authority said. He said action will be filed under Sri Lankan laws protecting the marine ecosystem.Greece-based Porto…

Oslo-listed offshore vessel owner GC Rieber Shipping last week completed the sale of its Polar King construction support vessel to, at the time, unnamed buyers.It has now been revealed that the 2011-built vessel was sold to the Greek-based Asso Group who took delivery of the vessel last week in Eydehavn, Norway. The vessel, to be renamed Argo, measures 110m in length, 20m in beam, has a Gross Registered Tonnage of 7,238, and features an ROV Hangar housing 2 Perry Slingsby work-class ROVs…

Turkey said on Monday that its Oruc Reis exploration vessel will carry out seismic surveys in a disputed area of the eastern Mediterranean until Sept. 12, provoking an angry response from neighboring Greece.Turkey and Greece, NATO allies, vehemently disagree over claims to hydrocarbon resources in the area based on conflicting views on the extent of their continental shelves in waters dotted with mostly Greek islands.Both sides have held military exercises in the east Mediterranean…

As COVID-19 continues to challenge many business plans and practices, the advent of remote inspection techniques is growing in popularity. What is reported to be the world’s first in-water remote ship surveys using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) have been completed by DNV GL.In-water bottom surveys using ROVs have now been carried out on three separate Wilson ASA-managed vessels with the first having been completed on the Wilson Fedje in December 2019 by a surveyor from Høvik. The survey was performed earlier in July on another ASA Wilson-managed vessel in Bergen, Norway.

The European Union's executive called on Monday for dialogue with Turkey and demanded that Ankara refrains from unilateral steps that stoke tensions in eastern Mediterranean.Should dialogue not bear fruit, a spokesman for the European Commission told a briefing on Monday, the EU has already moved towards sanctions.That came after the 27 EU foreign ministers discussed last week tensions between the bloc's members Greece and Cyprus and Turkey, a NATO ally. A senior EU diplomat said separately on Friday of the situation:"As well as sticks (sanctions)…

The European Union is preparing sanctions against Turkey that could be discussed at the bloc's next summit on Sept. 24 in response to the eastern Mediterranean dispute with Greece, the EU's top diplomat said on Friday.The measures, meant to limit Turkey's ability to explore for natural gas in contested waters, could include individuals, ships or the use of European ports, Josep Borrell said. The EU would focus on everything related to "activities we consider illegal", he added.He…

International maritime law specialist Hill Dickinson announced the death of Patrick Hawkins, head of its office in Greece.Hawkins died in the hospital on August 20, having suffered a heart attack in early July. His funeral took place in Athens on Monday.Announcing his death, David Wareing and Tony Goldsmith, heads of Hill Dickinson’s Marine and Trade Group, said, “It is with enormous sadness that we have to inform you of the passing of our much loved colleague Patrick Hawkins.

NATO is looking at ways to avoid accidental clashes in the Eastern Mediterranean while supporting German diplomatic efforts to defuse the worsening dispute over energy resources there, the alliance’s chief said on Thursday.NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told Reuters the Western alliance was considering so-called deconfliction measures to prevent naval accidents in an increasingly congested region, although he did not go into details.“I am also exploring the possibilities of NATO developing mechanisms to prevent incidents and accidents, a set of deconfliction mechanisms,” Stoltenberg s

Greece plans to extend the western limit of its territorial waters in the Ionian Sea to 12 miles, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Wednesday.Italy and Albania, who also have Ionian coasts, have been officially informed about Greece’s plans and a bill on the matter will be submitted to parliament soon, Mitsotakis said.“Greece will extend its western territorial waters to 12 nautical miles from six,” Mitsotakis told lawmakers during a debate on whether to approve an accord…

The United States said on Friday it had confiscated four Iranian fuel shipments that had been bound for Venezuela, disrupting a key supply line for both Tehran and Caracas as they defied U.S. sanctions.U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran should not be sending cargoes to Venezuela and added that the seized shipments were bound for Houston, Texas, a major U.S. oil shipping hub and suggested they may have already arrived."They're going to Houston. And, they're there," Trump told a White House news conference. "We're moving them, and moved, to Houston."The U.S.

President Tayyip Erdogan warned Greece on Friday that Turkey will retaliate against any attack on its survey vessel Oruc Reis in the eastern Mediterranean in an escalating row between the NATO allies over gas and oil exploration in the region.Turkey and Greece are vehemently at odds over overlapping claims for hydrocarbon resources in the region, and tensions rose after Ankara launched exploration operations in a disputed area of the Mediterranean on Monday. On Thursday, Erdogan…

A Greek and a Turkish warship were involved in a mini-collision on Wednesday during a standoff in the eastern Mediterranean, a Greek defense source said, describing it as an "accident".Tensions have risen this week after Turkey sent a survey vessel to the region, escorted by warships, to map out sea territory for possible oil and gas drilling - an area where Turkey and Greece both claim jurisdiction. EU foreign ministers were due to discuss the issue on Friday.The Turkish Oruc Reis survey ship has been moving between Cyprus and the Greek island of Crete, shadowed by a number of Greek frigates.

Tankers carrying Iranian fuel cargoes covered by a U.S. warrant for seizure are sailing to the United States after talks between U.S. authorities and ship owners, a U.S. government source and a shipping source said on Thursday.Iran had planned to transport the gasoline to Venezuela, a supply line that both Tehran and Caracas have flaunted in defiance of U.S. sanctions. Washington has imposed sanctions on both countries to choke oil exports and deprive their governments of their…

VIKING Life-Saving Equipment has delivered the first vessel in a series of three new ambulance boats for the Hellenic Coastguard.For many years, the Coastguard and the Hellenic National Center for Emergency Care (EKAB) have worked together to support patient transfer requirements from the Greek islands to larger hospitals. Today, a call for transport services is almost a daily occurrence.The new closed-cabin boat will be station in Naxos as the first in a series of special craft equipped with medical equipment.

Greek operator Maran Tankers Management (MTM), part of the Angelicoussis Group, has taken delivery of the 157,000 dwt oil tanker Maran Orpheus, built by Daehan Shipbuilding Co. in South Korea. The Suezmax delivery follows the 157,946 dwt Maran Phoebe handed over from Daehan in June. Both ships are Greek-flagged and classed by DNV GL.Daehan is also building the ABS-classed, 157,000 dwt Maran Aspasia and Maran Solon scheduled for delivery to MTM in October and December respectively.

France will increase its military presence in the eastern Mediterranean, President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday, calling on Turkey to halt oil and gas exploration in disputed waters that has heightened tensions with Greece.The French leader voiced concern over "unilateral" exploration by Turkey in a call with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Macron's office said in a statement. It added that prospecting should "cease in order to allow a peaceful dialogue" between…

China State Shipbuilding Corp (CSSC) equipment service subsidiary CSSC Marine Service Co (CMS) said it has completed the first ever major overhaul on two WinGD X-DF engines—in only nine days.The twin 6X62DF engines overhauled belong to the first ever X-DF powered vessel in operation, 2017-built 180,000-cbm liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier SK Audace, owned and operated by SK Shipping Co. LTD. The work was performed while the ship was at the Sabine Pass anchorage in Texas.In the three years since vessel delivery…

Leading container lines are diverting ships to Lebanon's smaller terminal of Tripoli after the devastating explosion at Beirut's port that killed 145 people also paralysed vital trade.Lebanon, which imports almost all it uses, relies on container ships to bring in everything from refrigerated food cargoes to clothing and other consumer goods.There is no firm date for Beirut port to re-open, and this is a strain on supply chains.Data from shipping intelligence platform MarineTraffic showed three container ships had arrived in Tripoli in the past 24 hours after being diverted from Beirut…

Turkey dispatched a vessel to conduct a seismic survey in a disputed area in the eastern Mediterranean, a move which Greece said was illegal and is likely to heighten tensions between the two NATO allies.The advisory issued by the Turkish navy said the Oruc Reis vessel would operate in the area over the next two weeks.The two countries are at odds due to overlapping claims for hydrocarbon resources in the region. A similar advisory, or Navtex, last month prompted a dispute that was calmed after the intervention of German Chancellor Angela Merkel…

VIKING Life-Saving Equipment reports it has won a tender to supply the Hellenic Army Special Forces with its Munin S1200 daughter craft, continuing a series of agreements that support patrol, defense and search and rescue capability of Hellenic seaborne forcesDesigned to operate for extended periods of time away from land or its mother ship, the 12m length by 3.5m deep-V hull boat will support Special Forces in tactical maneuvers, patrol and search and rescue operations. The Munin…

Greece will make mask-wearing compulsory on the decks of ferries sailing to its islands, extending the requirement beyond indoor public spaces, after a sudden rise in coronavirus infections that could put its crucial tourism season at risk.Greece reported 110 new cases on Saturday, its highest single-day increase in several weeks. Another 75 confirmed cases were reported on Sunday.Last week Greece made mask-wearing mandatory in all indoor public spaces and also in outdoor spaces…