The EU has said leaks in two major gas pipelines from Russia to Europe were caused by sabotage – but stopped short of directly accusing Russia. Deliberate disruption would result in the “strongest possible response”, said the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. Ukraine earlier went further, accusing Russia of a “terrorist attack”. The EU has previously accused Russia of using gas supplies, and the Nord Stream line, as a weapon against the West. The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he thought the leaks would “not have a significant impact on Europe’s energy resilience”. Neither … Continue reading Sabotage to blame for Nord Stream leaks says EU

Nord Stream 2 – the controversial gas pipeline from Russia – has begun leaking in the Baltic Sea, endangering naval traffic, Denmark has warned. It set up a prohibitive zone within five nautical miles (9km) of the pipeline near the Bornholm island. The Danish energy ministry said it had acted after being informed about a pressure drop in the now-defunct undersea pipeline earlier on Monday. Operating company Nord Stream 2 AG said the drop happened overnight. “The Nord Stream 2 landfall dispatcher registered a rapid gas pressure drop on Line A of the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline,” it … Continue reading Russia’s gas pipeline leaking into Baltic Sea

A fourth crew member has been rescued Monday after a storm sunk an engineering vessel two days earlier, according to Chinese authorities.In this image released by Hong Kong Government Flying Service, a helicopter with rescue crew members approaches a sinking ship in the South China Sea. The crew member was rescued by a navy ship Monday morning and is in stable condition, according to a statement by Guangdong maritime authorities. Rescue work is still ongoing. The latest rescued person was part of a 30-strong crew on board the Fujing 001, a China-registered floating crane, that was involved in building several offshore … Continue reading 4th crew member rescued after ship sinks south of Hong Kong

A fire engulfed a ferry carrying 165 people in the central Philippines and rescuers now say all but two have been brought to safety. One person is confirmed to have died and one is missing, the Philippine Coast Guard says. The Mama Mary-Chloe was sailing between the islands of Bohol and Leyte. A Coast Guard video on Facebook showed survivors ashore in Hilongos, on Leyte. The boat, with 157 passengers and eight crew, had sailed from Ubay, on Bohol. Some reports say children had to jump from the burning boat before being picked up. A YouTube video showed a huge … Continue reading Huge fire engulfs ferry in Philippines

Nearly 16,000 sheep have drowned in the Red Sea off the coast of Sudan after an overcrowded ship bound for Saudi Arabia capsized. According to the Sudanese exporters’ association, the vessel carrying the livestock sank on Sunday morning not long after it left the eastern Sudanese port of Suakin. The incident has dealt a financial blow of an estimated 5 million Saudi riyals ($4 million), the Sudan Tribune reports, citing unidentified officials. “The ship, Badr 1, sank during the early hours of Sunday morning,” an unnamed senior Sudanese port official said. “It was carrying 15,800 sheep, which was beyond its load limits.” A second official, also speaking on the condition of … Continue reading Photos: Nearly 16,000 sheep drown after ship sinks in Sudan’s Red Sea

At least seven people have died after a high-speed Philippine ferry carrying 134 people caught fire. It happened just before the boat reached the port of Real in Quezon province, about 37 miles (60km) east of the capital Manila. It had left Polillo Island at 5am local time and made a distress call at 6.30am. Many of the 134 passengers and crew were forced to jump into the water and others were rescued by vessels in the area, coast guard officials said. Five women and two men died, a statement said. Authorities said at least seven people remained missing. A … Continue reading At least seven dead and 120 rescued in Philippine ferry fire

A fishing trip in New Zealand has ended in tragedy, with four people dead and one passenger still missing after their boat sank during wild weather. The rescue operation began on Sunday evening after a charter fishing vessel activated an emergency beacon off the North Island’s North Cape. A helicopter was first on scene at the remote location, arriving at about 11.40pm but by 2.30am the boat had sunk. Search and rescue crews winched five people to safety and transported them to Kaitāia hospital, but five passengers remained missing. Rescue operations were hampered as thunderstorms, swells and torrential downpours battered the region … Continue reading Four dead after New Zealand fishing boat sinks in bad weather

Iran has rescued 29 of the 30 crew members of a UAE-flagged cargo ship that sank in the Gulf amid high winds and rough seas, state media report. An operation was continuing to find the missing sailor, an emergency response official told Irna news agency. Two rescue vessels and helicopters were dispatched after the Al Salmy 6 went down about 48km (30 miles) from the port of Assaluyeh on Thursday. Winds were more than 70km/h (45mph) at the time, the Iranian official said. The operations manager of the Dubai-based company that owns the Al Salmy 6, Salem Al Makrani Cargo … Continue reading Iran rescues dozens as UAE-flagged cargo ship sinks in Gulf

A cargo ship that was carrying thousands of luxury cars has sunk off the Portuguese Azores archipelago, nearly two weeks after it caught fire. The ship, named Felicity Ace, was transporting around 4,000 cars such as Porsches and Bentleys. The vessel was on its way to Rhode Island in the United States from the German port of Emden when the fire broke out. All of its crew members were evacuated when the fire broke out on February 16. Joao Mendes Cabecas, the captain of the nearest port on the island of Faial, told Reuters that no oil leak had been … Continue reading Update: Ship carrying 4,000 luxury cars sinks off the Azores

Turkish officials reported no injuries after a bomb struck a Turkish-owned ship in the Black Sea, the Wall Street Journal reported. Turkey’s Directorate General of Maritime Affairs confirmed the bombing on Thursday, adding that no one was hurt in the attack. The latest attack highlighted concerns that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine would disrupt vital shipping routes in the Black Sea, which carries most of the world’s wheat and other agricultural products, according to the Journal. This comes as Turkey has shown support for Ukraine during the ordeal, even though Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has a close relationship with Russian leader … Continue reading #Russianinvasion: Bomb strikes Turkish-owned ship in Black Sea

Greek and Italian boats rushed to evacuate 288 people on board a ferry that burst into flames near Corfu in the Ionian Sea. The Euroferry Olympia had left Igoumenitsa in Greece and was heading to the Italian port of Brindisi when fire reportedly broke out on a deck. The captain asked passengers and crew to leave the ship and video showed the ferry engulfed in flames. Unconfirmed reports said 10 people were not yet accounted for. The ferry had been carrying mainly Italian nationals, Ionian islands governor Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou told ANA-MPA news agency. The Greek coastguard said 237 passengers and … Continue reading Hundreds evacuated from Greek ferry fire

The Felicity Ace, a massive Panama-flagged cargo ship carrying thousands of Volkswagen Group vehicles, caught fire near the Azores islands in the Atlantic Ocean Wednesday afternoon. The ship’s 22 crewmembers were successfully evacuated and taken to a local hotel by the Portuguese Navy and Air Force, who were deployed to help with the rescue effort, according to a statement from the Navy. The ship itself was left unmanned and adrift. An internal email from Volkswagen’s U.S. operations revealed there were 3,965 Volkswagen AG vehicles aboard the ship. Headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany, the group manufactures its Volkswagen brand, as well as Porsche, Audi, and Lamborghini- all … Continue reading Thousands of cars including Audis, Porsches adrift on burning cargo ship