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

At least 10 people have died and 11 are missing after a Spanish fishing boat sank off Canada’s east coast. Three crew members have been rescued, and efforts to find survivors are continuing. The crew of 24 included 16 Spanish, plus Peruvian and Ghanaian nationals, according to Spanish media reports. The vessel, registered in 2004 and based in the port of Marin in the Spanish region of Galicia, sank in waters off Canada’s Newfoundland. Two distress alerts were received from the Villa de Pitanxo vessel more than 450km (279 miles) from land, according to Spanish sea search and rescue agency … Continue reading Tragic: Ten dead and 11 missing as Spanish trawler sinks off Canada

Two luxury cruise ships that sought refuge in Bahamian waters because of unpaid fuel bills are no longer on the lam. Authorities in the Bahamas seized the Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity Friday, days after one of the ships joined its sister in Bimini amid a financial collapse at its parent company. Local media outlets reported that the ships were seized off Freeport about 9 p.m. Friday. No passengers were on board when the ships were seized. The vessels are in the custody of the admiralty marshal, said Stephen Turnquest, a Bahamas-based attorney for a fuel supplier that is suing Crystal … Continue reading Two Crystal Cruises ships seized in Bahamas over unpaid bills

A crude oil vessel has exploded off the coast of Nigeria with ten crew members on board. The FPSO Trinity Spirit, with a 22,000 barrels of oil per day capacity, was situated near Warri in southern Nigeria when it burst into flames. The vessel, which is also used for offloading, is owned by Shebah Exploration & Production Company Ltd (SEPCOL), whose chief executive Ikemefuna Okafor said there were no immediate reports of fatalities. “We can confirm that there were ten crew men on board the vessel prior to the incident and we are prioritising investigations with respect to their safety … Continue reading Oil vessel explodes off coast of Nigeria

Global supply chain disruption and shortages caused by the Covid-19 pandemic are set to continue well into 2022, according to a report. Digital supply chain experts project44 say average delays on shipping from China to Europe rose to 6 days in December, after falling for months. Delays on routes from China to the west coast of the US have also been increasing steadily since October. Congested ports and production delays have disrupted schedules for months. “Delays are likely to continue well into 2022,” project44 said, “as Covid-19 breakouts continue throughout supply chains and consumers continue to buy at a healthy … Continue reading Warning shipping delay problems to continue this year

Two people have been detained after a UK cargo ship collided with a Danish boat in the Baltic Sea off the Swedish coast, killing at least one person. Prosecutors are investigating allegations of gross negligence and gross drunkenness at sea involving the UK-flagged Scot Carrier. Two crew members on the Scot Carrier were found to be over the limit. Rescue teams searched for hours by sea and air after the much smaller Danish boat, Karin Hoej, capsized. One of Karin Hoej’s crew remains missing. Officials said a British and a Croatian citizen had been arrested. A distress call was made … Continue reading Update: Two detained after UK boat’s fatal collision off Sweden

A major rescue operation is under way after two cargo ships collided in the Baltic Sea off the Swedish coast, causing one vessel to overturn. At least two people are believed to be in the water following the incident in the early hours of Monday, the Swedish Maritime Administration (SMA) said. The overturned ship, the Karin Hoej, is registered in Denmark. The other vessel was named as the Scot Carrier. A spokesman for the SMA said screams were reported from the cold water. “We have not found anyone yet. But we have requested diving resources… it is dark and very … Continue reading Just In: Cargo ships collide off Sweden’s coast in the Baltic Sea