Cargo ship Gala A (IMO 8822040) collided with motor hopper Liberty (IMO 8728842), which in turn came in contact with dredger Pilgrim (IMO 7397593) while the Gala A was manoeuvring in the port of Izmail on the Danube during the evening of March 22nd. As a result the embankment of the Izmail sea station was…
Pirate attack in Gulf of Guinea
Months of relative calm in the Gulf of Guinea came to an end on March 25th/26th when an unknown number of pirates boarded a product tanker, tentatively identified as the Monjasa Reformer (IMO 9255878), when it was off the coast of DR Congo, near Point Noire. Accounts ranged between three and five armed boarders, from…
Spain tightens rules on STS oil transfers
Spain has toughened its restrictions on ship-to-ship oil transfers after experiencing a significant increase in the number of such transfers along its coastline. Oil tankers seeking to carry out operations off the Mediterranean and Atlantic shores, even outside Spanish territorial waters, will now have to seek authorization from the closest Spanish port captaincy. The new…
Spain urges LNG importers to sever associations with Russia
Spain, which has been the biggest European buyer of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia, has asked importers not to sign new contracts with the sanctioned country – part of the EU’s attempts to reduce Russia’s income from energy exports. Citing unnamed people with knowledge of the matter, Bloomberg reported that LNG importers in Spain…
Russia’s diesel exports to Brazil, Turkey and Africa look set to reach new highs
Russia looks likely to reach record highs this month for its diesel and gasoil exports to Brazil, Türkiye and Africa, reported Reuters, citing traders and Refinitiv data. After crude was embargoed by the EU in December, a ban on refined products came into effect on February 5th. That meant Russian diesel cargoes had to find…
AGCS expands in marine liability
Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS), the commercial insurance arm of Allianz, has hired Ross Taylor to work in its marine liability underwriting team. Taylor had been an underwriting manager at Liberty Specialty Markets since April 2015, having fulfilled various other roles with the insurer since joining the company it August 2003 as an assistant…
Denmark locates unidentified object near Nord Stream
Danish Defence and the Danish Energy Agency have reported the finding of an unidentified object alongside an undamaged section of the Nord Stream pipeline. They said that they would be keen to examine it. Russia on Friday indicated that it welcomed the Danish efforts. It repeating its claims that additional unexploded devices might be near…
Maersk Magellan will dispose of its oil cargo outside EU waters
Tankship Maersk Magellan (IMO 9447732), which was barred from entering the Spanish port of Tarragona on February 10th due to concerns about a possible breach of sanctions rules relating to Russia, will now dispose of the cargo by a STS transfer outside EU waters (IMN February 15th 2023) The tanker has been idled off Cyprus…
Misjudged crane height caused up to $2m-worth of damage to bridge
The US National Transportation Safety Board has said that an incorrect estimate of a crane’s boom height on a barge led to it striking the Houma Twin Span Bridge, Louisiana, in March 2022. On March 6th 2022 towing vessel Robert Cenac (MMSI 367617690) was transiting the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, pushing the crane barge Mr Dawg…
US investigation refutes Panamanian claim re oil spill cause
An investigation and analysis of oil samples by the US Coast Guard has refuted the contention of the Panamanian Maritime Authority that tug Karen Koby was responsible for an alleged oil spill in 2021 that affected a coastal mangrove area. The Panama court has not yet made a final ruling in the case. On November…