A hole in container ship Angel (IMO 9256406) has been patched after it sank following water ingress on July 20th while it was anchored off the coast of Kaohsiung. The clean-up of a related oil spill was expected to be completed soon. The Taiwan International Ports Co expected to finish cleaning the spill and clearing obstructive containers that fell from the Angel by August 17th, if weather conditions permitted. Drones operated by the Directorate General of Highways and a marine engineering company found only a small oil spill in the area where the vessel sank. As of August 16th the Taiwan International Ports Co (TIPC) had searched 16 areas and found containers in 10 of them. The bulk of the containers have already been removed from the waters around the harbour. Those that remained did not pose a threat to ships operating in the area, TIPC said.
2003-built, Palau-flagged, 16,145 gt Angel is owned and managed by Navramar Shipping Inc care of ISM manager Zulu Shipping LLC of Baku, Azerbaijan.
German tall ship Alexander Von Humboldt II (IMO 9618446) came into contact with a floating crane at Kaiserhafen, Bremerhaven, during the morning of August 21st, while leaving Bremerhaven. It came into contact with its foremast yards, and then by stern. It had been scheduled to depart for a tour trip with some 100 passengers on board, but as a result of the incident had to remain at port to undergo inspection and assess damages. There were no injuries.
Rescue ship Aurora SAR (MMSI 232039073) was said by Italian authorities to have wilfully disregarded instructions as to the location where rescued migrants on board should be disembarked. The Italian authorities had assigned the port of Trapani to the SAR Aurora, which had 72 migrants on board. However the NGO ship and headed instead to nearby Lampedusa because the ship was ruunning low on water supplies and fuel. The vessel also said that there was a lack of space, sanitation and adequate accommodation. The State Police Mobile Team, the Digos of the Agrigento Police Headquarters and the Lampedusa Port Authority carried out an inspection on board the ship.
Recent reports have seen up to half a dozen NGO rescue ships a day picking up migrants who started their journey from North Africa, usually Tunisia or Libya. Added to that are the number of migrant vessels rescued by merchant shipping and, of course, the boats that actually make it across the Mediterranean, mainly to Italy.
The Port Authority of Mykonos, Greece, was informed on August 20th of a mechanical failure in the starboard side main engine of the Fast Ferries Andros (IMO 8907280). It said that it had suffered a malfunction in the exhaust gas compressor during its scheduled service from the port of Paros to the ports of Tinos, Andros and Rafina, with 192 passengers on board. The ship sailed to Mykonos, where the passengers were disembarked. The Port Authority of Mykonos banned the ship from sailing until the repair of the damage and the presentation of a certificate of maintenance of class by the monitoring classification society. The passengers were forwarded to their destination on other ships.
1989-built, Greece-flagged, 4,682 gt Fast Ferries Andros is owned by Andros Fast Ferries Maritime care of manager Panagiotis Panagiotakis, Piraeus, Greece. ISM manager is Cyclades Fast Ferries Maritime of Piraeus, greece. It is entered with Shipowners Club on behalf of Andros Fast Ferries Maritime Co. As of August 22nd the vessel was back in service, underway between Tinos and Mykonos.