Container ship Orita (IMO 9318931) suffered an engine failure on December 9th while transiting the Çanakkale Strait en route from Aliağa to Kocaeli, Türkiye No injuries or pollution were reported. The Çanakkale Ship Traffic Services Centre coordinated an emergency response which saw a guide captain along with tugboats Kurtarma 18 and Kurtarma 20 ensure the vessel’s safety. Escorted by the Kurtarma 18 and towed by the Kurtarma 20 the Orita reached Şevketiye Anchorage Area safely, where it anchored.
2005-built, Panama-flagged, 6,734 gt Orita is owned by Mores Shipping & International care of Romes Shipping of Tuzla, Istanbul, Türkiye. It is entered with West P&I (Eastern Claims Team) on behalf of Mores Shipping & Trading International Trading Co. As of December 9th the 132.6m x 19.45n vessel was at anchor off Izmit, Türkiye.
General cargo vessel Kayo (IMO 9577331) was reported to have suffered a loss of stability and started listing on December 5th, prompting a response from Vietnam and Malasia MRCC. The vessel was transporting clay from Lumut Port, Malaysia, to Hon Gai, Vietnam at the time of the incident. The incident occurred at midnight while the vessel was navigating approximately 65nm east of the Malaysian coast. The vessel was said to have developed a 15-degree starboard list and become unstable during adverse weather conditions. Malaysia MRCC dispatched coast guard vessel KM Sebatik, which escorted the Kayo and directed the crew to anchor safely within Malaysia’s Kemaman Port anchorage. Authorities confirmed that all the 15 crewmembers, including 13 Vietnamese, one Bangladeshi and one Indian, were safe and required no medical assistance. The vessel remained at anchor, awaiting assistance.
2011-built, St Kitts & Nevis-flagged, 2,999 gt Kayo is owned and managed by Kayo Shipping Ltd of Piraeus, Greece. As of December 6th the 92m x 15m vessel was underway from Lumut Anchorage (departed December 2nd) to Hon Gai, Vietnam, ETA December 11th.
A reported 18 migrants drowned when their boat overturned 40 km south of the tiny southern Greek island of Chrysi, a coast guard official said at the weekend. Two migrants were rescued from the sea. The boat was initially detected by a Turkish cargo ship, which contacted the Greek authorities. The survivors were being taken to the island of Crete, the official added. The past year has seen a steep rise in migrant boats, mainly from Libya, heading for Crete, Gavdos and Chrysi – the three Aegean islands nearest to the African coast.
A stash of cocaine weighing 27kg hidden inside a refrigerated shipping container has been seized after Australian authorities intercepted the cargo on its arrival into Port Botany in New South Wales. Australian Border Force officers identified the consignment and conducted an x-ray examination. This identified anomalies in the rear of the container. Further examination located 22 individually wrapped plastic blocks of what turned out to be pure cocaine, weighing just over 1kg each. Packages containing tracking devices were also located in the container. Since October, 2025, about 145kg of cocaine has been found by ABF officers in refrigerated containers.