· Ro-Ro Cargo Vessel Tips Over at Tuzla Shipyard; Two Dead, Several Injured
Two workers lost their lives and more were injured when the vessel Elmes, undergoing repairs at the Yıldız Shipyard, tipped over. The reason for the vessel tipping over is unknown as yet, and investigations have been opened into the matter.
The incident occurred at around 2:30 p.m. on 9th October, as the vessel was undergoing repairs at the Yıldız shipyard within the larger Tuzla Shipyards complex in Turkey. The vessel tipped over to its port side, and some workers fell into the sea. Other workers who were near the vessel were caught off guard, and hatch covers and other heavy components fell on some of them.
According to early reports, two Ukrainian workers lost their lives in the accident, and several others sustained injuries. Several emergency teams—including medical crews, firefighters, Coast Guard, and police—were quickly dispatched to the area.
The Elmes is a Saint Kitts and Nevis–flagged Ro-Ro cargo vessel that was built in 1997. The vessel has a length of 101.29 metres, a beam of 18.9 metres, and a gross tonnage of 5,752.
· Cargo Vessel Collided with Fishing Boat off Vietnam Coast; One Fisherman Missing
On 7th October, the Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center (VMRCC) received a distress alert following a maritime collision in the South China Sea. The incident involved the cargo vessel Thuan Trung 08 and the fishing vessel TTH 96329 TS, which collided at around 3:45 p.m. local time, approximately 10 nautical miles north-northwest of the Thuan An Estuary, Thua Thien Hue province.
The collision caused the fishing vessel, carrying four crew members, to sink. At the time of the incident, the area was experiencing easterly winds at force 4-5 on the Beaufort scale.
Three fishermen were rescued by Thuan Trung 08 and subsequently brought ashore, where they were handed over to local authorities for medical examination and formal procedures. One crew member remains missing.
In response, the VMRCC dispatched the search and rescue vessel SAR 631 to the site to assist in locating the missing fisherman.
As of the morning of 8th October, the VMRCC, along with local authorities, continued to locate the missing fisherman in challenging sea conditions.
· Passenger Vessel Collides with Inland Freighter in Netherlands, No Injuries Reported
On 9th October, a collision occurred between the inland freighter and a passenger ship in Beatrixhaven, Netherlands. No injuries or pollution were reported.
At around 7:15 am local time, the passenger ship collided with an inland freighter, Elmare, loaded with steel, and was moored near a bridge. In the incident, the freight suffered damage and was slightly tilted.
In response, the fire department, the Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue Institution (KNRM), and Rijkswaterstaat (the Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management) arrived at the scene to inspect the situation. The authorities confirmed that the conditions were stable and posed no immediate threat.
Elmare is an inland motor freighter and is sailing under the flag of the Netherlands. The vessel measures 135 meters in length and 11 meters in width.
· Pilots, Tugs Prevent Grounding of Fully Laden Ore Carrier in Australia’s Port Hedland
A new Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) interim report details how coordinated action by pilots and tug crews prevented a potential disaster after a fully laden bulk carrier lost propulsion while transiting Port Hedland’s shipping channel in February.
The Singapore-flagged bulk carrier FMG Nicola, measuring 327 meters and carrying a full load of iron ore, experienced a sudden main engine shutdown about an hour into its transit of Port Hedland’s single shipping channel on February 7, 2025, while traveling at approximately 8.3 knots.
According to ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell, “Over the next half hour, the ship neared the western, and then the eastern side of the channel, before travelling along the channel’s eastern edge as it slowed gradually.”
The incident triggered an immediate response, with the pilots directing the two secured tugs to help maintain the vessel’s position within the channel while requesting additional assistance. Four more tugs joined the effort, bringing the total to seven vessels working to prevent the carrier from running aground.
· Another Arms Shipment for the Houthis Intercepted by Opposition Faction
Factions opposing the Houthis have made yet another significant interception of Iranian-sourced arms destined for the Houthi militants. This time it happened off the southern coast of Yemen and further pressures the militants and their efforts.
The latest seizure follows two major interceptions of arms made by National Resistance Forces off the western coast in the Red Sea in May, and an interception of a mixed 750-ton cargo of arms, ammunition, missiles, and components made by the NRF in July, with all the material of Iranian origin. In Aden, two major seizures of arms and related machinery, all of Chinese manufacture, were made from containers searched in the Aden Free Port Zone on August 2 and in September. Chinese container hoists, to replace cranes destroyed in the port of Hodeidah by Israeli attacks, were intercepted in Lahj in August by Security Belt forces, and the same force made a major arms seizure later that month further to the East in Abyan.
