- Portugal-flagged container ship Loses Containers in Long Beach Port, Salvage Efforts Progress
On 9 September, the Portugal-flagged containership Mississippi, operated by ZIM Integrated Shipping Services, experienced a container stack collapse while moored at Pier G in the Port of Long Beach. No injuries were reported in the incident.
According to the U.S. Coast Guard, approximately 67 containers fell into the water during the incident, although later estimates suggested as many as 75 may have been lost from the vessel. Several containers also struck the pier, damaging the emissions-capture barge Stax 2. The Coast Guard confirmed that containers that fell into the water and were floating in the harbour belong to ZIM’s cargo.
Emergency crews, supported by the U.S. Coast Guard, deployed vessels and aircraft to contain the incident and survey the affected area. A harbor workboat was also observed nudging containers adrift to reduce navigational risks.
In the latest update, on Wednesday 10th September a team of federal, state, local agencies, and vessel representatives convened at the Port of Long Beach Joint Command and Control Center to coordinate salvage operations. Initial recovery efforts retrieved two sunken containers from the basin floor, while teams also secured a fuel leak from the Stax 2 barge, which had contained approximately 2,000 gallons of renewable diesel.
Sonar surveys were also conducted to locate the 25 to 30 containers believed to have sunk, with recovered units moved to a designated area contained by a boom. The Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have launched an investigation into the cause of the incident.
The Port reported on Wednesday that all terminals had resumed operations while the coast guard had continued to maintain a 500-yard safety zone around the affected area by the coast guard.
Mississippi, is a 2024-built vessel that measures 255 meters in length, 37.3 meters in width and has a carrying capacity of 5,500 TEU.
- Ship Raided by German Police and Detained on Suspicions of Espionage
The general cargo vessel Scanlark was raided by the German police while it was traversing the Kiel Canal. The raid was carried out due to suspicions that the vessel was used in acts of espionage targeting Germany’s critical maritime infrastructure. For now, the vessel and its crew remain detained.
German media reports that the vessel had departed from Rotterdam and was en route to Finland when it was stopped by the German police on the 7th September. The raid was conducted by special units of the police in Schleswig-Holstein. The operation involved both law enforcement officers and divers, and the search of the vessel extended well into the next day.
The crew of the vessel is reported to comprise mostly Russian nationals, and they have been barred from disembarking from the vessel.
The search was triggered by suspicions that a drone had been launched from the vessel on 26th August, possibly to reconnoitre a German naval vessel by taking pictures. Equipment and antennas atypical for cargo ships were found on the vessel during the search, further confirming the suspicions of espionage.
The Scanlark is a St. Vincent and the Grenadines-flagged cargo vessel that was built in 1985. The vessel has a length of 75.17 metres, a beam of 10.7 metres, and a gross tonnage of 1,371.
- Dutch-Flagged Cargo Vessel Runs Aground in Franklin Strait of the Northwest Passage
The Dutch-flagged cargo vessel Thamesborg ran aground in the Franklin Strait of the Northwest Passage, Canada, on 7th September. Fortunately, no injuries or pollution have been reported as a result of the incident. Efforts are underway to refloat the vessel.
The incident occurred while the vessel was en route from Lianyungang, China, to Baie-Comeau, Canada, transporting carbon rods for industrial use.
The vessel had around 16 crew members on board at the time of the grounding, and all of them are reported to be uninjured. Crew members have begun assessing the damage to the vessel, which is reported to be in stable condition. The Canadian Coast Guard’s icebreaker Sir Wilfrid Laurier has also arrived on the scene to assist, and the cargo vessel Miena Desgagnés is remaining on standby.
Thamesborg is a 2013-built vessel that has a carrying capacity of 21,359 tonnes. It measures 172.28 metres in length and 21.74 metres in width.
- Elderly Sailor Rescued From Grounded Boat England
A solo sailor who was rescued from a vessel which ran aground in the north-east of England told rescuers he had been at sea for 45 days.
Armed police and an Army bomb disposal team were called to King Edward’s Bay in Tynemouth on Wednesday evening after concerns were raised about items found aboard the sailing boat.
The one person on board, an elderly man, was helped off by a lifeboat volunteer after two RNLI crews were called to the scene.
This followed reports of a vessel drifting dangerously close to rocks at about 8.00 p.m. (2000 GMT).
The Tynemouth inshore lifeboat (ILB) was training at the time near Tynemouth’s north pier and was diverted to the incident, helm James Waters said.
