Research – FUGRO secures 5 Year Hydrographic survey with NOAA – February 2025

Effective from January 1st of 2025 the Dutch Geotechnical, Survey and geoscience services Fugro NV has been awarded a 5 year contract by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for hydrographic survey services. Under this indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract, Fugro will support the creation and maintenance of highly accurate nautical charts, which will […]
Casualties – New Zealand Navy Ship ran aground, catches fire and sink – 05.10.2024

On Saturday 5th October, 2024 the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) Hydrographic Survey & Diving Support Vessel HMNZS MANAWANUI A 09 sank after she grounded on a reef, caught fire and sank with all compliment as 75 souls including crew and scientists were rescued safely in lifeboats off Samoa. Samoa fire commissioner Tanuvasa Petone said […]
Former Military – Yacht PLAN B at Malta

One of the former naval vessels that was given a second life, converted as the luxury yacht PLAN B is the former Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Hydrographic Ship HMAS FLINDERS A 312. She was built by HMA Naval Dockyard at Williamstown, Victoria, Australia. HMAS FLINDERS was commissioned into the RAN in 1973, and was used […]
Casualties – NOAA Survey Ship S 221 RAINIER on Fire in South Pacific – 05.09.2023

Last Tuesday 5th September, 2023 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) survey ship S 221 RAINIER suffered a fire aboard during operations off American Samoa. The fire was controlled and all 41 people were reported safe with no injuries. The fire started in the exhaust stacks of the survey vessel, impacting the ship’s […]
Naval News – Former seismic vessel VIKING VISION donated to Hellenic Navy – September 2023

The Hellenic Navy’s future multi-mission ship PERSEUS (for the voyage she was renamed as PERSEAS I ) arrived on Friday 1st September at Salamis Naval Base where she will receive the proper modifications in order to join the Navy soon. This is the fourth multi-purpose ship that joins the Navy as fleet support ship, all […]
Russia-Ukraine War – Ukrainian drone holes sanctioned Russian tanker – Aug 2023

After a drone strike on the 1976 Polish built Russian Navy Ropucha II Class Landing Ship OLEGORSKY GORNYAK formerly known as BDK-91 last, Saturday 5th August, Ukraine has followed upon a sanctioned Russian tanker, the SIG. Interfax Ukraine quotes sources in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) as saying that the tanker was being used […]
Malta Naval Visits – March 2023

Thursday 2nd March The Russian Navy Project 160 Altay Class Medium seagoing oil products tanker RFS KOLA passed 25.9 nautical miles off Valletta proceeding to East Mediterranean at 2103 hrs. This wasn’t her first passer by move but the first one for 2023. Friday 3rd March The operated Military Sealift Command of the US Navy […]
Naval News – HMS ENTERPRISE H 88 Paid Off – 27.03.2023

The second Royal Navy Vessel to pay off during March,2023 is the Echo Class Hydrographic vessel H88 HMS ENTERPRISE. In Fact earlier today she was saluted by the 2010 built tug SD INDULGENT by giving her a water salute from her fire monitors at Portsmouth. The tenth ship to bear this name HMS ENTERPRISE […]
Local Shipping – BEEZER
One of the ships involved in Oil Spill Response is the 1990 built RTK 412 Ramped Craft BEEZER. She arrived aboard the research ship NORTHELLA back in 2001 (NORTHELLA article – https://maltashipnews.com/2021/10/17/research-survey-vessel-northella/ )of which she was stored at Cassar Ship Repair Yard. Apart from oil spill response she’s used for other purposes such as transportation […]
Passers By – Naval Units during February & March 2021.
Various naval units pass the Malta-Sicily straits like other ships and to mention some – On Friday 5th February, 2021 the 103 metre Spearhead Class Expeditionary Fast Transport Ship USNS CARSON CITY T-EPF 7 passed by on her way to Sudan, the first US Navy ship to visit Port Sudan since the founding of U.S. Africa Command […]