Hijacking – Car Carrier GALAXY LEADER – 19.11.2023

On Sunday 19th November, 2023 , NYK Chartered Pure Car and Truck Carrier (PCTC) GALAXY LEADER was named hijacked by Iran-affiliated Houthi militia, who described her as “an Israeli ship,” and taken to a Yemeni port. Al Jazeera News Agency cited a Houthi spokesman as saying the seizure of the ship was in response to […]
RoRo Vessels – Linea Messina ship JOLLY INDACO

One of the Soviet Union (USSR) built vessels that used to call at Malta was the 1989 built ro/ro vessel JOLLY INDACO owned by Linea Messina, Italy. She was built at Severnaya Verf Shipbuilding Yard at Saint Petersburg as yard number 843 as the Project 16071 ro/ro ship for Baltic Sea Shipping, USSR as S.KIROV […]
Casualties – Disabled YANNIS P towed to Kaliningrad – August 2023

The 2010 built crude oil tanker YANNIS P which was loaded with crude oil from India to Russia was towed to Kaliningrad after she had engine problems and had to anchor 12 miles off Rugen, Germany for more than 2 weeks. The captain of the tanker confirmed that the towing should commence on Monday 14th […]
Tugboat News – Ocean Going Tug SA AMANDLA to retire in Q4 of 2023

Having delivered nearly five decades of service to the regional and international maritime industry since she was built in Durban in 1976 the iconic ocean-going Emergency Towing Vessel SA AMANDLA is to be retired for recycling. Almost 48 years old, she was brought into service as the JOHN ROSS built by Elgin Brown & Hamer […]
Libyan Uprising – 151 evacuees from Libya by ferry IONIAN KING arrive at Malta – 29.03.2011

Known as the Nurse of the Mediterranean, Malta played an important role during both world wars and when something around the world is happening. During the Libyan Uprising that started on Thursday 17th February, 2011 Malta opened widely her transportation hubs both sea and air and evacuees from Libya started to embark on ships and […]
Casualties – 3 dead and 1 injured in engine room explosion at Crotone, Italy – 31.08.2022

Around 1750 hrs of Wednesday 31st August, 2022 an engine room explosion aboard the 1983 built 24.5 metres workboat ASSO whilst berthed at Crotone Port, Italy with 3 crew members as fatalities ( 2 were thrown on the quay while the third body was found afloat in the sea – 2 Indians and an Egyptian, […]
Casualties – CMA CGM RABELAIS explosion – 06.04.2022

On Wednesday 6th April, 2022 around 1230 UTC the 2010 built container ship CMA CGM RABELAIS while underway from Singapore to India, suffered an explosion, followed by fire, in western Malacca Strait between Andaman islands and Banda Aceh Sumatra. The Master immediately ordered a firefighting operation and the fire was soon controlled and remains so. […]
Offshore – Loading Operations of Jack Up Oil Rig KEY SINGAPORE – Feb/March 2022..

During the first quarter of 2022 another rig move was seen at Malta , this time of the 1982 built Jack Up Oil Rig KEY SINGAPORE that originally arrived OPL Malta on Sunday 3rd January, 2021 around 2000 hrs that was towed by the 2008 built anchor handling vessel A.H. LIGURIA of which on Monday […]
Vehicle Carriers – ADIGE

One of the vehicle carriers owned by Grimaldi Lines was the 1976 built ADIGE. She was built in Japan by Honda Heavy Industries at Saiki as the general cargo ship BLUE PEGASUS with yard no 634 until a year later where she was converted into a car carrier and emerged as PEGASUS ACE trading until […]
Ferry – 1975 built ELEGANT I
One of the Dover – Ostend route ferry, the PRINCESS MARIE CHRISTINE was scrapped in December 2011 and was seen as ELEGANT I. She was launched by Belliard Hoboken as the PRINCESSE MARIE CHRISTINE in 1975 as yard no 878 for Regie voor Maritiem Transport (RMT), Belgium on their Ostend to Dover route. In 1987 she was repainted in […]