Naval News – FS SUFFREN D 602 last voyage to the breakers – 04.10.2023
20 years after she was decommissioned from Marine Nationale (French Navy) the 1967 commissioned Suffren Class Frigate FS SUFFREN D 602 left Toulon, France for the last time on Wednesday 4th October bound to Societes Cardem Breakers at Bordeaux. She was designed to protect a fleet against air threats, surface ships, submarines, and, to a […]
Tugboat – 1957 built HELP at Malta – March 2002
One of the Emden, Germany built tugs that called at Malta was the single screw tugboat HELP, homeported at Nuku Alofa, Tonga flag (TON). She was built by Werft Schulte & Bruns, at Emden, Germany as VOURI with yard number 193 and launched on 15th November 1956 for Union des Remorqueurs de Douala, Cameroon, homeported at […]
Maltese Fishing Vessels – MFA 283 SAN NIKOLA
One of the Danish built vessels that used to trade around the Maltese Islands was the 1963 built 25.03 metre fishing vessel SAN NIKOLA. She was built in Denmark by Marstal Traeskibsverft at Marstal as the SLEIPNIR VE 62 for scampi fishing at Iceland. In 1996 she was bought to Maltese owners and brought to […]
Offshore – Drill Ship PACNORSE I
One of the drilling ships that was seen in Malta during the early 80’s, even drydocked at Malta Drydocks was the PACNORSE I. She was built in 1979 by Scotts Shipbuilding Company Ltd, Greenock, United Kingdom as yard number 746 and named as PACNORSE I for Pacnorse Drilling Corporation 1 Ltd (Kristian Jebsens Rederi A/S […]
Towage – AGIOS DIMITRIOS towing SIRTE 2 – 19.05.2001
On Saturday 19th May, 2001 several units of the Libyan Dredging Company COMAFISH was seen arriving at Grand Harbour, Malta either as deck cargo or towed like the 1965 built cutter suction dredger SIRTE 2 that was seen being towed by the Greek Tug AGIOS DIMITRIOS. AGIOS DIMITRIOS was built in the Netherlands at YVC […]
Special Purpose Vessels – ITF Exhibition and Campaign Vessel GLOBAL MARINER at Malta – 1999
Founded in 1896, the International Transport Workers Federation better known as ITF is a confederation of 500 transport workers unions in 125 countries, representing 5 million workers in every branch of transport. During March 1998 a former Bank Line ship was purchased for $3 million and refurbished for a worldwide tour to raise public awareness […]
Tanker News – Captain Joseph Hazelwood, Former Master of the Exxon Valdez, Passes Away – July 2022
Captain Joseph Jeffrey Hazelwood, the Master of the crude oil tanker EXXON VALDEZ when she ran aground on Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound near Valdez, Alaska on 24th March 1989, has passed away at the age of 75. The EXXON VALDEZ spill is the second largest in U.S. waters, after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, in […]
Malta Drydocks – Crude Oil Tanker GENMAR SUN – from 17.04 to 18.05.2002
One of the ships that was seen twice under different names was the 1985 built Japanese crude oil tanker GENMAR SUN. She was built in 1985 by Kawasaki Heavy Industries Co Ltd Sakaide in Japan as ATLANTIC AMITY for Auskerry Limited ( Island Navigation Corporation Hong Kong as manager ) Hong Kong. In 1990 she […]
Casualties – Container Ship CMA DJAKARTA on fire – July 1999.
On the night of Monday 12th July, 1999 the 1998 built 2,102 TEU containership CMA DJAKARTA caught fire off Crete following an explosion. The vessel, owned by Gebr Winter of Hamburg, was on long-term charter to Compagnie Maritime d’Affretement (CMA), Marseilles from 9th April, 1999. She was deployed on CMA’s North Europe/Japan/China service, NCJ-TPX U.S. […]
Coast Guard – Hellenic Coast Guard Ships at Malta in 2006/7.
The Hellenic Coast Guard is the national coast guard of Greece. Like many other coast guards, it is a paramilitary organization that can support the Hellenic Navy in wartime, but resides under separate civilian control in times of peace. It was founded in 1919 by an Act of Parliament (Law No. 1753–1919) and the legal framework for its function was reformed in 1927. […]
