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. […]
Broken Up – Greenpeace Ship ESPERANZA – 21.02.2002

After 2 decades the Greenpeace ship ESPERANZA has arrived at the port of Gijon, in Spain on Saturday 12th February, 2002 for recycling procedures by DDR Vessels XXI, one of the 2 companies specialised in ship recycling authorised by the EU. She was built in Poland by Stocznia Polnocna at Gdansk as yard number B98/04 […]
Yachting – Saudi Superyacht SARAFSA dispute Pits Credit Suisse Against Gulf Prince – January 2022

A Swiss bank is pursuing a Saudi prince in court over claims he failed to pay back millions in interest and loans he took out to refinance his English mansion and his superyacht – SARAFSA. Credit Suisse Group AG claims that Prince Fahad Bin Sultan, the governor of Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk province, failed to repay roughly $78million […]
Casualties – Sailing Catamaran NOMADE – 27th March 2002

On Sunday 7th April, 2002 the Civil Protection Department (CPD) fireboat GARIBALDI entered Grand Harbour, Malta towing a capsized 11 metre sailing catamaran NOMADE that capsized on Wednesday 27th March in rough weather around 37 miles offshore Malta with her French male solo crew that was rescued by the 1975 built Cypriot flag cargo ship […]