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A medical evacuation was carried out on the morning of Oct 18, 2026, of a crew member from the ' Helen Anna', enroute from Teesport to Bandirma, 84 nautical miles northwest of A Coruña. The CCS Fisterre of Salvamento Marítimo mobilised the SAR helicopter Helimer 402, which transported him to Alvedro, where an ambulance was waiting.

The 'Pirop' of the She Ray Ships Company was one of the Russian vessels in the Black Sea, using an unusual and potentially co-ordinated method of spoofing their tracking systems to hide voyages, as Moscow was bringing the shadow fleet under its own control to protect it from attack. At least 12 sanctioned tankers appeared to have used identical devices to transmit false, frozen positions even as the vessels sailed hundreds of miles away, which appeared to be a co-ordinated method of deception. Six of the tankers tracked simultaneously broadcast two AIS positions in recent months, unusually making it appear that the ships were in two places at once. The Russian shadow fleet vessels have long manipulated their AIS data to avoid western sanctions aimed at cutting Moscow’s oil revenues after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Ships were now adapting their methods to avoid Ukrainian drone attacks, with Russia trying to protect these assets as the EU was becoming more proactive in its approach to interfering and disrupting sanctioned ships, and the Ukrainians became more aggressive in their approach to trying to disrupt Russia’s oil exports. In late September the Ukraine had hit more than 300 Russian vessels within 11 weeks. The double positioning was used as the tankers passed out of the Black Sea through the Bosphorus, where Turkish authorities require ships to transmit a position as they pass through the waterway guided by tugs. The ships would briefly turn on their real satellite-tracked AIS during the transit, all the while transmitting a second frozen position close to the mouth of the Bosphorus to avoid attacks, while they continued the voyage. The 'Pirop' had broadcast a position near the Bosphorus Strait on Aug 27, 2026, while simultaneously broadcasting that it was located about 800 kilometres away on the Turkish coast. Other signs that the ships had been fitted with identical devices running the same programme included the repetition of exactly the same position coordinates — unlike ordinary ships, whose coordinates vary slightly as they shift on the water — and the fact that all position reports were frozen at the same time: 08:13 a.m.UTC. All but one of the tankers observed in the Black Sea had reflagged to Russia in the past year, meaning that they now fell under Moscow’s maritime regulations. Many have been equipped with nets and cages to try to protect them against relentless drone attacks, while more than 30 shadow fleet tankers have changed their names to Russian words for gemstones such as Gagat (jet), Labrador (labradorite) and Sapfir (sapphire) within days of reflagging to Russia over the summer. The only one of the 12 tankers spoofing their positions that did not come under the Russian flag had instead reflagged to Equatorial Guinea, which has become a proxy flag for Russia, with the ships registered to its flag being certified as seaworthy by the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping. On the whole, more than 80 ships had reflagged to Russia between July and September, after European and UK regulators have sanctioned nearly 700 tankers carrying the federation’s oil and gas in the past 2,5 years. It was estimaged 1,229 vessels over 20,000 dwt were in the shadow fleet, of which more than 75 % were sanctioned by the US, UK or EU.

The CCS Tenerife of Salvamento Marítimo coordinated the assistance for two cayucos south of El Hierro, on Oct 18, 2026. In the early hours, the 'Salvamar Diphda' escorted a vessel with 131 people on board, among them 25 women and eight minors, to La Restinga, where twi deceased persons were confirmed. Subsequently, the 'Salvamar Navia' located and escorted another cayuco with 177 people, among them 17 women and 11 minors, to port. Report with photos: https://x.com/salvamentogob/status/2111812949392199710

On the morning of Oct 16, the CROSS Etel received a call transfer from CROSS Corsen, which had been alerted by the 'Spirit of Discovery', enroute from Motril to Portsmouth, UK, that one of its passengers was ill. Initially within the CROSS-Etek's area of ​​responsibility, the crew participated in an audio conference along with the the Maritime Medical Consultation Center (CCMM) in Toulouse. Following this conference, a medical evacuation by helicopter was recommended. The CROSS dispatched the French Navy's H160 (32F) helicopter based at Lanvéoc-Poulmic to evacuate the passenger. Once on scene, the helicopter, now within CROSS Corsen's area of ​​responsibility, allowed for the passenger's transfer. He was hoisted aboard and then transported to the Cavale Blanche hospital in Brest, where he was admitted at 09:32 a.m.

The 'Smyrtos' remained at the Portland anchorage in pos. 50° 33' N 002° 23' W since being detained following a UK operation against Russia’s shadow fleet. The Government continued to monitor the vessel for environmental and safety concerns. There was no timeframe for its departure. The Department for Transport (DfT) was monitoring the tanker continuously and working closely with a range of agencies, including local partners, to ensure the vessel remained safely detained by the Transport Secretary, using discretionary transport sanctions powers. Plans and risk assessments were also being continually updated to take account of factors affecting the vessel during its detention. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s counter-pollution and salvage team remained ready 24 hours a day to respond in the event of a pollution or environmental incident. 22 crew members were currently living and working aboard the vessel. Only one was part of the original crew when the vessel arrived, with the remainder of the original crew, apart from former master Captain Ajay Pant, repatriated by the ship's owner. The current crew members remained aboard around the clock and only disembarked when crew changes were taking place. The shipowner was responsible for their welfare and arranges deliveries of essential supplies through local suppliers, while th officials remained in regular contact with the crew to monitor their welfare and safety. The former master, Captain Pant, has been charged with allegedly breaching Russian sanctions by directly or indirectly supplying or delivering prohibited Russian oil or oil products by ship to a third country. He has been remanded in custody after being refused bail, with a four-week trial listed to begin in December. Report with photo: https://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/26643119.detained-oil-tanker-continuous-watch-dorset/?afd_azwaf_tok=eyJraWQiOiIyQzI1RDVDRTVENEFCMTQzM0VBMDdBMTI4QjZBOUQ5MjBERkNGRkIyMEY2RkQ4MjY5MDU2OEU4RTlBRjY0QjFEIiwiYWxnIjoiUlMyNTYifQ.eyJhdWQiOiJ3d3cuZG9yc2V0ZWNoby5jby51ayIsImV4cCI6MTc5MjMzNTA3NSwiaWF0IjoxNzkyMzM1MDY1LCJpc3MiOiJ0aWVyMS01Zjg0Njg2OGY1LTljcTdjIiwic3ViIjoiMjJhOjg4MTo5YzE2OjkwOmVjMTozNmViOjE4ZWY6MzViZiIsImRhdGEiOnsidHlwZSI6Imlzc3VlZCIsInJlZiI6IjIwMjYxMDE4VDE0NTEwNVotMTVmODQ2ODY4ZjU5Y3E3Y2hDMUZSQWEwcm4wMDAwMDAyYWcwMDAwMDAwMDA3ZTRwIiwiYiI6InZqc0hhWUw1VWZnSXNXZlpDLXpnWGRXeER2MjlKVHhCNDkxeGhFOVkzWlUiLCJoIjoiNWdWRUdDekw4TDJuOTkwUTRNbEx4c3AxQXM0TTFjWEZWVGdfXzludVQ3WSJ9fQ.Bk_LEwhF9YIgn-H-OtzVyAFV1TnDK7QknBZRGKsERvBkciJ57zAB5DjYEVuPYOIQy3k4uAJFake6NXj5vmYyw6TA37ty2hig8zosbF7VXXys0uD2WyHxcdtgfY1-YoXjoc04Fm--_qDtn9fxkd7LgGyh8D2T1VUgpipu9XdE7D9QIc9yixA2S1vDYhjHGBWqSfPVCd2OM2d2GHnCvvZnYoVHEN76-JiYrMVzTPyP_CX53fdC4uR8413jQzv1dcNNZpbkJvh31Lvq7rJR9R7Zyh-NKUxujZ1vlsOvQ40qO8QGcF4H-4hdib2xPgVZwYgbHP24DlgsoMakT3yfEnj1Jw.WF3obl2IDtqgvMFRqVdYkD5s