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A team of researchers aboard the 'Atlantis', which had sailed from Saint George on June 25, 2026, has started surveying the shipwrecks of the explorers Sir Ernest Shackleton and Captain Robert Falcon Scott, the 'Quest' and 'Terra Nova'. The aim was to capture and document images of the wrecks and enable the creation of 3D replicas of the ships. The 'Quest', a 125-tonne motor-sailing steamship, was rediscovered in 2024 lying at a depth of 390 meters off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador. The schooner-rigged vessel served as Shackleton's last expedition ship on the Shackleton-Rowett expedition of 1921/22. The explorer died on board on January 5, 1922, after suffering a heart attack while the vessel was at anchor at Grytviken, South Georgia. He was aged 47. The 'Terra Nova', for its part, was discovered in 2012 lying at a depth of 300 meters on the seabed off the southwestern coast of Greenland. The vessel carried Capt. Scott and his men on their doomed expedition to reach the South Pole in 1912. Though the ship continued in service after the polar expedition, she sank in 1943 while carrying supplies to U.S. bases during World War II after she was damaged by ice. Following months of planning, the Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS), in partnership with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), was now filming the two wrecks. The highlight of the mission so far was a dive by WHOI's human-occupied submersible 'Alvin' to the wreck of 'Quest', the first time that people visited the wreck and saw it with their own eyes. It will also be only the second time that a submersible has reached the 'Terra Nova'. The mission was the first for the 'Alvin' after the submersible was granted U.S. Navy certification to return to service after undergoing a routine overhaul and testing program. In service since 1964 and having completed more than 5,300 dives, the historic three-person deep-sea research submersible could now resume diving to depths of 6,500 meters. Using a combination of high-definition video cameras and photogrammetric technology, the scientists will map the shipwrecks and debris fields around their hulls. The expedition will be groundbreaking because neither ship has been previously surveyed with this technology. The expedition has, for the first time, managed to take close-up photographs of the wreck of the 'Quest' during a night-time dive. These revealed that the ship is in a poor condition. Not only was it heavily overgrown, but numerous fishing nets have also become entangled in the wreck. In addition to the remotely operated submersible, a manned deep-sea submarine was also deployed. John Geiger, Director of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, took part in the first dive in person. Report with photo and video: https://www.iflscience.com/over-100-years-after-his-death-the-wreck-of-shackletons-final-ship-is-photographed-for-the-first-time-in-remarkable-condition-84065 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vp5NMiER9r4

Egypt has intensified efforts to free the 22 crew members, among tgem eight Egyptians, of the 'Eureka', that has been held by pirates off Puntland since May 2. The Foreign Ministry was meanwhile also working to support the families of the Egyptian sailors aboard the tanker. The efforts came after the head of Egypt’s Maritime Officers Syndicate said last week talks had collapsed, after the pirates demanded a higher ransom. The ministry coordinated efforts to ensure the welfare of the crewmembers. The embassy in Mogadishu made arrangements to enable the crew to communicate with their families. The foreign minister has directed that they maintained daily monitoring while they work towards the release of the crew. At the same time, it has been communicating with the shipowner in Yemen and enlisted the aid of the Egyptian embassy in Riyadh, which is accredited in Yemen, to coordinate with the Yemeni authorities.

The 'Lady Naeima' came under attack by unknown armed assailants off Yemen in July 5, 2026, at around 07:19 a.m. UTC, approximately 30 nautical miles southwest of Al Hudaydah. A skiff approached the vessel and opened fire, prompting the ship's armed security team to respond with defensive fire. Subsequently, the skiff withdrew to a larger mothership, which was located about two nautical miles away, which had its AIS switched off. After the attack, the bulk carrier continued the transit of the Gulf of Aden, sailing at around 13.8 knots and heading for Kandla. The vessel crossed Bab el-Mandeb at 5:03 UTC p.m. and entered the Gulf of Aden at 8:28 p.m. after leaving the incident area. The 'Lady Naeima' was sailing in ballast, with an ETA at Kandla as of July 12.

The 'Maria D' reported a CAT 31 incident of armed robbery against ships in Asia to the ReCAAP ISC. The incident occurred onboard the bulk carrier while it was underway in the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme of the Singapore Strait in pos. 1.0° 8.43' N 103.0° 30.3' E on June 26, 2026, at 12.40 a.m. The ship was underway from Ponta de Madeira to Zhanjiang at that time. Five perpetrators, armed with a knife and a gun-like object. boarded ship and stole some engine spares. The crew members were not injured.

The frigate INS 'Trikand' of the Indian Navy, with MARCOS, successfully thwarted a piracy attempt on the 'Golden Arsenal' in the Gulf of Aden on the night of July 1, 2026. The bulk carrier had sailed from Aden, Yemen, and headed to Tuticorin. The ship was carrying critical cargo for India. It was approximately 300 nautical miles east-northeast of Djibouti when it was overtaken by a skiff with four heavily armed individuals. The pirates had RPGs and were able to board the vessel. The ship had stopped, and the crew locked themselves inside the citadel and alerted the authorities through a communication channel. The intruders were unable to breach the citadel. The crew later left the citadel to inspect the ship, reporting the pirates had fled. While they could not find any of the pirates, they saw that the boarding ladders were still on the hull of their ship. As a precaution, they re-entered the citadel until assistance arrived. Navy Marine Commandos (MARCOS) approached the vessel during a late-night operation. MARCOS then boarded the ship. It was declared safe after a search, and continued its voyage. All 21 crew members, including one Indian national, were reported safe, while the vessel sustained damage to the bridge superstructure and adjoining compartments. Later, a skiff with four people, also heavily armed, were observed in pursuit of a second merchant ship. It was likely the same group based on the timing and location.  The vessel was able to evade the pirates. The skiff discontinued the pursuit. The authorities, however, warned that the group appeared to be searching for additional targets. Already on June 19, the 'Trikand' had responded to a distress call over a potential piracy attempt in the Western Indian Ocean. The call was made by the crew of 'Fareeda 5' (IMO: 1065863), acting on which, the naval force undertook prompt action. Report with photo: https://www.wionews.com/india-news/indian-navy-thwarts-piracy-attempt-in-gulf-of-aden-1782987408163