News

From the early morning of Nov 5 until 7 p.m., assistance has been coordinated from the CCS of Salvamento Marítimo in Tenerife and Las Palmas for several makeshift vessels. In El Hierro, the 'Salvamar Navia' and 'Salvamar Diphda' have located three cayucos with 99, 194, and 207 people on board, which were all escorted to La Restinga. Off Arguineguín, Gran Canaria, 73 and 39 people aboard two precarious boats have been sssisted to port by the 'Guardamar Urania' and 'Salvamar Macondo'. -In La Gomera, the 'Salvamar Mízar' has assisted a cayuco with 80 people. In Lanzarote, the 'Salvamar Al Nair' assisted a boat with 51 people to port.

On Nov 4, 2026, at 11.40 p.m. the DGzRS station German Bight/Heligoland, along with the Heligoland Volunteer Fire Department, responded to a fire aboard the 'Christine'. Upon returning to the island’s harbour following a fishing trip, the three fishermen discovered smoke emanating from the engine room. They contacted the MRCC in Bremen to report that a fire had broken out in the engine room of their vessel. The fishermen had already managed to seal the compartment and activate the ship’s onboard CO2 fire-extinguishing system. The MRCC alerted the lifeboat 'Hermann Marwede', which was stationed nearby. The rescue crew deployed the daughter boat 'Verena' and pulled alongside the distressed vessel. Upon initial inspection, the rescuers found no visible flames, though the sealed bulkhead of the engine room was warm to the touch. The volunteer fire department arrived on the scene with several fire engines and a command vehicle. A firefighting team equipped with breathing apparatus opened the bulkhead. However, active firefighting was no longer required, as the initial measures taken by the fishermen had already successfully extinguished the blaze. The firefighters subsequently deployed a high-performance ventilation fan to clear smoke from the fishing vessel, while the sea rescuers used the floodlights aboard the Hermann Marwede' to illuminate the scene throughout the operation. No one was injured during the incident. Afterwards, the fire department assisted in arranging overnight accommodation for the fishermen. Report with photo: https://www.seenotretter.de/aktuelles/seenotfaelle/brand-auf-kutter-im-helgolaender-hafen-seenotretter-unterstuetzen-einsatz-der-feuerwehr

The 'RMS Team', which had caught fire after being attacked by an UAV in the Black Sea on Aug 21, was towed through the Bosphorus on Oct 31. After the attack, the wreck, towed with rescue and support vessels, was first taken to Samsun Port. It was then brought to the entrance of the Istanbul Strait by the tug 'Kazım Bey' (IMO: 1038937) of the PGE Tug Salvage Denizcilik, assisted by two tugs of the General Directorate of Coastal Safety. Ship traffic in the strait was suspended during the passage. The convoy arrived at Tuzla on Nov 1, where the 'RMS Team' was now to be converted into a cattle carrier. Reports with photos: https://en.haberler.com/the-rms-team-which-was-hit-by-a-ukrainian-uav-was-2325836/ https://www.haberdenizde.com/denizde-gundem/hurda-denirken-canli-hayvan-gemisi-olacak/?fbclid=Iwb21leAVZhPpjbGNrBVmEmmV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHBkb2YFc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMzUwNjg1NTMxNzI4AAEfLisAv5kYXOIIISD7IBaZROZUOhrxDXWzzG4gy7CzdNRp8ytN0eAdgVJv5Bo_aem_kKl-rQ1oX9COKTc95LWagA

On Nov 4 at 4.20 a.m. UTC, the 'Ayaz Bey' issued a distress signal in Romanian waters, northeast of Shabla. Together with the the tug 'Ramazan Bey' (IMO: 7210824), it was towing the tank m/v 'Mentor' (IMO: 9340374). Hurricane-force winds caused the tow lines to break. The crews carried out a hazardous manoeuvre in darkness to reconnect the lines. Although the connection was successfully restored, the 'Ayaz Bey' subsequently lost control and collided head-on with the tanker's hull. The impact caused significant damage to 'Ayaz Bey', which was at risk of sinking. Following the distress call, two vessels—operated by the Border Police, the Coast Guard, and the Emergency Inspectorate of the Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA)—along with the SAR vessel 'ARES' of ARSVOM, were dispatched to the scene. Three injured crew members from the 'Ayaz Bey' were transferred aboard the Dutch-flagged tug 'Odin' and taken to the port of Mangalia, while the remaining four crew members stayed on board the tug, stating that they did not require assistance. It was stabilised in the anchorage area off Mangalia, and an investigation has been initiated. The tanker remained unmanned and adrift off Mangalia. On Sep 23, it had been struck by a Russian drone near Odesa. According to Ukrainian authorities, a fire broke out during the attack, and the 63-year-old Ukrainian captain was killed. The remaining 15 crew members were evacuated. There was no confirmed information regarding a leak of sunflower oil from the tanker, nor of any new damage to its hull resulting from the collision with the 'Ayaz Bey'. It was unclear when the towing operation would be resumed. Bulgarian authorities continued to monitor the situation. Report with photo: https://clubz.bg/181446?fbclid=Iwb21leAVZf3xjbGNrBVl99mV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHBkb2YFc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMzUwNjg1NTMxNzI4AAEfPMO1BDtbT-vJh6cRBfvEkffDiyTLwmPUDGSq3Zea_jPRLkZ_DbJwiLW_R8Q_aem_Gj5G-f9T9IjCGXOsxEatBQ

Beached at Alang 03.11.26

Beached at Aliaga 03.11.26 https://www.facebook.com/reel/28334858709527253

During the night of Nov 3 and the morning of Nov 4, four cayucos have arrived at the port of La Restinga: At 11.29 p.m., the 'Salvamar Diphda' escorted to port a cayuco located four nautical miles south of La Restinga with 111 Sub-Saharan people on board, among them 99 males, nine females and three minors. At 01:45 h, the SAR boat escorted another cayuco, which had been located ten nautical miles south of La Restinga, with 125 people on board. At 08:40 a.m., the 'Salvamar Navia' escorted to port a cayuco, which had bwen detected by an echo-SIVE 12 miles south of La Restinga. At 09:35 a.m., the 'Salvamar Diphda' arrived at La Restinga after escorting another cayuco detected by an echo-SIVE 14 nautical miles south of the island.

From the early morning of Nov 5 until 7 p.m., assistance has been coordinated from the CCS of Salvamento Marítimo in Tenerife and Las Palmas for several makeshift vessels. In El Hierro, the 'Salvamar Navia' and 'Salvamar Diphda' have located three cayucos with 99, 194, and 207 people on board, which were all escorted to La Restinga. Off Arguineguín, Gran Canaria, 73 and 39 people aboard two precarious boats have been sssisted to port by the 'Guardamar Urania' and 'Salvamar Macondo'. -In La Gomera, the 'Salvamar Mízar' has assisted a cayuco with 80 people. In Lanzarote, the 'Salvamar Al Nair' assisted a boat with 51 people to port.

Some of the 150 crew members of the 'Odyssey' said they were stranded in Sihanoukville without pay. They haven’t been paid in over a month and have also experienced previous late payments. Payments had been delayed for three months. They, howeverm wanted to remain on board working as the ship sailed to another port, where it might be easier than Sihanoukville. The ship will soon set sail to Singapore, where it could eventually be auctioned off. The company remained optimistic that a solution could be found. The lender, who took over the ship’s operational costs, now has the responsibility to pay the crew, fuel and the operations of the vessel and safekeeping of the vessel. A group of residents attempted to buy the ship from the company after a lender denied them funding. The effort had received pledges from 169 residents who were willing to put more money into the project. On Oct 20, its published schedule still had promoted a 3.5-year itinerary confirmed through to November next year, with a preliminary second circumnavigation running to August 2030. That plan included a stay in Cambodia with stops in Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Seychelles, Madagascar and Africa. The ''Odyssey' meanwhile left Sihanoukville with only the crew remaining on board with an ETA at Singapore as of Nov 7.

The 'Alyssum' suffered a sudden failure of its main engines off the coast of the city of El Alamein, and the Suez Canal Authority responded following a request for assistance from the shipping agency "Sphinx." The tug 'Mohamed Bashir' successfully towed the tanker safely to the Port Said anchorage area on Nov 2, 2026, where it was moired in pos. 31° 34' N 032° 14' E, and necessary maintenance and repairs were to be performed.

On the early afternoon of Nov 4, 2026, the unmanned tanker 'Mentor' was drifting with a cargo of 11000 tons sunflower oil a few nautical miles off the Bulgarian coast near Krapets. The captain of the 'Ramazan Bey', which had towed the vessel along with the ' Ayaz Bey', informed the vessel traffic control services that a second tug was expected to assist with the towing operation. The Bulgarian Ministry of Transport stated that the 'Ramazan Bey' was maintaining communication with the traffic control services. The tug had been instructed to remain in the vicinity of the tanker. Contact has been established with the owner. The tanker was struck during a Russian attack. On Sep 23, the tanker was struck by a Russian drone near Odesa. According to Ukrainian authorities, a fire broke out during the attack, and the 63-year-old Ukrainian captain was killed. The remaining 15 crew members were evacuated. There was no confirmed information regarding a leak of sunflower oil from the tanker, nor of any new damage to its hull resulting from the collision with the tug ' Ayaz Bey'. It was unclear when the towing operation would be resumed. Bulgarian authorities continued to monitor the situation. Report with photo: https://clubz.bg/181446?fbclid=Iwb21leAVZf3xjbGNrBVl99mV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHBkb2YFc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMzUwNjg1NTMxNzI4AAEfPMO1BDtbT-vJh6cRBfvEkffDiyTLwmPUDGSq3Zea_jPRLkZ_DbJwiLW_R8Q_aem_Gj5G-f9T9IjCGXOsxEatBQ

arrived Chittagong Anchorage 04.11.26

Beached at Aliaga 11/2026 https://www.instagram.com/p/DfWLHVKI7sb/

During the night of Nov 3 and the morning of Nov 4, four cayucos have arrived at the port of La Restinga: At 11.29 p.m., the 'Salvamar Diphda' escorted to port a cayuco located four nautical miles south of La Restinga with 111 Sub-Saharan people on board, among them 99 males, nine females and three minors. At 01:45 h, the SAR boat escorted another cayuco, which had been located ten nautical miles south of La Restinga, with 125 people on board. At 08:40 a.m., the 'Salvamar Navia' escorted to port a cayuco, which had bwen detected by an echo-SIVE 12 miles south of La Restinga. At 09:35 a.m., the 'Salvamar Diphda- arrived at La Restinga after escorting another cayuco detected by an echo-SIVE 14 nautical miles south of the island.

From the early morning of Nov 5 until 7 p.m., assistance has been coordinated from the CCS of Salvamento Marítimo in Tenerife and Las Palmas for several makeshift vessels. In El Hierro, the 'Salvamar Navia' and 'Salvamar Diphda' have located three cayucos with 99, 194, and 207 people on board, which were all escorted to La Restinga. Off Arguineguín, Gran Canaria, 73 and 39 people aboard two precarious boats have been sssisted to port by the 'Guardamar Urania' and 'Salvamar Macondo'. -In La Gomera, the 'Salvamar Mízar' has assisted a cayuco with 80 people. In Lanzarote, the 'Salvamar Al Nair' assisted a boat with 51 people to port.

The Helsinki District Cour court has sentenced the captain and a crew member of the 'Fitburg', now sailing as 'Finex', for deliberately damaging two subsea telecommunications cables in the Gulf of Finland on New Year’s Eve 2025. The Court handed the Russian captain Andrei Maksimenko a 3,5 year prison sentence, while Azerbaijani bosun Vusal Majidov received two years and ten months after both were convicted of aggravated criminal damage. The court ordered the two men, who had been subject to travel bans during proceedings, to be taken into custody immediately. They were also ordered to pay compensation for the damage caused to subsea infrastructure. The 'Fitburg' was intercepted by Finnish authorities on December 31, 2025, while sailing from the Russian port St. Petersburg to Israel carrying steel products. Investigators established that the vessel had dragged its damaged anchor and chain along the seabed for around 130 km, damaging two telecommunications cables belonging to Elisa and Arelion Finland. The anchor also crossed seven other telecommunications and power cables and a gas pipeline, creating a risk of further damage to critical infrastructure. The court found that the anchor had been lowered after the ship departed St. Petersburg but before it left Russian territorial waters. Although prosecutors did not claim that the captain had personally ordered the anchor lowered, the court ruled that both men must have known it was dragging while the vessel continued its voyage. It also found that the bosun had actively contributed to the ship continuing for around two hours after Finnish authorities first contacted the vessel. Both defendants denied wrongdoing and challenged Finland’s jurisdiction, arguing that the damage occurred outside its territorial waters. The court rejected that argument, ruling that Finnish courts could hear the case because the offences were intentional and their consequences were felt in Finland. The defendants were also charged with aggravated interference with telecommunications, but the court dismissed that separate count because it was covered by the aggravated criminal damage conviction. The ruling was not final. The captain’s lawyer has indicated that he intended to appeal, while the bosun was also considering challenging the verdict.

On Nov 4, 2026, at 4.20 a.m. UTC, the tug 'Ayaz Bey' issued a distress signal in Romanian waters, northeast of Shabla. Together with the the tug 'Ramazan Bey' (IMO: 7210824), it was towing the 'Mentor'. Hurricane-force winds caused the tow lines to break. The crews carried out a hazardous manoeuvre in darkness to reconnect the lines. Although the connection was successfully restored, the 'Ayaz Bey' subsequently lost control and collided head-on with the tanker's hull. The impact caused significant damage to 'Ayaz Bey', which was at risk of sinking. Following the distress call, two vessels—operated by the Border Police, the Coast Guard, and the Emergency Inspectorate of the Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA)—along with the SAR vessel 'ARES' of ARSVOM, were dispatched to the scene. Three injured crew members from the 'Ayaz Bey' were transferred aboard the Dutch-flagged tug 'Odin' and taken to the port of Mangalia, while the remaining four crew members stayed on board the tug, stating that they did not require assistance. It was stabilised in the anchorage area off Mangalia, and an investigation has been initiated. The tanker remained unmanned and adrift off Mangalia. On Sep 23, it had been struck by a Russian drone near Odesa. According to Ukrainian authorities, a fire broke out during the attack, and the 63-year-old Ukrainian captain was killed. The remaining 15 crew members were evacuated. There was no confirmed information regarding a leak of sunflower oil from the tanker, nor of any new damage to its hull resulting from the collision with the tug 'Ayaz Bey'. It was unclear when the towing operation would be resumed. Bulgarian authorities continued to monitor the situation. Report with photo: https://clubz.bg/181446?fbclid=Iwb21leAVZf3xjbGNrBVl99mV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHBkb2YFc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMzUwNjg1NTMxNzI4AAEfPMO1BDtbT-vJh6cRBfvEkffDiyTLwmPUDGSq3Zea_jPRLkZ_DbJwiLW_R8Q_aem_Gj5G-f9T9IjCGXOsxEatBQ

On Nov 4, 2026, the 'GNV Atlas' left the port of Filyos enroute to breakers in Aliağa with an ETA as of Nov 6 in order to be recycled.

Beached at Gadani 05.11.26

Passengers were stuck on board the new 'Spirit of Tasmania IV', hours after it was due in Geelong, less than a week after the ferry started carrying paying customers. The ferry left Devonport on Nov 4 just after 7 p.m. and was scheduled to dock on Nov 5 at 6.30 a.m. The ship, however, had to wait for a tug, before entering the channel, while it made multiple sharp turns in the Port Phillip Bay for four and a half hours.