Published by The Maritime Executive

Published by The Maritime Executive

Published by The Maritime Executive

Published by The Maritime Executive

Published Jun 24, 2022 12:46 PM by The Maritime Executive

Firefighters in Belgium are struggling to put out a stubborn cargo fire on a bulker docked at the port of Ghent. They expect the fire will burn for at least 24 hours and possibly longer while warning residents and drivers to be cautious due to the thick smoke in the area.

The bulker Lowlands Mimosa is docked at the Sifferdok in Ghent. The 63,939 dwt vessel is managed by CLdN Cobelfret and reported loaded with a cargo of scrap metal. The bulker is 655 feet long and registered in Panama.

The local fire brigade received reports of the cargo fire at around 11:00 p.m. Thursday, June 23. Arriving at the port they found large quantities of smoke billowing from the hold of the vessel blanketing the port and spreading into the surrounding area. Warnings were issued for drivers to proceed with caution on local roads as well as for residents to close their windows due to the level of smoke.

The crew of the vessel had attempted to fight the fire before calling for assistance. One crewmember was taken to a local hospital suffering from smoke inhalation. 

Firefighters reported that their work was being complicated by the position of the cargo in two holds aboard the ship. They were concerned with the vessel’s stability with a spokesperson reporting that they were pumping water on the fire but being forced to stop to pump water out of the ship’s holds as well. 

By Friday morning, the firefighters were reporting that they believed the fire was under control and they had brought in a crane to begin removing the scrap metal to the dock as part of the fire fighting effort. Two firefighters have received minor injuries and were also taken to the local hospital.  

Published Aug 26, 2022 2:32 PM by The Maritime Executive

The captains and other crew members aboard Seaspan’s tugboats which operate in the ports of British Columbia, Canada, walked off their jobs on Thursday, August 25, striking after their union failed to reach a new collective bargaining agreement with Seaspan. Concern was raised that the strike could impact operations at the Port of Vancouver, which has already been experiencing congestion and delays due to the increased container volumes as well as a shortage of trucks and congestion on Canada’s rail...

Published Aug 26, 2022 1:21 PM by The Maritime Executive

Amplify Energy, the operator of the California pipeline that caused an oil spill off the coast of Southern California in October 2021, announced that it has reached an agreement in principle with plaintiffs in the class action to resolve all civil claims from local businesses and property owners that were impacted by the spill. This agreement comes after the company also reached an agreement with Orange Country, California, but the company is continuing to pursue legal claims against both MSC...

Published Aug 25, 2022 11:56 PM by The Maritime Executive

The Australian Border Force has carried out the nation's largest ever seizure of methamphetamine, a 1.8-tonne haul valued at about US$1.1 billion.  Earlier this year, detectives with the New South Wales Drug and Firearms Squad set up a task force to investigate inbound meth shipments. ?Acting on intelligence, Australian Border Force (ABF) officers examined a number of containers which had arrived at Port Botany last month.  The boxes were filled with what appeared to be slabs of marble. Upon destruction,...

Published Aug 25, 2022 10:46 PM by The Maritime Executive

P&O's logistics and feedering branch is opening up a new specialty business in the Red Sea, running small "micro feeder" vessels back and forth between Port Sudan and Port of Jeddah. The house-forward, OSV-sized vessels were built for a shallow-draft application, and they happen to be perfect for reaching underutilized parts of a seaport. P&O's extra-small feeders are handy for accessing port areas that cannot be reached by conventional container ships, and this allows them to bypass congestion, the line...

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