#maritime-safety

#maritime-safety

The blast tore through the engine room of the tanker MKD Vyom without warning on the morning of 1 March. There were immense shock waves and a fireball, says Basis*, a seafarer on one of the first ships to suffer a fatal attack in the Gulf of Oman during the US and Israeli airstrikes against Iran. For one or two seconds, I was knocked out, he says. Everything went black. The power was gone. I looked up fire and thick black smoke was pouring down.

When the war broke out, we put a Warlike Operations Area Committee in place to address the protection of seafarers in the region. The organization has identified certain maritime routes in the region, including the Arabian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and some parts of the Gulf of Oman as high-risk areas, encouraging ship owners to allow seafarers to terminate contracts if they choose not to operate in those zones.

Iran is exporting more oil through the Strait of Hormuz than before the war, showing it is in control of a strategic waterway that it has closed off to the rest of the region's oil producers. As Gulf Arab oil producers from Saudi Arabia to Iraq cut production and scramble for new routes that bypass the strait, Iran is conducting business as usual.

The walkout will begin at 12.01 am on March 5 and end at 11.59 pm on March 6, with union members stating that essential safety functions, such as vessel navigation and emergency response, will be maintained to ensure safety during the strike. The RMT said workers will continue to carry out duties necessary to ensure vessel safety, including maintaining moorings and gangways.

A British cruise company has said it is working with authorities after a passenger on one of its ships was seen entering the water in the seas around the Canary Islands. Marella Cruises, which is operated by TUI UK, said the guest went overboard as the vessel was heading towards La Gomera, the second-smallest of the main islands in the Spanish archipelago off the coast of north-west Africa.

Adnaan and Tor Stumo are both sailing with the Global Sumud Flotilla, a coalition of international volunteers traveling across the Mediterranean Sea in small vessels to provide Gazans with food and aid as the war continues. The flotilla was targeted in a series of drone attacks Tuesday night that lasted for about three hours. The attacks happened at around 10:30 p.m. UTC, according to the flotilla's official tracker.

An inquisitive humpback whale wandering into Sydney Harbour has caused navigational challenges for ferries and vessels, as it explored the famous harbour.

The ferry KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya sank nearly 30 minutes after departing from East Java's Ketapang port, leading to the search for 43 missing persons.

The capsize of the Admarine 12 oil-drilling ship in the Gulf of Suez has resulted in four confirmed fatalities and another four individuals reported missing.

The Indian Coast Guard successfully deployed four vessels to rescue crew members from the burning Singapore-flagged container ship Wan Hai 503, approximately 144 kilometers off Kerala.

The crew of the Morning Midas abandoned ship off Alaska after a fire broke out, threatening cargo including electric vehicles, with no reported injuries.

Panic erupted on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla after a drone was spotted overhead, pushing the crew to send a distress signal as they sailed beyond Greek waters.