Officials confirmed on May 20 that Romanian authorities have seized 1,452 kilograms (3,200 pounds) of heroin at a Black Sea terminal, making it one of the largest heroin seizures in the European Union in recent years.

According to Romania’s anti-organized crime department, the heroin, which was smuggled among construction supplies in two containers bound for Western Europe, reportedly came from Iran and was intercepted on May 10 at the Port of Constanta.

Situated on the western coast of the Black Sea in Constanța, Romania, the Port of Constanța is favored for its geographical location connecting with two major Pan-European transport corridors.

It was the second-largest heroin bust in the European Union in recent years, according to the department, which called it a “historical seizure.” According to a statement, the drugs were transported by a criminal network made up of Romanian and foreign nationals.

Three homes in Romania were raided on Thursday, and five further searches were carried out in two Western European countries.

Romania said it had requested assistance from a range of organizations, including officials from the US Drug Enforcement Administration at the US Embassy, as well as Europol and Eurojust from the EU. The move was backed by judicial officials in eight EU countries.

Romania, especially the Port of Constanta, has an undesirable record of drug seizure cases. In early September of last year, in the port of Constanta, Romanian investigators from the Anti-Organized Crime Directorate (DIICOT) and police officers discovered almost 1.5 tonnes of opium and over 4 million Captagon pills (751 kg) in a container. The confiscated drugs had an estimated market value of EUR 80 million, as the Romanian Police and DIICOT had said.

While the weed and pills were smuggled into the Romanian port in boxes of organic soap last year, construction materials were used to hide the heroin this time.

SOURCE READ THE FULL ARTICLE https://www.fleetmon.com/maritime-news/2021/33861/historical-heroin-seizure-romanian-port-constanta/

Access to COVID-19 vaccines has been a widely discussed issue across the maritime industry. The latest group to be calling for priority for its members is the Maritime Pilots Malaysia, which represents the country’s pilots who serve the harbor and offshore operations.

The association said that it is “disappointed and deeply worried,” that the maritime pilots were not given the priority for COVID-19 vaccinations by the government.  They contend the pilots were denied priority although an application and lists of names were submitted months earlier to the country’s immunization task force. With Malaysia recently experiencing a surge in the number of cases, which prompted the government to renew restrictions, the group highlights that the pilots continue to be exposed to a higher level of risk while piloting foreign ships into and out the harbors of Malaysia.

Captain Martin Lim, president and chairman of Maritime Pilots Malaysia speaking about the need for the pilots to be given access to the vaccinations, said “It is indeed very critical and urgent as we continue to face more challenges each passing days responding to ships with crew members infected with COVID-19 onboard.”

Pilots are required to wear PPE but not fully protected (MPM)

MPM highlights that maritime pilots are the first person to board a foreign ship when it arrives at a port with ships generally not being required to anchor outside the port for inspection or quarantine even though the ships may be arriving from India and other countries that have seen strong increases and new variations of the virus. Captain Lim highlights that vessels are not quarantined until after the pilots guide them into the harbor or bring them alongside at the berth.

“This unwarranted practice imposed severe health and safety risks to the maritime pilots and is certainly emotionally distressing,” says Lim. He pointed out that the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) is required by the port authorities, but it is not a guarantee that the pilots will be safe from exposure to the infection. He also said that some new strains of COVID-19 cannot be detected with widely used means such as swap tests or body temperature.

“I urge the Malaysia government to take swift action with the highest urgency through a special arrangement to vaccinate all maritime pilots who are serving at all ports in Malaysia,” said Lim. “As maritime pilots are the first person to board any foreign ships, the vaccination will protect them and offer a sense of health security. If any serious infection involving maritime pilots at any port in the country occurs, the movement of ships into the ports and harbor can be seriously jeopardized and eventually affect the shipping of cargoes in and out of the country.”

The MPM said that three pilots have tested positive for COVID-19, but all recovered fully from the virus. They also reported that more than a dozen other pilots were placed into quarantine for up to 14 days due to close contact with crew members who were later declared as a “person under investigation.”

Shipping organizations around the world have been calling for vaccine priorities for seafarers to ensure the flow of goods. In the spring, vaccines became an issue at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles when the unions blamed some delays and congestion at the ports on dockworkers and cargo handlers getting sick or being quarantined. Dockworkers in Argentina have staged strikes the past two weeks demanding that they be prioritized for vaccinations.

SOURCE READ THE FULL ARTICLE https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/harbor-pilots-exposure-to-covid-19-requires-priority-for-vaccinations

Pacific salmon are foundation species to British Columbia’s coastal ecosystem, and have been a key source of nutrients and energy to some of Canada’s most iconic species, including bears and killer whales, for thousands of years. More recently, they have shared their waters with net pens filled with non-native Atlantic salmon that are being farmed for food.

Some wild Pacific salmon populations have been in sharp decline since the early 1990s. For example, more than half of all Chinook salmon populations in southern B.C. are endangered or threatened. For decades, scientists have been trying to pinpoint the exact causes of these declines.

Southern resident killer whales also live in the area, and have been listed as endangered since 2005. These killer whales feed primarily on Chinook salmon, whose shrinking populations are contributing to the decline of these endangered killer whales.

In an effort to try and understand what might be driving these declines, scientists like myself are investigating if the growing number of salmon farms off the B.C. coast may play a role. We’re concerned that pathogens may be spilling over from farmed salmon to wild salmon and contributing to these widespread declines.

In a new study published in Science Advances, we found that a salmon virus that is common on fish farms was introduced to southern B.C. roughly 30 years ago and is continually transmitted between farmed and wild salmon.

Fish farms and the risk of virus spillover

The large number and density of Atlantic salmon within fish farming operations means they have a high risk of developing disease. Since viruses and other infectious agents are commonly found on salmon farms, some scientists have gone as far as to refer to them as “pathogen culture facilities.” Environmental groups and industry regularly debate whether these pathogens spillover and cause disease in wild fish populations.

One of the most discussed viruses is Piscine orthoreovirus (PRV). PRV is common in salmon farming operations and causes heart disease in Atlantic salmon. Yet government and industry groups maintain that PRV is “endemic to B.C.” and poses “no more than a minimal risk” to Fraser River sockeye salmon. The report’s conclusions are often erroneously extrapolated to all species.

Scientists dissect wild Pacific salmon tissues for molecular analysis and to sequence viral genomes. (Amy Romer), Author provided

The word “endemic” has two meanings. Ecologists use it to describe plants and animals native to a region. But epidemiologists use it to refer to a continual and stable presence of an infectious agent in a defined area. Regardless of the intended meaning, our analysis found that neither is true.

Viruses leave a genetic fingerprint

Genome sequencing can be used to monitor the evolution of a virus — as we’ve seen during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. We applied the same techniques to track the paths of different lineages of PRV at different scales, between oceans, but also locally, between different populations of salmon off the coast of B.C.

Mutation rates of viruses are high, and over time, their genomes accumulate genetic differences. These changes to the genome make it possible to understand the origin and dispersal of viruses sampled from different locations.

A PRV lineage found commonly in the North East Pacific came from the North Atlantic. We estimate that it was first introduced to coastal B.C. waters relatively recently, approximately 30 years ago. This matches the timing of Atlantic salmon egg imports from Europe to B.C., which helped kick off salmon farming in the province.

Global transmission of Piscine orthoreovirus. (Gideon Mordecai), Author provided

Two lines of evidence point strongly to the transmission of the virus between farmed and wild salmon. Wild Chinook salmon were more likely to be infected with PRV when they were closer to salmon farms. And a genomic analysis found that farmed and wild salmon share the same viral variants, suggesting continual transmission.

Further analysis of the PRV genomes in B.C. waters indicate that the number of PRV infections in the region has increased by two orders of magnitude over the last two decades, a pattern that aligns with the regional growth in farms, where nearly all of the fish become infected.

All variants of the virus, including the type of PRV found in B.C., cause heart lesions in Atlantic salmon. Research in B.C. has found the same disease associated with PRV on Atlantic salmon farms.

Same virus, different disease

More importantly to the ecology of B.C., PRV has been linked to a different disease in Pacific salmon. In Chinook salmon, PRV is associated with “jaundice/anemia,” a disease that is the result of red blood cells bursting, leading to liver and kidney damage.

Despite the evidence linking PRV to disease in both Atlantic and Chinook salmon, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) does not classify PRV as a disease agent. This enables the ocean-based fish farms to be stocked with fish infected with the virus.

Our findings show that salmon farms are a source of infection for wild fish. The research provides evidence that supports growing calls to minimize the interactions between salmon farming and wild fish. Given that DFO’s science and decision-making are not independent, I believe that the regulation of the aquaculture industry should be separated from DFO’s responsibility to protect wild salmon.

Disease interactions with farmed fish impact not only the health of wild salmon, but all that rely on them — including the endangered southern resident killer whale. With so many factors at play, conserving salmon is a daunting process. But a small increase in the survival of juvenile salmon that migrate from rivers out to the open ocean can result in millions more adult salmon returning to their natal spawning grounds, a vital resource to both the ecology and people within coastal British Columbia.

Gideon Mordecai is a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Medicine at University of British Columbia. 

This article appears courtesy of The Conversation and may be found in its original form here. 

SOURCE READ THE FULL ARTICLE https://www.maritime-executive.com/editorials/study-virus-from-fish-farms-affects-b-c-s-wild-chinook-salmon

One of the largest topside removal projects of its kind is beginning in the North Sea involved the removal of the platform from one of the area’s largest oil and gas wells after the crew left the platform nearly two years ago. Two of the world’s largest semi-submersible crane vessels, converged in the North Sea, for the first time, to commence the unique project.

The Abu Dhabi National Energy Company PJSC known as TAQA commissioned Heerema and AF Offshore Decom to undertake its first major asset removal project. The Brae Bravo platform, commissioned in 1988, at its peak produced over 94,000 barrels per day. It is located more than 100 miles east o the Shetland Islands in Scotland. Decommissioning began in December 2017 with the last of the personnel leaving the platform in July 2019.

“TAQA Europe is embarking on one of the largest decommissioning exercises in the North Sea to date,” said Donald Taylor, TAQA Managing Director for Europe. “The Brae Bravo has been an integral part of the Brae fields for more than three decades with the size and scale of the platform, including the topside structure, almost the height of the London Eye. The arrival of Thialf in the field was a historic occasion, heralding the moment when we started converting many years of planning into practical implementation.”

Heerema’s semi-submersible crane vessels Thialf is one of the two largest crane vessels in the world. Built in 1985, it is capable of a tandem lift of 14,200 tons with its two cranes providing a depth reach lowering capability. It became the world’s second-largest when the SSCV Sleipnir was introduced in 2019. The two vessels, each of which is over 650 feet in length, are both being employed for this project. They recently met for the first time in the North Sea to begin the first phase of the three stage project that will last until 2022.

The first stage of the project recently began with the two SSCVs simultaneously in the field for several days to prepare and ultimately remove the flare tower, bridge, and jacket. The Thialf has remained in the field to complete final preparatory works and module separation to allow final removal in the summer. The Sleipnir will return to the site to remove the remaining topsides during two trips to the field during the summer of 2021, at which point the only remaining visible element of Brae Bravo will be the top of the jacket above the sea surface. A dedicated navigational aid will be placed on the remaining structure and a 500-meter safety zone will remain in place until jacket decommissioning is completed in 2022.

“Over the last 33 years, Brae Bravo has been an important contributor to the UK oil and gas industry with many people having long-standing connections to the platform. This project will involve more than 500 people working offshore on the program during peak decommissioning operations, and we are committed to delivering safe and efficient execution of this milestone,” said Taylor.

All the waste materials from the platform will be transported to the AF Environmental Base in Vats, Norway, and processed aiming for a 95 percent recycling or reuse target.

SOURCE READ THE FULL ARTICLE https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/world-s-largest-crane-vessels-meet-for-removal-of-north-sea-platform

Carnival Corporation received notification from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention that it has accepted the company’s agreements with PortMiami, the Port of Galveston, and Port Canaveral as a key step in the restart of cruise operations for Carnival Cruise Line. The CDC’s approval for Carnival comes in the same week the health agency also approved Celebrity Cruises to become the first large ship cruise line to restart cruises from a U.S. port and approved Royal Caribbean International’s plan for a simulated cruise.

The CDC’s Conditional Sail Order requires each cruise line to develop plans and reach agreements with the ports regarding operations and a protocol in case COVID-19 is identified aboard the ship. The CDC said this was to prevent the situations that happened in the spring of 2020 when cruise ships became stranded at sea after passengers were diagnosed with the virus and also to prevent the cruise ships from overloading the health care system in the regions from which the ships are sailing.

“These agreements move us one step closer to sailing with our loyal guests,” said Lars Ljoen, executive vice president and chief maritime officer for Carnival Cruise Line.  “We appreciate the support from not just these three homeport partners, but all of our homeports, that are eager to have us back as soon as possible.”

While Carnival announced that it had received these approvals, the cruise line did not provide details on its next steps. The CDC is requiring the cruise lines to apply for permission to operate simulated cruises with volunteer passengers to demonstrate the effectiveness of their onboard protocols and adjust any deficiencies that are found during the cruises. The lines can then apply for permission to resume revenue cruises.

Alternately the cruise line can certify to the CDC that their ship is operating with 95 percent of both the passengers and crew fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and then they can skip the required simulated voyages. Celebrity Cruises opted for this route but all the cruise lines face an additional hurdle with the state of Florida where the governor signed an executive order making it illegal for a business to ask for proof of vaccination or limit services only to people who are vaccinated. Florida has the right to fine a business if it asks for proof of vaccination. So far, the cruise lines have only said that they are in discussion with Florida on this issue.

Recently, the CDC also relaxed some of its guidelines for the operation of the cruise ships reflecting the increasing number of Americans that have received COVID-19 vaccinations. The CDC is no longer requiring fully vaccinated passengers and crew to wear face covers or to maintain social distancing in an increased number of setting aboard cruise ships. For ships that are not exclusively carrying vaccinated passengers, the CDC is saying that the cruise ships could designate areas for only vaccinated passengers where masks are not required.

Carnival Cruise Line has not said if it intends to limit its first cruises to vaccinated passengers and if it has made arrangements for all of its crew to be vaccinated.

Previously, Carnival Cruise Line announced that PortMiami and the Port of Galveston were its priority and that it planned to restart cruises from both of those ports in July 2021. The Carnival Horizon is expected to be the line’s first cruise ship sailing from Miami, while both the Carnival Vista and Carnival Breeze are expected to start sailing from Galveston. Carnival also said that it has identified Port Canaveral as a restart priority. The line said it would announce plans for operations from the central Florida port over the coming days.

SOURCE READ THE FULL ARTICLE https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/carnival-receives-cdc-approvals-as-cruise-restart-plan-progress

The Japanese Coast Guard is searching for survivors after a ro-ro cargo ship collided with a chemical tanker and sunk in the Kurushima Strait in southern Japan. Nine crewmembers from the cargo ship have been rescued but the captain, first engineer, and second engineer remain missing.

The Japanese ro-ro Byakko, owned by the Prince Kaiun Co., departed Kobe on the afternoon of May 27 heading north for the port of Kanda. The 6,800 dwt vessel was less than a year old built to operate in coastal waters carrying up to 800 commercial vehicles and trailers. There was a crew of 12 aboard.

At around midnight, the Japanese Coast Guard received a distress call from the ro-ro after it had collided with the chemical tanker Ulsan Pioneer. The 3,481 dwt tanker, registered in the Marshall Islands and owned by a South Korean company Heung-A-Shipping, was traveling between China and the Japanese port of Osaka, where it was due to arrive on May 28. The vessel, with 13 crew, sustained significant damage to its bow but has remained afloat.

Ulsan Pioneer (Heung-A Shipping)

The Japanese Coast Guard dispatched 14 patrol ships and three aircraft for the search in the Seto Inland Sea. The search was taking place approximately 2.5 miles north of Imabari in southern Japan.

The Byakko reportedly sunk at approximately 2:45 a.m. local time less than three hours after the collision.

A total of nine crewmembers were recovered from the water. The Japanese Coast Guard located five people while a containership sailing in the area was able to rescue four of the crew from the ro-ro.

The Kurushima Strait where the collision occurred is an active shipping lane with the Coast Guard reporting that more than 400 vessels a day pass through the area. The Coast Guard says that there have been no leaks from the tanker, and they are monitoring for pollution from the sunken vessel.

SOURCE READ THE FULL ARTICLE https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/three-missing-after-japanese-ro-ro-collides-with-tanker-and-sinks

Passenger ship KARYA INDAH (no data found) caught fire in Molucca sea in Sula Islands Regency waters, North Maluku, Molucca sea, at around 0900 LT (UTC +9). Fire engulfed the ship with 181 passengers and 14 crew on board. Large-scale SAR was launched, reportedly all passengers and crew were evacuated by 1500 WIT, no news on injures or casualties. Judging from photo, the ship burned out.
New FleetMon Vessel Safety Risk Reports Available: https://www.fleetmon.com/services/vessel-risk-rating/

SOURCE READ THE FULL ARTICLE https://www.fleetmon.com/maritime-news/2021/33921/passenger-ship-200-people-board-engulfed-fire-indo/

Southbound 13,000-teu container ship MAERSK EMERALD reportedly suffered mechanical malfunction and ran aground in Suez Canal, in the morning May 28 according to her track. She was refloated with workboats assistance, and taken to Great Bitter Lake, where she was anchored in the afternoon. Understood crew fixed the problem, the ship resumed transit, as of 1730 UTC May 28 she was exiting Lake area. The ship is en route from Tanger to Salalah Oman.

New FleetMon Vessel Safety Risk Reports Available: https://www.fleetmon.com/services/vessel-risk-rating/

SOURCE READ THE FULL ARTICLE https://www.fleetmon.com/maritime-news/2021/33913/maersk-mega-container-ship-troubled-suez-canal/

Crew of general cargo ship MARLEY found 4 stowaways on board during pre-departure check on May 27, at La Coruna, Spain. Stowaways of Kosovo and Albania nationalities reportedly, were taken into custody by the police. Understood they made a mistake when boarding MARLEY, assuming the ship is to sail to UK. She’s bound for Morocco, but as of morning May 28, was still berthed at Coruna, most likely departure has been delayed because of this incident.
So presently, ships in EU ports face risk of stowaways sneaking on board, just like in African ports.

New FleetMon Vessel Safety Risk Reports Available: https://www.fleetmon.com/services/vessel-risk-rating/

SOURCE READ THE FULL ARTICLE https://www.fleetmon.com/maritime-news/2021/33909/stowaways-risk-eu-ports/

Plans are advancing for the development of a hydrogen hub and transshipment port in northern Scotland. The terms of a memorandum of understanding between the Port of Cromarty Firth, located near Inverness, Scotland and Norwegian firm Gen2 Energy establish the groundwork to call for a commercial pathway to import green hydrogen from Norway into the UK energy market. The development of the hub is also seen as part of an effort to develop Scotland as a leader in renewable energy.

“This is a historic moment for the Port, and for the move towards green hydrogen as a reliable and secure source of energy in the Highlands, Scotland, and the UK,” said Port of Cromarty Firth chief executive Bob Buskie. “Through this Memorandum of Understanding, we have the potential to not only distribute green hydrogen but develop our own substantial production infrastructure, allowing Scotland to retain its position as a global frontrunner in clean energy. It will also have a positive effect on Scotland’s energy transition plans and provide skilled jobs and business opportunities for decades to come.”

The Scottish Government previously announced its ambition to become a leading hydrogen nation that generates 5GW of renewable and low-carbon hydrogen by 2030. They believe that they can generate enough clean energy to power the equivalent of 1.8 million homes from hydrogen fueled power.

In March 2021, the Scottish Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association (SHFCA) announced that work was beginning of a feasibility study for a proposed project to build a large scale electrolyzer facility in the area of the port. The plan calls for linking proposals for up to 15 offshore wind farms to become a feeder for the hydrogen plant which would also have storage and distribution capabilities. The region’s distilleries could become the first users for the hydrogen with the plan also exploring uses for shipping, road transport, aviation and rail.

The new agreement is designed to tap into Norway’s ability to produce large amounts of renewable energy that will exceed local needs. By building the distribution channel with Norway, it will provide users in Scotland additional assurances of a secure supply of hydrogen. They believe that this will provide an additional incentive for regional business to pursue decarbonization through a switch to hydrogen as a fuel.

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Scottish Port Seeks to Become Hub for Hydrogen in UK (maritime-executive.com)