A loaded general cargo vessel had left berth but went to anchor in the river for repairs before proceeding to sea. The pilot showed the Master and Chief Officer his intended anchoring position on the ship’s ECDIS and informed them of his plan to use both anchors, establishing a ‘good spread’ between the port and starboard anchor chains. There were thunderstorms forecast for that afternoon that could bring strong and gusty winds to the area and river water levels were high, causing an outflow current of about four to five knots.

The starboard anchor was let go (position 1 in the diagram). The vessel then manoeuvred to port and, five minutes later, the port anchor was also let go (position 2). The starboard anchor was heaved to four shackles on deck and the port to three shackles in the water. About 15 minutes after the port anchor was let go the pilot informed the Master that the anchoring was finished. The pilot was satisfied with the situation (position 3), but recommended keeping the engine on short standby due to the inclement weather that was due to arrive and the strong river current. Another issue was that the vessel’s stern was only 150 metres from the bow of another ship anchored astern (shown in red in the diagram).

The pilot left the vessel a few minutes later. Unknown to him, the vessel was not in a stable condition and continued to yaw between the anchors.

Even though the vessel astern was only 150 metres away, the OOW set the anchor watch alarm on the ECDIS for a radius of 180 metres. Soon, the vessel was moving astern at a speed over the bottom of about 1.8 knots. At 1602 there was a watch handover; the relieving officer, unfamiliar with the vessel’s ECDIS because he was new, asked why the ship was not in the middle of the ECDIS ‘anchor watch’ circle.

The officer being relieved offered to help familiarise the relieving officer with the ECDIS, but they did not further discuss the vessel’s position at anchor as they went on to other business. About 10 minutes later, the OOW aboard the vessel anchored astern called on VHF radio giving a warning – he had noticed that the general cargo vessel was moving astern toward his vessel.

At 1639, the OOW became aware that they were now too close to the other anchored vessel. He contacted the engine room and engine control was received on the bridge nine minutes later. The Master began using full ahead engine, along with the bow thruster and rudder, to reduce the swing and bring the ship ahead. By this point, the ship was unable to turn to starboard away from the other anchored ship. At 1655, with the first vessel now broadside to the current and pushing on the bow of the other anchored vessel, both vessels were now dragging anchor.

Tugs were requested to help hold and stabilise the vessel. The first tug arrived on scene about 30 minutes later. A further 30 minutes passed before pilots arrived on both vessels, but more tugs were needed to extricate the vessels from their position. Although these arrived some time later, the vessel nonetheless hit a shore dock at a speed of 6 knots before its bow grounded on the river bank. Damage to the two vessels and the dock were estimated at $16.9 million.

Source: https://www.marineinsight.com/case-studies/real-life-incident-two-anchors-are-not-always-enough/

Cruise ship NORWEGIAN PEARL was hit by fishing vessel GABBY G at around 0640 UTC Jul 30 ESE of Nantucket, USA East Coast. Cruise ship left Boston on Jul 29 for a week-long cruise, she wasn’t damaged except maybe some scratches and dents, while GABBY G sustained serious damages in stb bow area, she was taken to New Bedford, probably on tow. NORWEGIAN PEARL resumed voyage and arrived at Bermuda, Ireland Island, on Jul 31.

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

FPSO SEA EAGLE reported water ingress on Jul 24, she’s positioned in EA field southwest of Warii, Nigeria. As of morning Jul 29, there weren’t yet detailed and timely updates, to figure out what happened, what’s going on and what are ship’s status and condition. AIS seems to be working, latest position received at around 2300 UTC Jul 28. The leak didn’t affect oil storage area, said FPSO operator SHELL.

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

Competition over the world’s maritime resources and territorial disputes over maritime borders are becoming increasingly prominent in international affairs. At the same time, depleted fish stocks and polluted waters make the question of how countries can collectively manage maritime resources a central one, particularly in discussions over climate change.

Against the backdrop of heightened competition in the maritime domain, China has been rapidly modernizing and expanding its naval capabilities thanks to an unprecedented shipbuilding effort. By contrast, the U.S. Navy is struggling to meet its ambitious goals toward expanding its fleet while nevertheless maintaining a demanding operational tempo.

Meanwhile, the resources that lie beneath the ocean’s surface are increasingly at risk of overexploitation. Illegal fishing is devastating already diminished global stocks and may soon present a severe crisis to countries whose populations depend on seafood for their diets. In the South China Sea, competition over fishing rights as well as offshore oil and gas reserves has been a major driver of tensions and conflict.

The maritime domain highlights the tensions between national sovereignty and transnational challenges, between the ocean’s littoral regions as exclusive economic zones and the high seas as a global commons. While often ignored in coverage of international affairs, it features prominently in bilateral, regional and multilateral diplomacy, particularly when it comes to resolving boundary disputes.

WPR has covered maritime issues in detail and continues to examine key questions about what will happen next. Will the United States shore up its naval superiority or continue to cede ground to China? How will the pivot to renewable energy affect competition for maritime resources? Will concerns over depleting fish stocks jumpstart global efforts to improve the state of the world’s oceans? Below are some of the highlights of WPR’s coverage.

Our Most Recent Coverage

Indo-Pacific Ambitions Might Be a Luxury Europe Can’t Afford

In recent years, several European states have sought to project their precious naval assets in the Indo-Pacific region in ways that reflect widely accepted fashions in strategic thinking. But the underlying logic of this thinking now needs to be viewed more critically after the return of interstate war on European soil.

Naval Rivalries

Countries around the world are improving their navies and stepping up their naval activities. That includes China, which has made qualitative and quantitative improvements, but also France and India. All of this stands in contrast to the United States’ struggles to improve the preparedness of its own fleet. These rivalries now include efforts to obtain port access and basing rights, as Russia and China increasingly seek to expand their naval presence overseas.

• What’s driving Vietnam’s efforts to upgrade its military—and in particular its navy, in Vietnam Modernizes Its Military With a Wary Eye on China
• Why China’s military and naval buildup is making some of its neighbors nervous, in China’s Military Advances Have Come With Some Political Downsides
• Why Australia should avoid reducing the AUKUS deal to a submarine purchase, in Australia Can’t Get By on Nuclear Subs Alone
• How a new naval base in Sudan fits into Russia’s strategic plans, in Russia’s Naval Base in Sudan Opens a Long-Sought Gateway to the Red Sea

Illegal Fishing and Pollution

Every fifth fish caught in the world is netted illegally, undermining efforts to officially address the alarming problems caused by overfishing. But with global fish stocks declining by as much as 50 percent, there is mounting pressure to address overfishing—and the governments, including China, that encourage it. Failure to do so could be catastrophic for food systems and economies around the world.

• Why there’s no more time to waste on addressing the impact of climate change, overfishing and seabed mining on the world’s oceans, in Only Urgent Action Will Save the Oceans Now
• Why the Biden administration should make ratifying a treaty protecting marine wildlife a priority, in Bringing the High Seas Biodiversity Treaty Into Port
• How China is using its distant-water fishing fleet to advance its strategic objectives, in China Shows No Signs of Curbing Its Illegal Fishing Industry
• How maritime pollution is driving the global backlash against plastics, in Can the World Win the War on Plastic?

Territorial and Resource Disputes

As varied as they are common, disputes over maritime access have become increasingly significant within domestic and regional politics. Bolivia’s campaign for Pacific Ocean access was a central theme during former President Evo Morales’ years in office. And China’s disputed claims to the South China Sea are a significant driver of political tensions with the affected countries. But recently resolved conflicts, including a long-standing dispute between Australia and East Timor over access to natural gas fields, demonstrate that diplomacy can still be an effective tool.

• Why two islands off the coast of Yemen have become a focus of that country’s civil war, in Yemen’s Small Islands Hold Major Strategic Value
• Why we probably haven’t heard the last word on France and Britain’s dispute over fishing rights, in France and the U.K. Hit Pause on Their Fishing Dispute, but It Isn’t Over
• Why maritime borders are the next flashpoint in territorial disputes, in The Persistence of Borders in a Globalized World
• How Duterte’s effort to downplay the Philippines’ South China Sea territorial dispute with China backfired, in Duterte’s Ingratiating Approach to China Has Been a Bust

Piracy

Piracy remains a problem, particularly in remote, conflict-ridden areas. Countries are increasingly working collaboratively to address this problem, but these efforts are often reactive. Because global waters will always remain difficult to police, lasting solutions to piracy depend more on providing economic opportunities to citizens onshore than eliminating piracy on the water.

• How an Islamist insurgency in northern Mozambique could move from land to sea, in Mozambique Could Become Africa’s Next Piracy Hot Spot
• What’s driving a shift in piracy tactics in the Gulf of Guinea, in Why Piracy Is a Growing Threat in West Africa’s Gulf of Guinea
• How piracy in southeast Asia is evolving despite efforts to tackle it, in Why Southeast Asia Remains a Hotbed for Piracy
• Why piracy remains a persistent problem off the coast of Somalia, in What’s Behind the Resurgence in Piracy Off Somalia’s Coast

Source: https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/competition-and-cooperation-in-the-maritime-domain/