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Last HERO heads west

Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting outlet reported on Nov 3 that U.S. forces confiscated a tanker carrying Iranian oil in the Sea of Oman and then transferred it to another tanker. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard forces were said to have then carried out a helicopter landing on the second vessel, allowing them to take control and steer it back toward Iranian waters, thus avoiding U.S. warships and aircraft that then reportedly gave chase. In an official release, the Revolutionary Guard confirmed the incident and said that the tanker reached Iranian waters, docking at the southern port of Bandar Abbas on October 25.
US defence officials refuted Iran narrative and presented their version of an incident, which took place last week in Gulf of Oman.
Iranian media footage showed Iranian fast attack craft sailing between Vietnamese Aframax tanker SOTHYS on one side, and US Navy destroyer USS Michael Murphy, on the other. “Iran said that they prevented us from taking back this vessel when it’s very clear that our forces were simply there monitoring”.

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https://www.fleetmon.com/maritime-news/2021/36033/vietnamese-afamax-tanker-middle-mysterious-inciden/

Nov 5: Cargo ships are scattered all along Northern Sea Route, most of them awaiting icebreaker to be taken through ice. Icebreaker VAYGACH is presently at Pevek Port, bulk carriers NORDIC QINNGUA, GOLDEN PEARL, gen cargo UHL FUSION are led by nuclear icebreaker TAYMYR, all three transiting NSR from Europe to Far East. Bulk carriers NORDIC NULUUJAAK and GOLDEN SUEK stuck in ice, waiting for icebreaker. Gen cargo POOLGRACHT, UHL FAITH, UHL FLASH stuck in ice, waiting for icebreaker, all three transiting from China to Northern Europe. About a dozen Russian cargo ships are also positioned along NSR, either waiting for icebreaker, or trying to find passages in ice floes. More or less autonomous are newly built, highest ice-class, powerful LNG tankers, but let’s not forget, that their operators had to turn to icebreakers too, last winter, after one of them was damaged while transiting NSR autonomously.

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https://www.fleetmon.com/maritime-news/2021/36037/stuck-ice-ships-scattered-along-northern-sea-route/

The Port of Long Beach has managed to successfully achieve all the 2023 emission reduction goals outlined in the San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP). As per the US Port’s annual emission inventory report, there has been a decline of 62% in smog-forming nitrogen oxides, 90% in diesel soot, and a massive dip of 97% in Sulphur oxides. The annual emissions inventory is reviewed by South Coast Air Quality Management District, California Air Resources Board, and the US Environmental Protection Agency. The achievement was clocked when the container throughput increased by 21%.

Celebrating the achievement, Steve Neal, Long Beach Harbor Commission President said that they are committed to their ultimate goal of becoming an emission-free port. Port of Long Beach explained that the pollution levels were with respect to the 2005 baseline, the year before the original San Pedro Bay CAAP was adopted.

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https://www.fleetmon.com/maritime-news/2021/36029/port-long-beach-achieves-2023-emission-reduction-g/

Canada has joined the list of countries that are now open for cruise ships. After 19 long months, on November 1st, the ban on large cruise ships at Canadian ports came to an end, however, the federal government has advised its citizens against traveling aboard cruise ships. The move is largely ceremonial as the Canadian cruise season has already concluded and the last of the cruise ships operating to Alaska completed their voyage in mid-October.

Last year at the beginning of the pandemic in mid-March, Canada announced that it would close its ports for cruise ships. The ban was later extended in February 2021 till the end of this year’s cruise season. The ban also disrupted the ferry service operating on the Pacific Coast.

The Canadian Government has issued an advisory to its citizens, where citizens have been advised to avoid cruise ships until further notice. The warning was first issued in early pandemic days and it warns that travelers might end up in quarantine situations where the Canadian Government would have little diplomatic authority to assist its citizens. However, the traveler community is now asking the federal government to end the advisory against cruises.

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https://www.fleetmon.com/maritime-news/2021/36045/canada-opens-ports-cruise-ships/

The Iranian state TV on Monday announced the successful defense of an Iranian oil tanker sailing in the region close to Yemen. It was while entering the Bab el-Mandeb Strait when the four boats with four to six pirates each, approached the oil tanker. The Iranian Naval forces reported that it was their second defense operation conducted within a month against suspected pirates in the Gulf of Aden.

The State news agencies reported that an escort team of the Iranian Army’s Navy was present on the oil tanker and they clashed with the pirates. The identity of the tanker vessel involved in the incident has not been revealed yet. The armed forces believed that the suspected boats were approaching the oil tanker intending to hijack the vessel, hence they intervened and fired warning shots to scare away the pirates.

Iran has said that to secure naval routes and provide protection to merchant ships, the Iranian navy has increased its presence in the region. Iran’s naval activities are continuing to provide support to the efforts made by the country for increasing its outgoing loaded tankers to Lebanon. Earlier this month, Iran had reported that two small boats had approached two of its oil tankers in the Gulf of Aden. An Iranian destroyer present in the region handled those pirate boats much before they could reach the tankers.

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https://www.fleetmon.com/maritime-news/2021/36041/iran-reports-second-pirate-attack-gulf-aden/

U.S. shipyard Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding will build a 5500 cubic metres LNG bunkering barge for PNE Marine, an affiliate of NorthStar Midstream’s unit Polaris New Energy.

Northstar Terminals focuses on the production and delivery of LNG as a clean fuel through its subsidiaries. To clarify, these include Northstar Jacksonville, PNE Marine Holdings, and Polaris New Energy.

The new LNG bunkering barge will be a sister ship to the Clean Canaveral, which Polaris will welcome in mid-November.

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Fincantieri to build 2nd LNG bunkering barge for NorthStar