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International Shipping Page

Another one of those calm days!!!! (Photo D. Ferro)

An imposing sky dominates the bay of Gibraltar in November 2007 (Photo N. Rush)

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 Shipping News

News 12/01/08

Aegean Marine Petroleum have entered in to an expansion programme and taken delivery of the new “Amorgos” a 4,600-dwt double-hulled bunkering tanker from Fujian Southeast Shipyard in China. The ship will be delivered to the Gibraltar Service Centre in February and is replacing the 4,853-dwt Aegean Tulip that has been transferred to the new West African Service Centre in Ghana along with the “Fos”, previously the “Mother Ship” in Gibraltar, which has now been replaced by “Leader”.

Aegean Tulip seen in the Port of Gibraltar in 2006 (Photo N. Rush)

"Mother Ship" Fos pictured in 2007 before leaving for Ghana (Photo N. Rush)

"Leader" that has now replaced the Fos in the Bay seen on the detached Mole in December 2007 (Photo N. Rush)

News 01/01/08

The operation to refloat the stern section should begin shortly after a team from the US-based Titan Salvage arrived in Gibraltar. It is hoped that there is enough buoyancy remaining in the section to remove it and assess its condition before attempting to bring it into the Port for dismantling. With the weather hampering conditions at the moment it is not known what sort of timescale is envisaged but with the Salvage ship Union Beaver and the Mistral tug already on station operations should commence as soon as the conditions improve. Further assistance arrived on New Years day when the Crowley Marine tug Warrior arrived towing one of the company's 5756-ton barges. The operation so far is reported to have cost in excess of £20m.

Crowley Marine's 538-ton tug Warrior enters Gibraltar on 01/01/08 with the 5756-ton Barge 408 on tow (Photo N. Rush).

News 24/12/07

The adverse weather conditions continue to help the break up of the New Flame and over the previous two or three days the sea state has caused the ship's condition to worsen.

News 10/12/07

Salvage Abandoned!

The operation to salvage the "New Flame" has been ongoing since 13th August 2007, the day after the collision.

The current status of the salvage/recovery of the wreck 'New Flame' is that the attempt to salvage the aft part of the vessel has been abandoned by the underwriters as they no longer believe the operation to be commercially viable.

The underwriters, are now treating the situation as an entire wreck removal operation, while maintaining the services of the on-site salvage company to sustain the vessel in its current position, as far as technically possible, until the wreck removal operation commences.

With regard to the wreck removal operation, underwriters went to tender some 10 days ago and are expected to award the contract to the successful bidder shortly. Thereafter, it is anticipated that work will commence for the removal of the wreck as soon as logistically possible to do so.

News 22/11/07

A tender was announced yesterday for companies interested in bidding to pump fuel from the Sea Diamond shipwreck and raise the cruise liner that sank off Santorini more than seven months ago.

The process was initiated as experts warned that the danger of pollution from the sunken vessel is growing.

Theodoros Tsibidis, the head of the Institute of Marine and Environmental Research of the Aegean Sea, also known as Archipelago, told Kathimerini that in the ship there are a number of hydraulic and air-conditioning systems that contain toxic liquids. He also drew attention to hundreds of TV and computer screens in the vessel, which could leak other harmful substances, including arsenic.

“It is vital that no further pollution is caused during the recovery process, possibly from the disintegration of parts that contain harmful components,” said Tsibidis.

Firms have been given 20 days to submit their offer for raising the Sea Diamond and recovering more than 450 tons of fuel inside the vessel, which sank on April 6.

News 25/10/07

New Flame Salvage

Government confirms that the operations to salvage the ’New Flame’ have now commenced. Earlier this week the salvage team began preparatory work to salvage the aft part of the vessel. Those operations, which included positioning two specialist vessels in place and a cutting wire, are currently taking place.

It is envisaged that later today the salvage team will begin cutting the vessel in two which will allow the aft part of the vessel to float free in a controlled manner. Thereafter, once sufficient buoyancy is introduced into this section the aft part of the vessel will be towed into the Bay for lightering of cargo operations before it can be towed safely to the South Mole.

It is anticipated that the actual cutting operation and ensuring sufficient buoyancy will take about three days, before the aft section of ‘New Flame’ can be removed from site.

The early start of operations (Photo N. Rush)

The New Flame taken 24/10.07 at the start of preparations to cut the ship in two. Tugs attending are Boulder, Anglian Earl, Megas Alexandros and Fortiy Krylov (Photos N. Rush).

News 23/10/07

The Government of Gibraltar is to propose establishing a traffic separation scheme for all vessels sailing in and out of the Bay of Gibraltar, a key bunkering spot in the western Mediterranean. however the plan will require close co-operation from Spanish authorities and follows the well publicised collision last month between the New Flame and the Torm Gertrude. It also comes amid continued pressure for tighter maritime safety measures from environmental groups and politicians on either side of the border between Gibraltar and Spain.

The two ports share a bay that is visited by more than 30,000 ships a year, but communication between the two is minimal and the incident was the latest in a string of casualties that have brought shipping in this area under intense scrutiny.

Earlier this year the laden tanker Samothraki grounded in Gibraltar waters close to where the New Flame foundered. Only its double-hull design prevented a potentially major spill in a sensitive protected wildlife area. Prior to that, the reefer Sierra Nava grounded in harsh weather just off the port of Algeciras and spilt several hundred tonnes of fuel oil prompting major environmental concerns.

MV Samothraki pictured 18/03/07 after being towed round to the Bay of Gibraltar  (Photo N. Rush)

                                           The Sierra Nava aground off of the coast near Algeciras (Photo Courtesy of Juan)

There have been numerous other bumps and scrapes of the sort common in any area with intense shipping activity. The New Flame collision came in the wake of those incidents and revitalised efforts to establish a formal framework of co-operation on maritime safety between Spain and Gibraltar.

The Chief Minister Peter Caruana said the thaw in relations between Madrid, Gibraltar and London meant sovereignty issues could now be set aside to achieve progress on practical matters that affect all sides. He used the recent airport agreement as an example. He also stated that maritime matters would be high on the agenda at the next round of talks between Gibraltar, Britain and Spain. Furthermore he confirmed that Gibraltar would propose establishing a traffic separation scheme for all vessels sailing in and out of the bay and added it is no longer acceptable for ships sailing toward the port of Algeciras from the Mediterranean to tear around Europa Point just to shave off a mile of the journey.

The scheme will require input from the International Maritime Organization and will have to take into account recent changes to navigation arrangements in the Strait of Gibraltar. The separation scheme in the strait was amended to take into account a forecast increase in cross-strait traffic as a result of new port developments in Morocco such as the new Tanger-Med port.

The response to the New Flame collision at times drew intense criticism from green campaigners and Spanish opposition politicians. They argued, maybe unfairly, according to maritime experts in Gibraltar and Spain that Gibraltar was ill-equipped to cope with a casualty of this sort and urged the Spanish government to intervene. However the Spanish authorities had been kept closely informed at every stage of the casualty and Madrid put at Gibraltar's disposal extensive rescue and anti-pollution resources.

News 22/10/07

Tarifa based ferry operator FRS Iberia is exploring plans to increase the frequency of its service between Gibraltar and the Moroccan port of Tangier. The service has been operated on a weekly basis for some time, but company officials believe there may be scope for daily sailings. The thinking is based on the increase in flights at Gibraltar airport, particularly to the Spanish capital. The idea is to target tourist traffic from the Spanish hinterland — and from the UK — and use Gibraltar as a stepping stone to north Africa. “We are working to develop the commercial plan to capture traffic from these areas,” says FRS managing director Luis Mora. “We are looking to see if it’s viable.” The company already offers all-in packages to Moroccan destinations from Spanish ports and similar trips could be run from here. It has been looking at ways to boost its Gibraltar schedule for some time.
But the results of an initial trial earlier this year were less than heartening. FRS operated daily services during two weeks at the start of summer and passenger figures were disappointing. Changes in the schedules of airlines operating between Gibraltar and Madrid may further dampen the ferry company’s plans.
GB Airways has pulled its daily round-trip service to Madrid for the winter, although it will revisit its plans for the route next year. Spanish carrier Iberia, the only other airline operating between the Rock and the Spanish capital, has also scaled back its service. FRS Iberia, which remains committed to the project, has met with Joe Holliday, Gibraltar’s tourism and transport minister, to discuss options relating to the daily service. The context for these discussions is the major investment in tourism and trade infrastructure in progress in northern Morocco.
The development of northern Morocco is attracting substantial foreign investment and Gibraltar has explored possible opportunities for joint initiatives. Earlier this year, key executives from the Tangier Mediterranean Special Agency visited Gibraltar to brief local businesses on various projects under way on the other side of the Strait.

News 20/10/07

Spain’s Boluda Group has officially acquired French tug company Les Abeilles from the Bourbon Group for €270 ($383.67M). Les Abeilles owned 66 tugs and employed 1,100 people. Boluda says it now operates 230 tugs in over 50 ports around the world. As well as reinforcing Boluda’s position in the Mediterranean, “the acquisition of Les Abeilles is part of the wider strategy of the company to expand in West and Central Africa,” a senior advisor to the Boluda Group in the Canary Islands said. Bourbon has spent several years strengthening its operations in West African countries.

News 13/09/07

The operation to remove the fuel from the vessel has been successfully completed. 780 cubic metres of fuel has been removed in just 30 days, despite the exposed location of the vessel and the loss of 10 days due to inclement weather. No fuel has been spilled from the New Flame into the sea. The Gibraltar Government would like to congratulate the salvage Company, TSAVLIRIS of Greece for the successful completion of this important part of the salvage operation.

The salvage operation now moves into its next phase which is the removal of the ship. Due to structural degradation suffered by the vessel during the collision and subsequently, it will not be possible to extract the ship in one piece. The ship will therefore have to be cut into two sections, at a point about one-third of its length, from the bow, just forward of No2 crane.

The stern section, comprising two thirds, of the ships’ length and three cargo holds will be removed first. This section will float and will be towed away to safe waters in the Bay of Gibraltar where some of her cargo will be removed at anchorage to enable her to be brought alongside. Once alongside the remainder of the cargo will be unloaded and the stern section towed into Cammell Laird Gibraltar Dry Docks.

The bow section, consisting of about 1/3 of the ship’s length and two cargo holds will then be removed, in sections, including the cargo, which consists of non-oil scrap metal.

These salvage operations are currently being engineered. The removal of the stern section could begin in around three weeks time, and will take about one month to complete. The operation to remove the whole of the ship might take up to 6 months, subject to weather conditions. This phase of the operation does not represent a risk of a pollution event.

During the salvage operation the site will be marked by four lit wreck buoys in the normal manner, and a one-mile exclusion zone maintained.

The Gibraltar Government wishes to express its gratitude and appreciation to the Spanish authorities and to the European Maritime Safety Agency for their offers of support and collaboration should it be needed.

News 05/09/07

The Government of Gibraltar has noted press reports attributing to an official of the European Maritime Safety Agency the statement that it has despatched its vessel ‘the Mistra Bay’ to Gibraltar at the request of Spain to stand by in the event of oil spill from the New Flame.

Since the New Flame lies in Gibraltar waters it would be the Gibraltar Government, in the context of the Member State UK, that would have to request the deployment of resources from EMSA in case of need. The Gibraltar Government has not made any such request because sufficient resources are already available to deal with any conceivable oil spill from the New Flame, however unlikely that may be. Should the Government be advised that there is any change in these circumstances, the Gibraltar Government would then request the assistance of EMSA under Article 2(c) of European Maritime Safety Agency Regulations.

The Spanish Government has presumably therefore requested EMSA’s intervention on the Spanish side of the Bay of Gibraltar either to stand by while the cargo of oil is unloaded from the other ship involved in the collision, ‘the Torm Gertrud’ (which actually departed for Setubul in Portugal a few days ago!), or to help protect the Spanish coastline in the event of an oil leak from either vessel. The Mistra Bay is therefore sailing to Spain, not to Gibraltar.

A Gibraltar Government spokesman said that it had not received any contact from EMSA before the issue of their statement and that EMSA was not involved in the Gibraltar operations.

News 04/09/07

THE European Union emergency oil spill response ship Mistra Bay was en route to Gibraltar last night amid concern that the grounded bulk carrier New Flame is close to breaking up.

In the first test of the EU's back-up ability, the Mistra Bay was struggling through a force-seven storm and was reported off the coast of Tunisia.

The vessel, a bunker tanker now under the control of the Lisbon-based European Maritime Safety Agency, is expected to arrive in the Bay of Algeciras on Thursday. It was mobilised late on Friday, within three hours of a request from Spain, where there are growing fears of pollution from reportedly around 400 tonnes of fuel oil still on board the 26,824 dwt, Panama-flagged New Flame.

The ship's structural integrity is said to have fallen from 60% to 25% or less over the last week as the result of bad weather.

Mistra Bay, normally managed by Tankship, is based in Valletta, Malta, with a remit to cover the eastern Mediterranean. It was around 1,000 miles away but was the closest vessel in the fledgling EU fleet available to answer Spain's call. The EU has no coverage along the Atlantic seaboard, although a standby vessel should soon be operating out of Portugal.

"Emsa is still in the process of building up its contracted fleet of anti-pollution vessels," said Emsa executive director, Willem de Ruiter. "We still have some way to go before we can provide comprehensive pollution response back-up to member states throughout EU waters. However, on this occasion, we quickly assessed the options and offered the Malta-based Mistra Bay to the Spanish authorities within three hours of their request."

Two Emsa liaison officers have been dispatched: one, a Russian-speaker, is on board the Mistra Bay to co-ordinate operations with the Ukrainian crew; another, a Spanish-speaker, has been sent to Spain to co-ordinate with the local authorities, which already have anti-pollution vessels on stand-by. Emsa officials were satisfied with the way the ship had been mobilised.

The Mistra Bay, which had a ?2m ($2.7m) refit after Tankship won the oil spill standby contract, has recovered oil storage capacity of 1805 tonnes.

The oil tanker Torm Gertrud and the New Flame collided off Gibraltar on August 12. Since then the priority has been to avoid pollution by removing oil still on board the New Flame, which is partially submerged with its bow resting on the sea floor.

It was hoped that the ship could be re-floated intact, but the salvors are now understood to have ruled this out. The oil removal operation has had to be suspended several times due to bad weather.

The casualty has pushed maritime issues to the top of the agenda for three-way discussions between Gibraltar, Spain and the UK. Officials will be looking at ways to improve currently minimal levels of co-operation between the ports of Algeciras and Gibraltar.

Both ports share one bay into which around 30,000 ships sail each year. Together they deliver around 6m tonnes of bunker fuel annually. There is now talk of setting up a navigation scheme for ships sailing in and out of the bay from the Strait of Gibraltar.


New Flame

A press report, dated Aug 31, states: As reports in the Spanish media claimed that fuel had leaked from the stricken bulk carrier New Flame the Gibraltar Government initiated an investigation to verify if the reports were true. With the salvage operations of the vessel still taking place off Europa Point the maritime authorities and the Salvage team met to discuss the next stage of the operation and the claims being made in the Spanish press. It is understood that the authorities were assured that throughout the salvage operations no known leak of fuel has taken place. An independent surveyor acting as a monitor of the operations confirming to officials that there had been no known fuel leak after an inspection of the area. It is, however, believed that some hydraulic fuel from equipment on board the vessel might have leaked into the sea, although the incident is described as a minor one. The denials of a fuel leak came as the salvage team continued with their plans to extract the fuel. Although expectations have been for the vessel to be removed due to bad weather condition due to hit the area. Experts have instead opted to remove the fuel with no risk to the vessel expected with the bad weather. Maritime experts have pointed out that while the vessel seems to have buckled considerably, indicating the extend of the damage, it is not believed it is likely to break away in the coming day. Sound and motion sensors on the vessel have also been put in place providing a pre-warning of any increase in the stress of the hull which might indicate that the vessel is due to break up. Officials have today indicated that all fuel extraction operations will be suspended during the weekend due to the increasing winds and as a safeguard to the barge operating alongside the stricken vessel.
 

News 31/08/07

The small amount of substances found yesterday floating in the sea two miles west of the New Flame is not fuel oil. There is no evidence that the substance emanated from the New Flame, which is protected by anti-pollution booms, and the salvers believe that it did not emanate from the New Flame. Notwithstanding this, since part of the precautionary resources that have been deployed include an anti pollution equipped vessel permanently on station (with search lights at night), this vessel attended to the spraying of dispersant on the substance.

The Government notes reports in the Spanish press that the intervention of a Spanish anti-pollution vessel was requested to help deal with this incident. This is untrue, although in the context of the close co-operation that exists between Gibraltar and Spanish Authorities in these shipping and environmental matters, the Gibraltar Government would not hesitate to call upon Spanish assistance if it were necessary or prudent.

It would be irresponsible for Spanish environmental lobby groups to jump on bandwagons and automatically point the finger at the New Flame for all current pollution events in this vicinity, particular given the high level of resources, vigilance and expertise constantly deployed at the location of the New Flame.

The Government is completely satisfied with the method and rate of the defuelling operation. It must be understood, especially by those who comment on such matters that it is precisely to reduce the risk of pollution incidents that defuelling operations are suspended during adverse weather conditions. Given the current strong easterly winds, defuelling was again interrupted to-day and will be resumed as soon as conditions improve.

The Gibraltar Government will continue, through public statements, and liaison with Spanish Authorities and press, to keep public opinion in Gibraltar and in Spain fully informed of events and developments relating to the complex and delicate operation being undertaken.

News 28/08/07

The salvage operation of the "New Flame" continues to be suspended due to adverse weather conditions. The removal of fuel oil will resume, as soon as the weather improves probably early next week.

The salvage experts are continuing to organise the operation to refloat the vessel. Specialised equipment has been installed onboard the "New Flame" to monitor the movement and strength of the vessel. The salvage vessels, tugs and all the necessary anti- pollution equipment continue in place at all times.

"I continue to be reassured by the salvage experts of the operation that all the necessary steps are being taken to bring it to a satisfactory conclusion. The protection of the environment continues to be Government’s priority. I would like to stress to the seafaring public the need to comply with the one mile exclusion zone implemented by the Gibraltar Port Authority around the vessel for their own safety and to prevent interference with the operation." said the Acting Chief Minister the Hon J J Holliday

News 23/08/07

The operation to assist the break in two of the stricken vessel ‘New Flame’ has been halted after further surveys undertaken by the diving team earlier today revealed that despite the external forces applied by the specialist salvage tug Fotiy Krylov, 60% of the vessel strength still remains. In this condition it is unlikely the vessel will break in two at this stage as first envisaged.

Currently, the salvage team are carrying out further calculations and considering the option of the possibility of salvaging the entire vessel, by introducing buoyancy to the forward part of the vessel, which will enable her stern to float free of the seabed in a controlled manner with two tugs attached.

The operation to remove fuel oil from the vessel, and to improve her buoyancy, has re-commenced. This operation will continue on a 24hr basis until a decision on the salvage of the vessel has been reached.

If the entire vessel were to be re-floated, it will be held in its current position by the two tugs until such time as sufficient buoyancy can be introduced and her stability controlled.

Thereafter, the vessel will be towed to a more secure location where operations to improve her condition, as well as to remove any fuel which may remain, will commence.

"As I’ve said before, in these complex operations situation can change in relatively short periods of time, and so these need to be carefully considered and changes of plans adopted where necessary", said Acting Chief Minister, The Hon Joe Holliday. "The Government continues to be satisfied that every possible course of action is being taken by the salvage team of experts in order to bring this operation to a successful conclusion. At all times, the priority of the Government is to maintain maximum safety and minimum risk to the environment.

News 21/08/07

The operation to salvage the stricken bulk-carrier MV "New Flame" was halted yesterday evening when the salvage team became aware that the vessel had become unstable and in danger of breaking in two.

The Salvage Master instructed the Salvage Team to evacuate the vessel and transfer to the tug "Fotiy Krylov" which has been assisting in the operation since its arrival in Gibraltar last Sunday. The likely outcome is that the vessel will break in two due to the effects of swell and tides. Should this happen, the likely course of action is for the aft section of the vessel to be towed into a place of safety.

It is envisaged that, operational safety permitting, a dive survey will be conducted later today to assess the situation. The results of the survey will determine the course of action to follow.

The Salvage Master has assured the Government that the breaking up of the vessel would cause the aft section to float and all the remaining fuel onboard will remain safely intact in the storage tanks. Throughout this operation an offshore oil boom and other necessary oil response equipment have been deployed at the scene in the unlikely event that this should be required.

Fotiy Krylov with steel cable attached 21/08/07 (Photo N. Rush)

News 19/08/07

One of the two largest ocean going tugs, Fotiy Krylov, arrived in Gibraltar this morning (19/08/07) to assist in the salvage of the stranded Bulk Carrier, New Flame. The 1989-built, 5250-ton, Russian flagged vessel is owned and operated by Tsavliris Salvage and Towing of Piraeus, Greece, who also utilise her identical sister ship, Nikolay Chiker, on similar worldwide operations.

Fotiy Krylov entering the Port of Gibraltar (Photo by N. Rush)

News 16/08/07

DE-FUELLING OPERATION COMMENCES

The operation to remove fuel from the stricken bulk carrier "New Flame" is now underway, permission having been granted by the Gibraltar Government this morning. The salvage team has reinstated electric power to the ship’s systems which has enabled the use of the ship’s pumping system to pump the fuel from the vessel. The fuel is being transferred to a bunker barge, where after it will be disposed of in an environmentally-friendly manner, in accordance with applicable legislation.

All safety measures to protect the environment are in place. These include a 210 metre boom and oil-skimming equipment strategically placed around the stern of the vessel and the bunker barge. In addition, there is oil spill response equipment on standby at the site.

It is envisaged that, weather permitting, the operation to remove the vessel’s fuel will be completed by the end of the week. The salvage experts have reported that steady progress is being made and the operation is proceeding according to plan.

Salvage experts and naval architects are presently investigating the condition of the ship to decide how to deal with the vessel and her cargo once the fuel has been removed.

Although the Government is confident that the fuel will be removed without any spills into the sea, in the event of such spills occurring the pollution consequences would also affect the Spanish coastline. Accordingly, the Hon Joe Holliday today invited the Captain of the Port of Algeciras to Gibraltar to be briefed by the Captain of the Port of Gibraltar on the operation that is under way to de-fuel the "New Flame".

News 13/08/07

Date: 12^{th August 2007}

The Panamanian cargo Vessel "New Flame", carrying a cargo of scrap metal and the Danish Product Tanker "Torm Gertrude" collided in Gibraltar waters, 1 kilometre south of Europa Point, Gibraltar at 05.55 hrs on Sunday 12th August 2007.

The "New Flame" had just left Gibraltar bound for Turkey. The "Torm Gertrude" was heading inbound for the Port of Algeciras in Spain from the Eastern Mediterranean.

As a result of the collision both vessels were damaged. The "Torm Gertrude" proceeded to the Port of Algeciras in Spain. The vessel is currently in a safe condition.

The damage sustained by the "New Flame" resulted in her taking in water with Nos. 1 and 2 holds being completely flooded. This caused the vessel to start sinking by the bow, at which point the crew of 23 abandoned ship safely.

The vessel then drifted to a nearby reef, where it came to rest. The current situation is that the bow of the vessel is resting on the reef and the remainder of the vessel, from amidships to the stern, is above the surface of the water.

The Gibraltar Port Authority activated its Emergency Response Plan and deployed the necessary resources to the scene of the incident.

The Gibraltar Port Authority have deployed divers to the vessel to inspect the damage and a full on-board inspection is being carried out by the Gibraltar Maritime Surveyors. Options are being considered for the removal of the vessel’s fuel to avoid any oil spill. Anti-oil spill resources are on standby alongside the vessel in case the need arises.

The Gibraltar Maritime Administration has commenced an investigation, into the collision and also into how the vessel ‘’New Flame’’ departed from the Port of Gibraltar without the necessary clearance. Such investigations are standard procedure in these incidents.

The Minister for Shipping, The Hon Joe Holliday, was immediately informed of the incident and visited Europa Point to view the vessel at first hand. He has since been in attendance at the Gibraltar Port Authority Incident Control Room. The Minister commented "This collision of two vessels is a serious incident. All the necessary resources are being deployed to address the situation and to ensure environmental safety. Once again, as in the case of the ‘’Samothraki’’ incident, I would like to express my satisfaction at the magnificent and professional way that the Gibraltar Port Authority personnel and other private sector operators are responding to this incident. The Chief Minister who is currently away from Gibraltar on vacation, is being kept fully informed.’’

Date. 13 August 2007

The Government has met the salvage experts and the owners of "New Flame" this afternoon to consider an initial assessment of the proposed plan for the salvage of the cargo vessel. The plan is being submitted by the Tsalviris Salvage Group, one of the leading experts in this field internationally at meetings chaired by the Hon J J Holliday, Minister for Shipping. The plan will be formally presented in written format for approval by the Gibraltar Port Authority tomorrow. In the first instance, the plan aims to recover the cargo ship’s fuel in order to minimise any possible risk to the environment. Specialist equipment for this operation is on its way to Gibraltar.

Meanwhile, the Royal Gibraltar Police have arrested the Master of the Vessel, Captain D Konstantinos on suspicion of conduct likely to endanger shipping under the Merchant Shipping Act of Gibraltar. He has been remanded in custody to appear before the Magistrate’s Court tomorrow. This evening the Captain is being questioned by the RGP with the assistance of the Captain of the Port and the Maritime Administrator.

Photograph showing the damage to the Torm Gertrud (Photo Courtesy Chris Allport)

A later picture of the New Flame (Photo N. Rush)

News 12/08/07

Just after 08.00 hrs local time the 1994-built Panamanian registered Bulk carrier, "New Flame" was leaving the Port of Gibraltar after routinely picking up bunkers. It appears that she left the Bay without informing the local Port Authority (Unconfirmed at present) and as the 26,824-ton vessel rounded Europa Point she was in collision with the Algeciras bound Chemical/Oil tanker, the 30058-ton, 2002-built, Danish registered "Torm Gertrude" (Suffered damage to the bow) which was carrying 50,000t of Gasoline Oil,. The "New Flame" partially sank in shallow waters just off the lighthouse with Emergency boats from the Port Authority, two local habour tugs and the Spanish SASEMAR Rescue Tug "Miguel de Cervantes" and Rescue launch "Salvamar Algeciras" in attendance.

The New Flame off Europa Point with its bow settled on the sea-bed (Photo N. Rush)

News 08/06/07

Two offshore support vessels made transits in Gibraltar today, firstly the Smit-Lloyd 25, with Smith Imossi acting as agents, made a transfer of personnel 1 mile south of Europa Point. The 1089-ton, 1982-built, Marshall Islands registered ship picked up two personnel en-route to Istanbul for a dry-docking period.

At the same time picking up bunkers in the Bay was the 8402-ton Toisa Proteus, a 2002 built, Liberian registered ODS on her way from Freeport in the Bahamas to Port Alberni, local agents Inchcape Shipping Services acted on her behalf while she was present.

News 16/04/07

Today, with the locally based Rock Maritime Services acting as agents, the Panamanian registered 1998-built, 14021-ton General Cargo Ship, the Da Hua, arrived in Gibraltar with two new Indonesian Police Patrol Boats as deck cargo. The vessels, KP Pelikan (641) and KP Punai (642), are the first two of five brand new, Polish built, 36.4-metre, 198-ton vessels which were financed under a US $145-million deal which also included Mi-2 helicopters and a number of Skytruck aircraft.

News 18/03/07

A Greek-registered Crude Oil Tanker went aground this morning (Saturday 17/03) just after 2.00am on the East side of Gibraltar. The Samothraki, a 1989 built, 27793-ton tanker owned by Cheetah shipping in Piraeus, Greece, apparently then freed herself but later called that she was taking on water. Reports from residents at Europa Point indicate that she was sounding the emergency signal, seven blasts on the horn, at 7.00am and consequently all three of TP Towages tugs, Mumbles, Egerton and Sun Swale were called to the scene as was Marine Services Gibraltar’s tug Capable. The Captain of the Port also apparently requested that the Algeciras-based Salvage/Rescue Tug, Miguel de Cervantes, be called to stand by. At 9.00am the stricken vessel could be seen listing severely to starboard but had been stabalised by just after lunch when the Algeciras-based, Salvamar Algeciras, was also in attendance. The Gibraltar-based diving tug, Palencia was also called to the scene, as was a marine surveyor. It must be pointed out that the ship, which was fully laden, is a double-hulled vessel and was only shipping water in to her ballast tanks and posed absolutely no threat to the local environment. The ship later was towed on to the Bay of Gibraltar at about 18.00 that evening.

 

 

News 19/01/07

With Inchcape Shipping Services acting as agents, the 3406t, 2005 built Offshore Supply Vessel Toisa Valiant is pictured in Port after arriving from Las Palmas for a crew change and spares pick up.

The Toisa Valiant in port on a return trip from Las Palmas (Photo N. Rush)

 

Barwil Agencies Ltd Tel: 70666

 

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Barwil's "Viking" (Photo N. Rush)

For more information contact: www.barwil.com

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