The 497gt/2014 built Vier Harmoni (above), carrying 900,000 litres of diesel (a value of $390,000), was reported missing on 16th August when she sailed from Kuantan Port in Malaysia without paying a bond to the country’s authorities. The tanker was initially believed to be hijacked by pirates. However, it was later revealed that the vessel was taken to international waters by her crew due to an internal dispute between the crew and the ship’s owner or charterer. The Indonesian Navy’s Western Fleet Quick Response Team (WFQR) of Tanjung Pinang Naval Base then found and arrested the tanker off West Kalimantan, Indonesia before escorting the ship to the port of Tanjung Pinang.

On 17th August the 13,865gt/ 1995 built dry bulk ship Tolunay (above) collided with the Turkish coastguard vessel SG-25 resulting in the capsizing of the coastguard vessel and the closure of the Bosphorus Strait, a vital tanker artery. Four people were rescued and taken to hospital but sadly 3 Turkish Coast Guard personnel were killed. This was the third time this year that the strait had closed, including during the coup attempt in July. The density of maritime traffic in the Bosphorus, which links the Black Sea to the Marmara Sea, has increased eleven fold from around 4,400 ships passing annually in 1936, when the Montreux Convention was signed to regulate transit and navigation in the Straits, to an average of 48,000 vessels per annum nowadays.

Whilst not wishing to publicise the cowardly and violent acts of pirates, one attack on 17th August was a little closer to home to the Writer. Carisbrooke Shipping’s 6,190gt/2012 built Vectis Osprey (above) came under attack by a group of pirates while sailing 30 nautical miles off the coast of Bonny, Nigeria. The Nigerian Navy responded to the vessel’s requests for assistance and boarded the ship, forcing the pirates to escape from the 8,500 dwt vessel. Cowes, I.o.Wight, based Carisbrooke Shipping, said that all the crew members were safe.

At around midnight on 3rd September the 19,689gt/1987 built Turkish Ro-Ro vessel Saffet Bey (above) ran hard aground at Lakonias, Greece, whilst travelling at 22 knots. The grounding caused a deafening noise that woke nearby residents. There were 22 crewmembers aboard and the cause of the incident is unknown but it is thought that she missed a turn while rounding the southern Greek island of Kythira.

Transocean’s rig Transocean Winner (above) was successfully refloated from Dalmore Bay after more than two weeks aground and then towed to Broad Bay on the east coast of the Isle of Lewis on 23rd August. Initial damage assessment inspections revealed that two of the four diesel fuel tanks on the rig appeared to have been breached.

CMA CGM’s 178,228gt/2015 built and 17,859 TEU CMA CGM Vasco De Gama grounded just after midnight on 22nd August as she proceeded into South-ampton. The ship was refloated within an hour and continued to her berth where an underwater survey was conducted.

UP Offshore’s 2,919gt/205 built Platform Supply Vessel UP Safira (above) suffered a fire on 30th August in Macaé, Brazil. The vessel is currently on a 4- year charter contract with Petrobras, which commenced in October 2014. The vessel is owned by Ultrapetrol and the fire was brought under control by the vessel’s crew with assistance from the oil spill response vessel CMM Gravity.

Hamburg SudAmerikanishce owned 95,138gt/2015 built containership CCNI Arauco (above) caught fire at the port of Hamburg on 1st September whilst welding works were being undertaken on the stern. The flames quickly spread below the 300m long vessel’s deck with containers being destroyed or damaged.