The 4,600 TEU containership MOL Express that ran aground in shallow water in Tateyama Harbour, Chiba Prefecture on 11th January was successfully refloated with the assistance of tugs. As soon as the necessary inspections, including an underwater survey, were completed and seaworthiness confirmed by the classification society, the ship proceeded to the Port of Tokyo to begin her cargo operation.

The 6,351gt/2011 built Thor Commander suffered engine failure on 11th January leaving the vessel drifting approximately 235 miles north-east of Gladstone in an area north-east of Perkins Reef and north of Elusive Reef in the protected Swains Reefs group. The tug Smit Leopard attended and towed the ship to Gladstone.

The 104,169gt/2009 built LNG tanker Magellan Spirit ran aground off Nigeria in early January and spent several days stranded prior to some of the 165,000 cubic metres of LNG being offloaded to free her from the location close to the Bonny Island LNG export plant.

On 16th January a tug on sea trials capsized and sank in the Yangtze River, near Jingjiang, Jiangsu province, killing 21 people with one person missing. Sembcorp Marine Ltd., a Singapore-based shipbuilder, said the tug that its subsidiary, Jurong Marine Services Pte Ltd., had planned to charter was on sea trials and three of the company’s employees were on board.

The Danish-flagged 26,659gt/2004 built tanker Maersk Etienne and Panama-registered 41,963gt/2012 built dry bulk carrier Coral Opal decided to cuddle up in the Irbe Strait off Latvia on 18th January, while performing what the Coast Guard Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre Riga described as a dangerous manoeuvre. No pollution took place and the Coral Opal suffered a small leak in her ballast tank, which did not affect the vessel’s buoyancy.The Coral Opal received orders to proceed to the Port of Ventspils, while the Maersk Etienne, owned and operated by Maersk Tankers, continued towards the Port of Riga, in accordance to her schedule.

The 7,050dwt and 1991 built general cargo ship Fortune Ace caught fire on 29th January while docked at Pyeongtaek port, South Korea.

On 30th January the U.S Military Sealift Command ship USNS Sgt. Matej Kocak was freed after 8 days aground off Okinawa, Japan once the fuel was offloaded.

The 29 ports on the U.S. West Coast were closed for the second time in less than a week on 12th February under a partial shutdown imposed by shipping lines and terminal operators in an escalating labour dispute with the dockworkers’ union. The loading and unloading of cargo vessels was halted until 16th February.