The category 5 hurricane Irma has rolled towards the Caribbean, routes are now endangered. The potentially catastrophic hurricane is now the strongest hurricane in the Atlantic. It has been reported that Irma is currently barrelling towards Puerto Rico.
Teekay held a naming ceremony for its 3 new tankers. The Norse Spirit, the Beothuk Spirit and the Dorset Spirit were officially christened on August 25. Teekay stated that the ships will replace an older vessel which was in service for 15 years.
The Pantheon Tankers shipping company has ordered two tankers. The South Korean shipbuilder STX Offshore will construct the vessels and Pantheon will pay USD 33 million for each vessel. The two tankers are scheduled for delivery in 2019.
Ship Finance International accepted the delivery of two new tankers, the SFL Sabine and the SFL Trinity. The vessels were built by the DSME Daehan shipyard. In addition, the company completed the sale of two other tankers, the Suezmax tanker Front Brabant built in 1998 and the tanker Front Scilla built in 2000, which have been delivered to their new owners.
The cargo ship Leonardo built in 1975 split in two while it was anchored off the coast of Kilyos. The split was sudden but the ship’s crewmembers were rescued. The first half of the vessel was towed to the beach, while the second half remained in the water.
On August 19, robbers boarded a tanker and stole oil from the anchored ship. After the armed guard fired the warning shot, the robbers ran away. One robber was seen jumping overboard from the forecastle.
Songa has bought another Kamsarmax. The vessel was built at the Tsuneishi shipyard in Japan in 2014. According to new information, the bulker will be delivered in September 2017.
On August 19 in Iraq, the Royal Arsenal bulker collided with the Al Misbar diving support vessel. At least four people died and seven are missing. After a deadly impact, the Al Misbar sank, taking down 21 crew members. 10 crew members were rescued, but the search for the remaining missing sailors continues.
Two robbers boarded a bulk carrier in Indonesia. The incident occurred on August 20. In a short time, a warship responded and came to the ship's aid, but the robbers had already escaped.