Bay Of Biscay News

In the first quarter of 2026, Port of Antwerp‑Bruges handled 65.5 million tons of maritime cargo, a decrease of 3.2% compared to the same period last year.After a weak start in January and February, throughput recovered in March. General cargo (-4.4%) – in particular containers and conventional general cargo – was under pressure, while bulk cargo remained stable (-0.6%) and RoRo traffic increased.The port says the results reflect a complex combination of factors, including adverse weather conditions…

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has released its report into the loss of propulsion in heavy weather experienced by Spirit of Discovery in the Bay of Biscay which led over 100 injuries and one fatality. Shortly after 1230 on 4 November 2023, the passenger vessel Spirit of Discovery lost propulsion in heavy weather while crossing the Bay of Biscay, France. Over 100 passengers were injured during this period. Eight of the seriously injured passengers were taken…

French shipping and transport company CMA CGM said on Thursday it was taking measures to put some of its vessels in areas of safety due to harsh weather in parts of the Atlantic."Severe weather conditions are currently impacting the navigation conditions in the Atlantic, along the French, Spanish and Moroccan coastlines, with an event of exceptional intensity and duration, particularly in the Bay of Biscay," it said."As a precautionary measure, CMA CGM Group has decided to place vessels transiting the area in safe positions to ensure the safety of crews and cargo.

A new research vessel built for the French oceanographic fleet operated for the National Science Community by the French national Institute of Ocean Sciences (IFREMER) has been launched at the Freire Shipyard celebrated in Vigo, Spain.The oceanographic vessel was named Anita Conti in honor of France's first woman oceanographer, as a tribute to her pioneering legacy in the exploration and study of the sea.Designed to replace the vessel Thalia, the Anita Conti will fully integrate the French Oceanographic Fleet in 2026.

The crew of a ship carrying around 3,000 vehicles, including 800 electric vehicles, abandoned it off the coast of Alaska after a fire broke out onboard, its operator Zodiac Maritime said on Wednesday.The 22 crew members were safely evacuated from the ship after they failed to put out the fire, Zodiac said as it focuses on salvaging the vessel.They were evacuated via lifeboat and were being transferred to a nearby merchant vessel Cosco Hellas in tandem with the U.S. Coast Guard.The vessel…

Finnlines has turned to a innovative graphene-based hard foul release hull coating to reduce fuel consumption and emissions across its ro-ro and ro-pax fleets.After starting with its first vessel in 2022, the Finnish shipping company has already applied GIT Coatings' XGIT-FUEL low-friction hull coating to four vessels as part of a recently signed fleet agreement, reducing fuel consumption and emissions by around 7% compared to previously used coating.Over the past decade, Finnlines…

Edward Heerema is founder and president of Allseas, which brought the world’s largest construction vessel, Pioneering Spirit, to the market. The company, which also brought innovation to the pipelay sector, has added its latest trick to Pioneering Spirit – its jacket lift system. But Allseas is also targeting deepsea mining and has its sights on the offshore wind market. Elaine Maslin caught up with Edward Heerema to find out more.The first time I met Edward Heerema was at the company’s offices in Delft, in the Netherlands.

Modern space technology and artificial intelligence have combined to enhance the conservation of marine animals: the new service, “SPACEWHALE”, developed by a team of creative scientists in Germany and the UK, detects whales from space. Supported by funding from the European Space Agency (ESA) Space Solutions program, this research enables whales and other large marine megafauna to be surveyed at an unprecedented scale. Earth Observation from satellites is developing fast and within a few years, space technology companies aim to provide daily high-resolution images of the whole globe.

Damen Maaskant Shipyards Stellendam reached a milestone in its construction of a 38-m trawler for Belgium-based Rederij Long Ships, with the hull  launched into the water in Poland and transported to Stellendam for further outfitting.Rederij Long Ships owner Eddie Cattoor said, “I expect a lot from Franson. First and foremost to bring in food from the wide seas. Food that will supply a growing world population. She will also play an economically important role, contributing to…

The Sri Lankan navy said on Tuesday an oil slick had been spotted a kilometer from a loaded supertanker carrying roughly 2 million barrels of oil that has been engulfed in intermittent fires since an explosion on September 3.Oil from the engine room of the 20-year old New Diamond tanker “appears to have leaked out to the sea” following regular bouts of water-dousing by fire-fighting vessels, the navy spokesman said.The oil slick has raised concerns about the potential of further leakage from the cargo holds…

Cargoes have come off ships at sea it seems like forever. Some years ago a ship suffered a casualty transiting the English Channel in a storm. Much of its cargo of lumber and other floating items washed ashore on the southwest English coast. Before the authorities could arrive, enterprising local residents gathered it up.Nowadays, the majority of non-bulk cargo is carried in containers. Container ships have gotten larger and are capable of carrying thousands and thousands of containers. The ships have greater length, greater breadth, and greater draft. They also have greater air draft.

The record low 41 large shipping losses worldwide in 2019 represents a 20% improvement year-on-year and almost 70% over a decade, but the coronavirus crisis could endanger the long-term safety improvements in the shipping industry for 2020 and beyond, as difficult operating conditions and a sharp economic downturn present a unique set of challenges, according to recent report from marine insurer Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS).Consequences of coronavirus and a sustained…

Stena Line’s "next-generation" ferry Stena Estrid has arrived in Holyhead after completing sea trials and a five-week, 10,000 mile journey from China to the Irish Sea where she will begin service early next year on her inaugural route from Dublin to Holyhead.Designed by Deltamarin and constructed at the China Merchants Jinling Shipbuilding Weihai Shipyard in China, Stena Estrid is the first of Stena RoRo’s nine next-generation E-Flexer Ro-Pax vessels in a series which include five for Stena Line and several additional vessels that will be on long-term charter for other ferry operators.

Damen Maaskant Shipyards Stellendam to build a new 38-meter long Beam Trawler for Rederij Long Ships. Damen Maaskant has designed the new vessel, Z91 Franson, within the maximum length and gross tonnage permitted by the Belgian Maritime Inspectorate. Furthermore, the shipyard has carried out research with propeller developers and manufacturers SIP Marine with the aim to realize fuel consumption reductions in relation to current hull forms working in the Belgian fishing fleet.

European ferry operator Stena Line announced that its newest ferry Stena Estrid has departed the AVIC Weihai Shipyard in north-western China, bound for its new home on the Irish Sea between Britain and Ireland.Manned by a much-reduced crew of 27, with no passengers on board, the ship will travel on a journey of well over 10,000 miles, taking just over one month and making a number of stops on the way.Stena Estrid is the first of five next generation Stena Line RoPax vessels to be completed at the shipyard and is now en route to Wales from where it will start service in January on the Holyhead to Dublin route.The first stage of the voyage is a week-long 2…

Luxembourg-headquartered maritime contractor Jan De Nul Group has signed its first offshore wind construction contract in France.Sodraco International SAS, a French subsidiary of Jan De Nul Group, has signed a contract to transport and install 80 offshore wind turbines on the Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm (OWF).The contract was awarded by Parc du Banc de Guérande, a joint venture between the French renewable energy company EDF Renewables and the Canadian energy infrastructure company Enbridge.“We are excited to contribute to the further development of renewable energy, and offshore wind in particular, in France. Next to that we are…

Seabed survey and ocean exploration company Ocean Infinity said it has conducted urgent subsea search, inspection and operations on the wreck of the MV Grande America, which sank in the Bay of Biscay on March 12.Grande America capsized and sunk last month after its cargo of containers and vehicles caught fire during a voyage from Hamburg to Casablanca.Having entered into an agreement with marine services and salvage company Ardent, Ocean Infinity deployed its fleet of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) to locate the wreck.

Four magnificent tall ships  will come to Hamburg for the 830th Hamburg Port Anniversary from 10 to 12 May – Alexander von Humboldt II, Kruzenshtern, Sedov and Mir.The Queens of the oceans will participate in the grand arrival and departure parades in the heart of the city, on the Friday and Sunday respectively, and invite visitors to look around on board, said a press release from Germany's largest port.Alongside these amazing tall ships, the Hamburg Port Anniversary will be a meeting place for some 300 vessels of all kinds, including many classic sailing vessels that will also be open to visitors.The Alexander von Humboldt II is currently Germany’s largest operational sail training ship, with length overall 66 metres.

Twenty-seven people have been rescued from an Italian-registered cargo ship that caught fire Monday night in the Bay of Biscay, about 150 miles southwest of Brest. The Grimaldi Group owned combination container roll-on/roll-off (ConRo) vessel Grande America was sailing from Hamburg to Casablanca when its cargo of containers and vehicles caught fire around 8 p.m.After attempts to battle the flames proved unsuccessful, the entire crew of 26 and one passenger disembarked into heavy seas aboard a single enclosed lifeboat and were rescued by the crew of British Royal Navy frigate HMS Argyll…

The offshore converter platform, BorWin gamma, has now safely set sail from Dubai and begun its journey to  its offshore site in the German part of the North Sea.Through the Gulf of Oman, the 18,000 ton ‘topside’ will pass into the Red Sea before going through the Suez Canal onto the Mediterranean and past Gibraltar. The journey then moves through the Bay of Biscay, to the English Channel and into the North Sea where it will be integrated with the ‘jacket’ nearly 130 kilometres off the German coast.Along with BorWin3, a 900-megawatt connection for two offshore wind farms will go into operation next year and be able to supply more than one million households.It will be one of the world’s heaviest and largest HVDC platforms…

The French coastguard on Tuesday searched for Pierre Agnes, the chief executive of U.S. surfwear retailer Boardriders Inc, after his 36-foot (10.97 m) sailboat was found washed up on the country's Atlantic coast. Rescuers were scouring the Bay of Biscay waters off Hossegor, a surfing resort from where the 54-year-old Agnes set sail early in the morning, the Landes prefecture said. Agnes sent a message to port authorities indicating that he was delaying his return because of thick fog. His beached boat was later found empty not far from Hossegor. "An air and sea search operation is underway," the Landes prefecture said in a statement, adding that two helicopters and two boats were involved in the rescue operation.

1893 - Navy General Order 409 establishes the rank of Chief Petty Officer. 1899 - A landing party of 60 men from USS Philadelphia (C 4) and a force of 100 friendly natives join 62 men from HMS Porpoise and Royal Isle in Samoa to establish order over Samoan throne. 1943 - USS Shad (SS 235) torpedoes and damages the Italian blockade runner Pietro Orseolo, shortly after the Italian ship reaches the Bay of Biscay and her escort of four German destroyers. 1945 - Under heavy naval gunfire and aircraft support, U.S. Army and U.S.

1804 - The brig USS Syren (Siren), commanded by Lt. Charles Stewart, captures the Tripolitan brig Transfer off the coast of Tripoli, renaming it Scourge after being taken into US Navy service. 1903 - The Honduras Expedition, made up with USS Marietta, USS Olympia, USS Panther, USS Raleigh, and USS San Francisco, embark and operate in Honduran waters during a period of civil strife. 1917 - Loretta Walsh becomes the first woman Navy petty officer when sworn in as chief yeoman. 1943 - USS Herring (SS 233) sinks the German submarine U 163 off the Bay of Biscay. The sub was responsible for sinking USS Erie (PG 50) on Nov. 14, 1942. 1944 - USS Angler (SS 240) completes the evacuation of 58 U.S. citizens, including women and children, from the west coast of Panay, Philippine Islands.