All aboard !
The Fremantle Highway caught fire around midnight on July 25, 2023 in the North Sea. She had departed Bremerhaven, Germany and was bound for Singapore. She was carrying 3783 cars, including BMWs, Mercedes and Rolls-Royces. When the fire broke out, the Fremantle Highway was in the midst of heavy maritime traffic and close to the Wadden Islands, famous for their exceptional biodiversity. The evacuation of the 23 crew members, including 21 Indians, turned out very badly (1 fatality and 7 injured). The Fremantle Highway was towed to the port of Eemshaven in the Netherlands, and docked 9 days after the blaze started. The fire has been declared extinguished, but the Fremantle Highway was carrying 498 electric cars, and cobalt and lithium battery fires can be prone to unexpected resumption.
“Shipbreaking” #69, the International Shipbreaking Show
“Shipbreaking”, the 69th, 68 pages
English version (pdf – 12.3 Mo)
Review January-February-March 2023
“Shipbreaking” #68, the International Shipbreaking Show
“Shipbreaking” #68
July 1st – December 31, 2022. 101 pages (19Mo)
The scrapping of merchant ships is at a standstill. A single figure summarises the depression. In the issue 65 of “Shipbreaking” dedicated to the months of October, November and December 2021, the convoy of scrapped ships was 21 km long. In this issue 68 dedicated to the last 6 months of the year 2022, the convoy of scrapped ships is 20 km long.
Scuttling of the Sao Paulo : pollution has a future
They did so at dusk, 349.5 km off the Brazilian coast, on the edge of the Exclusive Economic Zone, “in order to avoid any logistical, operational, environmental and economic damage to the Brazilian State”. In its press release, the Brazilian Navy paid tribute to the aircraft carrier and its crews “worthy servants of the French and Brazilian navies”. The export licence for the ex-Foch in 2000 specified that the conditions for dismantling the Sao Paulo aircraft carrier had to be authorised in advance by the French authorities. In a way, France is an accomplice in this disaster decided and assumed by Brazil.
Update – Aircraft carrier Sao Paulo, ex-Foch
3:30 p.m
Yesterday, 315 km off the Brazilian coast, the Dutch tug ALP Guard was replaced by the Brazilian Navy deep sea-going tug Purus. The Brazilian Navy staff stated in its press release that considering the state of deterioration of the hull of the aircraft carrier NAeL Sao Paulo, ex-Foch, it would not allow her return to a port or to Brazilian territorial waters. Robin des Bois believes that a scuttling operation is being prepared.
The ex-aircraft carrier Foch on her way towards the unknown
After she was banned by Türkiye on August 26, 2022 and after she was banned by Brazil in October 2022, the NAeL Sao Paulo, ex-Foch, remained for three months off the port of Suape, State of Pernambuco, in the limit of the Brazilian territorial waters; a court injunction prohibits her to leave for the international waters.
On January 19, 2023, the end-of-life aircraft carrier under tow of the Dutch-flagged ALP Guard escaped, heading east, at a speed of 3/4 knots. She was briefly followed by the Brazilian Navy patrol boat NPA Macau P71. The patrol boat then sailed back to the port of Suape. The convoy is about to leave the Brazilian Exclusive Economic Zone.
A convoy at risk between Scotland and Turkey
Between the night of Wednesday, October 18 and the dawn of Monday, October 24, a convoy coming from Northern Scotland went back and forth and zigzagged in the Bay of Seine. It consisted of the Marshall Islands-flagged tug Rota Endurance and the oil drilling platform Ocean Nomad (*), previously Marshall Islands-flagged, shortened to Nom just prior departing from Northern Scotland.
