Significant Maritime Incidents

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Date: 07/02/2026

Saturday 7th February 2026 – 8:00am – RCC Bermuda / Bermuda Maritime Operations Centre was contacted via e-mail by the 52-foot sailing sloop ALCYON BLUE with 1 person onboard reporting being on a voyage from Antigua to Bermuda but that the yacht was experiencing deteriorating weather conditions and had suffered a loss of electrical power due to engine and generator failures. Further communication on Sunday 8th February from the solo sailor to family members ashore using a Garmin inReach satellite communications terminal indicated worsening weather with storm force winds causing sail damage to the yacht's storm jib. In addition the male crewman was suffering from dizziness and nausea due to diesel fuel contamination in the cabin area. The Cypriot national wishes to abandon the vessel which is now located 115 miles Southeast of Bermuda and he reports activating the vessel's Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) which is detected by the Bermuda Rescue Co-ordination Centre. BMOC co-ordinates the diversion of the 132 meter long Maltese registered passenger vessel LOGOS HOPE which was scheduled to arrive in Bermuda Tuesday afternoon and berth in Hamilton. The LOGOS HOPE diverts with her 331 crew onboard from her voyage track south of Bermuda to the distress position with an ETA to the ALCYON BLUE of Tuesday afternoon. With no other closer merchant ships to the yacht's position located by BMOC or the US Coast Guard, BMOC also tasks the 100 meter long container ship BERMUDA ISLANDER who is departing Bermuda with her 9 crew to proceed to the incident position given that she can arrive at the yacht's position by approximately 1:00AM Tuesday morning. The BERMUDA ISLANDER arrives on scene in the early morning hours, but due to the high sea state the Captain elects to standby the yacht to allow the sea state to improve and for the LOGOS HOPE to also get closer. At sunrise multiple attempts by the LOGOS HOPE and the BERMUDA ISLANDER are made to come alongside the sailboat in 20 foot plus seas. Finally the BERMUDA ISLANDER is able to get the near enough to the disabled yacht to affect a safe transfer of the 1 person onboard at 9:00am Bermuda time. The container ship crew assesses the rescued yachtsman's physical condition and once he is determined to be un-injured the BERMUDA ISLANDER resumes her voyage to Salem, New Jersey while the LOGOS HOPE resumes her voyage from Trinidad to Bermuda.


Date: 02/02/2026

Monday 2nd February, 3:44am - A 406 MHz Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) distress alert was received by RCC Bermuda from the French sailing vessel ZION at a position 48 miles East Northeast of Bermuda. RCC Gris-Nez in France were able to further research the yacht's description and owner details. The yacht itself was described as a 35 white sloop which is believed equipped with a liferaft and a dinghy. USCG East District (RCC Norfolk) were briefed by RCC Bermuda on the EPIRB activation and possible requirement for a search aircraft given the continued rough weather in the Bermuda area. Additionally the closest merchant ship the Marshall Islands registered bulk carrier GENCO BOURGOGNE is 160 miles Southeast of Bermuda and has diverted at RCC Bermuda's request but is still 24 hours away from the distress position given the sea conditions and her best speed of 6 knots. UPDATE: At 1:15pm local time, a US Coast Guard HC-144 CASA aircraft from Air Station Cape Cod arrives on scene at the EPIRB position and locates the yacht ZION and spots her 3 crew on deck in apparently good condition Attempts to drop marine VHF radios to the yacht in two separate parachute drop attempts are unsuccessful. The C-144 aircraft departs the scene at 3:05pm to re-fuel in Bermuda. CASE PENDS


Date: 22/01/2026

Thursday 22nd January, 07:55 am – The Bermuda registered cruise ship CELESTIAL JOURNEY broadcast an SSAS security alert indicating the ship was under attack. Ship locating websites showed the ship to be alongside in ABU DHABI. The companies Security Officer was contacted and confirmed that the alert button had been pressed in error during a security drill.


Date: 20/01/2026

Monday 19th January, 11:42 pm – RCC Bermuda received an email from a Malta registered container ship in a position 270 miles south southwest of Bermuda, they had observed a drifting yellow buoy. The United States Coast Guard suspect the buoy is an ODAS (Ocean Data Acquisition System) Buoy which has broken free from its moorings. Consideration was given to recovering the buoy if it were to drift closer to Bermuda, no other sightings were reported and the current location is now unknown.


Date: 15/01/2026

Thursday 15th January 2026, 10:45am – The Marine & Ports Tug POWERFUL reported to Bermuda Maritime Operations Centre that they had just sighted a whale in the vicinity of Kings Wharf, just off from Dockyard. The report from the Tug, further advised that it appeared to be 3 whales in total. BMOC made calls to key stakeholders at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources DENR, and staff from the Aquarium BAMZ took the lead to proceed offshore and try guide the Whales into deeper water and clear of the islands reef line. This was a very unusual sighting so close inshore, and no subsequent sightings have been reported since.


Date: 13/01/2026

Tuesday 13th January 2026, 10:30am – RCC Bermuda was advised by local shipping agent Meyers, that the 29,847GRT, Bahamas registered Bulk Carrier FJORD PEARL, was diverting at best speed to Bermuda in order to disembark a Georgia crewmember with a Urinary condition that required medical assistance ashore. The ship was on passage from Reserve, U.S.A bound for Hamburg, Germany. At 10:30am Thursday 15th January, the Bulk Carrier arrived offshore, and the patient was safely transferred from the ship, ashore to Ordnance Island by the Pilot/Rescue boat St George and subsequently transported by ambulance to KEMH for treatment.