Loss Prevention Advice
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a preliminary assessment of a serious marine casualty in which a RoPax ferry suffered a hull puncture and engine-room flooding after contacting an unprotected turning fender at Holyhead Port, Wales, on 7 January 2026.
Synopsis
At 0750 on 7 January 2026, the roll-on/roll-off passenger (RoPax) ferry, operating its regular route from Dublin, Ireland, made contact with an unprotected turning fender at the northern extent of Terminal 3 at Holyhead Port, Wales. Before backing in, the ferry had turned to port north of the jetty, during which a tug was made fast on the ferry’s port aft quarter. As the ferry made contact, the ferry’s hull was holed just below the waterline in the starboard engine room and above the waterline on the cargo deck.
The damage caused approximately 500 tonnes of water to flood into the starboard engine room and an unknown quantity to flood into an adjacent void space. The crew responded quickly by shoring up the hull below the waterline, pumping out the spaces and transferring ballast to create a port list and raise the damage to above the waterline.
Once the situation on board was brought under control, the ferry was able to continue berthing and disembark passengers and unload vehicles without significant delay. Holyhead Port was closed to ferry traffic until later that evening, when the ferry was moved to another berth and a damage assessment of the jetty was conducted. No significant damage to the jetty was identified and the terminal was returned to service.
Following temporary repairs, the ferry travelled to a dry dock in Liverpool, England under its own power.
Findings
- Holyhead Port had experienced several ferry-related incidents over the previous year, including contact with Terminal 5 in May 2025, and another in December 2025 that resulted in the ongoing closure of the terminal.
- In July 2025, Holyhead Port Authority issued Local Notice to Mariners 17/2025, advising that the turning fender involved in the incident was not to be used.
- Although the ferry’s master was aware of the requirement to avoid the turning fender during berthing, the vessel closed on the jetty faster than expected, likely due to its position after turning off the jetty and the strong westerly winds blowing onto it.
- The berthing operation was within operating parameters of both the port and the vessel.
- There were instances of conflicting communications between the ferry and the tug.
- The tug effectiveness was limited due to its position on the ferry’s port aft quarter. Any further attempt to use the tug to pull the vessel to port would likely have increased the force of the contact.
- Subsequent inspection of the turning fender revealed several sharp protrusions on the face plate and the absence of a rubber fender structure (see Figure 1).
- The ferry’s crew had no prior awareness of these sharp protrusions or the extent of potential damage they could cause on contact.
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A lesson learned from an incident where the pilot transposed the tug names on his reference card, causing the tugs to receive incorrect orders and resulting in the tanker’s stern striking the berth.
A tanker was preparing for departure at night, with light winds and two tugs alongside to help leave the berth. The Master and pilot had exchanged information on the manoeuvre, including the placement and use of the tugs.
The plan was to use two tugs: one with a line forward near the bow and one with a line aft. The pilot expected the current to be running at about 1.9 knots from stern to bow. Given this, the plan was to have both tugs pull the vessel off the pier together, but with the aft tug pulling faster than the forward tug to open up the stern and have the current help push them off.
Once the tugs had pulled the tanker far enough off the pier to allow a safe departure the tugs would be released.
In his notebook and on the mooring plan diagram of the Master/pilot exchange form, the pilot wrote down the placement and names of each of the two tugs. As was his practice, he also wrote down the names and placement of each tug on a ‘radio card’, (reference card), which he would have with him on the bridge wing for quick reference. Tug DD was at the bow, with tug DC at the stern. It was discovered in the subsequent investigation that he had transposed the name of the two tugs on the radio card.
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A Russian-flagged cargo ship damaged in an attack off the Russian port of Novorossiysk drifted across the Black Sea before running aground on Türkiye’s coast on 31 August, Turkish news agency DHA reported.
The 108-metre vessel, Omskiy-107, ran aground near Alacalı Beach in Istanbul’s Şile district after drifting toward the Turkish shoreline. According to DHA, the crew abandoned the ship in lifeboats following the attack. Photographs released by the agency showed extensive fire damage to the vessel’s bridge.
Furthermore, Turkish Coast Guard teams were dispatched after authorities were alerted that the vessel was drifting toward shore. Security forces cordoned off the area and began inspecting the ship.
Watch the video at the following link.
https://twitter.com/i/status/2094382079798583568
The incident comes as Türkiye seeks to strengthen security for commercial shipping in the Black Sea. On 8 August Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Ukraine had received a proposal to establish a mechanism for a moratorium on attacks against ships in the Black Sea, with a similar appeal conveyed to Russia.
Reuters later reported, citing sources, that Ukraine had proposed a mutual halt to attacks on civilian targets in the Black Sea. Moscow had not publicly responded to the proposal at the time.
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Two Turkish-flagged commercial vessels collided off Istanbul in the Sea of Marmara early on September 2, with one vessel and its 10 crew members believed to have gone missing, according to Turkish authorities.
The bulk carrier Tugberk Imamoglu, carrying around 4,200 tonnes of coiled steel and sailing towards Karadeniz Ereğli, collided with the chemical tanker Alsu, which was carrying approximately 3,000 tonnes of engine oil and was bound for Aliaga. The collision occurred at around 3:15 a.m. local time near Istanbul’s Silivri district, in a busy shipping lane.
The maritime authorities received an emergency signal from the Tugberk Imamoglu at 3:26 a.m. and subsequently lost contact with the vessel and its 10 crew members.
Authorities said the crew could not be reached by radio or mobile phone and assessed that the vessel had likely sunk.
The Alsu sustained no visible damage, while its captain reported the collision to the rescue centre. Turkish authorities deployed 14 coastguard vessels and a helicopter to conduct search and rescue operations for the missing crew.
According to the Istanbul Chamber of Maritime Commerce, the Tugberk Imamoglu is owned by Zeybe Denizcilik and operates as a bulk carrier, while the Alsu is owned by Ozpulathane Deniz Tasimaciligi and operates as a chemical tanker, Reuters reports.