Complete Maritime Profile & Reviews of Istanbul-Bridge

The 'Istanbul Bridge', a groundbreaking vessel, marked a historic milestone on October 15, 2025, as it became the first container ship to navigate the Arctic and successfully arrive at the Port of Hamburg. Departing from Ningbo on September 22, the ship embarked on the northern sea route, passing around Russia and seamlessly traversing the Northeast Passage between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans in a remarkable 20 days. This new route offers a significant time advantage over traditional shipping lanes, which typically involve transit through the Suez Canal or, due to current security challenges, a longer journey around Africa's southern tip. The northern sea passage provides a swift alternative, reducing travel time by over half. For more insights and visuals of this remarkable journey, check out the report with a video here: https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/hamburg/frachter-erreicht-nach-nordostpassage-hamburger-hafen,nordostpassage-100.html

On February 3, 2024, at 7:145 a.m. UTC, the container ship 'Flying Fish 1' found itself aground in the St. Petersburg port of Bronka while transporting over 2,300 containers. The incident occurred as the vessel, aiming for the berth, became stuck with its stern positioned at 59°57'53N, 29°44'50E, approximately 1.9 nautical miles from Kronshtadt. This grounding obstructed traffic in the approach channel of the Multifunctional Marine Transshipment Complex (MMTC) 'Bronka'. A successful salvage operation commenced and was completed on February 4 at 6 p.m. Moscow time. The effort was led by specialists from the Federal State Budgetary Institution 'Marine Rescue Service', who meticulously developed and coordinated the refloating strategy. Given the challenging ice conditions, divers conducted inspections of the rudder and propeller, as well as the underwater hull of the ship. Hydrographers employed a side-scan sonar to accurately assess the depths and create a precise depth chart. This information was vital in determining the necessary pulling force and planning the movements required to refloat the vessel. The salvage operation involved an array of vessels including the tugs 'Lukman', 'Tornado', 'Typhoon' (s/v Baltic Fleet), the icebreaker 'Murmansk' (s/v Rosmorport), and the diving vessel 'Vodolaz Chebanenko' from the Baltic branch of the FSBI 'Marine Rescue Service', equipped with a diving station. The operation to refloat the over 11.5-meter draft container ship spanned nearly 40 hours. Following the successful refloating, the 'Flying Fish 1', now free, was escorted by tugs back to the berth of the Multipurpose Sea Cargo Complex Bronka.

On April 5, 2019, at 3:20 PM, the cargo vessel 'Oakland Express' encountered an allision while attempting to berth at the Fraser Surrey Dock in Vancouver, British Columbia. The incident occurred at coordinates 49 11 18.1 N, 122 54 46.7 W, when the ship collided with a shore gantry crane. Fortunately, both the vessel and the crane experienced only minor damage, and there were no reported injuries to crew or dock personnel. Following the incident, the 'Oakland Express' continued its journey and departed from Vancouver on April 9, setting sail toward Oakland as its next destination, where it arrived on April 11.

In response to ongoing strike actions affecting operations at APM Terminal Rotterdam, Hapag-Lloyd has announced the cancellation of the Rotterdam port call for several PAX vessels. The affected vessel, Oakland Express 56E34 / 57W42, will now have its Rotterdam import cargo discharged at Hamburg Container Terminal (CTA). This cargo will subsequently be connected to the 'Tsingtao Express' 035E42, which is scheduled to depart Hamburg on October 22, 2013, and is expected to arrive in Rotterdam on October 23, 2013. This adjustment reflects Hapag-Lloyd's commitment to maintaining service continuity despite the labor disruptions in Rotterdam.