Barcelona Port receives 27,200 passengers in only one day with seven cruise ships It is the second busiest day of the year for cruise ships after August 20th, when nine ships with 31,000 passengers are expected. Barcelona is the first European and Mediterranean cruise port and fourth in the world, after three Florida ports. (Vessel Tracker)

Germany's defense minister says the commander of the troubled navy training ship has been relieved of his duties and the vessel ordered to return amid questions surrounding the death of a sailor on board late last year. Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg said the Gorch Fock would remain in port pending the results of an investigation into the death of the 25-year-old sailor who plunged from the ship's rigging in November. Guttenberg told ARD public broadcaster on Saturday Jan. 22, 2011 the ship would not be used for training pending the outcome of an investigation. Guttenberg consistently polls as one of the nation's most popular politicians, but has come under pressure in recent weeks over a series of issues in the military, including the death on the Gorch Fock.

Turkey may introduce new fees on tankers carrying oil and other commodities through its straits to reduce traffic on the busy and environmentally sensitive waterways, Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said.

After the adventure is over, the ship "Colossus" refloated from the bay of Vassiliki where he stayed for two days after the accident Wednesday.

Azeri oil shipping from Turkey’s Ceyhan port drops by 11.4%

The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) has announced next statistic data on Azeri oil export via main export pipeline Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) named after Heydar Aliyev.

SOCAR informs that this August it was shipped 3.1 million tons of Azeri oil from Turkish port Ceyhan against 3.5 million tons in July, 3.28 million tons in June, 3.5 million in May, 3.1 million tons in April, 2.84 million tons in March, 2.5 million tons in February, and by 2.8 million tons in January 2010 and December 2009.

British and Spanish authorities tried to save a bulk carrier which hit rocks on Gibraltar's southern tip Friday as storms hammered the British colony, local officials said.

The Liberian-registered Fedra was dragging her anchor in a force 8 gale Friday afternoon. Despite the efforts of two tug boats to hold the ship clear of land, its anchor broke and the stern of the 35,000 tonne vessel smashed against rocks at Europa Point -- Europe's most southerly spot.

Local officials said they did not immediately know the condition of the ship or what it was carrying.

A Gibraltarian rescue helicopter hovered overhead, trying to rescue the 31 crew, as winds of around 70 miles an hour battered the British territory and the southern Spanish coast.

Survivors of the capsized Greek cruise ship "Sea Diamond" wait to disembark from the cruise ship 'Perla' in Pireaus port near Athens March 6, 2007. Perla carried about 800 survivors from the'Sea Diamond" but authorities said two French passengers � a 45 year-old man and his 16-year-old daughter � had still not been accounted for, and lists of rescued passengers were being rechecked.
REUTERS/YANNIS BEHRAKIS