Helmsman of cargo ship run aground in Norway was likely asleep
"Police have received information from others who were on board that he was asleep," police official Kjetil Bruland Sorensen told NTB.
The 135-metre (443-foot) NCL Salten sailed up onto shore just metres from Johan Helberg's wooden cabin around dawn on Thursday.
Helberg discovered the unexpected visitor only when a panicked neighbour who had rung his doorbell repeatedly to no avail gave up and called him on the phone.
"The doorbell rang at a time of day when I don't like to open," Helberg told television channel TV2.
His neighbour, Jostein Jorgensen, said he was roused at around 5:00 am by the sound of a ship heading at full speed toward land and immediately ran to Helberg's house.
None of the cargo's 16 crew members were injured, and Norwegian police have opened an investigation.
"We are aware of the police stating that they have one suspect, and we continue to assist the police and authorities in their ongoing investigation," the NCL shipping group said Friday.
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Middle East Eye
17-07-2025
- Middle East Eye
Drone attacks target western oil companies in Iraq's Kurdistan
An armed drone struck an oil field in northern Iraq's Kurdistan region on Thursday, according to Kurdish forces, the second strike in two days on the Norwegian-run site. Smoke billowed throughout the morning from the strike on the facility in the Sarsang block, located in the town of Chamanke. Middle East Eye was among the news organisations granted exclusive access to the facility operated by the US company HKN Energy. Security personnel at the site cautioned reporters to keep their distance due to ongoing gas leaks following the attack. Guards at Kurdish oil fields in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq are armed with Kalashnikov rifles and PKM machine guns, locally known as BKC. Empty bullet casings were scattered on the ground, evidence of an earlier attempt to repel the drone attack on the facility. A video posted Wednesday from the Tawke oil field in Zakho, operated by Norwegian company DNO, shows guards firing machine guns in an attempt to fend off a drone. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters However the press visit to the site was cut short due to a security alert. The Kurdistan Region's Counter-Terrorism Service later said that a drone had struck an oil facility operated by DNO in Zakho, one of the locations included in the planned tour. Separately, another drone crashed in the village of Surezha, near the Erbil Gas Power Station. Oil fields targeted Since 14 July, at least six oil fields have been targeted by drone attacks, including sites operated by US companies - HKN and Hunt Oil were each hit twice - and DNO, which was also struck twice. Drone attacks have also occurred in other areas, both before and after 14 July, particularly near the US consulate in Erbil, the Erbil airport, and the 70s Peshmerga base in Sulaymaniyah. Drone attacks have increased in the Kurdistan Region since the 12-day war between Israel and Iran ended on 24 June. 'The drone attacks in Kurdish energy sites grew out of a sequence of drone attacks since 19 June on Kurdish security forces, where Iraqi militias were claiming that Kurdistan was supporting Israeli and US strikes on Iran,' Michael Knights, a senior fellow at The Washington Institute, told MEE. A general view shows the Sarsang oil field in the Chamanke district near the Kurdish city of Dohuk in northern Iraq's autonomous Kurdish, 17 July 2025 (Wladimir van Wilgenburg/MEE) Kurdish officials have claimed neutrality in the war. On 13 June, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani condemned Israel's attack on Iran and spoke with the Iranian foreign minister during the conflict - a stance welcomed by Iranian state media. 'On July 14 this drone and rocket campaign on Kurdistan and Kirkuk transitioned to an attack on Kurdistan's energy. 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Baban added that they also demonstrate the attackers' technical capability and lack of concern for the consequences. "The oil and gas fields in the Kurdistan Region do not have adequate protection systems so far. If they did, the attacks would not have such huge economic impacts,' he said. Erbil-Baghdad negotiations Since last month, there have been several negotiations between Erbil and Baghdad to resume suspended oil exports from the Kurdistan Region. The exports were suspended after a 2023 ruling by an arbitration court in Paris that found Turkey in violation of an agreement with Iraq by allowing independent Kurdish oil exports. In May, Iraq's finance ministry suspended salary payments to Kurdish public employees, accusing Kurdish authorities of exceeding their 12.67 percent share of the federal budget and failing to deliver the agreed volume of oil to the state-owned oil company. 'Hollow victory': Iraq is not really a winner in the Turkey oil arbitration case Read More » Analysts saw the move as retaliation for two energy deals, worth $110bn, the Kurdish government signed in Washington with US firms, including HKN, without Baghdad's approval in May. A Kurdish official, speaking to MEE on condition of anonymity, blamed the Popular Mobilisation Front (PMF) 'and other militias aligned with the Iraqi government' for 'targeting Kurdistan's oil fields and economic infrastructure.' Aziz Ahmad, deputy chief of staff to Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, also blamed 'criminal militias on the Iraqi government payroll'. On 15 July, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, who is also the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, ordered an investigation into the drone attacks on oil facilities in the Kurdistan Region and vowed to hold those responsible to account. However, Kurdish officials have complained that the perpetrators are well known and that action has been limited. 'We know exactly who's behind these attacks and where they're coming from,' Ahmad said. Tensions escalated earlier, on 5 July, when Sudani's military spokesperson condemned a statement by the KRG interior ministry accusing PMF groups of involvement in the attacks, calling the allegations against an official security institution 'unacceptable'. 'Duty to protect' Myles B Caggins III, spokesperson for the Association of the Petroleum Industry of Kurdistan (APIKUR), which represents the majority of international oil companies operating in the Kurdistan Region, called on Baghdad to stop the drone attacks. 'The government of Iraq must take immediate action to protect the commercial oil production sites in the Kurdistan Region. After three days of attacks on this critical petroleum infrastructure, we are alarmed, and we are taking appropriate precautions to protect our personnel and our facilities,' Caggins told MEE. 'Most APIKUR member companies have temporarily paused oil production operations, and each day that operations are paused, there is a great financial loss to the people of Iraq.' The United States has also strongly condemned the drone attacks on its companies. 'Over 60 percent of KRG oil production has been halted due to the strikes in the past three days' - Mehmet Alaca, analyst 'The Government of Iraq has a duty to protect its territory and all of its citizens,' US Department of State spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement on Wednesday. 'These strikes target international companies that are working with Iraq to invest in Iraq's future.' Ankara-based analyst Mehmet Alaca told Middle East Eye that Baghdad has long used hard power to undermine Erbil and curb its autonomy. 'The ongoing attacks on oil fields, even as negotiations between Erbil and Baghdad reach their final stages, are a clear indication of this. Over 60 percent of KRG oil production has been halted due to the strikes in the past three days. The attacks appear aimed at forcing Erbil into concessions,' Alaca said. 'Erbil has always been an easy target for Iran. Erbil is chosen for its retaliation against Israel. The current use of similar tactics by militia groups is a tactic learned from their patrons. 'Unable to maintain its internal political integrity and with its economic weakness deepening, the KRG will be even more vulnerable to Baghdad.' On Thursday, the Iraqi government approved a deal with the KRG to resume oil exports from the Kurdistan region and the salary payments for public employees. Barzani welcomed Baghdad's decision and called for an end to the attacks on the Kurdistan Region, including its oil infrastructure. 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Sharjah 24
24-05-2025
- Sharjah 24
Helmsman of cargo ship run aground in Norway was likely asleep
"Only one person was on the bridge at the time. He was steering the vessel, but didn't change course when entering the Trondheim fjord as he should have," the news agency NTB reported. "Police have received information from others who were on board that he was asleep," police official Kjetil Bruland Sorensen told NTB. The 135-metre (443-foot) NCL Salten sailed up onto shore just metres from Johan Helberg's wooden cabin around dawn on Thursday. Helberg discovered the unexpected visitor only when a panicked neighbour who had rung his doorbell repeatedly to no avail gave up and called him on the phone. "The doorbell rang at a time of day when I don't like to open," Helberg told television channel TV2. His neighbour, Jostein Jorgensen, said he was roused at around 5:00 am by the sound of a ship heading at full speed toward land and immediately ran to Helberg's house. None of the cargo's 16 crew members were injured, and Norwegian police have opened an investigation. "We are aware of the police stating that they have one suspect, and we continue to assist the police and authorities in their ongoing investigation," the NCL shipping group said Friday.
Zawya
16-04-2025
- Zawya
South Sudan: Mobile court brings justice to Leer for the first time in more than a decade
Leer County is one of the areas hardest hit by the conflict that has ravaged South Sudan. When civil war erupted in 2013, persistent violence and insecurity forced the withdrawal of judges from Unity State, leaving communities entirely dependent on customary courts to resolve disputes, including serious crimes beyond their jurisdiction. For the first time since then, residents will have access to formal justice through the deployment of a mobile court that will hear more than 60 cases of murder, rape and other criminal offenses from Leer, Mayiendit, Panyijjar, and Koch Counties in southern Unity. Supported by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, the Multi-Partner Trust Fund for Reconciliation, Stabilization and Resilience, and the Norwegian Embassy, the court was officially opened by Unity State Governor, Riek Bim Top Long. More than 2000 people gathered to witness this landmark moment, demonstrating its importance to communities across the region. 'Deploying a mobile court and establishing permanent justice in Unity State provides mechanisms for all South Sudanese to access justice, regardless of our political affiliations,' said Unity Governor, Riek Bim Top Long in his opening remarks. 'We are working with the judiciary and partners to bring judges permanently back to Unity, enabling those who have suffered harm to receive justice.' Koch County Paramount Chief, William Duop Kueth, said the absence of a formal justice system created gaps that customary courts cannot address. 'We are mandated to handle customary issues and are not equipped to try murder and rape cases. These matters need a well-trained judge,' he said. 'We will fully support this court at the community level because it will help reduce crime and bring perpetrators to justice.' The acting Head of the UNMISS Field Office in Unity, Stella Abayomi, echoed this sentiment. 'The mobile court will address cases outside the jurisdiction of traditional leaders, including murder, sexual and gender-based violence, conflict-related sexual violence, and forced and early marriage. Justice and accountability are key to decreasing crime, reducing violence against women, and improving security.' The large number of women at the court opening reflected the disproportionate impact that conflict and crime, particularly sexual violence, has on women and girls across South Sudan. Twenty-year-old Maria Nyadak hopes the court will help protect and strengthen women's rights. 'We are excited to welcome the mobile court because it will help stop early and forced marriages in our community. Women and girls have suffered for too long without justice.' She called for stronger laws to protect women and girls from all forms of violence. 'Our government should design laws that address the huge challenges facing women and girls. This will give us the complete freedom that we deserve.' The court, which is a joint initiative of the judiciary of South Sudan, the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, and the Unity State government, will be staffed by two High Court Judges, three court clerks, three defence attorneys, a prosecutor, and victims' advocate. Ahead of the hearings opening, UNMISS and partners supported the training of 20 new investigators in southern Unity, with a focus on handling sexual violence cases, as well as the advance deployment of prosecutors and investigators to receive and process the criminal complaints that will be heard. The court will run from 15 April until 9 May 2025. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
