Seapeak-Hispania

The Sassnitz Water Police Inspectorate has remarked that sailing bans in the vicinity of the LNG tankers on the Nordperd roadstead in front of Rügen were not being observed. During the weekend of May 13/14, 2023,, the police officers had to evict several sailing boats from the area around the "Seapeak Hispania". The Baltic Sea Waterways and Shipping Office has established the "Nordperd Roadsted" for handling dangerous goods. There are regularly other LNG shuttle tankers in this roadstead. Ships and boats not involved in cargo handling must keep a sufficient safe distance from the LNG tankers. According to the general decree of the Baltic Sea Shipping Authority, this distance is one nautical mile. The traffic ban is also regularly announced via VHF radio by the traffic control center. Boats equipped with radiotelephony must switch it on and listen to it. Illegal sailing within the one-mile-range is an administrative offence. The water protection police officers from Sassnitz regularly check the Nordperd roadsted to ensure the safety of ship traffic.

Customs and Coast Guard officials have discovered close to $120 million worth of cocaine hidden below the "Hispania Spirit" which was docked at the Atlantic Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) port in Point Fortin in the morning of April 3, 2019. It was not the first time that the vessel has been found with cocaine. On September 8, 2015, Coast Guard officials found 211 kilogrammes of cocaine in a compartment aboard the vessel in Pisco, Peru and it was detained by authorities. A Venezuelan national who didn't belong to the crew, was arrested in this regard. In the latest discovery, the seven bales of cocaine were also found attached to the rudder of the LNG tanker. Ahead to the vessel's departure the captain was conducting safety checks when he saw what appeared to be suspicious packages in the rudder area. The captain alerted an agent who later contacted the authorities who retrieved the bales of cocaine weighing some 200 kilograms and tried to ascertain whether the bales were placed while the ship was docked, or whether the ship had entered Trinidad and Tobago waters unknowingly with the illegal shipment. Report with photos: http://www.cnc3.co.tt/press-release/120-million-cocaine-found-attached-ships-rudder

The "Hispania Spirit" was detained in Pisco on Sep 8, 2015, after the the Coast Guard and port officials found 211 kilograms of cocaine on board as well as a Venezuelan man who did not belong to the crew. Bundles with cocaine were stashed in one of the vessel’s compartments. An investigation was under way.