Bermuda-Islander

The crew of the 'Bermuda Islander' has rescued the former Olympic windsurfer Demetris Lappas, 33, who was attempting to cross from Antigua to Bermuda aboard the s/y 'Alcyon Blue' (MMSI: 212984097) on Feb 9, 2026. He had been attempting to cross from Antigua to Bermuda and got in trouble about 100 nautical miles to the southeast of Bermuda. Prevailing winds were in the range of 30 knots from the west. On the morning of Feb 7, 2026, the Bermuda Maritime Operations Centre received an e-mail from the skipper, stating that the yacht had suffered an engine failure in poor weather conditions, while he sailing solo to Bermuda. Further communications received on Feb 8 stated that the yacht had also suffered sail damage in the midst of the continued severe weather, while the man himself was suffering from dizziness and nausea caused by the rough conditions. As a result, the distress beacon was activated with the sailor seeking to abandon the vessel, which was about 132 miles southeast of the island at the time. The Bermuda RCC asked the nearby the floating-library ship 'Logos Hope' (IMO: 7302914), which was scheduled to arrive on the island on the morning, and the 'Bermuda Islander', which had left the island on the afternoon of Feb 9, tp divert to the postion. The container ship arrived first on Feb 9 at about 01.00 a.m. Facings seas of more than 20 feet height, the master deemed it prudent to stand by to await calmer seas and the arrival of the 'Logos Hipe'. After multiple attempts by both vessels, the 'Bermuda Islander' managed to come alongside the yacht, and the crew brought Lappas safely aboard at around 10.00 a.m. After assessing his condition and determining him to be uninjured, the ship resumed the voyage to Salem, New Jersey. Meanwhile, Bermuda Radio launched a navigational warning to caution ships that the 'Alcyon Blue' was abandoned and adrift 184 nautical miles southeast of Bermuda.

The 'Bermuda Islander', while enroute from Bermuda, suffered a rudder problem after arriving in Salem on May 30, 2021. Repairs were commenced at teh quay. The urgent containers were transferred to Port Elizabeth in the same state and arrived in Bermuda on June 7. A charter ship was due to take over the regular service on June 21.

The "Bermuda Islander" has not sustained any damage after a mechanical failure occurred while the vessel was being moved from her dry dock at BAE Systems shipyard in Jacksonville. The ship had been undergoing routine maintenance when the rail system she was mounted on failed to operate around Jan 24, 2016. Although no one was injured and the ship escaped unscathed, it was not known when the "Bermuda Islander" would be able to return to service. the Yard was still assessing the situation with the ship and we are working expeditiously to undock her. On Jan 27 Meyer Freight confirmed that it would be unable to complete this week's trip from Florida to Bermuda. BISL cargo from Salem continued to be delivered by the "Somers Isles". The normal schedule would resume next week, however, we may be a little late due to this week's late arrival. A replacement vessel has been sought for SISL service from Fernandina Beach. It will sail on Feb 5 and arrive in Bermuda on Feb 9. Once the "Bermuda Islander" has been relaunched, the "Somers Isles" and "Bermuda Islander" will return to their respective service. Report with photo: http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20160129/NEWS/160129629

The "Bermuda Islander" ran aground on Aug 24, 2015, at 9 p.m. on the Delaware River near Salem City, New Jersey. The ship which was sailing between Bermuda and Salem County lost power and propulsion around 9:00 p.m. before running aground. There was a crew of 12 aboard when the ship hit shallow water and became stuck. The Coast Guard waited until high tide at 8:30 a.m. on Aug 25 to begin towing the ship back to high sea. The ship was about three to four miles north of the Salem Nuclear Power Plant. The ship was successfully re-floated by the Donjon Marine and secured in Salem, New Jersey for further inspection. Reporty with photo and video: http://6abc.com/news/cargo-ship-runs-aground-on-the-delaware-river/956002/#videoplayer http://www.nj.com/salem/index.ssf/2015/08/ships_ahoy_stuck_cargo_vessel_rescued_by_us_coast.html