Piracy activity off Somalia

There have been several pirate Attacks off Somalia over the past month with three vessels reporting incidents.

Onboard Hellas Aphrodite 24 crew fled to the citadel when the pirates managed to board their ship about 550 nautical miles off Somalia.  This was an excellent example of well trained and prepared crew were able to use the citadel as a refuge until help arrived.

EUNAVFOR, the European Union Naval Force, vessel Atalanta arrived swiftly as part of their ongoing anti-piracy operation in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean. The pirates were apprehended, and all crew were unharmed.

The 44,000-dwt Stolt Sagaland was also attacked, however the crew thwarted a boarding after an armed security team fired on the small pirate craft approaching them. While Intertuna Tres, a Seychelles-flagged fishing vessel, fired warning shots against an approaching skiff.

While precautions and measures are put in place in areas at risk of piracy be sure you and your crew are fully aware of protocol and training in these situations

Recognising Our Safety Leaders with Safety Catch

Meet October 2025 V.Group Safety Catch Winner!

We are proud to announce O/S Nilesh Popat Adhav of m/v KHAWR ALADID (Offshore Cluster) as our October 2025 V.Group Safety Catch Award winner! As a recognition of his safety vigilance, Nilesh will receive a certificate of appreciation, a personal commendation letter and a $200 GMT Travel Voucher. 

This achievement is a milestone for both our safety initiative and the Offshore Cluster—Nilesh has earned the first Safety Catch award for the Offshore under this enhanced program. Congratulations to the entire team! 

What happened? 

Nilesh observed an Unsafe Act - a crew member standing within the swing arc of a weather-tight door on the port side of the upper main deck. This exposed the individual to a potential ‘line of fire’ hazard, as the door could have opened unexpectedly from inside, causing injury. Acting immediately, Nilesh advised the person to move to a safe area away from the door swing range. 

Nilesh timely action is a great example of situational leadership and effective use of Stop Work Authority to keep colleagues safe. 

Want to learn more? 

Watch the Lessons Learnt video on Nilesh’s submission to strengthen your safety awareness.

Reminder: Stop Work Authority  

Every colleague – ashore or at sea – has the right and responsibility to exercise the Stop Work Authority if they believe that an activity is unsafe to protect people, environment and assets.

There is only two months left of the 2025 awards and there is still time that your submissions may make the Annual Award.

Looking Ahead … 

As we are getting closer to the end of the year, only 2 monthly winners remain for 2025. All 12 monthly winners will enter the poll for the Annual Safety Catch Award and an even bigger recognition and award. Encourage colleagues to raise safety observations and actively participate in the relevant polls – together, we can elevate our safety culture and celebrate our leaders. 

#haveyoursay 

CEO Visit to Mumbai office during India Maritime Week

V.Group CEO, René Kofod-Olsen, recently had the pleasure of visiting our Mumbai office during India Maritime Week (IMW) and met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“Across all of our India offices we have an amazing team of almost 800 colleagues whose dedication and expertise is critical in managing our fleet of vessels, providing operational services to our global fleet, and leading digital development and finance operations.”

“As part of IMW, I had the honour of taking part in the Global Maritime CEO Roundtable chaired by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, together with CEOs from other leading, global maritime organisations. Prime Minister Modi was very engaged and was open about his desire to see greater investment in shipping. I explained to the Prime Minister that we have expanded our Indian seafarer pool by almost 70%, with a strong focus on training and positive workplace culture – a key differentiator within global seafarer pools. We are looking to grow our activities in India even further by expanding our investments across our ship management and services companies including training facilities for Indian seafarers, and by attracting more female cadets to our unique industry.”

“V. is proud to have been part of the maritime sector in India for almost 30 years, and I’m truly impressed by the transformation and growth which has taken place in the recent years, and which will undoubtedly continue in the years to come. V. has been accelerating our investments in India - both onshore and at sea - and will continue doing so, building on the fantastic heritage India has as a shipping nation and its pool of highly respected seafarers."

Gas Carrier Vessels Operation Workshop

The Gas Carrier Vessels Operation Workshop was successfully held in November in collaboration with Charismight Training Company, featuring two distinguished LPG vessel experts, Capt. Prashant Saxena, Founder and Managing Director of Charismight, with 22 years of seafaring experience, including 5 years as Master on LPG vessels and Capt. Manish Verma, an LPG technical guru with over 20 years of seafaring experience and 4 years in a Master’s role.

The program was designed to equip Limassol technical teams with in-depth knowledge of gas carrier vessel operations, focusing on vessel design, cargo containment, cargo handling systems, safety protocols, emergency response, and commercial considerations. The training provided a comprehensive overview of gas carrier operations, covering vessel types and design features, cargo containment and handling systems, safety mechanisms, regulatory frameworks, and commercial and operational aspects.

Participants gain valuable operational insights and learnt best practices to ensure safety, efficiency, and regulatory compliance in gas shipping. The trainers combined expertise, offered our fleet team members highly practical and insightful perspectives on LPG operations.  

V.Care Wellbeing Webinar - Social Interaction

Date: 4th December 2025

Time: 10:30 London / 14:30 Dubai / 16.00 India / 18:30 Manila

Duration: 60mins

Join us for the V.Care – Social Interaction Webinar, where we’ll explore how ISWAN’s guidance on allyship and social interaction is being incorporated within our Positive Workplace Culture training. We will be joined by Georgia Allen of ISWAN who will share updates on ISWAN’s latest projects. We will highlight the importance of bringing teams together, especially over the festive period, to help prevent loneliness and isolation and strengthen a supportive working environment.

Register Below

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.  Should you have any difficulty joining the session, please contact Andrew McGurk at andrew.mcgurk@vships.com

V.CARE: Wellbeing Webinars

You can catch up with the rest of EAP orientation and previous webinars below:

https://vimeo.com/1049342320?share=copy

Voyage Loyalty Fitfest and Finalist

The Voyage Loyalty team in Manila have been having a busy November, starting out with becoming a finalist in the Innovation and Technology Awards at the Seatrade Maritime Crew Connect Awards.

Having the initiative recognised by the wider industry was fantastic, however making a direct impact on seafarers is what Voyage Loyalty is all about.  So the recent Fitfest event was a chance to run some social games and activities directly with seafarers, while also sharing the experience live with the Voyage Loyalty community online.

Have you signed up to Voyage Loyalty yet?

Check the Crew Connect APP and look out for your chance to start earning rewards today.

V.Care Voyage of the Month: ISWAN Support

Each month we share stories from across the support network of charities working to improve the lives of seafarers.

ISWAN joined forces this month to create meaningful change in how the superyacht industry approaches crew safety and wellbeing as being inseparable, we share an example of how ISWAN are tackling this sector with their YachtCrewHelpline.

Navigating yachting – You’re not alone

Working on board a yacht can be exhilarating – fast-paced, high-energy, and filled with opportunities to see amazing places and form tight-knit bonds with your crew. However, at some point, all crew face challenges that test them emotionally, mentally or physically.

Rean more below:

Are you aware of all the wellbeing resources available to you?

Both the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and inspiration for your wellbeing can be found on the V.Care website, or available through the V.Crew Connect App.

You can also join the V.Care Facebook page to hear from other V. seafarers and families about their journey with V.

ShipMoney - Your Digital Payment Solution

Did You Know? You Get Free Transfers with ShipMoney

Each month, you get:

✔ 1 free wire transfer (up to $20,000)

✔ 2 free ATM withdrawals, anywhere in the world

That’s $0 in fees for sending money or taking cash out.

Use the ShipMoney app to schedule your transfers, or ask your crewing team for help.

From Ship to Shore: V. Dual Career Path Development

Bring Your Sea Experience Ashore - Your Next Step Starts Here!

Are you currently sailing with V. and considering a move ashore?

We’re inviting our own talented seafarers to apply for future shore-based career opportunities across our global offices.

Your knowledge of life at sea is invaluable and we believe it belongs at the heart of our shore-based operations.

Whether you're passionate about vessel management, crew support, safety compliance, or training, your next role might be waiting just ashore.

The Ship to Shore Programme is designed to support and encourage V. seafarers who are ready to transition into shore-based careers.

Your sea experience is your strength — let’s bring it ashore!

If you’re passionate about continuing your maritime journey from a different vantage point, one where your expertise helps manage fleets, support operations, or train future seafarers, we invite you to apply.

We’re continuously looking to match sea-going talent with onshore roles.

Submit your profile below, and we’ll reach out when the right opportunity comes along.

Healthy Corner: Diabetes Awareness

Life at sea is full of adventure, but it can also make staying healthy a challenge. This November, as we mark Diabetes Awareness Month, it's the perfect time to anchor your focus on wellbeing. With just a few simple habits, you can steer clear of diabetes and sail toward a healthier future.

1. Maintain a healthy body weight!

A Diabetes Prevention Program by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), examined the appropriate prevention approach for T2D. The results indicated that a 7% weight loss in people at high T2D risk (older than 60 years, with a family history of diabetes, or women with a history of gestational diabetes) resulted in a 34% delay in diabetes onset after 10 years. 

Additionally, a weight loss of 10kg can lead to remission in people already having T2D. Remission of diabetes is defined as a state in which blood glucose remains within a normal range for at least 6 months without medication.

2. Exercise!

Being active helps the body to become more sensitive to insulin, which in turn helps control diabetes.

WHO recommends for healthy adults and adults having T2D:

• Limiting sedentary time
• Moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity of at least 150-300 minutes,
• Vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity 75-150 minutes or a combination of both, during the week. Additionally, 2 or more days of muscle-strengthening activities during the week.

3. Modify your diet!

Some simple alterations in diet will help with the prevention or remission of diabetes:

• Prefer whole grain rather than refined grains, when possible.
• Whole grain products such as brown rice or brown bread contain the bran and fibre, which slower blood glucose and insulin increase in the blood.
• Limit sugar intake as possible.
• Be aware that fruits contain fructose, the natural sugar which still increases blood glucose, if consumed in large portions. Hence, fruit portions should not be consumed all at once.
• Choose healthy fats such as the polyunsaturated fats in nuts, seeds, avocado and fish oils.
• Eating unsaturated fats, lowers blood glucose levels and improves insulin resistance.
• Limit red (beef, pork, lamb) and processed meat (deli meats, sausages) as much as possible, as they contain saturated fat. Saturated fat does not directly increase blood sugar. However, most people with diabetes have insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is the condition where human body requires higher insulin to control high blood glucose. At some point, body cells stop responding to insulin, the pancreas keeps making more insulin, trying to get the cells to respond, and eventually cells become insulin resistant, while blood glucose increases. Saturated fat contributes to high insulin resistance.

4. Avoid tobacco smoking!

Tobacco users have a 30 to 40% higher risk developing T2D compared to non-smokers (CDC). Nicotine raises blood sugar, making it harder to control glucose levels.

5. Limit alcohol consumption!

Alcohol recommendations are up to 2 drinks per day for men and up to 1 drink per day for women. Heavy drinking (15 or more drinks for men and 8 drinks or more for women per week), may cause ketoacidosis and hypertriglyceridemia, two of the most serious acute diabetes complications.

6. Manage stress!

Evidence suggests that stress can increase T2D risk. High level of stress hormones may affect pancreas cells that produce insulin and thus reduce insulin production.