A city in Sweden has built a dedicated seagull lavatory in an attempt to lure the birds away from doing their business in the marina. After cries of exasperation from the local yachting set at Marieberg bay, officials in central Sweden’s Karlstad municipality put in place a designated pontoon, which they hope the gulls will congregate, and therefore relieve themselves, on. Read the full story

Eimskip, the largest shipping company in Iceland, announced yesterday that its 57 unsecured creditors have agreed to swap their loans for equity, according to The Financial Times. This has reduced the debt of Eimskip from EUR 1.6 billion to about 100 million. This makes Eimskip the first big Icelandic company in financial peril to secure a plan for recovery after the economic crisis last year. Read the full story

With transatlantic shipping lanes just as important as always and Arctic transport and hydrocarbon exploration possibilities growing by the day, Iceland is an essential waypoint in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean with top quality service ports to match. Read the full story

At the end of 2008 there were 1,529 fishing ships registered with the Icelandic Maritime Administration, meaning their number had reduced by 113 from the previous year, according to figures from Statistics Iceland.

The number of motorboats was 769 and their combined weight was 86,390 gross tonnes. Read the full story

Last year nobody lost their life in accidents at sea on Icelandic vessels. This makes 2008 unique with regard to the annual death figures compiled by the Icelandic Maritime Administration (IMA).

In a press release the IMA states that due to Iceland’s close links to the sea and the importance of seafaring since the beginning, it is perfectly possible Read the full story

On Saturday, local authorities in the Norwegian town of Forsand were informed that a massive avalanche had occurred at Pulpit Rock, a popular rock formation in Lysefjord. The mayor of Forsand, Ole Tome Guse, has asked locals to stay away from the area until the stability of the rock can be assessed. Read the full story