Top Ten Maritime News Stories 31/05/2016

Seacurus Daily: Top Ten Maritime News Stories 31/05/2016

1. Seafarers On Hunger Strike
Around 200 seafarers have entered their third day of a hunger strike, demonstrating against state-run Shipping Corporation of India’s (SCI) failure to improve their pay. The hunger strike began on Saturday. SCI was meant to have increased seafarer wages by 30% as agreed in March last year at a meeting of the collective bargaining mechanism known as the National Maritime Board, something it has failed to do. “The arrears haven’t been given for over a year now. So the seafarers of 16 ships of Shipping Corporation which include tanker vessels among others have gone on hunger strike,” a Union official explained.
———————————————————————————
2. Environmental Bunker Disaster
The local government in Penang has declared a major environmental disaster after a serious spill from the Nautica Maharani product tanker on Friday. Authorities are still trying to clean up a 70 sq km slick around the North Channel of Penang from the Malaysian flagged ship. No details on how the accident happened have been revealed. Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng has asked the federal government for help in containing the pollution from the bunker spill. The 9,890 dwt vessel belongs to Malaysia’s EA Technique.
———————————————————————————

3. Port State Air Inspections
The Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control (Paris MoU) held its 49th Committee meeting in Haugesund, Norway, last week and announced that a 2018 concentrated inspection campaign on air emissions (MARPOL Annex VI). Secretary General Richard Schiferli said the decision demonstrated the importance to the Paris MoU of environmental awareness and compliance, especially regarding prevention of air pollution from ships. The report of the CIC on Crew Familiarisation on Enclosed Space Entry, carried out in September to November of 2015, was also discussed. Results showed a good level of compliance.
———————————————————————————
4. Owners Call for International Policy
The Asian Shipowners’ Association has called for the ratification of the Hong Kong Convention, and is in talks with the International Chamber of Shipping and the European Community Shipowners’ Associations, or ECSA, on the EU’s proposal to potentially introduce a levy on all ships entering EU ports to incentivize shipowners to recycle their ships in an environmentally friendly way. “Our view is that we need only one international policy, and the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships is backed by the International Maritime Organization,” the body stated.
———————————————————————————
5. EU and Chinese Collaboration
After the successful cooperation with the EU’s counter-piracy operation and the Chinese Navy warship, a World Food Programme (WFP) vessel, Evangelia L, has arrived safely in the port of Berbera. Evangelia L had been chartered by the WFP to carry humanitarian aid to the Somali port. CNS Xiangtan met "Evangelia L" in the port of Djibouti and escorted her to Berbera to ensure she stayed safe from any potential pirate attack. Operation Atalanta’s Force Commander, Rear Admiral Kaack, stated: “The safe arrival of Evangelia L into Berbera has again highlighted what can be achieved when counter-piracy naval forces work together".
———————————————————————————
6. Joint Asian Security Patrols
The navies of Indonesia and the Philippines have launched coordinated border patrols to address maritime piracy and other international crimes in the shared maritime border of the two countries. The coordinated patrols, under the codename “Corpat Philindo XXX-16,” will be carried out in the shared maritime border of Sulawesi waters from May 28 to June 1. According to the Indonesian navy, this is set to go ahead after the two navies launched a preparation phase on May 25-28 in North Sulawesis cities of Bitung and Manado.
———————————————————————————
7. Climate Demands Not Driving Change
Shipping’s only legally binding climate measure is not stimulating the uptake of new technologies or driving efficiency improvements, according to a new independent study. Since 2013 newly-built ships subject to the IMO design fuel efficiency standard – known as the EEDI – have performed much the same as those not covered, the report for NGOs Seas At Risk (SAR) and Transport & Environment (T&E) finds. According to the study at least two-thirds of containerships, half of general cargo ships and a quarter of tankers launched in 2015 already overshoot the requirement for 2020 without using innovative new technologies.
———————————————————————————
8. Lay Up Business Is Hot
Not everyone in shipping is bemoaning the industry’s worst crisis in living memory: a cluster of companies that help preserve equipment and provide security for vessels parked around southeast Asia are busier than they have been for years. A popular lay-up anchorage near Indonesia’s Batam island, a short hop from Singapore, is growing crowded, and firms such as Ocean Shipcare and Brubay Shipcare are running out of space. The industry is battling chronic oversupply, languishing oil prices and lacklustre container shipments as China’s weaker growth weighs on global trade.
———————————————————————————
9. Places of Refuge Debate
Following a further round of discussions on Places of Refuge at the IMO, prompted by a submission from the EU Member States, the European Commission, shipowners and the maritime insurance industry, IACS has today published recommendations addressing the minimum support services for vessels in need of operational technical support, including vessels in need of a Port of Refuge. These recommendations will be of value to all shipowners, operators and managers when choosing an emergency response service provider by clearly establishing the minimum level of support the service provider can be expected to deliver.
———————————————————————————
10. Builder Could Go Bust
South Korean shipbuilder STX Offshore & Shipbuilding Co. filed for court protection, the latest trouble to surface in a country where the government is trying to help an industry mired in losses and slump in orders for vessels. STX Offshore submitted the application to the Seoul Central District Court on May 27, the Changwon, South Korea-based company said in a regulatory filing Monday. The court will decide whether to accept the request after reviewing the proposal, it said. Shares of the company were de-listed from the stock market in 2014 after the company’s creditors converted their loans into equity.
———————————————————————————

Daily news feed from Seacurus Ltd – providers of MLC crew insurance solutions  www.seacurus.com

 

Best regards,

S Jones
Seacurus Ltd

 

Registered in England No. 5201529

Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority
A Barbican Group company
 

Telephone: +44 191 4690859
Facsimile:  +44 191 4067577

Email: [email protected]
Website: www.seacurus.com

 

Registered Office: Suite 3, Level 3,
Baltic Place West, Baltic Place,
South Shore Road,
Gateshead,
NE8 3BA,
United Kingdom

 

This message, and any associated files, are intended only for the use of the individual or entity to which it was addresses and may contain information that is confidential, subject to copyright or constitutes a trade secret. If you are not the intended recipient you are hereby notified that any dissemination, copying or distribution of this message, or files associated with this message, is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify us immediately.

Daily news feed from Seacurus Ltd – providers of MLC crew insurance solutions  www.seacurus.com

 

Best regards,

S Jones
Seacurus Ltd

 

Registered in England No. 5201529

Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority
A Barbican Group company
 

Telephone: +44 191 4690859
Facsimile:  +44 191 4067577

Email: [email protected]
Website: www.seacurus.com

 

Registered Office: Suite 3, Level 3,
Baltic Place West, Baltic Place,
South Shore Road,
Gateshead,
NE8 3BA,
United Kingdom

 

This message, and any associated files, are intended only for the use of the individual or entity to which it was addresses and may contain information that is confidential, subject to copyright or constitutes a trade secret. If you are not the intended recipient you are hereby notified that any dissemination, copying or distribution of this message, or files associated with this message, is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify us immediately.

0 Comments

Leave a reply

©2024 InterManager - Promoting Excellence In Ship Management

Log in with your credentials

Forgot your details?