Seacurus Daily: Top Ten Maritime News Stories 21/10/2016
1. Crew Kidnapped by Pirates
A Korean ship captain and a Filipino crew member were taken captive by armed men off the coast of Tawi-Tawi an island province in the Philippines located in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, on Thursday. The Korean vessel "MV Dong Bang Giant" was hijacked by at least 10 armed men on a speedboat near Bongao town. Authorities believe the perpetrators were Abu Sayyaf bandits under Jul Hassan, a subleader of Idang Susukan, they claim all law enforcement units have been notified and military assets dispatched for counteraction.
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2. Hyundai Bidding for Hanjin Work
Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) decided to take part in a preliminary bid which will finish receiving letters of intent (LOIs) in order to take over Korea-Americas routes from Hanjin Shipping on October 28. The court announced a plan to sell off Hanjin Shipping’s sales network covering Asia and the Americas on October 14. Its affiliates, some of its containerships and its logistics systems among other will be put for sale. Excluded from the sale list were overseas terminals such as LA Long Beach Terminal shared by Hanjin Shipping and MSC, a Swiss shipping firm.
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3. Kidnapping Still a Concern
Despite a decline of piracy activity in several high-risk areas, a high threat of crew kidnapping and hijacking remains in Southeast Asia and West Africa, according to a recent report from specialist crisis prevention and response consultancy NYA International. Overall piracy activity in the third quarter of 2016 declined in global hotspots compared to the previous quarter, as Southeast Asia and the East Africa and Indian Ocean High Risk Area (HRA) both saw drops in reported piracy incidents, and West Africa notably experienced a drop in severe incidents such as attacks and hijackings, according to NYA’s Q3 2016 Piracy Assessment.
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4. Stress for Smaller Owners
Signs of stress are increasing among smaller Greek owners, with banks arresting and forcing the judicial sale of a rising number of their ships. Bigger Greek outfits with deeper pockets and better relations with shipping lenders are often the beneficiaries. “It’s mayhem out there,” an executive with a large Greek shipping company said, describing the situation smaller peers are facing. The latest victim of that mayhem has been Greek owner Efploia, which saw the second of its three dry bulkers heading for auction under Namibian law in South Africa on 10 November. "Maverick Guardian" (built 2012) is currently inspectable in Walvis Bay.
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5. Nigerian Navy Swoops
The Nigeria Navy (NNS Delta) has arrested 75 persons suspected to be involved in illegal oil bunkering, militancy, kidnapping, impersonation and gun production in Delta State and other parts of the Niger Delta region. It uncovered the gun-manufacturing workshop that specialises in producing local pistols and rifles at Opuama in Ughelli South Council. The Navy also impounded three vessels and 80 boats loaded full of stolen crude oil. They were nabbed in an Operation Delta Safe raid on militants.
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6. Historic Ship Christening
Princess Anne smashed a bottle of champagne on the hull of a giant ship as part of an historic royal christening on the Mersey. The container ship "Atlantic Sea" became the first ship to have its naming ceremony on the Mersey in more than 50 years. Princess Alexandra was the last member of the royal family to celebrate a new ship on the Mersey , launching the HMS Devonshire in 1960. The Atlantic Sea is one of several new ships in the fleet of the Atlantic Container Line (ACL) shipping firm, which has just invested in a new European headquarters in Duke Street.
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7. Major Seafarer Rescue
A major rescue operation was launched after a man fell from a height while on board a ship a mile and a half out to sea. A helicopter was sent to the scene of the serious injury on board a large vessel, the Brasschaat, following the fall at around 2.30pm on Thursday. The ship is one of a number of Belgian vessels which have moored off the coast of North Tyneside for months, visible from the shore just outside the piers of the Tyne harbour. The RNLI assisted by taking North East Ambulance Service paramedics out to the ship. A spokeswoman said there were reports that the man had fallen from height.
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8. Wage Claims Sacrosanct
Crewmembers’ claims for unpaid wages remind one lawyer of the Dr. Seuss line about how business has got to grow, “regardless of crummies in tummies, you know!” Somehow that rhyme neatly captures how clinically businesses can operate all the while sailing past their legal obligations. In 1898, the Supreme Court said that as long “as a plank of the ship remains, the sailor is entitled, against all other persons, to the proceeds as a security for his wages.” More recently, a federal statute affords a crewmember a preferred maritime lien for wages and there’s a separate federal statute allowing crew to collect a penalty.
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9. Climate Action being Urged
Members of BSR’s Clean Cargo Working Group (CCWG) have agreed on a climate action statement and call to action for the container shipping sector and its value chain to support private-sector contributions for the global goals on climate change. Today, CCWG includes ocean container shipping lines representing about 85 percent of global volume and more than a dozen key cargo owners. The CCWG member statement reflects an aspiration for container shipping to play its role in limiting global temperature increase to well below 2˚C, acknowledges its part as a low-carbon freight solution and partner in emissions reductions,
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10. Car Carrier Fire Fought
More firemen have been called in this morning to help douse the fire onboard the car carrier "Silver Sky". The fire started at around midnight yesterday when the ship was docked at Antwerp’s berth 340. It has since raged out of control. Tugs were deployed to douse the ship and try and reduce the temperature of the hull, but the ship remains too hot to board and extinguish the flames from the cargo deck. Firemen are now deploying vast amounts of CO2 to try and rein back the flames. The 27-year-old ship, owned by Dubai’s Sallaum Lines, was carrying used cars destined for Africa.
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Daily news feed from Seacurus Ltd – providers of MLC crew insurance solutions www.seacurus.com
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S Jones
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