Seacurus Bulletin 17/06/2014

Seacurus Bulletin 17/06/2014

 

MARITIME LABOUR CONVENTION AND SEAFARER NEWS

 

Staggering Majority

At the 103rd International Labour Conference, the International Labour Organization (ILO) has, with a staggering majority, adopted new provisions on the protection of abandoned seafarers and seafarers who have been injured in occupational accidents, informs the Danish Maritime Authority (DMA). DMA explains that the new regulations are, inter alia, intended to ensure financial security when a seafarer is abandoned in a foreign port without any economic possibilities of paying the voyage home or is taken ill, for example as a consequence of an occupational accident. Sixty-one countries have now ratified the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC).

http://goo.gl/KpS50h

 

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Better Protection

Filipino seafarers may soon enjoy better protection after the Philippine government voted in favor of amendments to the Maritime Labor Convention of 2006 (MLC, 2006). Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said the amendments seek to address concerns on abandonment and ship owners’ liability in seafarers’ injury, illness, or death. "It is in our country’s best interest to provide our 360,000 ocean-going seafarers with the best terms and conditions of employment and welfare, including the welfare of their families. An estimated 60,000 Filipino seafarers shall be covered by internationally-benchmarked standards that secure their welfare.

http://goo.gl/HTauHq

 

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Safe Grounding

The shipping company Finnlines passenger-cargo vessel MS Finneagle has run aground in Kapellskär harbor, 55 miles north of Stockholm. On board were 168 passengers and 30 crew members. According to Finnlines, no one was hurt and no one was put in danger by the incident. ”It was what you might call a safe grounding,” said Tapani Voionmaa of Finnlines. The ship ran aground early on Thursday morning as it arrived in Kapellskär from Naantali in Finland. It was due to arrive at 6 a.m. Swedish time, after having set off at 10:30 p.m. the previous evening. The grounding was caused by a technical failure of the main engines.

http://goo.gl/SDYyx8

 

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Ballast Problems

ICS has restated its position on both the imminent European Sulphur ECAs and the forthcoming IMO legislation on Ballast Water Management, warning that shipping still isn’t ready. A survey of ICS members indicated that many governments are unprepared for uniform implementation of the sulphur ECA requirements, echoing contention throughout the industry. “The shipping industry is investing billions of dollars in order to ensure compliance,” said ICS secretary general Masamichi Morooka. “The huge costs involved could have a profound impact on the future structure of the entire shipping industry and the movement of international trade.

http://goo.gl/L0hd0g

 

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Port Actions

At its 47th meeting last month, the Paris MoU Committee approved the 2013 inspection results and adopted new performance lists. These lists will take effect from 1 July 2014.  The “White, Grey and Black (WGB) List” presents the full spectrum, from quality flags to flags with a poor performance that are considered high or very high risk. It is based on the total number of inspections and detentions over a 3-year rolling period for flags with at least 30 inspections in the period. The number of flags on the “White List” has increased by  1 flag to a total number of 46 flags. New on the “White List” are Kazakhstan, Saudi  Arabia and Switzerland.

http://goo.gl/phq3KV

 

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PIRACY AND MARITIME SECURITY NEWS

 

Security Award

Singapore’s APL, the containerline of the NOL Group, has won the 2013-2014 Rear Admiral Richard E. Bennis Award for Excellence in Maritime Security, conferred by the United States Coast Guard (USCG). APL was recognised as ‘Company of the Year’ for its strong commitment to US security as well as the marine transportation system, particularly its outstanding contributions towards the implementation of the US Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA) requirements. “APL is honoured to receive the Bennis Award as it is a perfect complement to the Osprey Award, the USCG’s highest environmental accolade".

http://goo.gl/9CXydm

 

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Satellite Tracks

The Savina Caylyn oil tanker was near the Yemeni island of Socotra when five pirates boarded and turned off its tracking systems, disabling surveillance of the 105,000-ton vessel by its insurance company. Investigators commissioned the Cosmo-Skymed satellite to fly across the seas close to the coast of Somalia to see if there were any clues to what had happened. Now the Satellite Applications Catapult is working to make businesses aware of the variety of data that is available and to help companies to benefit from it in an attempt to make Britain an international player in the use of satellite applications.

http://goo.gl/pS2xhA

 

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Pirate Accents

The group of pirates that seized 700,000 litres of diesel from a tanker off Tanjung Sedili are believed to be Indonesians, based on their accent. The conclusion was drawn following initial investigations and statements recorded from the 13 Thai crew and Indonesian captain of the tanker. “The crew also told us that the pirates had tied them up with raffia string before confining them in a room,” said Maritime Capt Ibrahim Mohamed, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency’s (MMEA) southern region operations director. He said MMEA personnel also found a machete sheath and a firearm magazine left on the tanker after the incident. http://goo.gl/oEIcrm

 

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Fostering Security

The U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) is constantly working to foster safety and security in the maritime industry, both domestically and internationally. A new threat discussed among NATO partners is the danger presented by the increasing use of illegal GPS units that can be used by pirates to disrupt a vessel’s navigational systems, making them more vulnerable to attack. Coupled with the rapid increase in availability of cheap and portable jammers that disrupt navigational systems, this presents a real challenge to the maritime industry.

http://goo.gl/iL9Ika

 

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Piracy Deal

Equipment manufactured as part of a £48m deal will help the Royal Navy fight piracy on the high seas. The Ministry of Defence has announced that Thales’ Future Anti-Surface Guided Weapons Light programme will be fitted to the Navy’s new Agusta Westland AW159 Wildcat Maritime Attack helicopters, which will be carried on frigates. The system is designed to use the Thales Lightweight Multirole Missile (LMM), a precision strike missile designed to be fired from planes, helicopters, trucks, boats and even drones. The system will be deployed by the Royal Navy and is aimed at combating threats from small ships and fast inshore attack craft.

http://goo.gl/xy31xh

 

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Death Inquest

An inquest into the death of David Tebbutt, the Stortford man shot dead by Somali pirates who then kidnapped his wife Judith, is taking place. Mr Tebbutt, 58, a finance director with publisher Faber, was shot dead in a raid while the couple holidayed in Kenya on September 11, 2011. The bandits held Mrs Tebbutt, then a 56-year-old social worker, hostage until March 21, 2012 when her family paid her captors a ransom believed to be $1.3m (£800,000).  She did not know about her husband’s death until their son Oliver told her two weeks after she was captured. The couple were the only guests at the exclusive Kiwayo beach resort.

http://goo.gl/PS0fjU

 

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ENDS