Seacurus Daily News 16/07/2014

Seacurus Daily News 16/07/2014

 

Every working day for the few years Seacurus has brought you a daily briefing of the latest maritime and shipping news. After so many early mornings perhaps it is time to freshen things up a little, and we would really value your feedback. The aim of the bulletins has been to give you a short briefing on the days headlines, whether safety, security, business or specific product related issues such as abandonment and the Maritime Labour Convention. We aim to be a trusted, valued voice – but we need to be sure we are delivering what you want, in a way which brings added value to your relationship with Seacurus – please reply to this email with any thoughts or suggestions – or even if you like things the way they are. Once we hear back we can further refine and shape your daily briefing into an even more valuable and useful resource.

 

Now onto today’s news…

 

Two New Liners on Horizon

Norwegian Cruise Line announced that it has reached an agreement with Meyer Werft GmbH of Germany to build two new Breakaway Plus-class cruise ships for delivery in the second quarter 2018 and the fourth quarter 2019. Each ship will be 164.600 gross tonnes and include 4.200 passenger berths. “Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Getaway have proven themselves as industry game-changers and are extremely popular with our guests,” said Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian Cruise Line’s President and CEO. “It was only natural that we build on their success with this new ship order that further solidifies our long-term growth strategy.”

http://goo.gl/qkT9ht

 

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New Container Partners Mooted

Having been left out in the cold by Maersk Line and Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC) the best option for CMA CGM could be an alliance with United Arab Shipping Co (UASC) and China Shipping Container Lines (CSCL), believes analyst Alphaliner. The brokers noted that as Maersk and MSC form 2M the termination of cooperative agreements CMA CGM has with Maersk on the Far East – Mediterranean trade, with MSC on Asia – North Europe, and both lines on the transpacific, would leave it with “significant service gaps which it can only fill through new slot arrangements with other carriers”.

http://goo.gl/2D1ChW

 

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Big VLOC Buying Spree

Australia’s Fortescue Metals Group has revealed that it is negotiating to purchase four VLOCs from a Chinese shipbuilder, in addition to an earlier deal to construct four similar ships.Fortescue said the VLOC newbuildings are expected to be delivered in late 2017 and early 2018 with the majority of payments also due on delivery.

It had earlier ordered four VLOCs at a total investment of $275m at Yangzijiang Shipbuilding, with construction to commence in the second half of this year and delivery slated for November 2016 through to May 2017.

http://goo.gl/Z3CtD8

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Daring Rough Sea Rescue

In a daring operation, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) rescued 11 of the 16 crew members of drifting cargo ship "MV Priyanka" in the Arabian Sea. The vessel listed dangerously due to rains and rough weather in Raigad district’s Revdanda area. During investigation, ICG learnt that five crew members had used a life raft and abandoned the ship when it dangerously tilted on one side. A helicopter was despatched to rescue the crew members and started airlifting the crew members from the tilted vessel. Within a few minutes, all the crew members were taken to a safe location on shore.

http://goo.gl/uqh1D0

 

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Diesel Theft Masters

Two ship captains have pleaded guilty in Malaysia to trading and illegal possession of diesel totalling 528,697 litres. The captain of "MT Christine", Hasanul Idris, 44, from Indonesia, was in possession of 280,191 litres of diesel without proper documents on May 19 while Myanmar national Capt Kyaw Zay Yaa, 51, of "MT TJ 99", was caught trading 248,506 litres of diesel without proper licence in Malaysian waters near Tanjung Belungkor on May 6.  The court fined both the accused RM100,000 (US$31,000) and in default one month’s jail.

http://goo.gl/8AnExi

 

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Greek Eye in the Sky

On July 13, the Λ-Sat satellite (Hellenic Satellite) created by Greek scientists was launched from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The satellite’s primary mission is to study the impact of the cosmic radiation on graphenium while at low earth orbit conditions. However, in these austere times it will also have a dual function. The satellite, according to its development team, will monitor Greek merchant ships and their crews in real-time, aiming to improve maritime security and thwart piracy.

http://goo.gl/3SRo54

 

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Tanker Attacked in GoA

An Iranian oil tanker came under attack by nine pirate boats, but the vessel was rescued due to the timely action of the Iranian Navy warships, the Navy’s Public Relations Office reported on Tuesday. Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari confirmed the news, and said, "The Navy’s 30th Flotilla…rescued the Iranian oil tanker in the waters between Yemen and Oman after a clash with the pirates." Admiral Sayyari noted that the Iranian vessel was then escorted to a safe zone by the Iranian fleet.

http://goo.gl/6H7rtm

 

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Gaining A Real Piracy Picture

According to a leading academic, to obtain a true appreciation of the current situation with piracy and sea robbery, it is necessary to look more closely at individual attacks, at what types of ship are being attacked, and where they are when attacked. Without this scrutiny a basic source of distortion occurs because a very minor incident of petty theft from a ship at anchor counts as one attack equivalent to a major incident of ship hijacking. This significantly inflates the number of attacks. Overstating the risks of piracy may cause an over-reaction from the international community with extra costs for ship owners and higher charges for shippers. http://goo.gl/SWRvxR

 

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