Seacurus Top Ten Daily News Stories 09/09/2014

Seacurus Top Ten Daily News Stories 09/09/2014

1. Capturing the Essence of Shipping at SMM

Innovation, Identification, Internationality and Integration were named core themes of this year’s SMM in an opening ceremony that included tales of a 189-day struggle across the Pacific Ocean in a rowing boat. An audience of 500 invited members of the maritime industry were told how those themes influenced the industry in Hamburg and the wider world, ending with a reminder of the power of the sea and goodwill mariners offer to one another. Senator Frank Horch of the free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg stated that the maritime industry was crucial to the city and brings in EUR3bn every year.

http://goo.gl/9307Mo

 

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2. Hard Aground On Greece

On Friday (September 5) morning, the Turkish M/V INCE INEBOLU ran aground in Greek waters, east of Astypaleas in the Aegean Sea, with 22 foreign crewmembers on board. The ship’s master said that the vessel’s forepeak extends inland by 4.5 meters. The vessel is carrying 1,388 metric tons fuel oil, 70 metric tons of diesel and 24,610 liters of lube oil, according to the Coast Guard. The unloaded ship had sailed from the port of Yemen to Russia. No injuries or pollution have been observed in this incident. Images of the grounding show the vessel hard aground on the rocks.

http://goo.gl/ggdqVe

 

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3. Busy Times for Migrant Rescuers

Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) has provided several hours of intense assistance to Italy’s Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC), conducting the rescue of approximately 700 migrants. On Monday, whilst on patrol, MOAS spotted a boat in distress carrying approximately 300 migrants. Immediate contact was established with MRCC Rome who directed that the migrant boat is intercepted. Having reported back on the state of the vessel and the people on board, MOAS was eventually directed to assist by taking the migrants on board their vessel Phoenix.  All 83 women and children were transferred to Phoenix and treated.

http://goo.gl/zcMvK4

 

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4. Vessels Run From Arrest in Malta

Second vessel has evaded arrest warrants issued by Maltese courts in the last few months. On August 26, Madra, a 100-metre general cargo vessel registered in Belize, fled the waters of Malta to avoid arrest warrants over outstanding debts of more than €220,000. The master of the vessel simply switched off its AIS making the Madra unavailable to track. Malta’s navy (AFM) were unable to intercept the vessel, it lifted anchor and ran away heading to Beirut. In April, the tanker MT Atlantik. also fled from Maltese waters – and it is becoming something of an embarrassment of the authorities.

http://goo.gl/fp4dgT

 

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5. Svendborg Maersk Accident Report Issued

On 13 February 2014 the "Svendborg Maersk" departed Rotterdam bound for the Suez Canal. The master expected to encounter adverse weather conditions but the forecast did not give rise to concern. The following day, the weather conditions started deteriorating. In the afternoon, the ship suddenly and without warning rolled to extreme angles and a large number of containers fell over board. In the early evening, the ship again suddenly rolled violently, reaching an extreme angle of roll of 41° to port. Again a large number of containers were lost over board and, now, the master considered the situation to threaten the safety of the ship.

http://goo.gl/f8pKTd

 

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6. Suez Canal Shares Prove Popular

A total of E£3bn was raised on the first day of selling Suez Canal investment certificates to the public. The investment certificates issued are offered in three classifications: EGP 10, EGP 100, and EGP 1000. Revenues from the 10 EGP and 100 EGP certificates will be paid after five years, while the 1,000 EGP certificates will be paid quarterly. The investment certificates, which have an interest rate of 12 percent, will be used to finance the new Suez Canal project and is expected to raise the project’s revenue to $3bn.

http://goo.gl/yXSfFS

 

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7. Volvo Ocean Race Stands Up to Piracy

The organisers of the Volvo Ocean Race have decided to face the threat of piracy off the eastern coast of Africa head on. This means that the second and third legs of this year’s Volvo Ocean Race (VOR) may not face the disruption in the previous race of 2011/12. That year, the Cape Town to Abu Dhabi leg involved all the boats sailing to a secret safe haven destination, where they were loaded onto an armed ship without their crew, which then took them through the safest possible route and unloaded them along the Sharjah coastline. Though the VOR team acknowledge the need to keep a vigilant eye on what is always a fluid ­situation.

http://goo.gl/2lwckt

 

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8. WAF Security Effectiveness Assessed

In prelude to the signing of the Yaounde accord stakeholders have gathered to discuss how to contain the activities of pirates and terrorists in the region. They have been analysing the effectiveness of security measures so far tried. As trade from the West African region to South America picks up, it is felt vital that improvements are made and that security is given the priority it clearly needs. Brazil’s Ambassador to Cameroon said his country would share its experience in handling maritime security challenges in South America alongside other countries in the region.

http://goo.gl/kdKV6L

 

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9. New Patrol Vessels Set for WAF

Angola will acquire seven patrol vessels to be produced by the Brazilian Navy’s Empresa Gerencial de Projetos Navais (Emgepron), according to the Brazilian Ministry of Defense. Brazil and Angola’s defense ministers, Celso Amorim and Joao Manuel Lourenco signed a Memorandum of Understanding that will enable Brazil’s Navy to assist Angola to implement its Maritime Power Development Program (Pronaval). The seven patrol ships will displace about 500 tons each, while, the Brazilian Navy will provide education and training of Angolan personnel both to build and to operate the vessels that will be built in the new shipyard.

http://goo.gl/kDU9cj

 

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10. Panama Lays Out Testing Schedule

Panama Canal will begin tests on a new set of locks with ships in mid-2015. The locls are a key component of an expansion of the Panama Canal, the waterway’s chief has said. The 100-year-old canal is in the midst of a massive expansion that will allow the world’s largest tankers to pass through the isthmus. The expansion, which involves building a third set of locks onto the 50-mile (80-km) waterway, was originally scheduled to be completed this year, but has been delayed several times, in part due to a dispute earlier this year because of about $1.6 billion in cost overruns. Completion is planned for January 2016.

http://goo.gl/DCeU7w

 

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