Seacurus Top Ten Daily News Stories 16/10/2014
1. Attacks Resume in GoA
A series of piracy-related incidents were reported during the third quarter of this year in the Gulf of Aden from the Northeast Somali coastline, up along the Omani coast, according to OCEANUSLive, a maritime sharing platform. OCEANUSLive said a matter of concern during Q3 has been the reports of a number of skiffs – between four to nine skiffs – closing on merchant vessels in the Bab al Mandeb (BAM) area.
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2. Jockeying For IMO Position
Denmark and its maritime industry are lobbying to get the top position at the International Maritime Organization, a United Nations body that wields great influence over global shipping through its regulations, industry sources said. The current secretary general of the IMO, Koji Sekimizu, is due to step down at the end of next year, and shipping journals have said Panama, Cyprus and Mexico are also preparing to put forward candidates for the post.
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3. Ballast Water Convention Edges Closer
Turkey has ratified the IMO Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention, becoming the 43rd signatory, following Japan last week. With Turkey signing on the dotted line the total number if states by percentage of the world fleet ratifying the conventions now represents 32.54% of world tonnage. The convention now has just 2.46% left to go before 35% of global tonnage falls under the agreement and triggers the convention’s entry into force.
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4. Port Held by Islamist Fighters
The Shi’ite Muslim Houthi movement which seized Yemen’s capital Sanaa last month has extended its control to the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, deploying checkpoints and also taking control of the city’s airport, local officials said. Hodeidah is the second largest port in the impoverished Arabian peninsula nation after Aden, a southern city on the Gulf of Aden. The attackers reportedly met little or no resistance from security forces.
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5. Oil Import First
The first tanker of imported crude ever bought by Venezuela has sailed from Algeria in a move to reduce costs by the South American state-run oil company PDVSA, according to Reuters ship tracking data and sources close to the deal.
Venezuela will start using imported Algerian crude as a diluent for its extra-heavy crude output from the vast Orinoco Belt, its main producing region, replacing the costly heavy naphtha it had been buying in recent years.
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6. Steel Coil Dispute Findings
Russian metal trading company Yuzhny Zavod Metall Profil (YZMP), the holder of a CONGEN 1994 bill of lading, took delivery of 411 coils of steel sheets at Novorossiysk, Russia, all with varying degrees of damage. YZMP decided to claim under the bill of lading against the owner, Eems Beheerder B.V. The judge concluded that the sole effective cause of damage to the cargo was the vessel not being properly loaded and stowed when she left the port.
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7. Joint Gulf Naval Force Beckons
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are looking into establishing a joint naval force capable of defending the security of the region, a Kuwaiti official has said. Major General Ahmad Al Mulla, adviser at the Ministry of Defence, said the new strategy is aimed at formulating a marine corps carrying on the responsibility of protecting Gulf waters from threats, a concept similar to the GCC Peninsula Shield Force but for marine security purposes.
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8. Somali Coast Guards Steps Up
NATO’s counter-piracy Operation OCEAN SHIELD has conducted training with Somali Coast Guard personnel. The training took place off the coast of the town of Hobyo, and marks the first time Somali maritime forces have been trained in their territorial waters. The Coast Guard trainees were trained in criminal investigation procedures, first aid, and motor engine maintenance and repair.
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9. P&i Club Releases Data
The Shipowners’ Club has released its half yearly results as at 20th August for the 2014/15 year, and reports a strong underwriting performance with a significant increase in free reserves over the same period last year. The Club reported earned premiums of US$120.3M which led to an underwriting surplus of US$4.6M. The decision to withdraw from the Pacific North West fishing sector, has hit premium income but is expected to have a positive effect.
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10. Tackling Migrants At Sea
The Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS), which started operating at the end of August, has rescued some 2,200 migrants crossing from Libyan shores. The Malta-based privately funded humanitarian initiative was set up by U.S. citizen Christopher Catrambone and his Italian wife Regina after the October 2013 Lampedusa tragedies, which left hundreds dead. They were inspired by the Pope’s appeal for entrepreneurs to do something tangible to assist.
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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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