Seacurus Top Ten Daily News Stories 22/10/2014
1. IMO Fights Ebola with Information
As concerns grow over the possibility of seafarers and ship passengers being infected with the deadly Ebola virus the IMO has published an infographic on what people need to know. The IMO infographic aimed at seafarers and passengers shows what to do both onboard and at ports when travelling to Ebola infected countries. The world’s largest supplier of seafarers the Philippines put crew on heightened alert over Ebola.
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2. Court Case Beckons In Nigeria Piracy Case
A year to the day after Edison Chouest’s supply vessel "C-Retriever" was hijacked and its captain and chief engineer kidnapped off Nigeria, a lawsuit has been filed against the two companies for gross negligence and failure to “take appropriate remedial measures to protect its employees,” namely Captain Wren Thomas. Thomas’ lawsuit highlights a series of anonymous death threats that he received and specific kidnapping threats that were made pre attack.
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3. Nigeria Losing So Much Oil
The Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Eastern Naval Command, Rear Admiral Charles Obiora-Medani, has disclosed that Nigeria now loses 800,000 barrels of crude oil monthly to thieves as against over two million barrels monthly at the early part of this year. Obiora-Medani said this is progress, as in January 2014 Nigeria was losing 2.6million barrels per month. So the authorities are hailing this as a major drop in oil theft.
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4. Fuelling Ships into the Future
The Glycerine Fuel for Engines and Marine Sustainability (GLEAMS) project has concluded that bio-diesel by-product glycerine is a viable alternative ship fuel. The group, comprising Lloyd’s Register EMEA, Marine South East, Aquafuel Research, Gardline Marine Sciences, and Redwing Environmental, proved that the fuel will be a viable option for ship engines. If adopted, the fuel, sometimes called glycerol, could offer a cheaper alternative to LNG and distillates.
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5. Workers Killed in Lifeboat Accident
Ensco has confirmed two oil rig workers were killed in an accident on board the Ensco 104 rig chartered to SapuraKencana off Malaysia, reports Upstream. The accident happened during a routine inspection when the safety harness attached to a lifeboat broke. The men fell and suffered fatal head injuries. “We are extremely saddened by the deaths of two crew members during the weekend,” Ensco said in a statement.
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6. Iran and China Tackling Piracy
Iran’s Navy Commander has been talking to the Chinese navy about plans to police shipping traffic. Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari and Shanghai Naval Base Commander Wang Yung stressed the vital importance of the expansion of Tehran-Beijing military cooperation for the reestablishment of sustainable peace and tranquility to the region. Iran’s navy has drawn praise in fighting piracy in the Gulf of Aden, and has saved Chinese vessels.
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7. Nigeria Making Plans for Security
In a bid to further secure the nation’s maritime domain and stem the tide of piracy, armed robbery, illegal bunkering and other illegalities at sea, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has come up with several strategic plans. Top on the list of these strategic plans is the collaboration between the agency and other government agencies, and a public-private partnership (PPP) model to enhance maritime safety capabilities.
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8. Migrants Charged Extra for Lifejackets
Human traffickers have spotted a new business opportunity and are looking to take advantage of the humanitarian crisis in Syria. According to MOAS, an organisation which rescues refugees, people traffickers now seem to be responding to a new market: “Syrian refugees have more money to spend than the Sub-Saharan Africans. For a higher price, migrants are now offered life-jackets and the best places on the boats."
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9. Safety Ambassadors Rally for Progress
SAFETY FIRST! For sure everyone on board will be very familiar these two words. We see this message stenciled onto the superstructure of many ships, but is it just a slogan or does it have real meaning? According to one Safety campaigner, far too often we can see on board, from the senior officer to the junior deck rating, they do not pay particular special attention to safety. This has to change and we have to embrace safety and translate that into progress.
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10. Carriers Come Together for the Oceans
Oldendorff Carriers, headquartered in Lübeck, Germany, has become a member of the World Ocean Council (WOC), expanding the geographic scope and diversity of this unprecedented global ocean industry alliance. With more than 40 new vessels expected in the next 2-3 years, Oldendorff’s Green Ships Program clearly demonstrates company leadership in tackling environmental issues and overall fleet performance.
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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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