Seacurus Daily Top Ten Maritime News Stories 20/11/2014

Seacurus Daily Top Ten Maritime News Stories 20/11/2014

 

1. Mega Ship Trend Here to Stay

The trend towards megaships is not only inevitable, but ongoing and lower rates as a consequence of the big injection of capacity next year will incentivise container lines to chase down their costs in the lower rate environment, said Bank of America Merrill Lynch Head of Asia-Pacific Transportation Research Paul Dewberry. Dewberry sees rates heading lower over the next two to three years and that the market is not done with the trend of megaship upsizing. "As a result realistically we don’t think the industry can get back to generating meaningful profitability until such time as everyone has completed that upsizing process," he said.

http://goo.gl/UFFTWd

 

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2. Filipino Training Set to Change

The Philippine Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) are set to phase out several marine higher education institutions (MHEIs) in the country that have fallen short of European standards. CHED and MARINA will release in January a list of schools to be closed down. The report added that authorities found that at least half of the total 93 maritime schools in the country were substandard. Earlier, the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) warned that it may cancel the country’s accreditation for Filipino seamen to work in Europe, should the Philippines fails to pass international standards.

http://goo.gl/NWUyb1

 

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3. More Attention Needed For Indian Ocean Security

Defence analysts have called for greater attention to developments in the Indian Ocean as it was important for Pakistan’s economy and security. They were speaking at a two-day international conference on “Major Powers’ Interests in Indian Ocean: Challenges and Options for Pakistan” which was jointly organised by the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI) and Hanns Seidel Foundation, said a press release. Former Chief of Naval Staff Admiral (retd) Muhammad Asif Sandila said that greater cooperation was required among Indian Ocean navies for development and economic prosperity of the region.

http://goo.gl/Sct6Vf

 

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4. Optimising Voyages, Saving Money

Last year, Maersk Line owned and chartered fleet comprising 550 vessels completed about 37004 voyages called 33000 ports using 380 terminals in 117 countries. Given the sheer scope of Maersk Line’s operations, we are committed to reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. This puts energy efficiency as one of the crucial objectives. That means taking careful steps towards optimizing these 37004 voyages in terms of energy efficiency. Maersk Line’s Global Voyage Centre (GVC) monitors in real-time the position of all the Maersk Line owned and chartered vessels. A team of senior seafarers monitor the vessels 24×7.

http://goo.gl/k6U77R

 

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5. Shipping Boom, Pollution Gloom

Global ship traffic has exploded during the past two decades, likely bringing with it more air, water and even noise pollution, according to a new study by the American Geophysical Union. The study’s author, Jean Tournadre, a geophysicist at Ifremer, the French Institute for the Exploitation of the Sea in Plouzane, said, “I found it quite worrisome that the ship traffic grew so much, even in very remote regions of the world, especially when we know that [ships] are the major source of pollution [on the open ocean].” Tournadre said vessels emit exhaust into the sea air, but also dump oil, fuel and waste into the water.

http://goo.gl/EE6qQk

 

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6. Manning Changes to Safety Management Code

Owners are being made aware of several changes to the ISM Code that will come into force on 01/01/2015; however one change, concerning manning levels, is of particular interest. A flag state may require the company responsible for the operation of the ship to prepare and submit its proposal for the minimum safe manning taking into account all operational requirements and circumstances. Having received the proposal, the flag may approve it depending on whether the ship’s complement is established in accordance with principles, recommendations and guidelines set out, and is adequate in all respects.

http://goo.gl/1Oew7P

 

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7. MLC Revives Seaman’s Books

One aspect of MLC2006, which was perhaps not anticipated, has been the refreshment of the use of Seaman’s Books, especially within the superyacht industry. Jason Gilbert, operations manager at Ocean Management, explains.  Although these documents may be new to crew who have worked for a number of years within the industry, they are certainly not a recent development. There are now digitised records taken from United Kingdom seafarers based upon discharge notes going back more than 100 years. These documents have long been the principle and central records of the working history of each seafarer.

 http://goo.gl/3nJPqW

 

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8. Broking Merger On Horizon

ICAP is proposing to merge its shipbroking business with rival Howe Robinson, as some of the market’s main players pursue consolidation. The companies confirmed on Wednesday they were in talks to merge the two shipbroking businesses by the second quarter of next year. The move comes only days after UK-listed Clarkson, the world’s largest shipbroker, said it had entered talks to acquire Norwegian counterpart RS Platou. In May, UK shipbroker Braemar Shipping Services agreed to merge with ACM Shipping, a rival. The consolidation underlines how shipbroking is responding to deep-rooted problems in the shipping industry.

http://goo.gl/tw7NjN

 

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9. Malaysian Navy Vessel Capsizes

A Royal Malaysian Navy hydrographic vessel partially sank while docked at a naval shipyard where it was scheduled to undergo maintenance and repairs. Local media reports that ship, the KD Perantau, began listing and partially sank late Tuesday night at the Boustead Naval Shipyard located on a navy base in Lumut, Malaysia. The 67.8-meter long vessel was at the shipyard to begin 9-months of scheduled maintenance and repair work beginning November 10. No injuries were reported in the incident. The KD Parantau was recently used in the search for flight MH317 prompting some flurry of excitement amongst conspiracy theorists.

http://goo.gl/lkOBmq

 

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10. Cruise Deal Done

Cruise operator Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. has completed its previously-announced acquisition of Prestige Cruises International, Inc, the company said yesterday. The acquisition, signed in September, was carried out for a total transaction consideration of USD 3.025 billion, including the assumption of debt.

““With this acquisition, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. operates a portfolio of brands that span all market segments in the cruise industry, from contemporary to upper-premium to luxury,” Norwegian Cruise Line said. Prestige is the parent company of Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises.

http://goo.gl/3OSifO

 

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