Seacurus Daily Top Ten Maritime News Stories 27/11/2014

Seacurus Daily Top Ten Maritime News Stories 27/11/2014

1. Shipping To Monitor Carbon Emissions

The shipping sector will for the first time have to monitor its carbon emissions under a law agreed by the European Union on Wednesday, intended as a step towards tackling a growing source of pollutants linked to climate change. International shipping accounts for around 3 percent of the world’s emissions of carbon dioxide, a share which could increase to 18 percent by 2050 if regulation is not in place, according to the IMO. The law stops short of including shipping in the EU’s Emissions Trading System (ETS), the bloc’s flagship tool for cutting pollution, but EU officials said it was a step in that direction.

http://goo.gl/aD7Qyt

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2. Major UK Study of Shipping

A wide-ranging study that will look at how to boost the UK’s multi-billion pound maritime industry has been launched today (26 November 2014) by Transport Minister John Hayes. The work will look at all aspects of the sector to identify where and how improvements can be made to generate growth. The study will report in summer 2015 and is expected to make recommendations that could benefit areas including: ship financing, ownership and operation, maritime education, skills, research and technology, government administration of maritime activities, including ship registration and other policies.

http://goo.gl/10Goua

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3. Crew Plucked from the Sea

Eight sailors who abandoned their sinking ship have been safely plucked from the sea following a 30 hour search involving two international organisations and six nations. The chances of finding people lost at sea in an area of more than 2,100 square nautical miles are extremely low, but New Zealand-led Combined Task Force-151 (CTF-151), a Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) task group, achieved success this weekend. CTF-151 staff, based in Bahrain, coordinated a search effort involving the European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR), as well as ships from the United Kingdom, Turkey and Japan and aircraft from Germany and Japan.

http://goo.gl/5bYyZw

 

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4. Nigeria Pursues Massive Spill Payout

Nigeria’s National Assembly said on Wednesday oil major Shell should pay $3.96 billion for a 2011 spill at its offshore Bonga oilfield in the latest assessment of damage to the environment. The non-binding decision comes after years of analysis by various Nigerian state agencies, which have proposed a range of fines as high as $11.5 billion. The parliament finally reached a decision based on the report of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), which previously recommended a fine of $5 billion. Shell declined to comment. The company has previously said it took responsibility for the spill and had cleaned the area.

http://goo.gl/Hln9oC

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5. Time Comes to Renew Certificates

Time has now come for shipowners to apply for renewal of Bunker, CLC and Athens Certificates normally expiring on 20 February 2015. Most certificates based on P&I insurance need renewal before 20 February 2015. The Danish Maritime Authority invites shipowners to apply for renewal in due time as vessels subject to the requirements for certificates are not allowed to operate without valid certificates. Some Bunker, CLC and Athens Certificates expire on a date other than 20 February 2015. That typically goes for certificates issued on the basis of declarations on cover for liability (Blue Cards) from non-IG Group insurance companies.

http://goo.gl/ay8Y7v

 

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6. Bankers and Receivers Agree OW Package

Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) and ING Bank B.V. (ING) have announced an agreement in respect of certain debts owed by OW Bunker, Platts reports. "The Receivers’ [PwC] collections team based in Denmark will pursue all global receivables assigned and charged to ING," PwC said an emailed statement. "All recoveries from receivables [amounts owed to OW Bunker] as at the point of bankruptcy will be paid into ING accounts and recoveries from currently uninvoiced OW Bunker Denmark sales will be paid into accounts controlled jointly by ING and the Trustees.’ PwC also agreed process on who had the right to certain receivables.

http://goo.gl/juE50U

 

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7. Bunker Fleet has New Home

OW Tanker, a unit of bankrupt OW Bunker and owner of its marine fuel supply ships, has been taken over by a newly-created company, the fleet manager told Reuters on Wednesday. Henrik Pedersen said the takeover by Alba Tanker ApS, which has the trustees of the bankrupt company on its board, is part of the process of securing assets for the estate. “We are not a very big part of the company,” Pedersen said by telephone. “We’re the ship-owning part of OW Bunker and Trading. And that was our biggest client, of course, but we have always been run as a separate company.” OW Tanker owned 10 vessels and chartered 19.

http://goo.gl/S0kYHL

 

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8. Suez Eases Path of Invasive Species

Some surprising traffic passes through the Suez Canal each day. Beneath the decks of the giant cargo ships that flow through the man-made channel, innumerable creatures also cross the waters and settle in the Mediterranean Sea, damaging the local ecology and coastal economies. With Egypt planning to dig a new $8 billion canal alongside the 145-year-old historic waterway — a project that officials say will boost global commerce — the invasion of species from the Red Sea could swell. “If you have more ships and the canal is wider, then the probability of species making the journey significantly increases,” said scientists.

http://goo.gl/KHviIV

 

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9. Philippines Heads Mobile Satellite Body

The Philippines has been elected to chair the session of an international body handling public satellite safety and security communication services, the Philippine embassy to the United Kingdom said Wednesday. Philippine Ambassador to the United Kingdom Enrique Manalo was elected chairman of the 23rd Session of the International Mobile Satellite Organization Assembly in London. "Ambassador Manalo chairs the 99-member state Assembly which meets biennially. The Assembly will elect the new IMSO Director General who will take over from Director General Esteban Pacha-Vicente of Spain," the embassy said.

http://goo.gl/pYzEUC

 

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10. Box Giant Buys into Short Sea

CMA CGM has bought German shortsea shipping and logistics specialist OPDR (Oldenburg-Portugiesische Dampfschiffs-Rhederei). OPDR was owned by the Schulte Group and operates in the North Europe, Canary Islands, the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco markets. The company owns five 700 teu containerships and two con-ro vessels. It operates a further three chartered containerships. “This new acquisition reinforces the group’s presence on the growing intra-European Short Sea transportation market,” said Farid T Salem, group ceo of CMA CGM. No financial details of the transaction were disclosed which is subject to regulatory approval.

http://goo.gl/7LEWXm

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