Seacurus Daily: Top Ten Maritime News Stories 18/12/2014
1. Terrible Legacy of Somali Piracy
The saddest truth regarding Somali piracy is that almost no one knows the names of 30 hostages who remain in captivity in Somalia. These seafarers and fishermen have been ignored, abandoned and then forgotten by the world. The vast majority of the 3,700 seafarers captured by Somali pirates since 2006 have been Asians, for whom there have been no dramatic rescue attempts worthy of retelling in a blockbuster Hollywood movie.
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2. Shipowners Rally Against EU Emissions Actions
The Hong Kong Shipownersâ Association (HKSOA) has added its voice to opposition to the European Unionâs proposed monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) of emissions of CO2 emissions for shipping. HKSOA joins the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and BIMCO in opposing the plans by Europe for regional MRV monitoring. HKSOA says that as a global industry and as such regulations need to be global in nature and developed by the IMO.
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3. Leave Issues Landing Ships in Trouble
Ship operators must grant paid leave to their seafarers or the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) will detain their ships, the government agency has warned. Inspectors from AMSA, which is the agency that carries out Australiaâs port state control obligations, have found some seafarers are serving more than 11 months continuous service which is contrary to the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC).
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4. Amazing Maritime Shenanigans Caught on Camera
Tis the season to be jolly, so those lovely chaps at GCaptain has shared their Top 5 "craziest maritime videos". In some respects, 2014 was a crazy year. Hereâs their list of our top five, and it includes a 40 Degree Roll, the breaking of a ship against a breakwater, a Yacht Launch Fail, a Suez Canal Collision, an epic lifeboat Flip, and a containership bending as the enormous stress and effect on a vessel of severe weather conditions take effect. Enjoy…
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5. Terrible Tanganyika Ferry Toll
At least 129 people are dead, and others still believed missing, after a passenger vessel sank in Democratic Republic of Congo’s waters on Lake Tanganyika on Thursday night, Tanzanian officials confirmed. The pilot reportedly lost control in strong winds and the M/V Mutambala capsized about six hours after leaving the port of Moba in Congoâs Katanga province. An estimated 270 passengers were rescued, but the death toll is expected to grow.
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6. River Collision Oil Fears
A collision between a tanker and a bulker has resulted in an oil spill in the Parana River, Argentina. The Italian-flagged products carrier "Ghetty Bottiglieri" and the 2011-built, Hong Kong-flagged "Octbreeze Island" were involved in a significant smash during a storm. Octbreeze Island suffered damage on its fuel tank causing a fuel spill, prompting the local authority to suspend upstream/downstream navigation.
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7. Italians Angered over Marine Treatment
Italian President Giorgio Napolitano was "strongly annoyed" that India’s Supreme Court has rejected travel appeals by two Italian marines held in India on murder charges, a presidential statement said. India’s top court turned down the travel applications of two navy officers, Salvatore Girone and Massimiliano Latorre, who were arrested in 2012 under suspicion of killing two Indian fishermen as they served as armed guards onboard an Italian tanker.
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8. Amazing Global Trade Infographic
For those of you who like history, you may recall that maritime trade officially began in 1648, when the Treaty of Westphalia confirmed the ideas set out by Hugo Grotius, stating the sea should be open for international trade. This evolved further in the year 1982 when the United Nations set out the convention of the law of the sea. This handy info graphic sets out the whole concept in an easy to digest style.
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9. Reality of the Life of a Modern Seafarer
Many of us are making lots of trips to the mall right now, but what if you could only go shopping for just a few hours once a month? That’s what life is like for container ship crews who bring the vast majority of consumer goods from Chinese factories to stores in the U.S. This article looks at the realities of life today for seafarers – no more are there bars and girls, just shops and the mad rush for wi-fi.
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10. Bunker Bankruptcy Hammers Hard Lesson Home
When fuel supplier OW Bunker went public in March, raising $530mn on the Copenhagen stock exchange, investors cheered: The shares rose as much as 19% during the first day of trading. Less than a week later, the company filed for bankruptcy, undone by a client that it says didnât pay a $125mn bill and by an ill-timed bet that oil prices would rise, Bloomberg Businessweek reports. This is a lesson in how an industry bets for survival, but sometimes loses.
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Daily news feed from Seacurus Ltd â providers of MLC crew insurance solutions www.seacurus.com
Best regards,
S Jones
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