Top Ten Maritime News Stories 22/12/2014

Seacurus Daily: Top Ten Maritime News Stories 22/12/2014

 

1. Officers Charged with Manslaughter

Egypt’s public prosecutor charged the captain and first officer of a Kuwaiti container ship with manslaughter in connection with a collision in the Red Sea this month that killed 25 Egyptian fishermen, state news agency MENA said. The fishing boat capsized after colliding with the Panamanian-flagged ship al-Safat after the container vessel had passed through the Suez Canal on its way to Saudi Arabia. The defendants have been detained since the incident and the prosecutor has ordered the seizure of the ship, last reported as docked in Safaga port, 500 km (300 miles) southeast of Cairo.

http://goo.gl/XDHiAe

 

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2. BIMCO Bunker Contract Launched

BIMCO has announced its new standard bunker contract, the BIMCO Terms 2015. Sample copies are available to download from the Chartering/Documents section of the BIMCO website at www.bimco.org. "The objective of the BIMCO Terms 2015 is quite simple – to provide the industry with carefully thought through terms and conditions for the purchase and delivery of marine fuels that are fair to both parties and provide a comprehensive starting point for negotiations," said BIMCO. “What we’ve produced here is something we believe is fair and balanced for both parties", said Grant Hunter, chief officer for legal and contractual affairs.

http://goo.gl/R90ojl

 

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3. Battle of the Biggest Boxships

The battle over the title of world’s biggest boxship continues with Mediterranean Shipping Company announcing the upcoming delivery of the MSC Oscar, a 19,224 TEU capacity containership.  MSC Oscar has been under construction at the Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering shipyard in South Korea and plans call for the ship to be put into service next month.  With a nominal carrying capacity of 19,224 TEU, the containership will narrowly beat out China Shipping Container Lines’ CSCL Globe, which can carry 19,000 TEU and is currently embarked on its maiden voyage from China to Europe.

http://goo.gl/le0JUD

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4. Superior Ships Come with Higher Price Tag

South Korean-built ships are commanding higher prices than vessels from Chinese yards due to superior technology and greater fuel efficiency, according to sector analysts. In a research note, analysts reported a 16.7% premium for two recent South Korean-built vessels amid a challenging market for shipbuilders. "The two 156,000dwt Suezmax tankers that South Korean shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering [DSME] clinched last week were priced at $70M each," said a report. "The $70M is higher by 16.7% than the price of a 160,000dwt tanker which will be built by China’s shipyard New Times Shipbuilding."

http://goo.gl/NW3gCR

 

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5. China Shipping Manager Corruption Sentence

A former high ranking executive at China Shipping Tanker Company was sentenced to six years jail by a Chinese court last Friday for corruption. Mao Shijia, former general manager of China Shipping Tanker Company, subsidiary of China Shipping Development, will serve a six-year sentence and be fined RMB1.5m ($241,000), according to Shanghai Intermediate People’s Court. The court has also charged former assistant general manager Liu Houping for similar crimes, sentencing him to three years and six months of imprisonment and a fine of RMB200,000. The court heard that Mao abused his position of authority in the company.

http://goo.gl/ov7R5f

 

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6. US Issues New Sulphur Guidance

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued an update to its guidance on upcoming ECA fuel sulphur content compliance.  All owners/operators trading to and from the North American ECA will need to take note of, the change, has Skuld warned. In the US there are two federal agencies, which have regulatory enforcement powers with respect to MARPOL compliance – the EPA as well as the US Coast Guard (USCG). The new EPA guidance essentially means that for the purpose of compliance, vessels will have to consider the use of distillate fuels if no other compliant ultra low sulphur fuel is available prior to entering the ECA zones.

http://goo.gl/1TZ5gI

 

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7. Company Charged with Pollution Offences

Genoa-based Carbofin has pleaded guilty to three counts of violating the US Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships related to the deliberate concealment of vessel pollution from a gas carrier.  According to the US authorities, the 1999-built 17,779 dwt LPG carrier‘Marigola’ called at Tampa on three occasions in 2013 and 2014 with a falsified oil record book.  Under the terms of its plea agreement, Carbofin agreed to pay a $2.75 mill criminal penalty, $600,000 of which will be designated as community service and used to support the protection and preservation of natural resources located in and adjacent to the Florida Keys Marine Sanctuary.

http://goo.gl/HE4Fnw

 

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8. More Box Shares Bounce Around

Compañía Sud Americana de Vapores (CSAV) has increased its capital share in Hapag-Lloyd, building on its majority shareholding in the German shipping company to 34%, up from 30%. With this, CSAV fulfiled its commitment to concur with 70% of the capital increase in Hapag-Lloyd, for a total amount of EUR370m ($452m) and with it concluding the last step of the merger of the container shipping business of both companies. CSAV contributed EUR259m in Hapag-Lloyd, including an additional contribution which allowed an increase of 4% in its shareholding in Hapag Lloyd.

http://goo.gl/8meKOT

 

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9. LR Supports Chinese Breaking

Lloyd’s Register (LR) says it is supporting applications from two Chinese ship recycling yards – Zhoushan Changhong International Ship Recycling and Jiangyin Xiagang Changjiang Ship Recycling – for inclusion in the EU list. LR says these will be the first non-EU applications, and its support is consistent with the class society’s aim of working with facilities seeking to be at the forefront of sustainable ship recycling. LR is working with Rotterdam-based recycling company Sea2Cradle, which has been assisting the shipyards in complying with international, regional and local regulatory requirements.

http://goo.gl/cnwOFA

 

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10. Remembering Seafarers At Christmas

The Mission to Seafarers’ has launched a national radio campaign this week in the UK to help raise awareness and bring in vital funds to support seafarers in need over Christmas time. For the world’s 1.5 million seafarers, Christmas will be just another day at sea. Thousands of seafarers are preparing to spend a lonely Christmas away from family and friends, most will go without hearing from loved ones, or seeing the faces they hold dear. Instead of sharing in the warmth, love and joy of the season, they will be working round the clock, giving their all to bring us our supplies of luxury goods and basic essentials.

http://goo.gl/VCE7UG

 

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