Top Ten Maritime News Stories 08/05/2015

Seacurus Daily: Top Ten Maritime News Stories 08/05/2015

 

1. Maersk Tigris Released

The containership Maersk Tigris has been released today from Iranian control according to a statement from Rickmers Group, the operators of the vessel. The ship and her 24 crew were seized by the Iranians on the 28th of April while sailing through the Strait of Hormuz en route to Jebel Ali. This development comes following an Iranian court order from Bandar Abbas. “The release follows a constructive dialogue with the Iranian authorities, including the Ports and Maritime Organization, and the provision of a letter of undertaking in relation to the underlying cargo case,” Maersk Line said in its own statement. “

http://goo.gl/dPDsPI

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2. Maritime Officials Face Charges

Two Hong Kong maritime officials facing charges over a vessel collision which claimed 39 lives in 2012 will go on trial on 26 May. Ping-chi So, 58, Hong Kong Marine Department assistant director, was charged with one count of misconduct in public office, while retired senior boat inspector, Kam-ching Wong, 60, was charged with perjury. So and Wong have been ordered to appear in the District Court on May 26 to enter their pleas. On 1 October 2012, high-speed ferry Sea Smooth and pleasure boat Lamma IV collided off Yung Shue Wan on Lamma Island, Hong Kong. All casualties and 92 injured, came from the pleasure boat.

http://goo.gl/FpwJ7m

 

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3. Seafarer Commits Suicide

A crew member of the "Beaumonde" probably committed suicide aboard the "Beaumonde". The Croatian of 40 years was the third officer of the ship which docked in Sables d’Olonne since May 1, 2015. He was found dead in his cabin in the morning of May 4. According to preliminary investigations conducted by the police of Angers, he had a major injury at the throat, caused by a knife found on the site, but also wounds on the forearms. Several people were interrogated during the day, directly on the ship or in the police station of Les Sables. None were placed in custody. An autopsy was performed on May 5 morning.

https://goo.gl/TneIau

 

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4. Vessel Collision and Sinking

Two cargo ships collided with each other off Guangzhou Port in south China early this morning, with one of the vessels sinking. According to Guangzhou Maritime Safety Bureau, the two vessels – the 85 m long Ming Yang Zhou 179 and the 900 dwt Hui Dong Fang 332 – collided at about 3.00hrs this morning, with the latter sinking. All seven crewmembers onboard were rescued. Currently the maritime safety department is working on the salvage of the 57 containers onboard the sunken ship. The Hui Dong Fang 332 is operated by Guangzhou Dongfang Shipping.

http://goo.gl/PUe7I7

 

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5. Massive Offshore Job Losses

SBM Offshore, the Dutch oil and gas platform leasing company, said it was cutting 300 jobs in addition to the 1,200 redundancies it announced last year, saying the low oil price had led clients to postpone investment decisions. The company, which has already been fined a record $240 million by Dutch authorities over improper payments to officials in Equatorial Guinea, Angola and Brazil, said discussions with Brazilian authorities over a settlement were continuing. In its first-quarter trading update, the company said it had earned revenue of $601 million so far this year and stuck to its forecast of $2.2 billion in revenue for 2015.

http://goo.gl/RKQ54z

 

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6. Tragic Ship Ready for Shift

The Costa Concordia wreck is ready to be moved to a new dock about 10 miles away from its current location, where the ship will continue to be dismantled. Since arriving in Genoa, Italy in July 2014, the Costa Concordia has been berthed at Prà Voltri Port where the first phase of the dismantling and scrapping project has taken place. Phase 1 of the project involved the removal of over 5,700 tons of materials from the ship – such as furniture and internal structures – in order to reach the draft required for the transfer from the breakwater at Prà Voltri to the Port of Genoa “Molo Ex Superbacino” area, about 10 miles away.

http://goo.gl/g3KNrm

 

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7. Propeller Kit Saves Fuel

After a year of testing, Hyundai Heavy Industries, the world’s largest shipbuilder, says its new fuel saving propeller attachment is now ready to hit the market. The attachment, which HHI calls Hi-FIN (Hyundai End-plated Cap Fin), is an energy-saving device attached at the hub of the propeller that generates countering swirls to offset the swirls generated by the propeller, leading to improved propulsion efficiency. After a year-long trial of the device installed on a 162,000 m3 LNG carrier ordered from Maran Gas, HHI found that Hi-FIN can save up to 2.5 % of fuel in comparison with the same type of vessels without Hi-FIN.

http://goo.gl/0E1kap

 

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8. Box Ship Collision

Officials have allowed a container ship involved in a collision with a sand carrier in Yangon port to leave the port. Singapore-flagged Panja Bhum collided with sand carrier Zwe Myint Myat Tun 3 near Ahlone dockyard on 26 April. The impact of the collision caused the sand carrier to break up into two parts. The front section of Zwe Myint Myat Tun 3 sank immediately, while its rear section drifted with the current before sinking near Pansodan jetty. No one was injured in the incident said to have caused by heavy rain that blurred the lines of vision between the two vessels.

http://goo.gl/nTTqRS

 

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9. Prestigious IMO Award

Rear Admiral Peter Brady, Director General of the Maritime Authority of Jamaica, was deeply honoured to receive the prestigious IMO Themed Award for World Maritime Day 2015 “Maritime education and training”, sponsored by the China Classification Society, at last night’s 27th Seatrade Awards Ceremony.

The Admiral’s award was in recognition of his dedicated work in the sphere of maritime training. Rear Admiral Brady chaired the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) STW Sub Committee for almost 10 years and was Chairman of the Committee of the Whole at the Diplomatic Conference in Manila.

http://goo.gl/W1Kvf3

 

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10. Seafarer Does a Runner

Immigration and Border Security officials are still searching for the Chinese national who hasn’t been seen since he deserted his ship in the Gladstone harbour, Australia 10 days ago.  And the ship he arrived in Gladstone on has now left.  Mission to Seafarers chaplain Russell Cunningham said after spending months at sea the man could have gone anywhere.  He said seafarers often deserted ships and most people didn’t understand how hard life at sea was. "I’ve been beside a seafarer who has just been told his father has died and another who found out his wife had miscarried," he said.

http://goo.gl/5wfJ4D

 

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