Top Ten Maritime News Stories 26/10/2015

Seacurus Daily: Top Ten Maritime News Stories 26/10/2015

 

1. Nigerian Port Suspend Strike

Normal activities will return to Nigeria’s ports as Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria, MWUN, weekend, suspended its strike after two days. The union had last Thursday embarked on strike to protest, among others, nine months unpaid wages to over 3,000 tally clerks and onboard security men; midstream discharge of vessels in Lagos, Bonny, Rivers State, and other ports formation nationwide and using foreigners in violation of the law. Specifically, the union had accused the management of Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, of conniving with shipping companies to undermine the nation’s economic interests by allowing midstream discharge.

http://goo.gl/ETIoXG

———————————————————————————

 

2. New Breed of Seafarers Needed

Capt Pradeep Chawla, Managing Director QHSE & Training, Anglo-Eastern Ship Management Ltd., Presented a paper at the Nautical Institute Hong Kong Branch Seminar – “Competencies of a Future Mariner”. He discussed the changes that are taking place in the maritime industry and their effects on the daily life of the seafarers, and the competencies that will be essential for the future mariner. The last two decades have been extremely fast paced with respect to technology influencing every walk of life. Maritime industry has also made great strides in the use of technology and modern seafarers need to reflect these changes.

http://goo.gl/G89NEQ

 

———————————————————————————

3. Mexico Reopens After Hurricane

The major Mexican cargo port of Manzanillo was set to reopen at 4 pm (21:00 GMT) on Saturday, a port official said, after avoiding the worst of Hurricane Patricia, which slammed into the country’s Pacific coast but caused less damage than expected. The port of Lazaro Cardenas, south of where the storm hit, resumed operations for cargo ships on Saturday morning, a port official said, and the smaller port in the resort town of Puerto Vallarta reopened at midday, Mexico’s communications and transport ministry (SCT) said. Hurricane Patricia blasted Mexico’s Pacific coast on Friday evening, but weakened as it came ashore.

http://goo.gl/UDBJz9

———————————————————————————

 

4. Shipbrokers Victim of Fraud

UK headquartered shipbroker Century Marine Services has been the victim of a sophisticated fraud by a Dubai based firm calling itself Matin Marine Services. Despite having no business relationship with Century Marine Services, Matin Marine Services has been passing itself off as connected with Century Marine Services by hacking the company’s website.The Dubai police authorities have been informed.   “We were alerted to the fraud yesterday by a call from a trader who had reportedly sold a consignment of frozen fish to Matin and who was unpaid,” said Century Marine Services managing director Steve Dougal.

http://goo.gl/wDaFHO

———————————————————————————

 

5. HK Airport Bridge Hit

Road and rail connections were suspended briefly on Friday (Oct 23) on Tsing Ma Bridge due to a ship collision. The ship had crashed into a column of Kap Shui Mun Bridge, which is linked to the Tsing Ma Bridge, setting off the bridge alarm.  The Tsing Ma Bridge is the main gateway to the airport on Lantau Island, so people were unable to get to the airport due to the suspension of the connections. Hong Kong’s MTR has since announced that the building structure problem at Tung Chung line and the Airport express has been resolved, though delays can be expected.

http://goo.gl/kCAOeM

———————————————————————————

 

6. Macau HK Ferry Hits Object

About 100 people were injured on Sunday when a ferry returning from Macau to Hong Kong collided with an unknown object, a police department official said. The injured were treated in five different hospitals in Hong Kong, though the nature and extent of injuries were not immediately known, the official said. Local media group RTHK said six people had suffered serious injuries in the accident. The incident occurred near the island of Lantau, the vessel was said to have taken in water and lost power after the collision, RTHK said. It said passengers described chaotic scenes as people stumbled around in the dark.

http://goo.gl/AEBRVJ

———————————————————————————

 

7. Malaysia Detains Two Tankers

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) has detained two foreign-registered vessels on suspicion of illegal fuel transfers. A Singapore-registered ship was transferring about 45.5 tonnes of marine gas oil to a China-registered vessel, said Tanjung Sedili maritime enforcement chief Amran Daud. The MT Chelsea II, registered in Singapore, was transferring 45.543 tonnes of marine gas oil to the Shidao, China-registered MV Lu Rong Yuan Yu 978. MT Chelsea II comprised eight mixed Indonesian, Myanmar and Singapore national crew, while Lu Rong Yuan Yu 978 carried 17 Chinese nationals.

http://goo.gl/QHGO12

———————————————————————————

 

8. Tanker Owners Want Nigerian Premium

Following a mid-September move by state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. (NNPC) asking shipowners to sign a so-called "letter of comfort" promising that their vessels would not be used for illegal activities, at least two shipowners have requested a premium on freight rates for loading crude oil out of the country, Platts reports. The SCF Altai, owned by Sovcomflot, and Delta Kanaris, a Suezmax chartered by Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras) and owned by Delta Tankers Ltd (Delta Tankers), are reported to have been charging a premium of up to Worldscale 10 for loading in Nigeria.

http://goo.gl/rKCD2p

———————————————————————————

 

9. Owners Got What they Paid For

In a decision which has wide reaching implications for ship owners, the Court of Appeal has upheld the decision of the Commercial Court that a bunker supply contract incorporating a retention of title ("ROT") clause together with a right to consume the bunkers before payment is not a contract to which the Sale of Goods Act 1979 ("SOGA") applies. It is an implied condition of SOGA contracts that the seller has the right to sell the goods. If the seller is unable to transfer property to the buyer at the agreed time, it will usually amount to breach of a condition and a total failure of consideration, and the buyer will be relieved of its obligation to pay.

http://goo.gl/Ou90nm

———————————————————————————

 

10. Pride as New Eco Ship Delivered

The 34,500 dwt vessel "Federal Biscay" has been delivered to Fednav from Japan’s Oshima shipyard. The mulitpurpose vessel will be used to ship general cargo to the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System, as well as bulk commodities from the Midwest to world markets, said Fednav. "Federal Biscay" is the first of Fednav’s ships to be equipped with a ballast water treatment system – BallastAce – which intends to protect the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System against invasive species and preserve biodiversity in the region. It operates through a sophisticated filter and sodium hypochlorite (bleach) injection mechanism. http://goo.gl/xwmZto

 

———————————————————————————