Top Ten Maritime News Stories 09/02/2016

Seacurus Daily: Top Ten Maritime News Stories 09/02/2016

 

1. Box Giant Successfully Refloated

The last five days stuck in Elbschlick 400-meter (1,312 feet) "CSCL Indian Ocean", the 19,000 teu vessel aground on the river Elbe, owned by China Shipping Group Co., is available again. After several failed attempts to budge the containership salvage teams were preparing to refloat the vessel during a spring tide on Tuesday. Up to 12 tugs with a total bollard pull of 1,085 tons was involved in the operation  Since the grounding of the ultra large container ship "CSCL Indian Ocean" last Wednesday night, crews have worked to lighten the ship and dredge soil from around the vessel in preparation for the next towing attempt.

http://goo.gl/3dG0So

 

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2. Container Weighing Awareness

Maersk Line is preparing an awareness campaign to alert shippers to container weighing regulations that come into effect on 1 July. Amid confusion over the IMO’s guidelines for implementing the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) regulations, which state a verified gross mass (VGM) must be provided by shippers to shipping lines before a container is loaded, Maersk Line’s VGM programme manager Lars Lorenzen told The Loadstar the current state of industry readiness was in significant need of improvement. “Unlike previous IMO regulations, the number of impacted parties this time around is much higher,” said Mr Lorenzen.

http://goo.gl/5HWTDv

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3. Cruise Ship Rides Storm

Passengers on board a cruise ship that ventured into a storm off North Carolina have told of the "terrifying" moment the vessel was battered by 30ft waves and winds in excess of 100mph. The Royal Caribbean ship Anthem of the Seas, the third largest cruise ship ever built, is making its way back to New Jersey after the storm shattered glass and toppled furniture, injuring four people. Robert Huschka, executive editor of the Detroit Free Press who was a passenger on the vessel, recounted seeing pictures of the damage tweeted by fellow passengers. The Anthem of the Seas is the thrid largest cruise ship ever built

http://goo.gl/nIulzh

 

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4. Hazardous and Noxious Progress

The IMO, together with the International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds (IOPC Funds) and the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF), is urging member states to ratify and implement a key compensation treaty covering the transport of hazardous and noxious substances (HNS) by ship. The International Convention on Liability and compensation for Damage in Connection with the Carriage of Hazardous and Noxious Substances by Sea, 2010, (HNS Convention) establishes the principle that the polluter pays by ensuring that the shipping and HNS industries provide compensation to those who suffer loss or damage.

http://goo.gl/NPtahl

 

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5. Worrying Rise in Accidents

Maritime authorities have reported a rise in the number of accidents in Indonesian waters and have taken steps to mitigate the incidents. On Wednesday, one cargo ship flying the flag of Hong Kong found itself stranded near the waters off Riau before being assisted by the Navy’s Western Fleet (Armabar) and towed to nearby Sambu Island. The cargo ship, MV Ocean Carrier, was transporting iron ore and was headed to Yang Jian, China, from Fujairah, Iran. Chief of Batam Naval Base Col. Eko Suyatno said that the cargo ship had found itself stranded after trying to avoid the busy traffic between Indonesia to Singapore.

http://goo.gl/YWkXw2

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6. Fire Ravages Oil Rig

Three workers were killed and at least seven injured when a fire broke out on a Pemex oil processing platform in the Gulf of Mexico, but the latest in a string of incidents is now under control, the Mexican oil giant said via Twitter on Sunday. A spokesman for Pemex said oil continued to be pumped but that the company was still evaluating any impact on production. The platform did not have to be evacuated, according to a tweet. The fire occurred on the offshore Abkatun A Permanente processing platform in Mexico’s oil-rich Bay of Campeche where a fire claimed seven lives in April last year, causing crude output to plunge nearly 70 percent.

http://goo.gl/wKpttk

 

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7. Luxury Yacht Washed Off Vessel

Heavy seas and monster wave washed the deck cargo from general cargo ship Kristian With south off Hidra in the Flekkefjord, Norway. The vessel was en route from Molde to Oslofjord, when was hit by giant waves, big swell and strong winds. The deck cargo on board of the general cargo ship Kristian was luxury 46-foot yacht, which was thrown by the waves into the sea and was adrifted to the rocks of fjord near Egersund. The drifting yacht grounded in the rocks and suffered damages of the hull, started getting water ingress and later sank. The ship also suffered damages of the lashings and railings, but headed to port of Larvik. http://goo.gl/wrTMaU

 

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8. Test of Underwriting Discipline

Underwriting discipline in the marine protection and indemnity (P&I) sector will be tested over the February 2016 renewal period due to market and competitive forces buffeting the sector, according to report published by A.M. Best. Free reserves are at record levels, the ratings agency said, while the clubs’ ship operating owners still face challenging commercial conditions and are looking to reduce costs. At the same time, the report added, insurance market competition is intense, exacerbated by a growing fixed premium market offered by insurance companies – all forces that are putting rates under pressure, A.M. Best added.

http://goo.gl/zw4F42

 

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9. IMO Amends AIS Rules

IMO has published revised guidelines for onboard operational use of Automatic Identification System (AIS) equipment. The updated guidance in Resolution A.1106 (29) was written to promote the safe and effective use of AIS. It informs crew about operational use as well as the equipment limits and potential applications of AIS. All this should be taken into account when operating the onboard devices. Shipowners and managers should ensure their crews have full understanding , said classification society Lloyd’s Register in a notification. Crew should become familiar with operating AlS transceivers and interpreting information.

http://goo.gl/AXBB0Z

 

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10. Nicaragua Canal Plans In Doubt

Manuel Coronel Kautz isn’t a man who’s easily deterred. Good thing. Because as head of Nicaragua’s Canal Authority, he’s seen the $50 billion, Chinese-backed project suffer setback after setback. The latest: 12 months of construction delays on a key port just as financial turmoil in China deepens speculation the funding won’t come through. “Scepticism about the canal will fade as things start happening,” Kautz said. “We see everything in such a macro way that I don’t worry about the stock market. It changes everyday.” Three years after starting, topographical and archaeological studies are nearing completion, Kautz said. http://goo.gl/Na8j5p

 

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