Top Ten Maritime News Stories 12/05/2016

Seacurus Daily: Top Ten Maritime News Stories 12/05/2016

 

1. Detained Crew Suffering

Crew onboard a containership detained at Chatham in south-east England have not been paid in three months and are being supplied with food by a seafarers’ charity. Apostleship of the Sea (AoS) told the press that provisions on the "Southern Star" (518 teu, built 1999) are “running low”. The charity has been supplying essential provisions such as bread and milk to the eight Russian seafarers remaining onboard the ship. Five crew, also Russian nationals, have already been repatriated. The vessel was taken into Chatham after developing engine trouble and was subsequently detained by the UK Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA).

http://goo.gl/x65Kvr

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2. Navy Claims Piracy Success

The Nigerian Navy claims its personnel averted pirates attack on 3 merchant vessels, namely MV MOXON, MT AFRICAN BEAUTY and MT MADONA in the maritime environment of the Niger Delta. A statement by the Director of Naval Information, Commodore Christian Ezekobe noted that "The vessels were attacked around Brass waterways in Bayelsa State on 3rd and 4th May 2016". "The criminals made spirited effort to seize the vessels but the timely response of the Special Protective Team deployed by the Nigerian Navy successfully dislodged the pirates who fled to evade arrest".

http://goo.gl/Sb3xoG

 

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3. More Crew Freed by Militants

Four Indonesian sailors abducted in April by Abu Sayyaf militants in the Philippines have been released, just over a week after the gunmen freed 10 other Indonesians in a separate incident. "Finally, the four Indonesians being held hostage by the armed group have been freed. They are in good health," Indonesian President Joko Widodo told reporters at the state palace in Jakarta yesterday. The men are in the custody of the Philippine authorities and will be handed over to Indonesia soon, he said. He thanked the Philippine government for providing "very good cooperation in both releases".

http://goo.gl/s6EZZc

 

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4. Owner Share Dumping

Hanjin Shipping’s former chairwoman, Choi Eun-young, who is suspected of having sold off shares of the financially-troubled company to avoid losses as it filed for debt restructuring, has been booked by Seoul prosecutors.  The Seoul Southern District Prosecutors’ Office conducted a raid and search on Wednesday of seven locations including Choi’s office in Yeouido, Seoul, and her residence, after the case was passed by the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS).  Choi, currently the chairwoman of Eunsu Holdings, is the widow of Hanjin Group Chairman Cho Yang-ho’s younger brother Su-ho and is caught in an illegal stock transaction controversy.

http://goo.gl/J0yGpX

 

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5. Crisis as Charters Cancelled

India’s Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has issued notices to terminate contracts for 27 Indian-registered offshore vessels with local owners in order to cut cost amid the doldrums in the offshore sector. The 27 ships were hired by ONGC more than one year ago for three-year periods, with day rates ranging from $10,000 to $14,000. ONGC had hired six ships from Shipping Corporation of India, four from Greatship, three each from TAG Offshore, Samson Maritime, Global Offshore Services and ABG FPSO, two from GOL Offshore and one each from Ocean Sparkle and Vision Projects Technologies.

http://goo.gl/nkPMem

 

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6. Bunker Liability Ruling

The UK Supreme Court ruled in favour of bankrupt marine fuel supplier OW Bunker Malta in a dispute over payment liabilities, potentially leaving buyers around the world liable to pay for the same fuel twice. “The Supreme Court unanimously dismisses the appeal by the Owners, PST Energy,” the Court said on Wednesday.
PST Energy 7 Shipping LLC (PST Shipping) contracted with OW Bunker to buy marine fuel, known as bunkers, in 2014. OW Bunker then subcontracted the deal to a Rosneft Marine (UK) Ltd subsidiary to physically deliver the fuel to PST’s vessel Res Cogitans.
http://goo.gl/qVf7uZ

 

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7. Carbon Credits Rolled Out

Paint manufacturer AkzoNobel has pioneered a carbon credits program for shipowners using its low-drag bottom coatings – and on Wednesday, it announced its first award.  Costas Mitropoulos, Technical Director at Neda Maritime Agency, a Greek tanker and bulker owner, accepted the award of over 13,000 carbon credits from AkzoNobel representative Carlos Soler. The credits stem from Neda’s decision to use fuel-saving hull coatings on the tanker vessel Argenta, and are worth up to $60,000. Neda says that it will use them to offset its other CO2 emissions.

http://goo.gl/bihWnZ

 

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8. Owner Constantly Monitors Data

It may not seem a massive step – but a new corporate digital signage network for Carisbrooke Shipping in the UK provides staff with real-time data on fuel consumption by the company’s more than 50 vessels. Three offices in Britain, Germany and the Netherlands have received Samsung 48-inch displays which show content served by the cloud-based Embed Signage system. The displays show a range of internal communications as well as the fuel updates and other content based on external Web data services. “We’ve been looking for a way to improve information flow within our company" said the shipowner.

http://goo.gl/5QKuNl

 

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9. Ferry Families Seek Justice

Families who lost relatives in the South Korean "Sewol" ferry disaster have travelled to Liverpool to meet the Hillsborough families – to gain an insight into how they can fight for their own justice. The ferry capsized off the coast of South Korea in 2014, killing more than 300 people. The parents are among campaigners who claim they still do not have the full story about what happened, and are calling for an independent inquiry. Barry Devonside, who lost his son Christopher at Hillsborough, was among those offering their support.

http://goo.gl/4Ksugq

 

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10. Victory Could be Lost

Britain’s most famous warship is at risk of collapsing under its own weight according to structural engineers. "HMS Victory", Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson’s flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar, needs 136 metal props fitted as the historic vessel’s deck sinks towards its keel (a ship’s backbone) by a fifth of an inch (0.5cm) each year.
The ship is also slowly falling backwards, away from the bowsprit – HMS Victory’s front end – and water is getting into the hull.  The concerning news was revealed after a structural survey with laser scanners that produced 89 million different measurements of the 251-year-old ship.

http://goo.gl/4owzIk

 

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