Seacurus Daily: Top Ten Maritime News Stories 08/07/2016
1. Intertanko Goes Social
Intertanko has issued ‘Social Media Guidance for Seafarers’ to help seafarers avoid its many pitfalls. Specifically, it covers the possible ramifications of social media posts which could be detrimental to an employer’s corporate image. It offers several golden rules for social media use: Never publish inaccurate information. If you are unsure of the accuracy do not publish. Ensure it is clear any statements are your own and do not represent the company. Avoid violating privacy. Only post what you would say in person or public. Never use social media as a platform to harm, intimidate, insult, threaten, defame or embarrass others.
http://goo.gl/Mpp4rt
http://goo.gl/Mpp4rt
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2. Next Theme for IMO
"Connecting Ships, Ports and People" has been selected as the World Maritime Day theme for 2017 following a proposal by Secretary-General Kitack Lim to the IMO Council. Addressing the IMO Council, meeting for its 116th session at IMO Headquarters in London, Mr. Lim said the theme would provide an opportunity to work with developed and developing countries, shipping and public and private sector ports with a view to identifying and promoting best practices and building bridges between the many diverse actors involved in these areas. Key objectives will include improving cooperation between ports and ships.
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3. Seafarers Freed in Nigeria
Eleven Indian seafarers have been reunited with their families after being imprisoned in Nigeria for two years. The tanker "Maro" was arrested in July 2014, when its engine failed and the vessel drifted into Nigerian waters. Authorities detained the vessel for entering national waters without the requisite permissions.
The eleven Indian seafarers onboard were imprisoned and charged with oil smuggling and trespassing illegally, and court proceedings began against them. One of the seafarers, told Indian press the crew were asked to pay $2,000 to the navy as a fine for entering Nigeria’s territory without valid permission.
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4. Warrant for Daewoo Boss
Prosecutors said that they have requested a warrant to arrest a former head of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. on charges of fraud and breach of trust. Prosecutors suspected that Ko Jae-ho cooked books worth some 5.4 trillion won (US$4.6 billion) from 2012 to 2014 by under-reporting the production cost or exaggerating sales or operating profit. Earlier this year the shipyard said it swung to huge losses in 2013 and 2014 from earlier reported profits, citing accounting mishaps. Still, Ko denied the allegations to reporters before entering the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office in southern Seoul for questioning.
http://goo.gl/BgQi6F
http://goo.gl/BgQi6F
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5. Armed Guards Family Petition
The families of six British men jailed in India have handed in a petition to the British government asking for more action to secure the men’s release. The former soldiers, who were working on an a US anti-piracy ship, deny charges of having unlicensed weapons. The 350,000-name petition has been submitted on their 1,000th day in detention. The sister of one of the men, Nick Dunn from Northumberland, said the government had not done enough. "I’m going down to London today to ensure that the government keep it at the forefront of their agendas and I’m going to tell them that it’s not acceptable."
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6. Terror Threat on the Rise
The threat of terrorist smuggling at U.S. ports appears to be increasing, says the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA), who wants mechanisms to prevent cyber terrorism and illegal nuclear materials from being trafficked through ports intensified. Nuclear smuggling can involve small quantities of highly enriched uranium or plutonium that could be used to build an improvised nuclear device. Additionally, radiological materials, such as cesium-137, cobalt-60, and strontium-90, can be combined with conventional explosives to build a radiological dispersal device, often referred to as a dirty bomb.
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7. Maersk Soothes Anti-Trust Fears
EU antitrust regulators accepted on Thursday an offer from Maersk, the world’s largest container shipping liner, and 13 competitors to change their pricing practices in order to stave off possible fines. The case is closely watched by other sectors such as supermarkets and chemicals companies, concerned that similar pricing methods could lead to charges of price fixing by competition enforcers. The European Commission opened a case against the container shipping liners in late 2013, following dawn raids two years earlier.
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8. Ship Recycling Flag Boost
In a boost for the hopes of entry into force of the Hong Kong Convention on ship recycling Panama is set for ratification. In a meeting with IMO secretary general Ki-tak Lim, Panama minister of maritime affairs and administrator of the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP) Jorge Barakat told Lim “Panama had decided to approve the ratification of the Hong Kong Convention on ship recycling.” The bill that is in the National Assembly has been approved and is only waiting for President Varela’s signature to enter force. The meeting took place during the 116 session of the IMO Council, where Panama is a category A member.
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9. Too Early to Spot Problems
It is too early to tell what problems that will ensue from the implementation of the SOLAS verified gross mass (VGM) regulations for container shipping. However, experts suggest that these will most likely arise from mis-declarations or negligent reporting and those most at risk may be those in the middle of the supply chain such as the freight forwarders. Clyde & Co partner at its Hong Kong office Anthony Woo says, "in my view the party most exposed would those that are in between". He explained that the loading parties at the top of the chain would have the best idea as to the weight of the cargo.
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10. Cyber Threats Get Real
There have been a lot of warnings about cyber security but one shipowner found out how pirates were able hack the company’s systems and target specific high value cargoes on its vessels. The case study, known as the “Roman Holiday”, involved an undisclosed global shipping conglomerate that contacted the Verizon RISK Team after they became alarmed at a series of attacks were the pirates were armed with very specific information in terms of the cargo onboard the vessel. The pirates would board the vessel forcing the crew into a single area, and then depart very quickly having located the cargoes that they planned to steal.
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Daily news feed from Seacurus Ltd – providers of MLC crew insurance solutions www.seacurus.com
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