Seacurus Daily: Top Ten Maritime News Stories 18/08/2016
1. Owner Cuts and Runs
Kaohsiung-headquartered Jumbo Sino Development of Taiwan is the latest shipowner to be publically shamed for abandoning its crews amid the protracted downturn. 19 crewmembers – a mix of Chinese and Burmese nationals – working on the Shun Da and Yong Win 18 chemical tankers, have been left to fend for themselves at a ship repair yard in Haiphong in northern Vietnam. On May 13, the two vessels came to Nam Trieu shipyard (pictured) at which point the owner abandoned the ships and crew, with up to nine months of pay missing too. Vietnamese authorities are now working to repatriate the crews.
———————————————————————————
2. Tanker Held by Crew
A fuel tanker that disappeared from a Malaysian port was likely taken by its own crew in a dispute with their employer, Indonesian authorities have said. The "Vier Harmoni", which is carrying 900,000 litres of diesel, sailed into Indonesian waters on Wednesday after it dropped out of contact. The captain twice informed his employer that he was taking the ship back to the Indonesian island of Batam because of an "internal management problem". Malaysian and Indonesian authorities are not calling this a hijacking, or an act of piracy; they’re calling this an "internal dispute".
———————————————————————————
3. Hundreds Evacuated from Ferry
More than 500 people were safely evacuated from a ferry on fire off the coast of Puerto Rico, according to the US Coast Guard. Police told the Associated Press that plumes of smoke had been spotted flowing out of the ship about a mile from the San Juan harbour. After successfully evacuating the burning ferry, police say the ship has been safely docked. The Caribbean Fantasy, was en route from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic to San Juan.
http://goo.gl/0lsb2y
http://goo.gl/0lsb2y
———————————————————————————
4. Flags Should Protect Yacht Crew
Seacurus has called for more flag states to establish a process of compulsory registration for all providers of Seafarer Recruitment and Placement Service (SPRS) in the yachting sector. Thomas Brown, managing director of Seacurus, says, “More countries need to follow the initiatives shown by the likes of the UK MCA and France, with the latter making company registration compulsory for SRPSs in the yachting sector. The measures introduced by the French authorities, for example, provide positive clarification for all seafarers placed on board yachts by French yachting agencies.
———————————————————————————
5. Bosphorus Closes After Collision
Bosphorus Strait was closed after bulk carrier Tolunay collided with Coast Guard boat at the southern end of the canal. The coast guard vessel capsized and sank. As result one crew died, three went missing and the rest six people were rescued and transported to the local hospital. The victim was put in water trap into the capsized boat and was found later during search and rescue operation by divers. Later, the missing coast guard crew members were also recovered with heavy injuries and hospitalized. The cargo ship was detained after the accident during the further investigation for the responsible of the collision.
———————————————————————————
6. Owner Fined for Pollution Again
US authorities on Tuesday fined the South Korean owners of tanker B. Pacific $275,000 for breaking a pollution law off Hawaii. The company Doorae Shipping – a repeat offender – pleaded guilty to violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships for failing to log the movement of 5,400 gallons of contaminated bilge water in an unapproved space on the ship on multiple dates in July. It was the second time in four months that the company was penalized for pollution offences in Hawaiian waters. In the previous instance Doorae was fined $900,000 in April after a case brought by the US Department of Justice.
———————————————————————————
7. Box Lines in Severe Contraction
Container lines are enduring a “severe revenue contraction”, said Drewry, after the first six-month turnover figures reported so far by carriers were down an average of 18% on the same period of 2015. Sales are contracting faster than carriers can cut costs, and unless there is a significant uptick of freight rates, the consultant predicts industry losses of “at least $5bn” this year and spark a further flurry of M&A activity. Indeed, if the carrier depression continues apace, full-year revenue will plunge below that of its lowest point in 2009, a year when the industry suffered collective operating losses of $19bn.
———————————————————————————
8. Cruise Heads North to History
History is being in Arctic waters, as the largest vessel ever to attempt to transit the famed Northwest Passage is setting sail. The Crystal Cruises’ Serenity, a 1,725-person vessel, is departing Seward, Alaska, for New York City, via the top of the world. Along its 32-day path, the ship will have to navigate poorly charted waters, chunks of sea ice, sensitive wildlife, and as of Tuesday, a giant storm swirling throughout the Arctic Ocean. So far this summer, Arctic sea ice is heading for the second-lowest extent on record, behind 2012, though the storm could further accelerate ice loss. The voyage is sold out.
———————————————————————————
9. Rice Business Lead to Claims
IUMI has been speaking out about concerns regarding the scale and number of rice cargo claims which have been emerging lately. Marine insurers often face important claim issues related to transport and handling damages, as well as pilferage during discharge or during storage. In order to avoid or minimize these damages, the consignee’s role is very important. In some ports however, the consignee completely relies on the stevedoring company to ensure a proper handling and storage of the cargo, something which is seemingly exacerbating the problem.
———————————————————————————
10. Virtual Reality Shipbuilding
Danish naval architect Knud E Hansen has unveiled a virtual reality design verification tool which allows designers, engineers and key stakeholders to validate design ideas while they’re still on the drawing board. The ShipSpace product uses the latest VR technologies to enable users to walk around all areas of the vessel and get a better understanding of how spaces work, with a true sense of depth and scale, which is not possible with monitors or projectors. ShipSpace is a cutting edge tool that our engineers and partners can use to design better ships, faster.
———————————————————————————
Daily news feed from Seacurus Ltd – providers of MLC crew insurance solutions www.seacurus.com
Best regards,
S Jones
Seacurus Ltd
Registered in England No. 5201529
Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority
A Barbican Group company
Telephone: +44 191 4690859
Facsimile: +44 191 4067577
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.seacurus.com
Registered Office: Suite 3, Level 3,
Baltic Place West, Baltic Place,
South Shore Road,
Gateshead,
NE8 3BA,
United Kingdom
This message, and any associated files, are intended only for the use of the individual or entity to which it was addresses and may contain information that is confidential, subject to copyright or constitutes a trade secret. If you are not the intended recipient you are hereby notified that any dissemination, copying or distribution of this message, or files associated with this message, is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify us immediately.
