Seacurus Daily: Top Ten Maritime News Stories 07/09/2016
1. Blacklisted Abandonment Owner
Bahrain has blacklisted Dubai-based shipping company Sea Links Shipping after it abandoned the general cargo vessel, "Sea Lord", and 11 crew for almost six months without paying the sailors their wages, according to the Bahrain Ports and Maritime Authority. The "Sea Lord" was left three nautical miles off Khalifa Bin Salman Port. It suffered a power outage that made living conditions onboard horrendous. Abdulla Hassan, the shipâs captain, said the experience was like âliving in a burning furnace.â Bahraini authorities are now moving to repatriate the sailors who hail from Sudan, Pakistan, Syria, India and Myanmar.
———————————————————————————
2. Smart Phones, Stupid Position
Samsung Electronics Co., the worldâs biggest smartphone maker, said about $38 million of its goods and parts were on board two vessels operated by the distressed Hanjin Shipping Co., which applied for bankruptcy protection last week. Supporting Hanjinâs Chapter 15 U.S. Bankruptcy Court petition, Samsung said in a court filing Tuesday that without an order protecting the shipping line against creditors, the vessels wonât be able to dock, causing the South Korean electronics maker losses that may âcontinue to escalate so long as the cargo aboard these ships remains unloaded.â
———————————————————————————
3. Rehabilitation Repercussions
Following Hanjin obtaining a rehabilitation order protecting its assets from creditors in South Korea, the serious repercussions continue to shake global trade. As a first step to extend the rehabilitation orderâs geographical reach, the Tokyo District Court in Japan issued an order recognising the South Korean Court proceedings and issued a comprehensive stay order on 5 September 2016. Hanjin will be taking similar steps across the globe during the course of this week where Hanjin assets, particularly owned or chartered vessels, are vulnerable to arrest and where proceedings will be commenced.
http://goo.gl/Ps4E6l
http://goo.gl/Ps4E6l
———————————————————————————
4. Piracy Introspection
Introspection is rife among those who once claimed a stake in the safety of seafarers transiting off Somalia. It is evidence enough that there has been a quick-fix to what was apparently an all-consuming threat to global trade. In fact, a working paper published earlier this year finds embarked security teams had a far more quickening effect on reducing piracy- and the cost of piracy- off Somalia than did the much-lauded coalition forces. And while it is not always the case that the private sector leads where others follow, consolidation has begun and naval mandates will likely retire in the months ahead.
———————————————————————————
5. Unmanned Tech Show
The UKâs Royal Navy has just made a public show of its latest unmanned surface vessel (USV), speeding the vehicle through the tidal Thames. Named the Maritime Autonomy Surface Testbed (MAST), the Royal Navyâs drone is being developed by Portchesterâs ASV Ltd with funding from the Defense Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL). The 32ft long MAST is based on the Bladerunner hull thatâs part catamaran, part hydrofoil. At its heart, the Blade Runner hull is designed to make a vessel as stable as possible while planing across a waterway at high speed.
———————————————————————————
6. SMM Opens with New Focus
SMM, the leading international maritime trade fair features over 2,200 exhibitors from 66 countries â Digitalisation and alternative propulsion technologies are focal topics â While Iran returns with exhibitors and delegation after long absence. The leading fair has a leitmotif: Digitalisation in the shipping industry is the main topic of this yearâs SMM. Smart Shipping â comprehensive network integration of ships and smart use of data to enhance efficiency is a common theme. âDigitalisation is a key factor for the future success of this industry,â says Bernd Aufderheide, President and CEO of Hamburg Messe und Congress.
———————————————————————————
7. Tanker Ravaged by Fire
Fire broke out onboard an aframax tanker berthed in the Deer Park area of the Houston Ship Channel early on Tuesday morning. Firefighters attended Hellenic Tankersâ "Aframax River", which is berthed at the Intercontinental Terminals Company facility, at around 02:00hrs (local time) and extinguished the blaze successfully. The vesselâs 25 crew were evacuated. The US Coast Guard said the tanker had somehow developed a gash, which caused it to leak an unknown volume of fuel, which later ignited, according to reports from ABC13. The tanker is thought to have hit a submerged sewer line, which caused the rupture.
———————————————————————————
8. Economic Slowdown Fears
Without doubt the slow economic growth globally and the moderate recovery in Europe results in slow growth in world trade â including container trade. Q1 was especially poor in terms of global container throughput, which, according to Drewry, went up by just 0.5%. Q1 saw no growth year on year in throughput in Chinese ports, whereas they grew by 3.2% in Q2-2016 compared to the same period in 2015. Overall container demand grew around 2% in Q2-2016 compared to Q2- 2015. Global container demand is struggling to achieve a GDP-to-trade multiplier of one.
———————————————————————————
9. DNV GL On Cyber Threats
What are the best options for securing remote connections on ship and offshore systems? Which operational technology on board is most vulnerable to cyber-attacks? DNV GL has published a Recommended Practice (RP) on âCyber Security Resilience Managementâ to help the industry address potential cyber hazards. âWith ships and mobile offshore units becoming increasingly reliant on software-dependent systems, cyber security is an important operational and safety issue for the maritime world,â said Knut Ărbeck-Nilssen, CEO of DNV GL â Maritime, in his presentation at the DNV GL press conference at the SMM trade fair.
———————————————————————————
10. New Thinking on Port Security
The International Biometrics + Identity Association (IBIA) has published a new focus paper focusing on the importance of biometrics in ensuring security at all maritime bases. The paper, Maritime Security Enhanced through Biometric Readers, was authored by Walter Hamilton, Vice Chairman, IBIA. It comments on the U.S. Coast Guardâs recently published final rule, which outlines the implementation requirements for electronic biometric readers used in conjunction with the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) â a biometric-enabled identity card.
———————————————————————————
Daily news feed from Seacurus Ltd â 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.
