Seacurus Daily: Top Ten Maritime News Stories 09/01/2016
1. Greeks Top Charts
Greece has remained the top shipowning nation in 2016, according to shipping analyst VesselsValue. However, they have lost around 12 percent of their fleet value, and the Japanese come ever closer to stealing the lead, with the value of the Japanese fleet falling less than one percent in value.
In sixth place, down from fourth, the German cargo fleet has lost close to 30 percent of its value primarily due to the compressed container shipping market. The German container fleet shrunk by nearly $11 billion throughout 2016 after large losses in the sector.
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2. New Rules for Gas Fuels
A new mandatory code for ships using gases or other low-flashpoint fuels enters into force on 1 January 2017, along with new training requirements for seafarers working on those ships. Gas and other low-flashpoint fuels are cleaner for the atmosphere as they emit very low levels of air pollutants, such as sulphur oxides and particulates. But these fuels pose their own safety challenges, which need to be properly managed. The International Code of Safety for Ships using Gases or other Low-flashpoint Fuels (IGF Code) aims to minimize the risk to ships, their crews and the environment, given the nature of the fuels involved.
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3. Abandoned Crew Plead for Help
Over 40 Indian sailors are stranded in UAE’s Ajman anchorage and have sought help from External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. Tweeting to Sushma Swaraj and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the sailors and their families shared their plight and asked them to save their lives. Apparently, two out of the four ships are leaking and the passports of the sailors have been seized by the owner who remains untraceable, reported Indian Express.
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4. Breaking Yard in Flames
A ship at Gadani ship-breaking yard on Monday caught fire for the second time in less than a month. According to some reports, more than 100 workers were present on the ship when fire broke out. 70 workers have been rescued through life rafting boats. No casualty has been reported yet. The same ship had caught fire some weeks ago as well. However, the fire had been extinguished without any loss of life reported.
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5. MLC Changes Edge Closer
Entering into force on 18 January 2017, the 2014 amendments to MLC2006 aim to better protect abandoned crew and provide financial security for compensation to crew and their families in cases of a crewmember’s death or long-term disability. The amendments, which were developed by a joint working group established by the ILO and International Maritime Organisation (IMO) in 1998, will strengthen the MLC, 2006. They establish mandatory requirements that owners have financial security to cover abandonment of crew, as well as death or long-term disability of crew due to occupational injury and hazard.
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6. Making Progress With Cleanup
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore has reported “good progress” in cleaning up an oil spill after two containerships collided late Tuesday night in the East Johor Strait separating Singapore and Malaysia. The MPA said clean-up operations are continuing at the Changi Point Ferry Terminal, the fish farms in the Nenas Channel, and at Noordin beach, a popular camping beach along the northern coastline of Pulau Ubin. Oil spill response vessels as well as containment booms and spill recovery equipment such as harbour busters, skimmers and absorbent booms and pads have been deployed to impacted areas, the MPA said.
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7. Video of Near Miss
A new video posted online has had pulses racking as it shows an incredible close call for a vessel in Turkey’s Bosphorus Strait. The video was filmed Saturday near the Tarabya Hotel, which sits on a point overlooking the busy Bosphorus Strait. The Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits were closed to shipping on Saturday due to poor visibility as a snowstorm blew through the area. The vessel in the video has been identified as the "OOCL Novorossiysk". An AIS grab posted on Twitter shows how the ship strayed off course, but somehow was able to avoid running straight into land.
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8. Seafarers Doing it Online
Now seafarers can manage and report their seagoing service digitally, the Danish Maritime Authority (DMA) announced. Digitalising seagoing service is the first step taken to make it easier for seafarers to apply for certificates, keep track of their seagoing service and get digital access to their data. DMA Director Rasmus Høy Thomsen said: ”The new solution will make it fast and easy for seafarers to type in their seagoing service before applying for certificates. You can, inter alia, see whether you have sufficient seagoing service to have your certificates renewed, and you can get a record of your total seagoing service."
https://goo.gl/VRuKRu
https://goo.gl/VRuKRu
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9. Hamburg Set to Expand Navigation
The adjustment of the navigation channel on the Lower and Outer Elbe is the most important strategic expansion project for the Port of Hamburg. In view of the rapidly growing ships, Hamburg is dependent on adapting its seaward access to this technical development in the long term. This is the only way to ensure that Hamburg can be called at economically viable conditions and that its port remains competitive. The Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig has discussed legal and technical questions related to the adjustment of the navigation channel for containerships with a depth of 14.5 meters.
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10. BIMCO Reports on Dry Bulk
Since 2015 BIMCO has been collecting feedback on the performance of port terminals in order to be able to report the results to members and, ultimately, to give further guidance to ships. BIMCO has received over 400 feedback reports from bulk carriers on the performance of dry bulk terminals around the world. The data has been collected, evaluated and presented in this first annual report. This report gives overall ratings and analysis to show a picture of the current standards at a large number of terminals around the world.
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Daily news feed from Seacurus Ltd – providers of MLC crew insurance solutions www.seacurus.com
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S Jones
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