Seacurus Daily: Top Ten Maritime News Stories 14/06/2017
1. Giant Ships Big Problems
DNV GL released a study that points to the difficulty of reducing the industry’s CO2 output below current levels. The problem is structural: big cargo vessels emit 80 percent of shipping’s greenhouse gases, but they’re also the industry’s most efficient ships, and squeezing out additional improvements may be a challenge.
Just 35 percent of the fleet – mostly large bulkers, tankers and container ships – is responsible for 80 percent of shipping’s fuel consumption, according to Christos Chryssakis, DNV GL’s group leader for greener shipping. Unfortunately, these are already the fleet’s most efficient vessels per ton-mile.
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2. CMA CGM Buys from Maersk
On Tuesday, CMA CGM announced that it has entered into an agreement to buy Brazilian-flag operator Mercosul from leading ocean carrier Maersk Line. CMA CGM said that the purchase will allow it to strengthen its South American offerings, especially in the Brazilian cabotage market, and will further its strategic goal of developing intra-regional networks and complimentary logistics services. CMA CGM did not disclose the terms of the deal, which is still subject to approval by Brazilian regulators. The agreement is also contingent on the successful conclusion of Maersk’s acquisition of Hamburg Süd.
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3. Call for Whale Action
The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary (SBNMS) have released a report card on shipping company efforts to help protect endangered North Atlantic right whales. Collisions between endangered North Atlantic right whales and large shipping vessels are one of the leading causes of death for these rare whales and hinder the recovery of their entire species of approximately 500 individuals. As a protection measure, mariners are required to travel at 10 knots or less in designated right whale habitat areas.
The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary (SBNMS) have released a report card on shipping company efforts to help protect endangered North Atlantic right whales. Collisions between endangered North Atlantic right whales and large shipping vessels are one of the leading causes of death for these rare whales and hinder the recovery of their entire species of approximately 500 individuals. As a protection measure, mariners are required to travel at 10 knots or less in designated right whale habitat areas.
4. Panama Looks to China
In a surprise joint statement released on Monday evening Panama said that Panama and China were recognising each other and would be establishing ambassadorial-level relations the same day. Meanwhile Panama severed ties with Taiwan. In Panama, President Juan Carlos Varela said in a televised address that “[the opening of diplomatic relations with China] represents the correct path for our country.” Panama’s government said in a statement that it recognised there was only one China, with Taiwan belonging to the Asian giant, and that it was severing ties with Taipei.
In a surprise joint statement released on Monday evening Panama said that Panama and China were recognising each other and would be establishing ambassadorial-level relations the same day. Meanwhile Panama severed ties with Taiwan. In Panama, President Juan Carlos Varela said in a televised address that “[the opening of diplomatic relations with China] represents the correct path for our country.” Panama’s government said in a statement that it recognised there was only one China, with Taiwan belonging to the Asian giant, and that it was severing ties with Taipei.
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5. LR Releases Unmanned Code
With a growing buzz around autonomous or automated vessels Lloyd’s Register (LR) has launched an unmanned marine systems (UMS) code. LR said that it envisaged that UMS will enter widespread use in many maritime sectors in the near future. The LR UMS Code provides an assurance process in order to certify the safe design, build and maintenance of the vessel against an established framework. “The code provides a unique and valuable method of providing an assurance process for the safe design of unmanned marine systems in what is a rapidly developing area of the industry,” said the Classification giant.
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6. Email Scam Hits Bunker Firm
A bunker fuel dealer from Malaysia has fallen victim to an e-mail payment scam and lost $1.1m. Local reports said the owner of the bunker fuel company was cheated by a fake bunker fuel supply company, which asked him to make payment into a US-based bank account. The scammers had apparently used spyware to infiltrate the victim’s computer and spy on e-mail correspondence between the victim and his actual supplier in Singapore. They then masqueraded as the supplier to invoice the victim for payment into a bank account, which he duly paid up, ignoring the fact that it was different from the supplier’s regular account.
A bunker fuel dealer from Malaysia has fallen victim to an e-mail payment scam and lost $1.1m. Local reports said the owner of the bunker fuel company was cheated by a fake bunker fuel supply company, which asked him to make payment into a US-based bank account. The scammers had apparently used spyware to infiltrate the victim’s computer and spy on e-mail correspondence between the victim and his actual supplier in Singapore. They then masqueraded as the supplier to invoice the victim for payment into a bank account, which he duly paid up, ignoring the fact that it was different from the supplier’s regular account.
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7. Fujairah Eases Qatar Block
The Port of Fujairah has eased restrictions for vessels that have called from Qatar, which should allow for bunkering. Last week the Port of Fujairah banned all vessels that were either Qatari-flagged, owned, and all vessels that had or were going to call in Qatar from Fujairah’s port or anchorages. In a new circular issued on Monday the ban of Qatari-flagged or owned vessels remains, but other restrictions were reduced to not allowing ships to load or unload any cargo of Qatari origin or allowing ships to load UAE cargo destined for Qatar.
The Port of Fujairah has eased restrictions for vessels that have called from Qatar, which should allow for bunkering. Last week the Port of Fujairah banned all vessels that were either Qatari-flagged, owned, and all vessels that had or were going to call in Qatar from Fujairah’s port or anchorages. In a new circular issued on Monday the ban of Qatari-flagged or owned vessels remains, but other restrictions were reduced to not allowing ships to load or unload any cargo of Qatari origin or allowing ships to load UAE cargo destined for Qatar.
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8. IMO Launches Safety Meet
The Secretary General of the IMO has highlighted key issues amongst the various agenda items of MSC 98. These include implementation of the goal-based standards for new ship construction of bulk carriers and oil tankers. Also issues relating to “early implementation” of amendments to existing mandatory requirements, with a view to avoiding potential conflict between flag State and port State authorities. Maritime security remains a concern. The number of incidents in the Gulf of Guinea, reported to the Organization, has increased last year with 59 incidents recorded in GISIS in 2016, as against 35 in 2015.
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9. P&I On Cyber Reporting
North P&I Club has joined a collaboration between shipping industry leaders, including BIMCO, DNV GL and the Marshall Islands Registry, to combat cyber criminals by committing to the CSO Alliance’s global information and reporting platform for digital attacks. Cybercrime is a rapidly growing global threat in all industries and shipping is not immune. Digital risks have industry-wide implications, and strength in numbers is the best defence against a threat that is dynamic, rapidly evolving, and multiplies when a weakness is identified.
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10. Single Tanker Paints Global Scene
A single ship can capture the current state of the global oil, it’s the supertanker Saiq, floating idly about 850 kilometers (528 miles) south of the Canary Islands. Until a few days ago, the 330-meter-long tanker, chartered by Royal Dutch Shell Plc, was steaming at 13 knots toward the Chinese port of Tianjin after loading a two-million-barrel cargo of North Sea oil at the Hound Point terminal near Edinburgh. Then, it suddenly stopped in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Its problem: China isn’t buying much crude right now, leaving the tanker searching for a customer.
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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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