Seacurus Daily: Top Ten Maritime News Stories 15/09/2017
1. Maritime Malware Epidemic
A survey of 2,500 seafarers has revealed that 40% of officers have sailed on a vessel, which has become infected with a computer virus or malware. The ongoing crew connectivity survey, carried out by British firm Futurenautics, also found that 87% of those surveyed have had no cyber security training. The organisers of the poll expect the final number of participating seafarers to double to 5,000.
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2. US Extends Jones Waiver
US authorities have extended a waiver to Jones Act regulations related to the effects of the two major hurricanes of the past few weeks. The original waiver from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was issued on September 8 and was intended for one week. Now the new extension is effective until September 22, meaning covered cargo loaded on that date is covered by the exemption, but not cargo that is loaded after that date.
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3. Major Port Cargo Boost
Shanghai International Shipping Institute recently published its Global Port Development Report for the second quarter of 2017, saying that cargo throughputs at major ports around the world continued to rise. According to the report, the World Bank forecast a global GDP growth rate of 2.7 percent in the second quarter, the growth rate remaining stable on the whole.
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4. BP View for the Future
BP has presented its view of six next-generation technologies that matter to the energy industry including blockchain, 3D printing and artificial intelligence. BP’s Emerging Technology team leader Dan Walker says: “There are hundreds of technologies out there that could impact BP, either positively or negatively, and we’re constantly scanning to identify and track these. We have to evaluate these technologies, analyze their strategic fit to BP and then prioritise them.
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5. Too Many Ifs and Buts
The shipping industry has been criticised for coming up with too many ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ when discussing the reduction of emissions. John Maggs, president of the Clean Shipping Coalition, told delegates at the International Chamber of Shipping conference in London: “That headline concern [about climate change] seems to be there, there seems to be acceptance of the problem and there is talk about the need for a truly ambitious strategy.
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6. Aussies Extend MLC Crackdown
Continuing to crackdown on companies breaching the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) the Australian authorities have barred the bulker DL Carnation for 12 months over underpaying the crew. Following a complaint to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) by the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) over discrepancies in pay an Australian surveyor found the ship was operating two sets of accounts onboard.
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7. Maersk Takes It Online
Maersk Line has uploaded the technical details of its entire container fleet to BoxTech, the database provided by the Bureau International des Containers (BIC). Following the upload, the BoxTech database now holds details of more than 7.5 million shipping containers, approximately 30 percent of the global container fleet. The BoxTech Technical Characteristics Database is designed to help shippers, forwarders, and terminals to digitalise more of their operations.
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8. Securing Fleet Satcoms
Inmarsat has launched "Fleet Secure" an all-inclusive, real-time, managed monitoring service, providing shipowners and managers with the cyber security protection needed to guard against malicious attack or malware, detect vulnerabilities, and respond to threats. The new service will be offered to customers and will be embedded in the satellite company’s VSAT service, Fleet Xpress, on which more than 10,000 commercial vessels are now committed.
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9. Oil Spill Off Piraeus
Greek authorities are working to cleanup a large oil spill that has impacted the shoreline of a Greek island near Piraeus this after a tanker sank in area early Sunday morning. The 91-meter Greek-flagged tanker Agia Zoni II was carrying 2,200 metric tons of fuel oil and 370 metric tons of marine gas oil when it sank on September 10 near Salamina Island, the largest Greek island in the Saronic Gulf.
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10. Accident Report on Grounding
The ro-ro passenger ferry Hebrides ran aground due to a mechanical failure which resulted from a loose screw, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) informed. Hebrides lost control of its port controllable pitch propeller and grounded while it was approaching Lochmaddy, North Uist, Scotland on September 25, 2016. Loss of control was caused by a mechanical failure within a linear servomotor actuator in the propulsion control system.
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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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