Seacurus Daily: Top Ten Maritime News Stories 10/04/2018




Seacurus Daily: Top Ten Maritime News Stories 10/04/2018

1. K Line Guilty
Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K-Line) has entered a guilty plea in the Australian Federal Court to criminal cartel conduct. The company is scheduled to be sentenced in November this year. K-Line’s
plea follows an investigation by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) in relation to cartel conduct concerning the international shipping of cars, trucks and buses to Australia. 
The charges against K-Line
relate to shipping activity between 2009 and 2012, although the cartel operated from at least February 1997 and affected vehicles transported to Australia from locations in Asia, the U.S. and Europe.
https://goo.gl/v99iLY
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2. Time for Emissions Action
Shipping and its emissions are very high up the mainstream news agenda today as delegates descend on the headquarters of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for the crucial 72nd gathering of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC)
where the industry’s greenhouse gas emissions will be under the microscope. The importance of the coming few days has not been lost on Kitack Lim, the IMO’s secretary general, who noted last week: “Never before has a meeting
generated such great interest – not only within the maritime community but far beyond, as well.”
https://goo.gl/nvx2JK
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3. Worst Spill for Decades
“We believe this is the worst oil spill to catch fire since the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster,” said Fathur Roziqin Fen, director for East Kalimantan for WALHI, Indonesia’s largest environmental organisation. He is closely
monitoring the consequences of last week’s large oil spill in Balikpapan Bay, Borneo. "Over 130 square kilometres of sea are covered in oil,” Fen told me. 
Five fishermen have been killed, Irrawaddy dolphins are dying,
at least 162 fishermen have lost their livelihoods, 17,000 hectares of mangroves are at risk, and crab farms worth billions of Rupiah have been destroyed.
https://goo.gl/dsLMmh
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4. Tanker Scrapping High
Tanker scrapping increased in the first quarter of 2018, with the volume of vessels sold for demolition exceeding all expectations. Low freight rates, high scrap prices, an aging tanker fleet, and the impact of upcoming vessel
regulations have combined to create the perfect “scrap storm”, Teekay said in its latest market update. 
Since the start of the year, a total of 8 mdwt of tankers have been scrapped, including 17 VLCCs, 3 Suezmaxes and
14 Aframaxes, Clarksons data shows. 
The last time 8 mdwt of tankers was scrapped in a single quarter was in 1982.
https://goo.gl/xG6yQF
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5. Fighting to Secure Seas
High-tech radar units stretch along the quay of this tiny Yemeni port and underwater fortifications have been built to block attacks from unmanned boats packed with explosives. Once a thriving coffee exporting hub, al-Mokha
is now a heavily guarded forward naval base from which the United Arab Emirates monitors shipping lanes and the movements of the Houthis, their foes in a conflict that has sparked a humanitarian crisis in one of the world’s poorest countries. 
“They
cannot get close to this port anymore, they will be under fire,” said a UAE soldier loading an anti-aircraft gun onto a patrolling warship.
https://goo.gl/WmQ1zM
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6. Barley Crash Hits Market
The ship that crashed into an historic building at Turkey’s Bosporus Strait this weekend was carrying barley sold to top buyer Saudi Arabia. Bulk carrier Vitaspirit had the accident on Saturday, temporarily halting traffic
at one of the world’s most important maritime choke points. The Panamax vessel had loaded barley in Russia and was en route to Saudi Arabia, according to Vita Management SA, the ship’s operator. 
The accident, which may
disrupt short-term supply to Saudi Arabia, comes at a time when a tight market has sent global barley prices surging, with the grain hitting the highest since 2014 in Russia.
https://goo.gl/AnCykK
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7. Slashing Shipboard Admin
The Maritime Reporting Model (MRM), developed by BIMCO and partners, can reduce the administrative workload for ship masters by 80% in connection with port calls. We have developed a solution that allows the master to only
type in all the required information related to port clearance one time. The master of a ship should focus on managing the ship and navigating safely. He should not be using his valuable time repeating the same administrative paperwork over and over again,
says Anastasios Papagiannopoulos, BIMCO President and CEO of dry bulk shipping company Common Progress.
https://goo.gl/oBvyBb
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8. Bikes Causing Alarm
The U.S. Coast Guard and Washington State Ferries are reaching out to cyclists to remind them not to leave their bikes on the ferry – not because of the hassle of getting the lost equipment back to its rightful owner, but because an abandoned bike triggers
a costly man-overboard search.  The Coast Guard has recorded 12 instances of bike abandonment aboard Washington ferries in the last 18 months, roughly one incident every 45 days. The state’s department of transportation does
not publish statistics on bicycle passengers, but cycle commuting and recreational cycling are popular in Seattle in general. 
https://goo.gl/r4J5JY
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9. Time for Digital Standards
At their final Conference taking place in Copenhagen, the EU funded project EfficienSea2 demonstrated a wide range of digital solutions for the 200 participants from a wide range of stakeholders in the maritime domain. The project has strived towards developing
and testing digital standards for the past three years. The Danish Minister for Industry, business and Financial Affairs, Brian Mikkelsen, explained at the conference’s first day why projects such as EfificienSea2 are important
for the maritime world, as 
maritime business is crossing borders and working globally. 
https://goo.gl/ZByGs8
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10. Petrobras Scandal Stain
Former Brazilian president Luis Inácio Lula da Silva, a dominant fixture in Brazilian politics, has been imprisoned while he appeals a conviction on charges of graft. He was the front-runner in this year’s presidential campaign and could well have returned
to office.   Prosecutors charged that da Silva – popularly known as "Lula" – was involved in a wide-ranging kickback- and money-laundering scheme at state oil firm Petrobras. Executives at the giant company took bribes in exchange
for inflated construction contracts for everything from refineries to drilling rigs, then passed the money to political parties for use in elections and payoffs. 
https://goo.gl/hQPvyj
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Daily news feed from Seacurus Ltd – providers of MLC crew insurance solutions  www.seacurus.com
S. Jones
Seacurus Ltd
Seacurus Ltd.,
Barbican Group,  
33 Gracechurch Street,
London EC3V 0BT,
UK
www.seacurus.com
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