Seacurus Daily: Top Ten Maritime News Stories 27/02/2019
1. Liners Exonerated by US
A two-year investigation by the US Department of Justice into collusion among the world’s top liners has closed, without bringing charges or imposing penalties. Two years ago the FBI paid a call on executives meeting at the Box Club, the informal liner gathering, kickstarting an investigation that lasted 18 months longer than had initially been forecast. “This is an important decision where the global container shipping industry has, once again, been fully investigated and exonerated,” a spokesperson for MSC, the world’s second largest liner stated.
http://bit.ly/2Tb8SGT
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2. No Free Fuel Pass
The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has welcomed in principle the decision made at the IMO PPR 6 meeting last week that safety or operational concerns about the quality of low sulfur fuels may, in exceptional circumstances, be a valid reason for shipowners to be issued with a Fuel Oil Non Availability Report (FONAR) when the sulfur cap takes effect. However, ICS is warning shipowners that this should not be regarded as a “free pass” either to use or carry non-complaint fuel. “FONARs remain a tool of last resort and are not something that a ship will be able to use routinely,” said the ICS.
http://bit.ly/2T1Nnc1
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3. Charterers In the Crosshairs
The IMO left a loophole when it came to Marpol legislation, which has been exploited by fans of scrubbers ever since. Annex VI however was initially accepted way back in 2008, but then reality struck and charterers have seen a way out of paying the expected higher fuel costs coming next year. It is the charterers, some believe, pushing and will jump ship when the charter party has gone or the circumstances change. It has been claimed IMO made one big blunder when in 2015 instead of giving guidelines for exhaust gas cleaning systems the organisation should have carried out a full investigation.
http://bit.ly/2tF4ykQ
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4. Norway Sees More Fatalities
The Norwegian Maritime Authority (NMA) says despite a slight decrease in the number of accidents in 2018, there was an increase in the number of fatalities. Specifically, ten people died in 2018, in comparison to seven in 2017. Seven of the fatalities in 2018 took place on fishing vessels. About half (53%) of fatal accidents over the last five years, are attributed to personal accidents. Namely, falls to the sea and on board, along with shocks/crushing injuries are the main cause. In the case of personal injuries, 226 injuries were registered in 2018, compared to 231 in 2017.
http://bit.ly/2BY1XXz
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5. Crew to be Dismissed
The crew of Venezuelan oil tanker ‘Rio Arauca’ is set to be dismissed, almost two years after being stuck in the middle of the river Tagus in Lisbon due to unpaid debt, according to managers Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM). The Rio Arauca arrived in Lisbon in May 2017, but has been inactive and unable to dock since then. BSM also said another Venezuelan tanker, the Parnaso, which is in dry dock at the port of Setubal, south of Lisbon, will also have its crew removed later this week due to a lack of payment from owners PDV Marina, a subsidiary of Venezuela’s state-owned oil company PDVSA.
http://bit.ly/2BV6Alf
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6. Getting Smart on Digital
Representatives from major maritime technology companies gathered in London on Tuesday for the inaugural meeting of the Smart Maritime Council, a new initiative to support collaboration and standardization in the development of IT systems for the shipping sector. Smart Maritime Network was formed in January 2019 to promote the benefits of enhanced integration and data sharing among stakeholders within the maritime and transport logistics sectors. A core element of the initiative is bringing together maritime technology developers, systems integrators and other key stakeholders.
http://bit.ly/2VlyhLh
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7. Yemen Withdrawal Failing
Yemen’s warring parties have failed to leave the main port city of Hodeidah more than two months after agreeing to a U.N.-led truce deal as part of efforts to end the almost four-year war that has pushed the country to the brink of famine. The two sides agreed at December consultations in Sweden, the first in two years, on a ceasefire and troop withdrawal from Hodeidah in the first major breakthrough in peace efforts. The truce has largely held but the withdrawal has yet to materialize amid deep mistrust has developed.
http://bit.ly/2Ee1jpm
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8. Miscommunication Leads to Accident
The Britannia P&I Club presents a case in order to highlight the importance of effective communication on board. Namely, an AB got severely paralysed after two large waves hit the bow and knocked him over, injuring his back. According to the Britannia P&I Club, there had been a breakdown in communication between the third mate and the bosun. The captain had said to the third mate that the bosun was not to go forward until the afternoon and better weather. The third mate should have ordered the bosun not to go forward. Using the ambiguous word ‘Okay’ was not enough.
http://bit.ly/2EgokIc
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9. Be Careful Switching Bills
The British International Freight Association (BIFA), has warned its members about the dangers of requesting a switch bill of lading without being fully aware of potential liabilities. Switching bills of lading is a practice where a request is made to the issuer/carrier (or the carrier’s agent) to issue a second set of bills of landing in substitution for the original documents issued at the time of shipment. This can often occur at a port other than the load port and subsequent to initial loading. This practice is often used to conceal the identity of the supplier and the end-user.
http://bit.ly/2H2ZgHv
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10. Oil Personnel Attacked
Anadarko, the US Oil and Gas company has announced that its contractors working on the Mozambique LNG projects were attacked in two separate incidents. One person was killed, six were injured on a road 20 kilometres from their construction site. The first attack involved a convoy where six contract personnel sustained non-life-threatening injuries and were either treated or are receiving treatment. In addition, the second attack resulted to one fatality. The company highlighted that the safety and security of its employees is of a big importance. As a result, the construction site will remain shut down.
http://bit.ly/2tBeV9c
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Daily news feed from Seacurus Ltd – providers of MLC crew insurance solutions www.seacurus.com
