1. Crewmember Missing as Barge Sinks off Dutch Coast
One crewmember was rescued while another one is still missing following the sinking of a barge off the Dutch coast city of Vlissingen on March 9. According to the Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue Institution, the vessel was carrying sand and was en route from Rotterdam to the Sloehaven port. According to local media reports, the vessel was beached by the crew to prevent it from completely sinking. https://worldmaritimenews.com/archives/272848/crewmember-missing-as-sand-carrier-sinks-off-dutch-coast/
1. Collision in Panama Canal
Bulk carrier IOLAS contacted by her portside bulk carrier SE NICKY starboard, at around 1000 LT (UTC -5) Mar 11 in front of Pedro Miguel Lock, Panama Canal. Both ships were transiting Canal in northern direction, to Atlantic. Both ships said to sustain slight damages, some of them can be seen on photos. Both ships completed transit and were anchored on Colon Anchorage, understood for damages assessment and investigation. IOLAS arrived from Chile, port of destination unknown. SE NICKY is en route from Mexico to Mobile USA. Traffic, according to Panama Canal Authority, wasn’t affected.
Bulk carrier IOLAS, IMO 9696450, dwt 63413, built 2016, flag Liberia, manager LAVINIA Corp., Greece.
Bulk carrier SE NICKY, IMO 9839088, dwt 37717, built 2018, flag Panama, manager SINCERE INDUSTRIAL Corp., Taiwan.
1. Orca AI: Shipowners Still Not Ready to Give Up Control to Intelligent Vessels
Shipowners seem to be hesitant to relinquish control of their vessels in favor of autonomous solutions, as they trust their captains and crews more than smart technology. In general, the shipping industry’s approach to new technologies has been described as “conservative“, especially when it comes to autonomous solutions that could theoretically replace the crew. https://worldmaritimenews.com/archives/272810/orca-ai-shipowners-still-not-ready-to-give-up-control-to-intelligent-vessels/?fbclid=IwAR0XQqRZ3GIy2ktPboUfU6dqhAxu0wyvDcsW5QlUb9T519CbAxoC4CDAiLY
1. MB latest accidents
Ukrainian freighter disabled, on tow, Aegean sea. General cargo ship suffered engine failure in Aegean sea while en route from Black sea to Turkish port in Mediterranean. The ship was taken on tow to be towed to Piraeus. http://maritimebulletin.net/2019/03/11/mb-latest-accidents-6/?fbclid=IwAR1gkBea7Z56lUZIdDVLyyMVotldr6Na_QJbkXU9Sv5UHG6JNLA7FeCJ3pA
1. Italian ConRo Ship Catches Fire off France, 27 People Evacuated
Twenty-seven people have been evacuated from a fire-stricken Italy-flagged roll-on/roll-off container (ConRo) vessel in the Bay of Biscay off the French coast, Maritime Prefecture of Atlantic said. The 56,642 gross ton Grande America caught fire some 263 kilometers southwest of the Pointe de Penmarc’h, south Finistère, on March 10, 2019.At the time of the incident, the ConRo vessel was en route from Hamburg in Germany to Casablanca in Morocco. https://worldmaritimenews.com/archives/272880/italian-conro-ship-catches-fire-off-france-27-people-evacuated/
1. BP Introduces New IMO 2020-Compliant Bunker Fuel
BP says it will begin selling a new type of low sulphur bunker fuel that meets new MARPOL regulations limiting the sulphur content of marine fuels to 0.5%. BP announced Monday plans to introduce the new very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) globally following successful sea trials of the fuel that was manufactured and supplied. https://gcaptain.com/bp-introduces-new-imo-2020-compliant-bunker-fuel/
1. Watch: Strong Winds Topple Containers at Port of Antwerp
Check out this video filmed Sunday at the Port of Antwerp as strong winds pummeled the area. According to the uploader, the port experienced hurricane-force winds gusts or more than 64 knots – a 12 on the Beaufort scale. As you can see, the winds were so strong that they knocked over multiple stacks of containers on the dock, even blowing one 40-foot ONE container into the harbor. https://gcaptain.com/watch-strong-winds-topple-containers-at-port-of-antwerp/
1. Underwater Medicine Specialists Adapt for Desert Role
As part of the Australian Defence Force’s ongoing commitment to the war in Afghanistan, Royal Australian Navy underwater medicine clinicians and doctors are deploying to this arid and rugged landscape far away from the oceans. Over the last four years, 11 members of this specialized community have worked across a number of locations in roles ranging from pre-hospital care through to tertiary hospital-based services Underwater medicine clinicians are medics drawn from the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army who receive additional specialized training in diving medicine. They provide care in isolated and remote settings, often without clinical supervision at hand. To provide this capability, they are qualified in a range of critical care skills such as advanced life support, surgical procedures and airway management. https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/underwater-medicine-specialists-adapt-for-desert-role
1. U.S. presses India to stop buying oil from Venezuela’s Maduro – envoy
The United States is pressing India to stop buying oil from Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s government, Washington’s top envoy for Venezuela said, as the Trump administration this week threatened more U.S. sanctions to cut off Maduro’s financial lifelines. “We say you should not be helping this regime. You should be on the side of the Venezuelan people,” Elliott Abrams told Reuters in an interview. The Trump administration has given the same message to other governments, Abrams said, and has made a similar argument to foreign banks and companies doing business with Maduro. https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/u-s-presses-india-to-stop-buying-oil-from-venezuelas-maduro-envoy/
1. Baltic comes under attack with claims indices are being kept low to suit charterers
Shipping’s Twittersphere erupted over the weekend with the launch of a new account, @ActionBaltic, which has made a number of claims that London’s Baltic Exchange is rigged and needs urgent change. The accusations have been dismissed as “fake news” by the Baltic. The people behind the Baltic attacks have refused to reveal their identities, describing themselves on Twitter as “taking aim at the Baltic Exchange, its opaque practices, lack of oversight & transparency”. https://splash247.com/baltic-comes-under-attack-with-claims-indices-are-being-kept-low-to-suit-charterers/
