InterManager Daily News 14.03.2019

 
1. Ships stuck together after collision off Wenzhou
Bulk carrier MING ZHOU 66 collided with gravel carrier HONG CHENG YUN 3 off Wenzhou, China, East China sea, at 1115 Beijing time Mar 12. Gravel carrier struck bulk carrier starboard in cargo holds area, HONG CHENG YUN 3 bow ramp collapsed onto MING ZHOU 66 deck. Bulk carrier sustained hull breach with ensuing water ingress and developing stb list, ships remained stuck together, situation became critical. SAR ships and tugs were deployed in salvage, after some 5 hours the ships were separated, water ingress taken under control. MING ZHOU 66 was towed to Wenzhou South Channel and anchored off Zhuangyuan island, HONG CHENG YUN 3 reached her port of destination.
Bulk carrier MING ZHOU 66, MMSI 413406450, GT 8619, flag China. http://maritimebulletin.net/2019/03/13/ships-stuck-together-after-collision-off-wenzhou/?fbclid=IwAR0-lb0wlyDt4AkD_W2_ACurRP5BZtRWLCwXSGJ1Jq_ahsDruLhDNCo_4VI
 
2. Burning Grimaldi conro Grande America sinks off France
A day after it caught fire off France, the Grimaldi Group-controlled conro vessel Grande America has sunk in the Bay of Biscay. The Naples-based company specified in a statement that the fire was “caused by some cargo loaded onboard the vessel and the firefighting operation by the crew had to be discontinued when the ship had to be abandoned in order to avoid any risk for the crew’s safety”. There was no loss of life or injury among the 26 crew and one passenger who had left the vessel in the early hours of March 11, picked up by the Royal Navy’s HMS Argyll and taken to Brest. The P&I Club of the ship is the North of England while the hull & machinery is insured by Norwegian Hull Club (as arranger) and other insurers, among them Siat and Generali. https://splash247.com/burning-grimaldi-conro-grande-america-sinks-off-france/
 
 
3. Container ship collided with tug, causing fuel leak, Ravenna
Container ship BF PHILIPP allided with moored tug while entering port Of Ravenna, Italy, in the morning Mar 13. BF PHILIPP struck tug with her bulbous bow, breaching hull in fuel tank area. Diesel fuel leaked into water. Anti pollution operation was launched, no information yet on leaked fuel quantity. Port was closed for in/out bound traffic during cleansing operation. As of 1200 UTC, according to AIS, port was open for traffic. BF PHILIPP after collision, was safely docked.
Container ship BF PHILIPP, IMO 9123324, dwt 6506, capacity 538 TEU, built 1996, flag Madeira, manager BF SHIPMANAGEMENT GMBH & CO KG. http://maritimebulletin.net/2019/03/13/container-ship-collided-with-tug-causing-fuel-leak-ravenna/?fbclid=IwAR3Q5ZN_TgBlqNHV1U_TLnCwE3AnEyjWAG9ka6gxE–AZ5sh4JRTRmgYAjw
 
4. Fast Ferry Collides with “Whale,” Injuring 80 Passengers
On Saturday, 13 people were seriously injured when a high-speed hydrofoil ferry struck a submerged object off the coast of Sado Island, Japan. The Japan Coast Guard and operator Sado Steam Ship believe that the object was a “marine animal,” likely a whale.  The Niigata-Ryotso ferry is an ultra-fast vessel capable of making more than 40 knots, and its hull emerges fully from the water at operating speed. At 1215 hours, it was in the middle of its run to Sado Island when it experienced an abrupt slowdown. About 80 passengers sustained varying degrees of injury as they were thrown forward, including 13 with broken bones and other serious injuries. https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/fast-ferry-collides-with-whale-injuring-80-passengers
 
 
5. MSC Zoe Aftermath: Millions of Plastic Granules Washed Up on Beaches
Researchers have estimated that well over 24 million of plastic granules have washed up in the eastern Wadden area following the MSC Zoe container spill in early January. According to a research from the University of Groningen (UG), the North Sea beach of Dutch island Schiermonnikoog seems to be the hotspot for plastic granules that have washed ashore, with the highest concentration of granules – about 268 granules per square metre on average. https://worldmaritimenews.com/archives/273078/msc-zoe-aftermath-millions-of-plastic-granules-washed-up-on-beaches/
 
6. Seabourn Reveals Name of New Expedition Ship
Cruise line Seabourn has announced the name of its first ultra-luxury purpose-built expedition ship. To be named Seabourn Venture, the newbuilding is scheduled to be launched at Mariotti Damen Cruise yard in Italy in June 2021. The 264-passenger Seabourn Venture will be followed by a second yet-to-be-named sister expedition vessel slated to launch in May 2022. Both 170-meter-long 23,000 gross ton vessels will fly the flag of the Bahamas, VesselsValue’s data shows. To reach some of the most remote destinations in the world, each ship will be constructed with the hardware and technology necessary to operate capably, according to the company.
https://worldmaritimenews.com/archives/273089/seabourn-reveals-name-of-new-expedition-ship/
 
7. Holland America Line’s Third Pinnacle-Class Unit Starts Construction in Italy
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri held a steel-cutting ceremony for Holland America Line’s third Pinnacle-class cruise ship at its Marghera shipyard on March 13. The steel cutting ceremony marked the official start of construction on the 300-meter ship which is scheduled to be delivered in 2021. In addition to being the third Pinnacle-class unit, the newbuild will be the seventeenth unit built by Fincantieri for Holland America Line. Once completed, the 99,500 gross ton ship will join Koningsdam and Nieuw Statendam which were delivered in 2016 and 2019, respectively. https://worldmaritimenews.com/archives/273081/holland-america-lines-third-pinnacle-class-unit-starts-construction-in-italy/
 
8. Shell readies low sulphur offering
Following on from yesterday’s roll-out of low sulphur fuel outlets by BP, Reuters is reporting Shell has signed with Dutch tank terminal firm HES International to partially restart a German oil refinery mothballed since 2011 in order to produce compliant fuel ahead of 2020’s shipping sulphur cap. HES Wilhelmshaven Tank Terminal is reinstalling its vacuum distillation unit (VDU) to produce low sulphur bunker fuels in collaboration with Shell. Shell declined to confirm the news when contacted by Reuters.
       The German facility had a 260,000 barrel per day refining capacity when HES bought it from ConocoPhillips eight years ago. https://splash247.com/shell-readies-low-sulphur-offering/
 
9. U.S. Navy Review Finds Evidence of Widespread Chinese Hacking
The U.S. Navy’s R&D ecosystem is “under cyber siege” by hackers, according to a new internal review ordered by Navy secretary Richard Spencer. The review’s conclusions, first disclosed by the Wall Street Journal, reveal that the Navy’s digital secrets have been so thoroughly plundered by Chinese infiltrators that the service doesn’t even know what or how much it has lost.  The most public example was the theft of confidential information from Navy contractors last year, which gave Chinese government hackers. https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/u-s-navy-review-finds-evidence-of-widespread-chinese-hacking
 
10. Scrubbers Seen Costing Megaships ‘At Least 200 TEU’
By Mike Wackett (The Loadstar) – Scrubbers installed on ultra-large large container vessels (ULCVs) could take up “at least 200 teu” of container slots, according to Alphaliner. The consultant estimated this loss on Evergreen’s G-Class 20,150 teu newbuild, the Ever Govern, under construction at in Japan, compared with an already delivered sister vessel. Alphaliner said it appeared that the scrubber housing on the newbuild would be six or seven containers wide and occupy a 40ft container bay. https://gcaptain.com/scrubbers-seen-costing-megaships/