InterManager Daily News 08.05.2019

 
1. Denmark’s Kolding Fjord grounding, again
General cargo ship RIX ATLANTIC ran aground in Kolding Fjord, Denmark, Little Belt, at around 0100 UTC May 7, while approaching port of destinationKolding, en route from Klaipeda, Lithuania. As of 1300 UTC May 7 the ship was still aground. No leaks and visible damages reported. The ship said to be carrying maize. http://maritimebulletin.net/2019/05/07/denmarks-kolding-fjord-grounding-again/?fbclid=IwAR34HhrPMldlTnJ3Pvqv_WiA5id6_bolB42fNHegn5ktqlCrdmSS3NKwapk
 
2. Dutch heavy lift ship attacked, freed by Spanish Navy
Heavy load carrier BLUE MARLIN was attacked and boarded by 7 armed pirates at around 1200 UTC May 5 in vicinity 03 00N 007 50E, Gulf of Guinea, SW of Luba port, Bioko island, Equatorial Guinea. The ship left Luba in the morning May 5, bound for Valetta, Malta. http://maritimebulletin.net/2019/05/07/dutch-heavy-lift-ship-attacked-freed-by-spanish-navy/?fbclid=IwAR2XgwHrxFt6V8FDE3pjKVW09ts2bI8VHI01UQ7Jj5OkFm6aXSKx3LrxPgA
 
3. Report: EU Should Encourage South Asian Shipbreaking Yards to Get on EU SRR List
The European Union needs to give the audited South Asian ship recycling facilities “a fair chance” to get on the EU list, a recent report issued by the European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA) finds. https://worldmaritimenews.com/archives/276317/report-eu-should-encourage-south-asian-shipbreaking-yards-to-get-on-eu-srr-list/
 
4. Gibraltar LNG Terminal Officially Opens
A new liquefied natural gas (LNG) regasification terminal that was recently completed by Shell and Gasnor was officially opened in Gibraltar on May 6. The terminal, which will be operated by Shell’s Gasnor subsidiary under an agreement with Gibraltar’s government from 2016, will allow the British Overseas Territory to switch from diesel-fueled power generation to cleaner-burning natural gas, using a newly commissioned 80-megawatt gas-fired power plant. https://worldmaritimenews.com/archives/276310/gibraltar-lng-terminal-officially-opens/
 
5. Norden after collapse in dry bulk: “We’re much better prepared”
Norden Chief Executive Jan Rindbo says that the downturn in dry bulk has served as a litmus test for the company’s new strategy to lease rather than own ships. In the past, a similar slump would have eradicated the bottom line, he tells ShippingWatch. https://shippingwatch.com/secure/carriers/Bulk/article11364079.ece
 
6. Brazilian court closes second-largest Vale mine again
A Brazilian court has invalidated Vale’s permit to reopen the company’s second-largest mine after the accident in January. The decision has already impacted spot rates in the capesize segment and could, according to analysts, turn recent positive momentum around. https://shippingwatch.com/secure/carriers/Bulk/article11364495.ece
 
7. Two U.S. Destroyers Challenge China’s Claims in Spratly Islands
On Monday, the U.S. Navy destroyers USS Preble and USS Chung-Hoon sailed within 12 nm of two Chinese-held land features in the Spratly Islands, according to U.S. Seventh Fleet.  Cmdr. Clay Doss, a spokesman for Seventh Fleet, told Reuters that the mission was undertaken in order “to challenge excessive maritime claims and preserve access to the waterways as governed by international law.” https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/two-u-s-destroyers-challenge-china-s-claims-in-spratly-islands
 
8. Shipping gets the Greta Thunberg treatment as crunch IMO talks get underway in London
Shipping got the Greta Thunberg treatment today. As delegates made their way this morning to the start of discussions at the London headquarters of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) on how to reduce the industry’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions they were greeted by school kids inspired by the Swedish 16-year-old climate change actitvist, Thunberg, brandishing their own messages for urgent changes to the industry. https://splash247.com/shipping-gets-the-greta-thunberg-treatment-as-crunch-imo-talks-get-underway-in-london/
 
9. Boskalis heavy lift vessel hit by pirates off West Africa
Royal Boskalis Westminster (Boskalis) revealed today that its heavy transport vessel Blue Marlin was hijacked on Sunday around 80 nautical miles offshore Equatorial Guinea. After unloading in Equatorial Guinea, the vessel left for Malta on Sunday and was attacked Sunday afternoon, with the ship boarded by armed pirates. https://splash247.com/boskalis-heavy-lift-vessel-hit-by-pirates-off-west-africa/
 
10. Australia’s coal exports to China from Gladstone surge in April
Australia’s exports of coal to China from the Port of Gladstone jumped in April, and helped lift the port’s total volumes to a three-month high, data from the Gladstone Ports Corp. showed on Monday. The Queensland-based port exported 1.44 million mt of coal to China during the month, the highest monthly total in 10 months. It was more than five times the 261,000 mt seen in April last year, and almost triple the 527,000 mt seen in March. https://www.shippingtribune.com/newsdetails.php?s_id=11816