1. Polish bulk carrier crew died on board, circumstances unknown, Mexico
Bulk carrier SOLINA crew member of a Polish nationality died on board, exact date and circumstances unknown, cause unknown, man’s rank and age also kept secret so far, by Mexian authorities. The ship arrived at Tuxpan Mexico from Veracruz on Sep 9, and understood to be detained for investigation. http://maritimebulletin.net/2019/09/18/polish-bulk-carrier-crew-died-on-board-circumstances-unknown-mexico/?fbclid=IwAR3O7p7m9svaq9BQag_YAoM5LZZme7IN7EvkVWhLBZz2MVgczCpgJ6Stfw8
2. Stop this “tanker” nonsense, please
Iran seized yet another vessel, suspected by Iran in “oil contraband”:
Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has seized a ship carrying some 250,000 liters of smuggled diesel fuel in the Persian Gulf, detaining all crew members on board.
Brigadier General Ali Ozmaei, an IRGC commander, said on Monday that the vessel, manned by 11 crew members, was detained near the Strait of Hormuz when it was smuggling the fuel to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). http://maritimebulletin.net/2019/09/16/stop-this-tanker-nonsense-please/?fbclid=IwAR3bjGC7g3HCDewr-S4g-a0iTeK_2BABHhHswM8MS7x8EJAM7Wfw5xYdl3Q
3. London International Shipping Week 2019 Proves Once Again That It Is The Must-Attend Event Of The Global Maritime Calendar
London International Shipping Week 2019 (LISW19) once again exceeded all expectations by welcoming thousands of global shipping industry leaders to more than 200 official events throughout the week. Initial estimates placed the number of UK and international visitors at approaching 20,000 but this figure could rise even further when the number of ‘unofficial’ events are considered. https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/london-international-shipping-week-2019-proves-once-again-that-it-is-the-must-attend-event-of-the-global-maritime-calendar/
4. Britain set to receive LNG tanker Al Safliya on Sept 27 – data
ritain is set to receive liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker Al Safliya from Qatar on Sept. 27, Refinitiv shipping data showed on Wednesday. The tanker has a capacity of 210,000 cubic metres. https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/britain-set-to-receive-lng-tanker-al-safliya-on-sept-27-data/
5. Vietnam to remove 5% crude oil import tax from Nov 1
Vietnam will remove the import duty on crude oil for domestic refiner Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical Co. effective November 1, the government said in a statement Tuesday. Under the decision signed by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on September 16, the import duty will be cut to 0% from the current 5%, the statement said. https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/vietnam-to-remove-5-crude-oil-import-tax-from-nov-1/
6. Amendment of Ukrainian legislation relating to ballast waters inspection
Please be informed that in third quarter of 2019 year significant changes of Ukrainian legislation, governing inspections of ballast waters, their sampling and analysis have taken place. In particular, on:
– 17th of July, 2019, Procedure for cooperation between the State Enterprise “Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority” and the State Ecological Inspection on facilitating compliance with the law on natural environmental safety, in case of detecting the cases of contaminant discharge from vessels (floating craft) within the sea port water area was approved by the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No.670;
– 21st of August, 2019, Procedure on Inspection, Water Samples Taking and Performing of Their Analysis was approved by the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No.828. https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/amendment-of-ukrainian-legislation-relating-to-ballast-waters-inspection/
7. Ready or Not, Here Comes the Ready Reserve Force!
By Sal Mercogliano, Ph.D. – In a week punctuated by a drone missile strike on two oil production plants in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia, the United States Transportation Command on Monday initiated a Large-Scale Sealift Readiness Exercise. As part of its Turbo Activation series which began in 1994, the joint command, located at Scott Air Force Base in southern Illinois, issued activation orders for 22 ships from the Maritime Administration’s Ready Reserve Force and 6 vessels from the Military Sealift Command. https://gcaptain.com/ready-or-not-here-comes-the-ready-reserve-force/
8. Next Wave of U.S. LNG Export Projects Will Be ‘Tougher’ -Blackstone
The next wave of U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) export projects will be “tougher” to bring online, as companies with existing facilities take advantage of lower costs to expand capacity in coming years, the chief executive of Blackstone Energy Partners said on Wednesday. Blackstone CEO David Foley said at the Gastech Energy Conference in Houston that only one or two new startup projects may reach a final investment decision (FID) in the next wave of U.S. LNG export projects. https://gcaptain.com/next-wave-of-u-s-lng-export-projects-will-be-tougher-blackstone/
9. Americas VLCC rates jump over 17% on increased activity after Saudi attacks
Americas VLCC freight increased more than 17% on US Gulf Coast-loading markets Monday following the attacks on Saudi oil production infrastructure, as bullish owners took advantage of tightened availability in the Americas and a volley of freshly opened cargoes and pushed freight to match strengthened global VLCC sentiment. https://www.shippingtribune.com/news/shipping/Americas+VLCC+rates+jump+over+17%25+on+increased+activity+after+Saudi+attacks
10. Container Shipping: Ship sizes keep increasing despite stagnant volume growth
Despite this rise, the growth figure remains substantially below what the industry has been used to, with growth in the first seven months of 2018 equal to 4.4%. This low growth figure masks large differences in developments on trades around the world. In particular a 5% rise in exports from the Far East into Europe singles itself out. That high growth should come on this trade is good news for the shipping industry as the large distances lead to a more than proportional increase in tonne-mile demand. https://www.shippingtribune.com/news/shipping/Container+Shipping%3A+Ship+sizes+keep+increasing+despite+stagnant+volume+growth
