1. Italian second-biggest tall ship grounded, damaged
Tall ship SIGNORA DEL VENTO, second biggest Italian tall ship after AMERIGO VESPUCCI, broke off her moorings at Italcraft shipyard, Gaeta, Italy, drifted and grounded on city’s seaside embankment on Nov 16, sustaining heavy damages. accident was caused by a strong wind and heavy seas battering Italy’s coast on Nov 16. According to latest updates, the ship is to be refloated, or as of morning Nov 18, has been already refloated, to be repaired. She’s the pride of Italian maritime community, so let’s hope she’ll be restored in all her glory, she’s a beuty to look at even in distress. http://maritimebulletin.net/2019/11/18/italian-second-biggest-tall-ship-grounded-damaged/
2. Two luxury yachts destroyed by fire in Fort Lauderdale
Two luxury yachts, 32-meter REFLECTIONS and 49-meter LOHENGRIN, undergoing renovation at Yachts Repair Yard in Universal Marine Center, Fort Lauderdale, USA, were either destroyed or severely damaged by fire on Nov 16. More than 60 Broward firefighters spent about four hours early Nov 16 battling two luxury yacht fires that caused nearly $20 million in damage. When firefighters arrived, the boats were completely engulfed and smoke could be seen for miles. Firefighters boarded boats, which were docked in the canal, and began attacking the fire. Fire rescue personnel believe the fire started on one yacht and the wind caused it to spread to a second one. As of morning Nov 17, firefighters were still on the scene, extinguishing hot spots. Both yachts were encased in scaffoldings, which had to be removed by crane. http://maritimebulletin.net/2019/11/18/two-luxuey-yachts-destroyed-by-fire-in-fort-lauderdale/
3. Russian freighter on fire, Japan sea UPDATE
General cargo ship SILVER WAY with 13 Russian crew reported fire on board at around 1340 Seoul time Nov 17 in Japan sea, NE of Homi Cape, Pohang, Korea, while en route from Nakhodka Russia to Busan with 2500 tons of timber on board. Pohang Maritime Authorities sent patrol boats, firefighting team and helicopter to assist crew in firefighting. By the time they joined, crew couldn’t do much because of generator failure. Firfighting was hampered by heavy smoke, but nevertheless, fire was reported extinguished by 2016 Seoul time, all crew safe and uninjured. http://maritimebulletin.net/2019/11/17/russian-freighter-on-fire-japan-sea/
4. MSC Confirms Toft’s Appointment as CEO of Cargo Business
Swiss headquartered container group MSC has hired Soren Toft as chief executive of its shipping and logistics business from rival A.P. Moller Maersk .
Toft will report directly to Diego Aponte, MSC group’s president, and Gianluigi Aponte, the company’s founder and group chairman, an MSC spokesman said on Monday, adding that a start date has yet to be set. https://gcaptain.com/msc-confirms-tofts-appointment-as-ceo-of-cargo-business/
5. West African Nations Failing to Coordinate Piracy Response, Togo Leader Says
West African states’ failure to coordinate their response to piracy off their coastline is the main reason attacks are persisting, Togolese President Faure Gnassingbe said.
Seaborne assailants boarded two vessels off the coast of Togo and neighboring Benin earlier this month, the latest in a series of attacks in the world’s worst piracy hotspot in the Gulf of Guinea that stretches from Senegal to Angola. While the 15 states and western partners signed a pact in 2013 to collaborate in the fight against piracy, the region still accounts for 40% of the world’s reported incidents. https://gcaptain.com/west-african-nations-failing-to-coordinate-piracy-response-togo-leader-says/
6. Malaysia Bans Open-Loop Scrubbers
Malaysia has prohibited the use of open-loop scrubbers by ships plying Malaysian waters, as Southeast Asia’s third-largest economy joins the growing number of nations adopting new industry guidelines on reducing sea pollution. New regulations from the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) will require shippers to adopt more environmentally-friendly measures to manage their fleets, including reducing the sulphur content in fuels used in their vessels from Jan. 1 2020. https://gcaptain.com/malaysia-bans-open-loop-scrubbers/
7. China’s export container shipping index drops in October
China’s container transport for export purposes saw an overall decrease in October, according to the Shanghai Shipping Exchange (SSE).
The average China Containerized Freight Index (CCFI) fell 4.6 percent month on month to stand at 784.22 points last month, said the SSE. In the first 10 months of 2019, the index averaged 822.78, up from 817.8 points for 2018. https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/chinas-export-container-shipping-index-drops-in-october/
8. Thailand’s Prima Marine expands floating storage units business as IMO 2020 looms
Thailand’s Prima Marine Public Company Limited said that it has expanded its floating storage units business to support demand for storing and blending low sulfur fuel oils, as the International Maritime Organization’s 2020 global sulfur mandate looms. https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/thailands-prima-marine-expands-floating-storage-units-business-as-imo-2020-looms/
9. A new partnership between ISWAN and ShipMoney providing relief to seafarers in need
International maritime payment solutions provider ShipMoney is delighted to announce the launch of a new initiative: ShipMoney Cares. The initiative will launch on November 18th at the Crew Connect conference in Manila and will be available to seafarers and their families-including parents, spouses, children, and siblings-who can demonstrate that they or their family are experiencing some form of hardship that impacts their livelihood or income. ShipMoney Cares will be managed by ISWAN and is designed to provide one-time financial grants to seafarers in need, which could include medical or educational support. ShipMoney along with its strategic remittance partners will make a sizable annual donation to the program. There is a maximum grant of $500 and seafarers can apply once a year.
Stuart Ostrow, President of ShipMoney stated “We are very excited about this initiative. As a company, it’s very important that we give back to the community that supports us. It’s ingrained in our ethos and as one of our core values states ‘It’s always about the crew’. They work for our clients and we work for them. Together with ISWAN, we will be able to make a real difference in the lives of seafarers who need a helping hand. Once we get this rolling, we will be engaging with our clients, vendors, strategic partners and seafarers to participate alongside us.” https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/a-new-partnership-between-iswan-and-shipmoney-providing-relief-to-seafarers-in-need/
10. IMO Agrees A Goal-Based Approach To Help Cut Emissions
The IMO, which met in London this week to discuss how the shipping industry can continue to decarbonise, has agreed that a goal-setting approach is the best way to reduce carbon emissions in the short-term. Full details of the approach will be resolved next year.
States and NGO’s discussed the details and the complexities of the different submitted proposals and how they would cut emissions and impact states. After lengthy discussions it was clear that there was no appetite for prescriptive speed reduction regulation. https://www.shippingtribune.com/news/shipping/IMO+agrees+a+goal-based+approach+to+help+cut+emissions
