1. Cargo ship sank in South China sea, 10 crew in water, no news on SAR
Cargo ship CITRA HASIL reported sank early in the morning Dec 3 in vicinity 00 20N 106 20E, South China sea W of Ebeling Reef. 10 crew reported in water, no news on SAR. Most probably, it’s Indonesian cargo ship KLM CITRA HASIL, no AIS track during last 80-90 days. http://maritimebulletin.net/2019/12/03/cargo-ship-sank-in-south-china-sea-10-crew-in-water-no-news-on-sar/
2. Iranian cargo ship fire, Russia
Fire erupted in superstructure of Iranian general cargo ship VAFA 2, berthed at Astrakhan Port, Russia, Caspian sea, at 1120 Moscow time Dec 2. The ship was loaded with sawn timber, but fire was restricted by cabin or cabins, and didn’t spread further. By 1230 Moscow time fire was extinguished by join efforts of port and city fire fighters. Some 20 sq meters of cabin or cabins were damaged by fire. http://maritimebulletin.net/2019/12/02/iranian-cargo-ship-fire-russia/
3. Cargo ship allided with tanker, river Don
General cargo ship MELITA allided with anchored tanker VF TANKER-14 at 0842 Moscow time Dec 2 at Kochetovskiy Lock anchorage, river Don. MELITA suffered superficial damages, tanker aft quarter was breached above waterline, sustaining 5Ă—6 centimeter hole. http://maritimebulletin.net/2019/12/02/cargo-ship-allided-with-tanker-river-don/
4. Jan De Nul Orders Second Next-Generation Offshore Crane Vessel
Luxembourg-based marine services company Jan De Nul has ordered a second next-generation offshore wind turbine installation vessel. The new vessel, named Les Alizés, will be built at China Merchants Industry Holdings shipyard in in Haimen, China with delivery in 2022. https://gcaptain.com/jan-de-nul-orders-second-next-generation-offshore-crane-vessel/
5. Carriers Must Train Crews for IMO 2020 or Risk Criminality, Warns Seafarer Union
Seafarer representatives are increasingly worried that the forthcoming IMO 2020 low-sulphur regulations could result in a spate of criminal convictions. Seafarer union Nautilus International said a recent case involving a P&O Cruises vessel in the North Europe special emission control area (SEVA), which extends from the Channel to the Baltic Sea, set a worrying precedent, following which seafarers could find themselves with a criminal conviction if they fail to correctly manage the switchover to low-sulphur fuel for the beginning of next year. https://gcaptain.com/carriers-must-train-crews-for-imo-2020-or-risk-criminality-warns-seafarer-union/
6. U.S. Suspends Review of Phillips 66 Oil Export Terminal Application
U.S. maritime officials have suspended a review of oil refiner Phillips 66’s application for a U.S. Gulf Coast deepwater export terminal for additional information, but the company said on Friday it would continue outreach efforts to win over residents. https://gcaptain.com/u-s-suspends-review-of-phillips-66-oil-export-terminal-application/
7. Qingdao Port Buys 33.3 Pct Stake in COSCO Shipping Ports (Abu Dhabi)
Chinese container terminal operator COSCO Shipping Ports Limited has entered into a deal to sell 33.3 percent of equity in its subsidiary COSCO Shipping Ports (Abu Dhabi) Limited to Qingdao Port International Development (Hong Kong) for USD 59.2 million. https://mobile.worldmaritimenews.com/archives/287244/qingdao-port-buys-33-3-pct-stake-in-cosco-shipping-ports-abu-dhabi/
8. VDR: 81 Pct of German Shipping Companies to Use LSFO
The vast majority of ships in the German fleet will run on the new low sulphur fuel oil (LSFO) from January 1, a new survey found. This is one of the findings of the survey conducted by the German Shipowners’ Association (VDR) among its member companies. https://mobile.worldmaritimenews.com/archives/287230/vdr-81-pct-of-german-shipping-companies-to-use-lsfo/
9. Tankers: VLCCs Under Pressure
VLCC Owners’ expectations were firm at the start of the week with the market for 270,000mt Middle East Gulf to China peaking at Worldscale (WS)120. Rates then came under downward pressure with WS115 and WS117.5 agreed for China discharge, and now we understand levels have slipped further with brokers now seeing market closer to very low WS100S. Going west, 280,000mt to US Gulf Cape/Cape was fixed at around WS62, though pressure is building on owners. For 260,000mt from West Africa to China, rates also softened from WS110 a week ago to WS107.5, and with WS101 now reportedly done further compounding the pressure in the Middle East. A short week in the US saw limited action in US Gulf/China trade and the market here is now assessed around $11.8 million. https://www.shippingtribune.com/news/shipping/Tankers%3A+VLCCs+Under+Pressure
10. Bunker Fuel Quality Remains A Pressing Concern As IMO 2020 Nears
Bunker fuel quality issues continue to persist in the industry, even as fuel management is set to become more critical, ahead of the International Maritime Organization’s, or IMO, January 2020 low sulfur global marine fuels mandate, sources at an industry event in Singapore said this week https://www.shippingtribune.com/news/shipping/Bunker+fuel+quality+remains+a+pressing+concern+as+IMO+2020+nears
