1. Dramatic video of crew on capsized ship hull airlifted by helicopter
Fishing vessel MIN SHI YU 07705 with 14 crew, caught in stormy seas, capsized early in the morning Dec 5 in Fujian Province waters, China, northern Taiwan Strait. Fujian MRCC was alerted at 0643 Beijing time, and launched SAR, deploying rescue helicopter, SAR boats and ships in the area. By 1030 Beijing time 13 crew were rescued, 4 remained missing. Watch a dramatic video of rescuing fishermen from the hull of capsized vessel. http://maritimebulletin.net/2019/12/08/dramatic-video-of-crew-on-capsized-ship-hull-airlifted-by-helicopter/
2. Car carrier HOEG TRAVELLER grounding, Savannah
Car carrier HOEG TRAVELLER ran aground in Savannah river on Elba river bank at 2100 UTC Dec 7, while proceeding upstream to Savannah. The ship veered off fairway, after steering failure. She was refloated some 1.5 hours later at 2230 UTC with 2 tugs assistance, and safely reached Savannah, understood under own power. She was berthed at around 0030 UTC Dec 8. No damages reported. http://maritimebulletin.net/2019/12/08/car-carrier-hoeg-traveller-grounding-savannah/
3. Dutch inland skippers poisoned by cargo from bulk carrier
Bulk carrier SMARTA arrived at Amsterdam from Yuzhniy Port, Ukraine, with cargo of sunflower animal feed on Nov 27, cargo was loaded into 17 Dutch inland cargo ships. Skipper and his wife on one of these ships, FOX (MMSI 244013189), required medical assistance on Dec 4, with symptoms of toxic poisoning, The ship was immediately taken to berth at Lek in Nieuwegein, Utrecht. Both were hospitalized, skipper taken to intensive care ward. All other vessels are alerted on a possibility of poisoning through inhalation, all cargo operations prohibited until proper survey and cargo treatment. http://maritimebulletin.net/2019/12/07/dutch-inland-skippers-poisoned-by-cargo-from-bulk-carrier/
4. Bunker tanker sank off Bangkok, oil leak
Tanker GOLDEN BRIDGE 2 sank in the morning Dec 3 in Gulf of Siam off Chao Praya river estuary, just south of Bangkok. The ship isn’t registered in known databases, identified by local media, referring to officials, as a tanker, most probably bunker tanker. At the time of an accident she had some 100 tons of bunker fuel on board, cause of sinking unclear – sudden and massive aft water ingress was mentioned. 3 crew were rescued. Reportedly, some 20 tons of fuel already leaked, creating a 4-kilometer long slick, which is drifting towards eastern coast of the Gulf. http://maritimebulletin.net/2019/12/06/bunker-tanker-sank-off-bangkok-oil-leak/
5. Cruise ship blackout triggered media overreaction
Cruise ship VASCO DA GAMA with some 830 passengers on board suffered a two-hour “controlled precautionary blackout” on Adelaide approaches early in the morning Dec 6. According to a statement from Cruise & Maritime Voyages. “An alarm light on the engine control room’s panel led the vessel’s officers to initiate a controlled blackout as a precaution against damage to systems on-board and in order to investigate the alarm. All precautionary post-incidents checks were completed with no causes for concern identified.” After power was restored, the ship safely reached port, and was berthed at around 1000 LT. Media and social media coverage seems to be overly dramatic to a level of parody: the situation was “quite serious” “We’re drifting. We’ve got no power, no water, no toilets, no cooking, nothing”. “It’s like a ghost ship. There is not a sound to be heard” http://maritimebulletin.net/2019/12/06/cruise-ship-blackout-triggered-media-overreaction/
6. Solstad Offshore PSV pair awarded more Brazil work
Norway’s Solstad Offshore has been awarded contract extensions by Equinor Brazil for 2012-built platform supply vessels Far Scotsman and Sea Brasil. The contract for Far Scotsman has been extended by two years, while Sea Brasil has been extended for one year. Both have been extended in direct continuation of their present contracts. The vessels are supporting production activities at the Peregrino field in Campos Basin, offshore Brazil. https://splash247.com/solstad-offshore-psv-pair-awarded-more-brazil-work/
7. DeepOcean awarded IMR contract by Equinor
Norwegian subsea services provider DeepOcean has been awarded a contract by Equinor for IMR services. The contract is scheduled to commence in the first quarter of 2020, and has a duration of up to nine months work utilising multipurpose construction vessel Normand Ocean. https://splash247.com/deepocean-awarded-imr-contract-by-equinor/
8. Christmas crisis for the handy market
Leaving aside all the technical preparation and permutation that IMO 2020 has thrown up, the essential commercial problem facing shipowners is simple: How can you get to the December 31 burning high sulphur without being left with non-compliant bunkers onboard? Today the spread between the two fuel grades sits at between $250 and $300 per metric tonne, so the impact on returns is potentially huge. https://splash247.com/christmas-crisis-for-the-handy-market/
9. Marintec gets glimpse of a 25,000 teu boxship
Visitors attending Asia’s largest maritime fair in Shanghai have been able to get a glimpse of the next generation of boxships, with a Chinese yard unveiling a record-breaking 25,000 teu ship design. At Marintec China, class society DNV GL awarded an approval in principle (AiP) certificate to Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding for its new gas-fuelled 25,000 teu ultra large container vessel (ULCS) design. https://splash247.com/marintec-gets-glimpse-of-a-25000-teu-boxship/
10. Orsted Bets Hydrogen Is Key to Climate Goals
One of the world’s biggest developers of offshore wind farms thinks its massive turbines could be key to the production of hydrogen in a greener way and ultimately, stemming climate change.
Over the past decade, offshore wind has pushed from a frontier technology to a multi-billion-dollar industry that provides green power cheap enough to compete with fossil fuels. Orsted A/S, a Danish company, anticipates that the scale and efficiency of wind farms at sea can play a crucial role to supply heavy industry with green hydrogen. https://gcaptain.com/orsted-bets-hydrogen-is-key-to-climate-goals/