1. Cargo ship sank in East China sea, crew rescued
Cargo ship HUA XIA 68 issued distress signal in the afternoon Dec 16 southwest of Nanji island, Wenzhou Province waters, China, East China sea. The ship was sinking due to water ingress, being en route from Fujian to Shanghai with cargo of sand and gravel, cause of water ingress not clarified. 11 crew went into life rafts. Wenzhou Rescue Center supervised rescue operation, sending SAR boats and requiring assistance of all ships in the area. At 1540 Beijing time all 11 seamen were picked up from life rafts by passing cargo ship, and later transferred to SAR boat. HUA XIA 68 sank by 1730 Beijing time Dec16, with parts of the ship being partially above water. Shipowner is tasked with wreck removal. http://maritimebulletin.net/2019/12/17/cargo-ship-sank-in-east-china-sea-crew-rescued-2/
2. Cargo ship issued distress signal, drifting in W Med UPDATE abandoned
Dec 16: General cargo ship LIRA issued distress signal at around 0430 UTC Dec 16 in Tyrrhenian Sea in vicinity 39 40N 011 43E, AIS was missing since Dec 14, reappeared at around 0700 UTC Dec 16 in 39 44N 011 40E, adrift, no tugs nearby.
Dec 17 Update: 9 crew left the ship, were rescued early in the morning during SAR operation, launched by Italian Coast Guard. The ship understood to be drifting, details of accident unknown, hull breach and water ingress mentioned. AIS is off since morning Dec 16. http://maritimebulletin.net/2019/12/17/cargo-ship-issued-distress-signal-drifting-in-w-med-update-abandoned/
3. Mega yacht collided with bridge on Sint Maarten island, Caribbean.
Mega yacht ECSTASEA went out of control on Dec 15 while entering Simpson Bay Lagoon, on Caribbean island of Sint Maarten, and contacted the control booth of a bascule bridge. Booth was ripped off and fell into water, but aside from that, bridge remained fully functional, and nobody was hurt. Yacht suffered superficial damages. Accident is though to be caused by adverse combination of strong wind and current. http://maritimebulletin.net/2019/12/17/mega-yacht-collided-with-bridge-on-sint-maarten-island-caribbean-video/
4. Laker fire, crew evacuated, Detroit
Bulk carrier TECUMSEH suffered fire in engine room near Zug island, Detroit river, Great Lakes, in the afternoon Dec 15, while proceeding upstream en route from Thunder Bay, reported Great Lakes and Seaway Shipping News. All 16 crew had to be evacuated, A contracted firefighting team boarded and extinguished the fire, after all 16 crewmembers were safely disembarked, said Shipping News. http://maritimebulletin.net/2019/12/17/laker-fire-crew-evacuated-detroit/
5. Far East Russia Crude Oil Exports: A Legitimate Tanker Play?
With tanker owners looking for clues on future oil demand and potential new trade routs, it’s worth taking a look at the developments in the Far East Russian front. In a recent weekly report, shipbroker Banchero Costa said that “just 10 years ago, Russia, the world’s second-largest oil exporter after Saudi Arabia, was hardly exporting any oil to Asia, with the vast majority of its trade being with the West, either seaborne or by pipelines. As strains between Russia and the European Union mounted, and as the Asian economies expanded, the Russian government decided to diversify oil export routes”. https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/far-east-russia-crude-oil-exports-a-legitimate-tanker-play/
6. Maersk launches new visibility tool “Captain Peter”
Maersk has released its revamped Remote Container Management (RCM) platform featuring the virtual assistant Captain Peter. Since its launch to customers in September 2017, over 3,600 companies have signed up for RCM and the transparency on information from the over 380,000 refrigerated containers of the combined fleet of Maersk and Hamburg SĂĽd it provides. https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/maersk-launches-new-visibility-tool-captain-peter-2/
7. VIKING to supply HydroPen container firefighting system for V.Ships
Container firefighting across the V.Ships Hamburg container ship fleet has been entrusted to the HydroPenTM system, after VIKING Life-Saving Equipment secured a contract to protect over 40 ships against one of the industry’s fastest growing safety hazards. https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/viking-to-supply-hydropen-container-firefighting-system-for-v-ships/
8. Stena Line invests 5 MEUR in modernising the Trelleborg – Rostock route
The route between Rostock and Trelleborg have had an impressive growth during the last three years and in 2019 more than 400 000 guests will travel on the route. To ensure a great travel and onboard experience in the future Stena Line now invests 5 MEUR in a refit and renovation of the cabins and public spaces onboard the two vessels FS Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and M/S SkĂĄne. https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/stena-line-invests-5-meur-in-modernising-the-trelleborg-rostock-route/
9. Supporting better ship recycling in Pakistan
The IMO Hong Kong Convention will set global standards for safe and environmentally-sound ship recycling, when it enters into force. A national workshop to raise awareness of the treaty and its related guidelines has taken place in Karachi, Pakistan (11-13 December), to help prepare the country for ratification and implementation of the Convention. Nearly 40 participants from relevant Pakistan stakeholders, including the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Pakistan Navy, Pakistan Ship Breakers’ Association, Ministry of Commerce and Textile, Customs and Marine Academy – as well as from the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the World Wide fund for Nature (WWF) – attended the workshop and shared their experiences on ship recycling. https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/supporting-better-ship-recycling-in-pakistan/
10. Harbor Performance Enhancement Center Files Notice of Claim Against Port of Los Angeles and City of Los Angeles: Filing alleges fraud, civil extortion, and other wrongdoing
On Friday, December 13th, the Harbor Performance Enhancement Center (HPEC), for years hailed by Port leadership as the Port’s “signature project,” filed a Notice of Claim (a prerequisite to litigation) which implicates the Port of Los Angeles (POLA) and certain leaders of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) in a coordinated multi-year scheme to harm HPEC. https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/harbor-performance-enhancement-center-files-notice-of-claim-against-port-of-los-angeles-and-city-of-los-angeles-filing-alleges-fraud-civil-extortion-and-other-wrongdoing/
