1. Container ship attacked in Gulf of Guinea UPDATE confirmed MSC ship attacked
Confirmed it’s MSC TALIA F, 7 crew reportedly kidnapped out of total 17, all said to be Ukrainians. The ship resumed sailing at around 1115 UTC, AIS on, as of 1415 UTC she was approaching Libreville.
1030 UTC: Cargo ship attacked in Gulf of Guinea halfway between Sao Tome and Libreville Gabon, at around 0730 UTC Mar 22. The ship is not identified, but according to ships’ tracks, it’s almost undoubtedly, container ship MSC TALIA F, en route from Lome to Libreville. As of 0900 UTC, ship’s AIS was off during last 3 hours. http://www.maritimebulletin.net/2020/03/22/container-ship-attacked-in-gulf-of-guinea-ais-went-off/
2. Longliner aground, 36 evacuated, Tuamotu
Reportedly, Taiwanese fishing vessel ran aground on southwest reefs of Atoll Arutua, Tuamotu, French Polynesia, on Mar 20 or 21. MRCC French Polynesia sent a helicopter to evacuated 36 crew, they are to be isolated prior to repatriation to 2 sister fishing vessels, which approached grounding site. http://www.maritimebulletin.net/2020/03/22/longliner-aground-36-evacuated-tuamotu/
3. General cargo ship sank off West Papua, 1 crew missing
General cargo ship SURYA EXPRESS sank off West Papua northeast coast in vicinity 00 40S 133 20E at around 2315 EIT (UTC +9) Mar 20, while en route from Gresik to West Papua. Of 18 crew, 17 were rescued, 1 is missing. Seamen were swimming in the water with life jackets on, they’ve been picked up one by one. No other details are available, including character of cargo and the cause of disaster. http://www.maritimebulletin.net/2020/03/21/general-cargo-ship-sank-off-west-papua-1-crew-missing/
4. South Korean seiner with 24 crew sinking off PNG, Bismarck sea
South Korean fishing vessel LIM DISCOVERER with 24 crew on board reported sinking in Bismarck sea in vicinity 03 26S 147 50E, north of Port Lae, Papua New Guinea, at 0230 UTC Mar 21. At 0330 UTC ship’s AIS was still on. http://www.maritimebulletin.net/2020/03/21/south-korean-seiner-with-24-crew-sinking-off-png-bismarck-sea/
5. Fire in engine room of hopper dredger, Netherlands
Hopper dredger DC VLAANDEREN 3000, berthed at Breskens, Westerschelde mouth, Netherlands, suffered fire in engine room in the evening Mar 19. Crew activated firefighting CO2 system, and extinguished fire, leaving engine room sealed. In the morning Mar 20 Breskens firefighters team boarded the ship and opened engine room in a safe manner. http://www.maritimebulletin.net/2020/03/20/fire-in-engine-room-of-hopper-dredger-netherlands/
6. Baltic index posts first loss in 6 weeks on lacklustre panamax demand
The Baltic Exchange’s main sea freight index fell on Friday, posting its first weekly fall in six weeks, weighed by lower panamax and supramax vessel rates.
The Baltic index, which tracks rates for capesize, panamax and supramax vessels that ferry dry bulk commodities, fell 5 points, or 0.8%, to 625. https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/baltic-index-posts-first-loss-in-6-weeks-on-lacklustre-panamax-demand/
7. Maersk Sees Negative Impact in First Quarter, Suspends 2020 full year guidance
Based on preliminary figures, A.P. Møller – Mærsk A/S (APMM) expects EBITDA before restructuring and integration costs for Q1 to be around USD 1.4bn (USD 1.24bn) negatively impacted by weak volume development but mitigated by strong implementation of our IMO 2020 strategy, both in terms of cost reduction initiatives and fuel price recovery. https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/maersk-sees-negative-impact-in-first-quarter-suspends-2020-full-year-guidance/
8. Shipowners eye long term marine fuel contracts on price plunge, some cautious
The recent plunge in shipping fuel prices is prompting some shipowners to eye long term supply contracts on a fixed price basis, but both buyers and sellers remain cautious because of volatile oil markets, several market participants told S&P Global Platts. https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/shipowners-eye-long-term-marine-fuel-contracts-on-price-plunge-some-cautious/
9. Saudi Arabia, Iraq say they will not compensate for oil freight rate jump -documents
Saudi Arabia and Iraq have said they are unable to provide freight rebates for crude oil shipments under default contract terms due to a record rise in tanker rates, documents seen by Reuters showed on Thursday.
Changes in supply terms may lead to cancellations of April cargoes by buyers across the world as they were not expecting to bear transport costs in full, traders said. https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/saudi-arabia-iraq-say-they-will-not-compensate-for-oil-freight-rate-jump-documents/
10. China Shipping Exports Rebound, Just as Western Ports Cope With Coronavirus Downturn
Two months after a near complete standstill in China that rattled global supply chains, the country’s ports are again pushing out thousands of containers that were stranded at the onset of the coronavirus outbreak. https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/china-shipping-exports-rebound-just-as-western-ports-cope-with-coronavirus-downturn/
